David Hunter, (Band Leader) rhythm guitar and sings both lead and harmony vocals:
David Hunter was born on the High Plains of Texas where for most of his early years his family was in the Cotton Gin business. His father played jazz and big band rhythm guitar and taught David enough to get him started playing the rock n' roll and country music that was popular while he was growing up. David played in a couple of "garage bands" in high school. During his first year of college at Texas Tech University he met several guys in his dorm from the Dallas area and they formed a group under the name "Eric Chandler" which played for fraternity parties and high school dances in the Lubbock area from late 1971 to early 1973. He took a 17-year hiatus to finish graduate school, raise a family, and pursue a career in municipal government.
At an employee picnic in the early nineties, he took the stage with about eight other City of Midland employees for a one-time performance. They enjoyed it so much they started a group called "Midnight Stampede", playing mostly country and western dance music for a variety of special functions. About a year later David and two other members decided that they wanted to do a little more variety and formed the band "Doubleshot". After going through a few other member changes the band changed its name to "CPR" and has been playing for parties and special events in the Permian Basin/West Texas area for several years now under that moniker. David enjoys the band because of the variety of music in the repertoire and the emphasis on vocal harmonies. One of the performance highlights that David recalls was the time that Larry Gatlin joined CPR on stage in Midland, shortly after the September 11th tragedy of 2001.
Michele Cheatham, Lead vocals and Keyboards:
Michele started out in a local high school garage band in Midland...They played high school stuff.
In college, Michele was in a local
band in Abilene... She says, "I can't remember the name and guess I don't really want to because that was truly an eye opening experience." They played local honky tonks, etc. Michele graduated from ACU with a Bachelor of Music degree (Vocal Education).
She moved back to Midland and joined the "Doubleshot" band in late
'95 or early '96, and the band changed the name to "CPR" around 2000, and
the rest is history...
She says, "Oh, when I was in college, I went to Nashville and
performed on the TV competion "Be a Star", which was pretty fun. And of
course, I've had my share of weddings to sing at, oh boy! I've been singing
and recording with Hallal Music Ministries (acapella christian music) since
late 1994."
Michele plays the keyboard for "CPR" and does a lot of the vocal leads. Once you have a chance to hear her, you'll be certain to say, "That girl can SANG! She's pretty dang good on the keys, too! She definitely makes the band a lot easier to look at." We're pretty sure that's what you'll say!
Bob Bailey, Lead Guitar and Vocals:
Bob began in 1963 with a five piece instrumental group called "The Starfires". The group snagged almost all the local sock hops and proms for both Odessa and Permian High Schools. In 1965, with the addition of a singer, Mike Campbell, "The Starfires" began performing Beatles and Beach Boy songs along with Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly tunes, allowing Bob to start working on his vocals in the group.
At the beginning of 1966 Bob began playing with Al Perkins in the original "Shades". Bob and Al both came from groups with lead vocalists meaning the two had to develop their solo vocal abilities. They did this by continuing performing the Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Beatles and other music that we today call "Classic Rock". Al Perkins went on to play with Steven Stills, Dolly Parton, the Rolling Stones, Emilou Harris and more and was recently inducted into the Steel Guitar Player's Hall of Fame.
Click here for Al Perkins' web site
The first (full) version of the �Shades" had Donnie Butler on drums, who would later come to Houston to be in the third version of the �Shades", Al Perkins on lead guitar and vocals, Robert Ashcraft on bass and Bob on lead guitar and vocals. Ken Smith also alternated on bass at this time.
The following is Bob's own words from the "Shades" article from the "Texas Music Collector" magazine of April 2006.
"We played through the school year (1966) while Ken and I were at Odessa Jr. College. We hadn't recorded until "The Shades" was doing a strip mall's grand opening one evening where some of our live music was going out over one of the local AM radio stations. A fellow by the name of Carl Bunch showed up at one of our breaks asking if we'd like to become "stars". After rolling our eyes at each other, Al and I asked, what did he mean? Turns out, he was the drummer for Buddy Holly when they were on tour at the time of the plane crash. Knowing he wasn't one of the "Crickets", I was skeptical, but we listened. He was looking for a band to back him in the studio on a couple of songs he wrote. He had money backing the line up and the studio. Tommy's studio (Tommy Allsup), was close at hand, so we did it. That's how I met Tommy. Then I found out that Tommy was the lead guitar player in Buddy's band on the tour with Carl.
