Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 29, 1991 TAG: 9103280093
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: DONNA ALVIS/ NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
So did Nehru jackets, shag haircuts, sideburns, fur vests and the Zombies.
Whew.
Back in the 1960s and '70s, young people in the New River Valley put on their bellbottoms, miniskirts or hip huggers and danced at nightspots called The Propeller, The Blue Room and Club 21.
Hot local bands included The Truetones of Pulaski and The Road Runners of Blacksburg. In Christiansburg, there were The Soul Brothers, The Teensmen, The Ken Epperly Orchestra and Don & The Deltones.
The bands, like the nightspots, came and went - with one exception.
Don & The Deltones is still around.
Don Brown, 45, is living proof that a cat does, indeed, have nine lives. A cool cat, that is.
"I started playing drums in 1962," Brown said. "I envisioned having a group." In 1964, at age 19, Brown organized Don & The Deltones.
"The `Tone' name was very popular in that era," he explained. "The name kinda stuck and it's still with us."
Only Brown, the dynamic drummer who pounded out a meager part-time living on the club circuit, is left of the original band.
"In those days, you were lucky to make $2 or $3 a night and all the beer you could drink," he said.
The band now features vocalist Alan Johnson, 38; guitarist Steve White, 37; Chuck Anderson, 41, on keyboards and newcomer David Spradlin, 31, on bass. David Hall, 24, is the sound technician.
Billed as the star of the Don & The Deltones show, Alan Johnson joined in 1984. He had made a name for himself with a number of local groups and says nostalgia is what drew him into Don & The Deltones.
"We decided to keep up the traditions of the '60s and '70s music," he said. "We felt there was a market for that. Disco was popular at that time but it didn't sit well with me."
Johnson gets an enthusiastic response from audiences - even those a generation younger - when he launches into his imitations of Stevie Wonder, James Brown or Louis Armstrong.
His hero, he says, is Smokey Robinson.
"No wonder," Brown said. "Alan sounds exactly like him."
But Johnson, the father of two young children, concedes he may be a fuddy-duddy when it comes to modern music. In fact, none of the band members has an affection for rap.
"I can't relate to it," Johnson said. "We don't do top 40 tunes. We do the music we grew up with. The people we grew up with are the people we're playing for now."
"It's the way music is supposed to be - happy, danceable," added Spradlin. He grew up in Elliston, where he received his musical training.
"On Sunday mornings I played at the Church of God, the white church," he said. "Sunday evenings, I played at the black church with the Baptists. It was lively music. In Elliston, the gospel music wasn't discriminatory."
Chuck Anderson, who plays keyboards, says Don & The Deltones' musical style is heavily influenced by the Motown sound featuring the basic elements of soul, gospel and rhythm & blues.
Anderson attended the all-black Christiansburg Industrial Institute before entering Christiansburg High School, where he graduated in 1967.
"At that time, the Motown sound was dominant," he recalled. "It sticks in your mind. It doesn't go away."
Playing the golden oldies is ". . . like getting out the old cheerleader outfit and seeing if it still fits," added Steve White, lead guitarist.
White, who says he's "37 going on 16," brings a love of the blues to the group. His influence comes from favorite musicians like Steve Cropper, Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix.
And what about Don Brown?
"Buddy Rich has always been my inspiration," he said. Innocent comments like that always bring a barrage of good-natured insults from the other band members.
"Who's he?"
"Must be before my time."
"Yeah, I wasn't born yet."
"They give me hell about my age, but I don't mind," Brown said, smiling. "People tell me I'm too old to play music. It's a part of my life. I love it. I guess I'll be playing till the day I die - whether it's tomorrow or 20 years from now."
Brown said Don & The Deltones is most popular with the 30-to-50-something crowd, but the appeal is there, too, for the younger set.
"The market is phenomenal for the music we've been playing," he said. "A lot of younger people are getting into this music now."
Don & The Deltones get together for weekly rehearsals and play engagements about 26 weekends a year. The musicians work the gigs in their spare time. All have full-time jobs.
Johnson is a cable technician for C&P Telephone, Brown works for the New River Valley Community Services Board, Spradlin is a drywall finisher, Anderson is an electronic technician at Industrial Drives and White is a self-employed home improvement contractor.
"Our families are our major concern," Johnson said, "so we limit our playing time. Now we're doing more private shows at class reunions, country clubs and festivals."
The musicians' wives and family members often accompany them when they perform locally. Spradlin's wife, Sandy, also sings with the group occasionally.
Spradlin, who joined Don & The Deltones in February, came from another band he described as "hard-driving rock'n'rollers."
"Since I hooked up with these guys," he said, "I can see that they play for the love of music. That's the real bottom line."
Don & The Deltones will perform April 13, 8 p.m.- at the Christiansburg National Guard Armory. The Christiansburg High School Demon Booster Club is sponsoring the dance to help with medical expenses for Barbara Watson, who is awaiting a liver transplant. Advance tickets are $25 per couple and are available from Demon Boosters. For reservations, call 382-0671 or 382-8868.
Keywords:
PROFILE
by CNB