Ken
Cantrell ~ Vocals
Rich
Condon ~ Drums
Jerry
Dawson ~ Drums
Jack
Hansen ~ Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin
Bruce
Kirkman ~ Bass, 12-String
Kathi
McDonald ~ Vocals
Bill
Tootell ~ Guitar, Flute, Bass
Harold
Wright ~ Guitar
Joe Koester ~ Manager
The 1966 beginnings of the band were Harold Wright and Bill Tootell (who played as much flute as guitar, by the way) as a folk duo. In early 1967, they asked me (Bruce Kirkman) to play bass behind them, as they were doing a song of mine. By this time a manager (Joe Koester) was involved. We then asked Jack Hansen to join (initially as a banjo and mandolin player! The electric guitar came a short time later). Jerry Dawson was a jazz drummer we knew, and we had a few rehearsals with him, but agreed mutually that it wasn't a good mesh of styles. Enter Rich Condon, who had never played drums before, but within six months was told by Bill Kreutzmann and Phil Wilson (drummer for Paul Butterfield at the time) that he was the best natural tom-toms player they'd ever seen, and could be making a fortune in LA studio work.
The best band in Bellingham at the time was Kathi McDonald & The Unusuals (or just the Unusuals depending on time frame). Kathi was really anxious to do original material, which is what we were all about, and the Unusuals were almost completely a cover band, so she gravitated over to us in time for our first job as electric folk-rock band: opening for the Jefferson Airplane at Carver Gymnasium at Western Washington State College in Bellingham on May 27, 1967. Our manager was the promoter for this event, and our band name was “The Safety Patrol”. Allen Ginsburg was in town for a poetry reading the night before, and Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters showed up for who knows why the night before as well. What a night! Ken Kesey and Allen Ginsburg ended up introducing the Jefferson Airplane, who were in absolute peak form. I saw them five more times after this, and they were never better than this performance. Our drummer was still too new to playing to do this gig with us, so the Unusuals’ drummer sat in for us.
Shortly after this we fired Kathi because she wouldn't rehearse!!!! We were too dumb to realize that some people don't need to rehearse…they are born ready. It was the best thing we could have done for her, because she immediately went to San Francisco and got discovered by Ike Turner. She was replaced by Ken Cantrell. We had “conquered” Bellingham, so we drifted into Seattle. Our manager was in the right place at the right time when the band that was to open for The Grateful Dead at Eagles Auditorium couldn't go on after their drummer broke his leg in a wreck. So within one week of blowing into town we're on the stage with the Grateful Dead (fall of 1967). A lot of Eagles jobs followed, opening for Country Joe & The Fish, Charles Lloyd, John Fahey, Blue Cheer, etc.
It didn't last long. I and two others left in early 1968. The others carried on for a while with a replacement or two, but it came to an end. While the band was together, we owned the 13th House club in Seattle, where bands like San Francisco's Notes From The Underground played. It was an amazing time, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Bruce Kirkman, April 2003
Jack Hansen of Fat Jack is currently playing Hawaiian steel guitar with the Stowaways in Paradise (second from left, top photo), ...and teaching swing guitar at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop.
Joe Weihe, April 2007
Update: 7 April 2007
Credits: Peter Blecha, Darryl Riffero, Steve Callihan, Laurie Vitt, Bruce Kirkman, Roger Stomperud, Joe Weihe