The 45 recorded with Carl Bunch was released on Carl Bunch�s �MATT� label as �KC Grand and the Shades�.
�Lookie-Lookie-Lookie� b/w �That�s The Way The Cards Fall� - MATT (0003) 1966
Carl Bunch told Bob that he had selected �KC Grand� as his stage name because his favorite steak was the KC and Grand had the double meaning of Large or Big and Money.
The record received airplay throughout West Texas. As a result, a singer in Lubbock by the name of Mack Tubb asked us to play on his record. Again, we recorded at Tommy's studio, a song that sounds exactly like Gene Pitney, called "Tenderly I'll Love You". It actually sounds like Gene Pitney backed by the �Shadows� (from England). "The Shadows" (Cliff Richard�s backing band) is where "The Shades" name came from. "Shayde" was simply a psychedelic way of changing the name.
The �Mack Tubb and the Shades� 45 was released on the �HUB� label.
"Tenderly I'll Love You" b/w �You Keep Me Going� - HUB (HR � 0001) 1966
Al got drafted and Ken, Donnie and I picked up Thomas Autry and played all summer at the "Pussycat-a-go-go" in Midland. At summer's end I was supposed to move to Chicago and attend DeVry. Ken talked me into moving to Houston instead, thank goodness, and we made an early trip to Houston to find an apartment. (1966)
During the drive I was changing radio stations about 50 miles before reaching Austin when I came across what sounded like gunfire. It turned out to be the famous �Sniper (Charles Whitman) at the Bell Tower at the University of Texas� story unfolding live as we listened. In Austin, as we drove down Hwy 71, I swear I could see gun smoke coming from the tower. We found out the end to the story at dinner that evening at the Ramada on the Gulf freeway in Houston.
The next day we found an apartment at the �Gulfway�, where Ken knew some girls (flight attendants) from Odessa were living. That night, which was our last for that trip, the girls took us downtown to see a couple of bands. The first band we saw was in a small club on the freeway downtown. I don�t remember the name, (It was probably the Act III) but you could see the elevated freeway through the dark floor-to-ceiling windows behind the band. There was an albino guitar player center stage singing all the music while another albino sax player (Edgar) stood way off in a corner simply playing great sax. At the break the girls introduced Ken and I to Johnny Winter who sat down at our table for the whole break. Audience-wise, there were probably 10 people in the place.
When Johnny found out Ken and I played, he asked if we�d like to do a couple of numbers. Well� we never turned down a chance to play so we got up to the stage and did a couple of songs. Ken and I had been playing in a club all summer, six nights a week, so we were pretty tight. I don�t remember the first thing we played but the second song was �Johnny B. Goode�. Now, Ken and I would go out to the dance floor during my guitar solo, put our guitars behind our heads and do a dance step we�d stolen from �The Sparkles�. We did it pretty well. We did it so well that Johnny was stunned. He told me he�d never seen anybody do that before.
The girls took us to an after hours club next. It was called �The Upstairs�. I�ll NEVER forget this one. I�m from good ole� Odessa and when the band struck their first note, everyone hit the dance floor. My eyes must have looked awfully big when I saw my first dance floor full of nothing but Gay Americans. (Don�t remember who the band was.)
We returned home the next day and moved to Houston at the month�s end. Ken and I found a couple of drummers who we used alternately and a singer that the girls knew who was still in High school at Cypress High. We managed to play often through the school year. We called the band the �Shades�. During that year we met a guitar player from Seminole, TX which is about 60 miles north of Odessa. He joined the band as guitar and vocals. We at some point that year played the �Catacombs�, which seems to have been the desire of all local bands.
When summer came (1967), Ken, David Walden (the Seminole guy) and I came home to play at the Pussycat again. This time we picked up my brother, Stu, and his band�s drummer Tom Wells. We played thru the summer preparing to return to Houston with the band as it existed that summer. But instead of Ken, we returned to Houston with a musician who was in Stu and Tom�s band. Charley Byford, who had played guitar with Stu and Tom, had switched to bass that summer and had been playing the club downstairs from the Pussycat. He would come upstairs during his breaks and listen to us. He became a welcomed addition as bassist for the Shades.
We arrived back in Houston as a five piece group with three vocalists. Stu and I sang and David Walden, who had purchased a VOX keyboard that summer, was the other vocalist. David switched primarily to keyboards for the group.
