Your Guide to Musicians of the Great Pacific Northwest from 1954 to 1979 and their bands from 1980 to Present
Thank you for visiting PNWBands.com. As you may have learned, our fearless leader Sammy Carlson passed away November 02, 2023 after a long illness. Dad and I began this web journey in 1998, when I helped him design the first band page for his group The Regents (Tacoma), and I am honored to pick up the torch and continue the good work here at PNWBands. Please excuse the dust as the site is transferred to a new (secure) server and slowly redesigned for modern browsers. And thank you for your contributions and support over the years; this site was always a community project, and your contributions and friendship were deeply meaningful to Sam, aka Dad, the coolest dude around.
Here you will find a collection of over THREE THOUSAND Pacific Northwest bands that existed between 1954 and 1979 and their extended NW music family tree up to the present. Included are over FIVE HUNDRED dance venues where these bands performed. This site was created through the collective efforts of the Northwest musicians, their friends, family and fans.
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3,211 Bands
Last Update: 7 March 2020
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The creation of this website was an accident. What was originally intended to be about one or two dozen band tribute pages added to The Regents of Tacoma website to pay tribute to the bands playing in the Pacific Northwest with the Regents in the early to mid-1960's got a little out of hand. No sooner would our webmaster (Sam) finish one page, then one or more of the musicians in that band would ask Sam if he would make a page for their other band. Well, over three thousand band pages later, Sam is still at it making new or updated pages almost daily. If your band is not represented in this collection, it is because you haven't submitted the information, not because Sam "missed" you.
If you had or have a NW band that had members from the early days of Pacific Northwest music (1954 - 1979), or if you have a current or post-1979 NW band, have a member who is listed in one of the bands already on this site, and would like to have that band represented here, please contact Sam, our webmaster
What Some Said About PNW Bands
This site is one of the best things to have happened to Northwest musicians; it salutes them all for helping to create the unique NW spin on Rock and Roll, Country, Blues, and jazz that we have enjoyed for the last 50 years. Thank you!!
Phil Mitchell, The CherChers & Red Thelin's Country StarlightersWOW!! What a place! PNW Bands is like a book you can’t put down, especially for those of us fortunate to have been part of the “Garage Band” phenomenon of the early 60s.
Rob Selzler, The CrystalsI love pnwbands.com! I've been there a few times, and I always spend at least an hour looking up old friends and/or bands I used to go see back in the day.
Steve Sharp, Ozone, Bullfrog and VortexWOW! I don't know how long your website has been up but I just found it and went crazy seeing and listening to it. I was born and raised in Aberdeen and attended every dance I could. The memories are flooding my brain with all the good times I had with a bunch of good friends. Thank you very much.
Richard RossavikI saw John Kennedy at our 40th high school reunion this summer. I told him about the website. I also saw Randy Johnson who was one our guitarist for a short time. He is making a living as a musician. I also got together with Rowland Brasch and Brian Williamson and we had a good visit over brunch. Again I want to thank you for providing the venue that allowed us all to get back in touch. It is a great thing you have done.
George Bryant, Brutus & the BulliesYes, because of PNWBands.com, there have been hundreds and hundreds of buddies reconnecting and feeling the friendships stored forever in the deepest chambers of our hearts...otherwise known as "old tickers". You were so supportive of "The Burnaby Bands and Friends Reunion" in 2007. This event was most successful, leading to a great 2008 event as well. You are VERY much appreciated.
Barry Walker, Northwest Company 1967-69.Thanks to PNW Bands, Lightyears was picked up and signed to a small record company, Retrospect Records, that reissues albums from the "80's. They remastered our original tapes and are now selling the CDs worldwide. Who would have thought?
Thanks again, this would have probably never happened without you.
Dennis Coile, Lightyears 1980 - 1985I don't know what it is with us old guys, but we are all having so much fun, and it is so nice to see a great band from the 60's like the "Accents" get back in the fold. PNW Bands has a lot to do with it, and we can't thank you enough.
Gerry Berg, Roger Jerome & The Casuals, Yeoman, RusHHour, Young & The RestlessThank you for everything. Long lost friends have contacted me through your site and it's been wonderful.
Dave Nelson, Applejack 1970 - 1976Tim from Sundazed here. You have a really cool site!
Tim Livingston, Sundazed MusicLet me echo my friend Tim Livingston of Sundazed Music. You have a REALLY REALLY cool site. Every time I visit, it hits home deeply to me. So many memories, friends. Most grateful you take the time and energy to memorialize the music of the Northwest. And you do it so very well. Thank you.
Jerry Dennon, SoundWorks International President & CEO, Nov 2010I'm sure you hear this all the time, but it's amazing the number of people who've found members of our group through the PNWB site. I hear from them fairly regularly. So thanks a million for that."
Denis Thievin, The DownbeatsWhat a legacy you have created in this site and You are doing a great service for all the musicians and bands that came out of this Pacific Northwest.
Pat Fultz, City Zu, Body Talk, BadBoy and many more.Thanks for all that you do for the musicians in the Northwest. It really does mean something to us (definitely does to me).
Ginny Lee Howell, The Mystics, Deception Pass, Born Free, Bums Rush - November 2010Thanks for your outstanding website.. It really is great to be able to reference bands of the day, especially with one's fading memory. It's also a wonderful tool for contacting old friends.
Leif Anderson: Skybridge, Spangle, Bandana, Nov 2010Thanks to the Web Slave and this website, my old band, the Velvet Illusions are on a Grammy - nominated 4-cd Rhino release, PLUS... a cd of 10 of our songs is coming out world-wide in 2011 on Cherry Red Records and In Tune Records. Thank you Sam!
Randy Bowles, Velvet Illusions, Felix, December 2010I thank you for Bands of the Pacific Northwest website. Making the public aware of the past existence of these bands is an important part of North American music history. Even though the majority of bands eventually faded quietly into the past, in their "hay day "they were a vibrant and important part of a thriving musical culture that molded music into what it is today. The 60's was a great time to be in a rock band, as you well know, and to have been part of such a unique era of music history makes me thankful that I ever picked up a guitar in the first place. My 60's band days have forever been written in "stone" inside this aging head of mine, yet those memories are as alive and spirited now as they were back then when I walked out on stage for the first time. Those were wild and crazy times, and I loved every rockin' minute of it.
Ron Sullivan, The Self-Portrait, January 2011Most of the members are still playing but the old days are still very memorable. Thank you for your support on this. It has allowed some of us to reconnect with other musicians that we haven't seen for many years.
Brian K. McDonald... Patch, Rasuptin, Sweeney Todd and others), November 2011What a great gift you've given us
Chuck Burbank... The Beard, Blizzard, and more, January 2012I found this website just on chance, and what a treasure!
Dick Barre, Mantis, February 2006Thanks a lot. I was able to reach Steve Moshier after many years. Many thanks! I was a vocalist for the band all through high school thanks again for putting us in touch.
Lee Reddick, January 2013For years I have been meaning to send a note testifying to my strong belief that the PNW band site has done something wonderful for all of us who played in the Pacific Northwest. Yes you highlighted the bands, displayed our names, showed us some great posters and vintage pics of us in our youth. You really gave each and everyone of us who answered the bell our place in time. Know this, you have truly brought some wonderful memories back to each of us and. . . let our parole officers know our original identities. We are all scattered across the United States and the world but each one of us has a place we can have a reunion with our fellow musicians, our friends and in some instances our ex-wives... Just kidding. Thanks for a great gift.
Richard Watson, February 2013
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