Duane
Gusse ~ Keyboards, Vocals
Larry
Loney ~ Drums, Vocals
Ron
Overman ~ Bass
Jim
Reid ~ Guitar
Paul
Wheeler ~ Guitar, Vocals
Larry,
Duane, Ron, Paul, and Jim
We backed 'Jan and Dean' , and Bobby Bare in 1963, on their Northewest tours. Jan and Dean were kinda sad without their reverb and echo. Bobby Bare had '500 Miles' and 'Detroit City' around that time. Under the pseudonym Bill Parsons, he recorded "All-American Boy". The crowds really loved that song.We would play at the Division Street Corral one night, then the Cascade Club, the next.or vice-versa.
Duane Gusse, 'The Gems', May 2007
Larry, Duane, Ron, Paul and Jim
The 'Gems' had a reunion in Walla Walla this past month. It was the first time that all five of us had been together since 1963. Ron Overman left us then to form Hawk and the Randelas, and later was with Don and the Goodtimes.On the weekend of June 14th - 16th, The Gems had a reunion in Walla Walla, WA, our original hometown. It was the first time in 45 years that all five of us had been together. Ron, who now lives in Jasper, Arkansas, was giving three Christian Music concerts in Walla Walla that weekend, so Jim Reid, sent out E-Mails to the rest of us, and we put the whole thing together in three days. It was a blast. I'm the only one of the group still working a daily job, as the other four are retired. Jim Reid retired as a Store Manager for Rite-Aid in Boise, ID. Paul was a Food Broker, and lives in Wilsonville, OR. Larry spent 35 years with Sears. He lives in Arizona. Ron is a minister, as well as an entertainer. I have my Residential Real Estate Appraisal business in Olympia, WA, as well as playing with the Dukes of Juke on some weekends.
Duane Gusse, July 2008
Last
Update: 16 July 2008
Credits:
Duane Gusse, Larry Kulai