Karl on Drums, Frank & Jim on Guitars, Dale on bass, and Ray & Bob on Saxophone
The Nomads
Burien, Washington
1960 ~ 1966

Members
 

Frank Anderson ~ Guitar, Bass
Clay "Butch" Barton ~ Piano
Stan Burnham ~ Guitar
Pat (Hues) Clausing ~ Hammond M3
Tim Coleman ~ Saxophone
Dale Cooley ~ Bass, Keyboards
Ruben Dena ~ Guitar
Bob Fehling~ Saxophone
Terry Hathaway ~ Saxophone
Danny Hoefer ~ Guitar
Jim Middleton ~ Guitar
Karl Peters ~ Drums
Ray Shaw ~ Saxophone
Terry Teschner ~ Drums
Bob Theriault ~ Piano
Byron Wallace ~ Vocals
Roman Williams ~ Vocals
 

In Memory of

Karl Peters
1944 - 2003

Byron Wallace

Dale Cooley, Karl Peters, Bob Fehling, Frank Anderson and Bob Theriault abt '61

The Nomads band was started by a group of friends combining talent during Jr and Sr High; a lively high spirited group. As the band began taking shape in 1962 we traded in a Stand up Bass for a Fender P-Bass and added a keyboard. All of us guys still in high school spent many Friday nights at the Spanish Castle at Midway watching bands like the Wailers, Kingsmen, Dynamics, Frantics and others to pick up hot licks and tips. The Nomads played gigs at Evergreen Ballroom - Lacey, Target Ballroom - Burien, Seattle Chamber of Commence and Parkers Ballroom - North Seattle. Antics were never in short supply as it was good time performing in this band. I recall few memorable occasions:

    - Byron Wallace working gymnastics i.e. forward flips and splits into his vocal routine.
    - Karl Peters pulling out a fake pistol and shooting at opposing band members during a battle of the bands performance at the Target Ballroom; Nomads vs. Statics
    - Roman Williams encouraging the group to dress as Nomadic desert tribesmen and working comedy with that in his vocal routine.
    - Larry Coryell, lead Guitar in a group called The Dynamics and after hours Overton Berry Jazz trio leaned in a window at a U-District fraternity house we were performing at and telling us our group was groovie.
    - Acquiring a 1936 Packard Hearse (complete with a coffin full of car parts), to haul band equipment and playing pranks in the Burien - Des Moines area until the coffin was stolen. It was last seen one night being carried by two guys up a back alley in Burien.
    - The Nomads using the Exeter Hotel for band practice - Roman Williams opening the door and flipping on the lights to the practice room while singing "This Boy" by the Beatles, to find the room filled with astonished people who had been watching a movie!

Roman Williams added a lot of dynamics to the group with his stage presence and humor. He also had connections to other popular Seattle vocalists and arranged guest appearances by Tiny Tony, Leo Robinson, Shirrells, and Four Fidelities vocal groups.

Dale Cooley, July 2005

---

I joined the Nomads within a few months of when the photos (at the Target Ballroom) were taken.  I purchased the Hammond M-3 Organ in the photos from Dale Cooley.  He then switch back to playing bass.

The black singer in the photos is Roman Williams (still a close friend of mine ... some forty years later).

I was also the keyboard player in Peece, and in between The Nomads and Peece worked  gigs with Terry Teschner, Danny Hoefer, and Roman Williams in the group that followed The Nomads (called The Soul Deacons).

Getting to work The Target Ballroom with The Nomads in 1967 was a thrill for me. I have to thank Terry Teschner for booking that one. I was seventeen years old at the time. Still a student at Highline High School.

As I recall, Terry also hand-built the Heathkit power amp that drove the PA speakers (ah ... those wonderful sounding University Football Field Speakers)!

Thanks for the memories.

Patrick (Clausing) Hues, August 2007

Bob Fehling

Terry Teschner  Dale  Cooley - Bob Fehling - Terry Teschner - Terry Hathaway

These pictures were taken at the Target Ballroom in 1964 by Sharon Carter, a friend of mine. Sharon also provided the black and white picture of the Nomads at the top of the page .. taken at Highline High-School at the Pirates Shipwrecked Dance in 1962 by a portrait photographer. Dale Cooley-Terry Teschner-Danny Hoefer-Terry Hathaway.

I was very sad to see that Karl Peters had passed away. Karl was one of the most wonderful people I have ever known. We drank beer, raced around Three Tree Point and even had a very short and stupid fist fight in Frank Anderson's front yard over some musical issue.

Eventually I realized, after listening to guys like Mike Mandel, that music was not my gig!  I was replaced by my neighbor, Clay "Butch" Barton, who ended up with my piano and job.  You are also missing a singer from the band; Byron Wallace. Byron eventually ended up as a chopper pilot in Vietnam and became a bush pilot (choppers) in Alaska and Hawaii. Sadly, Lord Byron died recently... another real talent that graced our world briefly.

Our sax player, Bob Fehling, was also an excellent photographer and I think he is the one who shot the Peece promo photo on that page.  I consider that photo to be a real classic of the time!

Bob Theriault, November 2004