The second year in Houston, the �Shades� received airplay on a record called "The Hip".
�The Hip� b/w �Gingerbread Man� - AOK (AOK-1028) as by The Shades 1967
�The Hip� was originally recorded in Tommy�s studio by our heroes, �The Sparkles�. �The Sparkles� were the band all West Texas bands tried to emulate. It's funny...'Gingerbread Man' was a song I wrote in ten minutes at the pool one summer with Charley Byford simply because we were about to record �The Sparkles� "The Hip" and we needed a "B" side. I can't even remember how it goes. I think we did it in one take.
At some point early on that fall (1967) we booked into �Love Street� (�Love Street Light Circus and Feel Good Machine�) at Allen�s Landing, Houston). We were afraid it was strictly a biker club and really didn�t know how the audience would accept a band who, as one of the Houston newspapers had said, �Plays the �Beatles� better than the �Beatles�.� Turns out they loved us and booked us back. It wasn�t long until Cliff Carlin (�Love Street� Owner) asked about managing us.
After signing with him, if we weren�t booked on a particular weekend, there was a 50-50 chance we�d be at �Love Street�. �Love Street�...there was one in San Antonio for a short time. I'm surprised it didn't catch on everywhere. The one in Corpus was at Five Points. There is a picture of �Shayde� going up the stairs at Allen's Landing that appeared in �Look� or �Life� Magazine. I've tried to find the actual magazine for years. We got a call one Sunday afternoon from Cliff Carlin saying �Look� (or �Life�) was doing a fashion shoot at the landing and we were to be in the background going up to �Love Street�. When the magazine came out, there we were, in the background behind the model. I managed to save the mounted photo, but for some reason lost the magazine. One of these days...
Now, because we played �Love Street� a lot, our music began to change. Our look began to change. My brother had a style of improv playing his guitar that caused a lot of the bands who played at �Love Street�, when we were there, to ask him to sit in. I remember one time in particular when the �Elevators� were playing and he was asked to come up and alternate solos with their guitarist, Stacey.
Because of Stu, we worked up two songs I would never have thought possible for us to do. The �Beatles� had just released �I Am the Walrus� that week and because Stu thought we could do it, we worked it up and ended up on the �IT� show at the local UHF TV Station. The other musical guest that night was B.J. Thomas. After I got into the video business, it finally dawned on me that those tapes might still exist. By the time I made contact with the station, they had literally just destroyed them. That would have been cool. We were also on Larry Kane a couple of times, too. A couple of weeks later we performed �I Am the Walrus� at �Love Street� during our late set. We really felt good that night. At the end of the songs people would usually applaud, but this time they got up from their reclining positions and gave us a standing ovation. I think that was the first for us. Not long after that, Stu brought us another song, one by �Spirit� that I would never have considered. It was called �Mechanical World�. We performed it too at Love Street and once again got the standing ovation. I don�t recall it ever happening again, but I can tell you it was exhilarating.
Unfortunately, David didn�t get along with Cliff. He eventually decided to quit the band and at the same time Tom and Charley decided to leave. I called Donnie Butler who had finally graduated from high school and was still in Odessa and asked him to come to Houston to play drums for us. He said he knew a terrific singer who played guitar, but was open to playing bass. I took him at his word and invited both to join us. They both came to Houston and we became the �International Artist�s� �Shayde�. My brother was doing the writing, I was doing some of the arranging and our new bassist, Joe Ryan was doing a lot of the lead vocals.
The band�s name was originally changed to �The Shayds�, but members decided to change it to �Shayde� after discovering there was confusion over the pronunciation of �Shayd�. (Bob said they decided to change the spelling to be more in step with the progressive image the group was now achieving. Sort of like the Byrds, etc.)
Being that we were managed by Cliff, we did all of our rehearsing at �Love Street�. I remember all the times we carried all the equipment up and back down those four flights of stairs. Back then, it was a little work, but we enjoyed the sound of our equipment in all it's glory. So rather than using small practice amps and PA, we took the whole shootin' match up the stairs every week. By the way, Cliff traded stock with �International Artists�. Once he owned stock in IA, we naturally became an IA group. We signed separate contracts with Cliff and with IA.
The �Shayds� began working on an LP for IA which was never completed. Bob still has the master recordings of the IA LP which was never released.
