This is a story that has never been told in a television documentary form.............
Until now. The story begins in the after hours clubs of the Northwest then
moves to the garages and homes of typical Pacific Northwest families during
the late 1950's. That was where high school kids in every pocket of the
Northwest would get together with a couple of guitars, some drums, maybe
a saxophone and a couple of mics, to learn some songs that they would hope
to draw a crowd of kids to their performances at the local teen club.
Often, the bands scoured obscure R&B records and radio stations for
material and put their own twist to the arrangement and performance of
those songs. Their version of that underground music is what their audiences
heard. Something distinctive that gave them the edge at the next Battle
of the bands or dance. Local radio and the dance hall circuit played a
major part in all this, and it was common to have bands scrambling to recording
studios to try and capture their performance on tape for that chance at
local radio airplay to entice the kids to the next dance. It was all about
the performance and sound. In fact, at least one major equipment manufacturer
got its start directly because of the Northwest Scene. It was all about
the brotherhood........ The brotherhood of music.
The race for local musical dominance was on throughout the country, and
the prize was money, glamour, fame and big record contracts. Or was it?
Not usually. More often than not it was that they just wanted to play.
They found themselves packing up their cars with their guitars and equipment,
then heading toward their next gig. The story of this race is in the artists
themselves, their friendships with the other groups and the people behind
the scenes…. The DJ's, the record producers and engineers, the dance clubs
and the kids who danced. The records, the radio stations and the family
and friends of those who inspired generations of musicians worldwide.
How is this history weaved into the fabric of the Northwest and the rest
of the world? That’s our story. And we’re ready to tell it.