The Sensations, Midland

THE SENSATIONS SOUND- Sweet Little Rock And Roller (Kingco 0001)

Kingco Records was a short lived venture run by deejay Jon King of radio station KCRS out of Midland, Texas. On a grander scale Jon booked local bands like the Roadrunners, the Chessmen (later the Clue), Al Nelson and the Screaming Skulls (!!!!), and the Sensations under Kingco Productions. Kingco bands ran all over West Texas with bookings from Abilene to El Paso, and Alpine to Amarillo. In the local area they were regulary booked into King's own King's Castle in Big Spring, Snug Harbor in Odessa, and the Intrepid Teen Center in Midland.

The Fabulous Sensations were born in 1963 out of the ashes of the Mystics which had been a hot Midessa area act that had recorded a pair of fat and greasy instrumentals on Steve Drummond's Coin label in the early 60s. The Sensations were made up of John Payne (guitar, vocals, harmonica), Bill Thomas (bass), Byron "Bo" Barber (drums), and Dennis "Wemus" Grubb (guitar, vocals). In 1965 the group entered Tommy Allsup's studio in north Odessa to record two popular R&B standards of the day-- Jimmy Reed's "Big Boss Man" and Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Rock and Roller".

As it was in many cities across the country local acts made bookings and money because they played music for the kids to dance to. To that end band repetoires were largely made up of popular material, with most local 'garage' bands rarely if ever playing the songs we love and remember them for today. Songs by the likes of Jimmy Reed and Chuck Berry were easy to learn and were surefire dancefloor fillers. And a full dance floor meant repeat and further bookings thus extending the life of a band. This is obviously something the Sensations had down to a 'T".

I've chosen to forgo the Sensations remake of "Big Boss Man" - featuring vocals and harmonica from John Payne- as I've never been a big of the number, but it does not deviate much from the standard formula. The Sensations do turn in a powerful version of the "Sweet Little Rock n' Roller" with a fine vocal from Wemus as well as a nice stingin' guitar break. Bill Thomas's bass barrels away throughout.

In 1967 Jon King sold his interest in Kingco to another Midland deejay and headed to El Paso where he began working in the insurance business. Bo Barber released the excellent "Bad Times" by the Clue on his Byron label in 1966 and eventually headed to San Marcos where he dj'd and continued to work with the Clue. Dennis "Wemus" Grubb headed for Texas Tech where the Sensations added horns and more members and became the Soul Sensations. The name Wemus still carries a bit of weight with musicians in the area as well in the entertainment business where he still works to this day.

Thanks to Jon King (only a deejay name) for information about Kingco. Many thanks to Dennis Wemus Grubb for taking time out to answer questions about the Sensations, Mystics, and Midland music in the 1960s. And thanks to Wemus for the Sensations pics as well. Thanks to Jason Chronis for a few bits and pieces. Thanks also to Tome Rehders of the New Roadrunners for the use of the photo of the Crypt Kicker V. I've had a story about the New Roadrunners on the burner for some time, but hope to get that band taken care of in the next month or two.