Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Jimy Rogers and The Mauds (Part 2)

We received quite a few testimonials from Jimy's friends and fans ... and I think ALL of these folks would agree that most of us feel privileged to have been both.



I had the pleasure of meeting Jimy Rogers several times over the course of a few years. He was an unassuming man who greatly enjoyed sharing stories and talking about The Mauds ... but he had the perfect voice to belt out any number of soul classics. He also had a stage presence that belied his quiet nature. I've always considered The Mauds underrated, and Jimy was and still is a true local legend. I'm honored to have known him.  I'm looking forward to reading your piece on The Mauds. 
Mike Dugo
www.60sgaragebands.com 
Click here: the mauds - Google Search
www.themauds.com   

Hi Kent.
I don't have a lot to say about Jimy Rogers because I didn't know him that well or that long. I only got to know him in the reincarnated Mauds of the early 2000's, when they played occasionally with the Cryan' Shames, or at Rory' s. I remember how I used to wonder how a guy who was so shy and introverted could get up on stage and roar like nobody else. He was always a gentleman to me. I remember a few times when he was waiting to go on stage he would be standing near me and he would come over and just hold my hand - not in a way that you'd think, more like it just gave him strength and confidence. I loved that he trusted me for that, and I wish I'd have known him longer. But I don't think there was anyone quite like him, and I was privileged to call him my friend. RIP Jimy, we miss you. 

Marlene O'Malley   

In 1965 I met Jimy Rogers and The Mauds at The Cellar in Arlington Heights, IL.  I was just a 14 year old punk kid, but soon became a huge fan with this special band.  Every member of The Mauds were always so professional, friendly and personable. 
I got to know Jimy very well over the decades.  He was a very wonderful and talented person, and when he hit the stage he really gave it his all. 
Jimy was a very powerful entertainer, always putting on quite the show.  He did numerous benefits for  the 60s Museum in the 2000's.  
I know many of his fans feel like I do.  We miss his friendship and his soulful singing so much. 
Long live his music. 
Regards, 
Nancy Lutz Harless  
Des Plaines, IL   



Kent, 
Unfortunately I really never had the opportunity to get to know Jimy. We played the same circuit in the old days and more recently some fest. He had a soulful sound and was true to his roots. Jimy was a great showman.  Too bad because he had a lot more good music in him.  
Carl Giammarese 
The Buckinghams   

But fellow Buck Dave Zane had the opportunity to perform with Jimy Rogers many times over the years ... here is what he had to say:   

Jimy had such a gentle spirit. When he hit the stage it was his home. He was such a great performer and singer both. He oozed soul! When I first was introduced to the Chicago area at a venue that The Mauds were playing at Jimy said, who is this guy and where did he come from? He wanted me to join the band and there was a short meeting about it but it didn't happen as I was about to join The Cryan' Shames and someone in that organization put a stop to that idea. I had the chance to share the stage with him many times that I cherish. We connected. 
I remember him telling me that early on when The Mauds just started happening, he met Sammy Davis Jr.  Sammy wanted Jimy to join him in Vegas. He told me that maybe it was a mistake that he declined that offer. I sure do miss seeing him, doing what he loved to do.  
Dave Zane 
The Buckinghams  
Jay & the Americans  

I heard that they were originally to be called the Mods, but didn't know how to spell "Mods". 
I loved their TV show, "Mauds and Mindy". 
Loved Bea Arthur in "Maud".  
Fred Glickstein 
The Flock
Well, he had to know him a LITTLE bit ... here's a vintage poster of a Mauds / Flock appearance from way back when!  (kk)  
NOW you're talkin'!!!!  This proves that you really DO give a Flock!!  
Fred   

Kent --
I honestly don't know enough about the Mauds to say anything useful. At the time I didn't appreciate soul-ish music, because my first girlfriend dumped me in the summer of 1968 for not raving about Aretha. (I was an Association fanatic, 1966 - 1970.) Since then I've come to appreciate their cover of "Hold On" but have not actually listened to much of the rest.
A friend told me once that the Mauds played at the Immaculate Conception (Harlem Avenue) Teen Club in late 1966, before they were famous. (That was my grade school.) I remember the Riddles there but not the Mauds.
Can't help you much this time.
-- 73 --
-- JD --
   


The Mauds, like the Mob, were a great RNB band from Chitown.  Jimy Rogers kept the band going great right up until his untimely death.  I still get his band's Blue Road emails which include an appearance with Chase Revisited at the end of the month!   

The Mauds' "Forever Gone" 45 was the first record to list "CTA" (Chicago) with "brass arrangement" on a 45. 


Their version of "Hold On" by Sam & Dave in 1967 was too much for some stations, so they re-cut it for WLS and others with Jimy changing the lyrics from "I'm Coming" to "Don't You Worry"!  It's only available so far on a DJ 45 special press.  I have attached it.

