Of all the bands I belonged to, The Heard was by far the most successful. We started out as "The Plague Ltd", then sometime in 1966 changed our name to "The Heard". English groups were the rage at the time, but we decided to try something different - the 'All American Image'. We dressed in white levi jackets and pants, along with desert boots. We had learned that, as popular as British music was, it was often hard for kids to dance to. So we moved in a direction that included more rhythm and blues and hard rock. Eventually we dropped the Levi outfits, but more often than not, wore matching outfits at our gigs. The picture on the right shows us in our "nightclub Suits".
The group was comprised of Jim Driver on rhythm guitar, Warren Scollen on bass, Darrold Vierra on drums, Spencer Stout on vocals, sax and harmonica, and myself on lead guitar. In the picture on the right, from left to right, are Spencer, Warren, Myself, Jim and Darrold. We drew quite a following in the Sacramento area, and were able to perform with such groups as The Yardbirds, The Dave Clark Five, Them, and The Hollies. During the summers were were booked into clubs at Lake Tahoe and Reno. We also cut some demo records, but never quite got into the recording industry.
I had some cool vintage gear while a member of the Heard. I shed my Fender Stratocaster and Fender Tremolux amp in favor of a Rickenbacker six string and a Vox AC-30. Later, I got a Fender Telecaster and Vox Royal Guardsman. I wish I'd kept that gear!
I left The Heard at the end of the summer of 1967. I was replaced by Rick Harris. Sometime in 1968 the band moved to Seattle, Washington. Spencer left the group before the move. They were apparently very successful in Seattle, and played there for a number of years under the name "Rick Candy and Mr. D".
There was a reunion of the original Heard in Seattle in the fall of 1996. All of us seemed to have aged gracefully. One of the unique things about The Plague Ltd and The Heard was that we all got along well with one another. There were none of the ego trips or squabbles that caused many bands the break up. For a young man growing up, playing in a popular rock group was as good as it got. And the Plague Ltd/Heard was a magical experience few are priviledged to experience.
Here are some recordings by The Heard (MP3 Tracks need to be added):
Doing What I Want to Do
So Cold
