After over 60 years, much of the memory of our very first gig is a little hazy, but certain aspects of the event are still crystal clear. The date was December 26, 1964 and we were in the midst of the “British Invasion.” Every kid who saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan that previous February, seemed obliged to start a band. 

There were just five of us, and our stage outfits were influenced by another band, not British, but a California group known as The Beach Boys. So, there we were in our green and white striped shirts, tan Levis and desert boots, ready to rock the house before a group of teen-aged kids at Lakeside Community Center in Richmond, Virginia.

Scared… I was petrified! We’d never played “live” and this was our first test. I was so worried that I’d forget the lyrics to our meager repertoire, I had every word written on 3 x 5 index cards, just in case. 

I’m sure most of our tunes were no more than 3 chords, but there we were, giving it all we had. I don’t remember getting paid, but the audience must have liked us, as they passed the hat to express their approval. With that we bought band business cards and The Centaurs were off and running on an incredible sixty-year journey!