Two 45�s were released on �International Artists Records� in 1969:
�Search The Sun� b/w �Bring Your Love� ( IA 132) as by the �Shayds�
�Third Number� b/w �A Profitable Dream� ( IA 137) as by �Shayde�
These 45�s received some airplay in Houston and San Antonio. �Search The Sun� was featured on �Steve Lundy�s Coca Cola Spotlight" on KILT radio (Houston) shortly after the band began recording at IA. The spot featured a plug for the �Shayds� upcoming IA LP.
We had done nine songs when along came a group from San Antonio by the name of �Bubble Puppy�. They signed and cut a single that began getting airplay immediately. I remember playing in Deer Park where we played the first set, �Bubble Puppy� played second set, and we alternated like that for the rest of the evening. In their first set I remember standing in front of the stage watching them with my wife. They announced that they were going to play the "B" side of their new single, which at that time I hadn't heard. They were trying to get feedback from their amps, evidently as they had done in the studio, but it was not happening live. Then all of a sudden they counted in and BOOM. �Hot Smoke and Sasafras� was launched. I remember looking at my wife who was looking toward me with an astonished look on both our faces as we both said in unison..."B side?" Turned out, all the radio stations flipped the record and "Hot Smoke" went to number 14 in the nation within three weeks. Once that happened, all efforts at IA were centered on �Bubble Puppy�. As a result, we never finished our album.
At some point while in Houston, my brother Stu got drafted. He ran out and joined the Air Force, instead, and left Houston. The band broke up and I just went to school and worked my part time job at downtown's H & H Music Company where I repaired electronics. I got a phone call from an old keyboard player who had become a booking agent and manager of a Galveston group called "1900 Storm". I was asked to try out for the group and was selected to become their new lead guitarist. We also did some recording after changing the name to "Storm". (This was not the same �Storm� band that Jimmy Vaughn played in.)"
"Storm" recorded for H & S Studios and also played alternating sets with "ZZ Top" at the Moody Center in Galveston and opened for a group from Dallas by the name "Bloodrock" at the coliseum in Corpus.
Eventually, Bob left the band in 1974 and came back to West Texas where his fourth band came together called "Sweet Briar". This band played on bills with groups such as "Jo Jo Gunn" and "Black Oak Arkansas". In 1977 they did a short tour with "Leslie West and Mountain" along with "Canned Heat".
Here's a video clip of Sweet Briar
Also in 1974 Bob Received a call from Nashville. The Bassist/Vocalist from his first group "The Starfires", Mike Campbell, was calling from the home of country singer Dottie West. Mike and Larry Gatlin had spoken of Bob to Dottie and suggested he might be the right pick for her new "rock style" guitarist. Larry came on the line and told Bob that Dottie was about to make a change in her band and was about to tour Europe with the new sound.
Being from the same town, Odessa, Larry Gatlin had heard Bob in "The Starfires" many times and had expressed an interest in joining the band at one time. He and Bob competed in sports in the 1960's. Bob and Larry had played together on the Texas State Champions little league team of 1959. Larry was the catcher and Bob was the left fielder. (Oops! Got side tracked!)
Dottie talked to Bob for about 45 minutes that night. But Bob had never played a single country lick at the time and just didn't feel like he could handle the gig with Dottie. Today would be a different matter. He's played quite a bit of country since then and would feel much at home if ever presented with that kind of situation again.
In 1978 Bob joined a fifth group already in progress called "Jade". He would be with this group for the next 10 years. For the first time he played country songs. The group played about 50% rock and 50% country. The group played on the same bill with "Asleep at the Wheel" at the Chaparral Center in Midland.
After Jade, Bob took about seven years off from playing. Then Randy Brown, the original bassist for "Sweet Briar" brought him into his group along with Herb Rehders called "Fever". Bob's son, Gregg, who was still in high school, also came into the group playing sax, flute and keyboards. "Fever" played their first performance at the July 4th celebration in downtown Midland as the opening act for B. J. Thomas, who Bob knew from his Houston days. (Back in his early Houston days Bob had dated a girl by the name of Gloria who later became, and still is, Mrs. B. J. Thomas.) "Fever" played off and on until their final performance at the Permian Basin Fair on September 9, 2001, which was the Saturday just before the 9-11 tragedy. The group never played together again.
Bob joined his seventh group in April of 2003. "CPR" plays more songs than any other group he's been in, and with more variety. Let's hope that seven is a lucky number, and so far it has been!
