TWAQ Keeps Getting Smaller…

Johnny-on-the-Spot … by John Foster …

Recently we were vacationing on Pelee Island in Lake Erie when I got a text from an old bandmate.

Randy Bender asked if I has seen Tom Hampton’s obituary.

It was the 2nd bad news advisory I’ve received in the last three weeks.

Just last month I got word that Vaughn Mullet had passed away.

It was nearly 5 years ago this year that William Hatheway also died.

During our high school years in the mid 60’s, the 5 of us were in a band known as “The Wesley Allyn Quintet.” or “TWAQ” as we called it.

We came up with the name by using a couple of our middle names and substituted a “Y” for and “E” in “Allyn” which somewhat classed up the moniker.

We were all in marching bands in high school.

There was Bill Hatheway, who played trumpet and guitar, Vaughn Mullet handled the electric accordion, Tom Hampton played bass guitar and trombone, Randy Bender was a trumpeter and I was the drummer.

We all pitched in on the vocals.

With the variety of instruments, we could handle the current rock music and mix in some of the standards as needed.

We were also able to handle tunes by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass and if someone requested a polka, we had that covered as well.

We were the house band for a couple of winters at the Snow Trails Ski Report near Mansfield, Ohio.

We also played several nights a week in the lounge of the Leland Hotel in my home town of Mansfield, Ohio.

The Leland, built at the corner of Walnut Street and Park Avenue West in downtown Mansfield in 1927 was where the “elite would meet to eat”.

We also performed at numerous community events and school functions.

It was at a huge dance in the steelworker’s union hall that I sampled my first “moonshine”.

A grateful fan offered me a sip with the advisory, “Don’t sniff it; just throw it back.”

My stomach still twitches at the memory of that gulp.

We had nicknames like “laggard”, “peon” and “groundhog”.

We created our own hit (Milestone) but I was particularly fond of a medley we called “Downtown in Gotham City.”

We started out with an instrumental version of Petula Clark’s big hit, “Downtown” and ended up with a rousing version of the “Batman” theme.

As was the case in those days, we often rehearsed in someone’s basement or in the garage, hence the term “garage band” that was often used to describe musical groups in those days.

I think a lot of our success was based on the fact that we pulled off the “clean, white boys” act quite well with our matching jackets, ties and reasonable hair length, not always the norm in those days.

I actually bumped into Vaughn earlier when we formed a group, “The Vibrations IV” which later transitioned into “The Tempests”.

Our dress was short-sleeved white shirts with black dickies and we went so far as to buy some “Beatle boots”.

They were a mossy green color with a nice Cuban heel that made ’em way cool.

My first paying gig was with this group when we played for a meeting of the Sisters of the Knights of Pythias.

They passed the hat and we each wound up with about $14 each.

I was hooked,

Play music and get paid?

What a wonderful country!

During those tumultuous years of high school and raging hormones. “The Wesley Allyn Quintet” kept me gainfully employed and basically out of serious trouble.

But with graduation we started to drift apart as several of us spent some time in the military before heading in different directions.

After graduating high school, I did have another musical stint in the lounge of the “Golf-o-Mat” indoor golf driving range on Lexington Avenue in my home town.

Somehow I got connected with Terri Babbitt who played 45’s and sang along with them while I played my drums.

Terri was an English gal and when she put on those “Go-Go” boots, a short skit and tight top with that blond hair, I was made to sound real good.

I never really stayed connected to the rest of TWAQ after high school.

I did run into Bill when I was looking at a radio job in Elyria, Ohio where he sold advertising.

But I passed on that job and wound up in Columbus, Indiana.

Eventually, I ran into Vaughn, Tom and Randy on Facebook and had some brief on-line chats with them.

But now 60% of The Wesley Allyn Quintet is gone.

I’m not one to wonder “what if” or “should I have” but it is a sobering reminder that life on Earth is fleeting.

So, it’s just Randy Bender and myself.

The Wesley Allyn Duo?

It just doesn’t have the same charm.

But it does make me wonder if Randy and I shouldn’t get together for a cup of coffee or a cold beer just to make sure our facts are straight.

I’ll buy the first round, Randy.

You name the place.