Larry Lujack gave them a nice tribute on air in 1970 when the Ides' "Vehicle" came out.  I sent the clip to Jim Peterik who loved it and mentioned it at his gig that night!


The Mauds were just one more Chicago band deserving of a better fate, but had a legion of fans that followed them right up to Jimy's death and now beyond with the Blue Road gigs.  Jimy had a great voice and they made powerful music always.  I wish I could have met him at some point, but was never able to.  I tried years ago to get a label interested in issuing a CD of their material for Mercury, but it was not the right label to try with.  Bob Stroud was able to get "Soul Drippin'" onto one of his great Rock N Roll Roots Cd comps, but we need the rest.  I still believe their music deserves a good comp and do not understand why no one has taken up the torch.  Hopefully, someone will right this wrong, but Jimy and the Mauds will always be remembered as one of Chicago's best horn R&B bands.  
Clark Besch  

Here's some info on the upcoming event:

Mark your calendar..... 

Friday Aug. 29th  @ Reggies 7 pm
2105 S. State St. Chicago
Get It On!
Blue Road opens for
Chase Revisited-  Brass Rock at its Best 


ORDER TICKETS HERE:  
http://www.reggieslive.com/show/chase-revisited/  
Pop a video tape into your VCR, cue up Pulp Fiction or hit the play button on your 8 track cassette for a ride in your Pontiac Trans Am with opening band BLUE ROAD.  Featuring Gary Gand on guitar and Joan Gand on keys, sax player TK the Tequila Kid, and drummer Tony Dale; the quartet will be performing a special set of vintage 1970s tunes including your favorite instrumentals from the Average White Band, Billy Preston, Edgar Winter, Sly Stone, and Booker T and the MG’s. Order up a  Strawberry Daiquiri for your lady, but careful not to spill on your polyester suit! Make mine Jack and Coke please.   
The band CHASE was created in 1970 by Bill Chase, Ted Piercefield, Alan Ware, and Jerry Van Blair, all veteran jazz trumpeters. They were backed up by a rhythm section consisting of Phil Porter on keyboards, Angel South on guitar, Dennis Keith Johnson on bass, and Jay Burrid on drums. Rounding out the group was Terry Richards, who was featured as lead vocalist on the first album. In April 1971, the band released their debut album CHASE which contains Chase’s best-known song, “Get It On,” released as a single that spent thirteen weeks on the charts beginning in May 1971. The band received a Best New Artist Grammy nomination and the album went Gold.  On August 9, 1974 while en route to a scheduled performance at the Jackson County Fair in Minnesota, Bill Chase died in a plane crash at the age of 39. Also killed, along with the pilot and a female companion, were Wally Yohn, Walter Clark, and John Emma.
In 2007 Joe Morrissey contacted surviving original group members with a reunion proposition, and Chase Revisited was then born. Since then, the group has been selectively performing with members from all released albums, augmented with some of the best world-class jazz-rock musicians available, bringing this uniquely exciting music back to life.
M13 is a Chicago-based, 13-piece ensemble, whose original compositions and arrangements by saxophonist/bandleader Aaron McEvers has just
been added to the show, following BLUE ROAD.  This will be an incredible night of music!
  
After The Mauds disbanded again in 2006, Jimy joined Blue Road as their lead vocalist.  Joan and Gary Gand are still leading the charge today (see poster above for an upcoming appearance later this week!)  kk   



Hi Kent,
Here are our thoughts on Jimy Rogers / The Mauds: 
We had the good fortune to perform with Jimy Rogers from 2006 until his death in 2010. Gary remembered him from the original 60s Mauds days, when Gary used to run the light show at Heads Up in Round Lake. The Mauds played several times and Gary never forgot the quality and intensity of their performances.  He always said that they were one of the top bands of the 60s and that anyone who saw them live would agree.  I never got to see the Mauds in those days, and only experienced a Jimy Rogers performance in late 2006 when he came to sing at the weekly blues jam we used to host at Gabe’s Backstage Lounge in Highwood. I will never forget that night - we had been playing "Mercy, Mercy" as an instrumental - and Jimy came up to sing it with us. What a performance!  He did the Mauds version, which has different lyrics, and it was amazing. Then he launched into “Hold On’ and brought down the house. One thing I will say about Jimy is that he was, and lived, as the consummate “rock star.”  He had amazing talent, looks, style, and that elusive charisma. We used to call him “the rock star next door” because he was a guy you could hang out with at the neighborhood bar, but you felt like you were hanging out with someone on par with Mick Jagger!  He was definitely the coolest guy around, dressed the part, drove a vintage Vette, and had a special mystique unlike anyone we’ve ever met. We had a blast performing with him in our band, Blue Road, and as the Mauds in its final incarnation.  It was short, sweet musical friendship that we will never forget. 
- Joan and Gary Gand    



Kent,   
I've thought about this for a couple of days and all I can say is that I've had the Mauds' original vinyl LP probably since it came out, as well as the 45 of Soul Drippin', which doesn't appear on the album. Never did see them back in the day, and by the time they got back together, I had moved from the area. So I never saw them then either. I was lucky enough to get a copy of their new CD from you in conjunction with some promotion you had about five years ago. As much as any the more well known bands, The Mauds had a feel for the R&B roots of the music we call Rock and Roll. 
Jack   

In remembrance of my dear friend Jimy Rogers an old song comes to mind:  "Day's never end and the years seem to be speeding by". I can't believe this musical and joyful man has not been with us since 2010.
Every time I take the stage, I not only miss Jimy, but I remember to incorporate the great lessons he bestowed upon me.  One in particular comes to mind ... Jimy would say "Don't over think ... allow the music to flow through you ... just be".
Jimy lived what he preached, and this was quite apparent  to any one who knew him. Jimy was a deep thinking spiritual man who was quiet, shy and sometimes even quite anxious, but when he hit the stage he became the front man we all admired, Jimy exploded with energy and was quick to engage and involve the audience. As a musician, Jimy was not interested in only relying on his past laurels (as many of the musicians and bands did and have done from his era), but was eager to realize the future, which was always proven by incorporating newly composed Mauds music in his recordings and live shows.
Long live Jimy's memory and music!
See you in the next one, my friend!
Michael Flynn
Lead guitarist and song writer for the Mauds



The Mauds have never been pretty! No chance!
Never quaint or "soft", The Mauds are what rock 'n roll is mean to be.
Rock isn't the Association doing "Cherish." Rock is meant to have bass lines that cause your spleen to bounce.
The Mauds bring and have always brought 212 degree energy to the table.
If memory serves me correctly, the first time I saw the group, it was opening for Mitch Ryder at the International Amphitheater back in 1967.  At the time they had some regional success covering a song by Sam and Dave ... Gotta believe it was "Hold On."
The Mauds endured. They never compromised. They never got the record company backing they deserved. It's a shame ... but there is significant glory in maintaining one's integrity.
To those about to rock, salute The Mauds, a prolific Chicago rock band that has never taken any prisoners.
Chet Coppock
  

Why just 'A short piece'?  If not the Mauds, Jimy deserves a major thought.  He was one of my favorite people in the business. I still wear the bracelet I received at one of the memorial shows we did after his death ... I've never taken it off for almost four years now.  I still can't pronounce the disease he died from but the bracelet reads www.cholangiocarcinom.org .
I loved Jimy Rogers and I would be happy to contribute to your piece. 
I was so happy just to know him.  Just to know him was to have more soul.  If you knew Jimy Rogers, you had more soul.  If you were his friend, you had more soul.  He had more soul than anybody else I ever knew.  He was just the quintessential friend and soulful singer and I miss him.   And he was just a genuinely nice guy ... he ended up being my best friend in this business.
I loved Jimy - I talked to him at least once a week and I still miss him every day.  It was very, very sad when he died ... and I always felt bad that he never really talked to me about it before he died.  Jimy was a real loss for all of us.
I still miss him every single day.   Your friend,  
Jim Pilster  
The Cryan' Shames  

Thanks to all the accolades we received, our piece quickly grew in size ... to a three-part mini series!  (Part One which ran yesterday broke the Forgotten Hits record for most single-day page views!)  Jimy was well-loved and respected around town ... now it's time for others to discover his talent from coast-to-coast.  (kk)   

Hi Kent!  
My earliest memories of the Mauds would be as a 16 year old, hearing "Hold On!" on WCFL and WLS. Like so many of my age and geographics, I was all about all things connected with Chicago bands. I bought the single first and was just as impressed with the flip, "C'mon and Move" as I was with "Hold On!" So then it was onto their debut album on Mercury. Then in '68 "Soul Drippin'" grabbed me in the same way and I went out and bought that as well. I was always impressed with the "years" in Jimy's voice, so unlike all of the other local pop singers of the era.  
Jump ahead to my move to Chicago in 1979 and slowly but surely I began to meet all of my childhood heroes from Chicago, including Jimy Rogers. He was a gentle, sweet soul with a huge heart. One of my professional high points was when Jimy asked me to write the liner notes for a new Mauds CD. Wow! I did many shows with Jimy over the years and it was always a special pleasure to be in his presence.  I miss him to this day and will always remember the kindness he showed me. 
Bob Stroud  
WDRV-FM   

Here's our original tribute to Jimy Rogers after we heard the news of his passing ... 
This was picked up for several obituaries at the time ... and still chokes me up to read it again today, four years later.  We miss ya, Jimy!  
Click here: Forgotten Hits: Forgotten Hits Remembers Jimy Rogers