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The Night Walkers 1966
The Shells of Time 1967 - 1973
Born at the Sister’s hospital in Hot Springs, I have always been a Hot Springs’ boy. In school, I enjoyed music and sports switching frequently between both. My wonderful mom made me a football jersey with the number 11 on it and that was my lucky number for my entire four year football career. In music, my first big show was at the VA auditorium when I was 5 singing two Christmas solos. (Rudolph the Red Nose reindeer, and I saw mommy kissin’
Santa Clause). Early on, Frank Crowell and I sang in the youth choir on Sunday at the Methodist Church. Sometimes we’d take our collection plate money and go to Dites Drug and get malts! (We were rebels). Frank and I would harmonize on any song… even girl songs like Going to the Chapel. In jr. high school, when music really became important in our lives, Frank and I created the band The Shells of Time, soon after adding Tom Murati and Rich Schuttler. In the 10th grade, Craig Katt and Brad Baldwin joined and we began touring all over the Midwest often with our parents driving us to gigs. As individual performers in later years, we played all over the world. All of the guys are looking forward to playing again in our home town, and seeing everyone. We hope to reconnect with all the wonderful people in Hot Springs and bring you joy with our S.D. Rock n Roll Hall of Fame band, The Shells of Time.
Mazhac 1973
Rising Suns 1974
White Wing 1975 - 1977
WhiteWing formerly called Forbidden Children was formed in Rapid City in 1968 with founders Mike Drew (vocals, organ), Rod Schroeder (vocals, guitars), Mike Coates (guitars), Gary Cass (bass) and Norm Curtis (drums). From the bands inception, they began touring with national performing artists throughout South and North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota and Canada, their name became synonymous with great music and electric performances. In 1975 with the line-up of original members Coates, Curtis, and Cass and now with Tim Renshaw (Sioux Falls) on keyboards and Mike English (Hot Springs) on lead Vocals, WhiteWing landed a record deal with the Minneapolis record label A.S.I., and released their self-titled debut album. The single from that album was titled Hansa, and did very well on the Billboard top-singles charts. Subsequently, WhiteWing Albums were sold all over the US, Canada, and in Europe. There was massive radio airplay and radio stations throughout the Midwest and Canada had Hansa in a frequent rotational slot on their stations programming. Though mislabeled as an American version of The Moody Blues …WhiteWing was a much heavier band with a progressive rock foundation. The band disbanded in 1976 and yet has still left a mark in South Dakota Rock history with the founding of a progressive, art rock style that is still unique and treasured by a multitude of vinyl music collectors and progressive rock aficionados throughout the world.
Asia (The American Asia) 1977 - 1983
Asia was a uniquely progressive-art rock band from the Black Hills of South Dakota. The band was formed in early 1977 by Mike English and Mike Coates who had been members of another touring/recording rock band White Wing [Inducted into the SDRRHOF in 2016] and Larry Galbraith from Free Flight (1971-1976). Adding Nebraska drummer, John Haynes from the band Search and later replaced by Rapid City drummer, Doug Johnson, ASIA toured extensively throughout the upper Midwest and parts of Canada (e.g. Rapid City, Fargo, Omaha, Kansas City, Winnipeg and Minneapolis) until early 1984. Impressively running special effects and lighting for live performances was Steve Owen. Their manager, Mike Chambers, purchased a bar in Rapid City, "The Barbarian", that was to become the base of ASIA operations.
Larry Galbraith coined the name ASIA and because the musicians all loved the mystical, exotic and expansive implications, the name stuck. ASIA set out to make a more sophisticated art form featuring the considerable vocal and guitar strengths of the band. Reluctant to leave the Black Hills and their families, ASIA concentrated on the club circuit where album stock was more readily accessible.
ASIA recorded two independently released albums, ASIA (1979) and Armed to the Teeth (1980) and released two singles, “The Road of Kings” and “Paladin”. No relation to the UK/Geffen band, ASIA, the Black Hills ASIA predated them. Their lineup was: Mike Coates: Lead guitar; Larry Galbraith: Lead vocals, guitar; Michael English: Lead vocals, bass guitar; John Haynes: Drums and percussion (Asia); Doug Johnson: Drums and percussion (Armed to the Teeth). ASIA received extensive airplay from hundreds of radio stations throughout the Midwest. Album sales, interviews and musical interest still continues in the USA and European markets.
Along with their own distinctively original material and a drive for epic, pomp-filled rock tunes, ASIA played covers of AC/DC, Blackmore’s Rainbow, Captain Beyond and Black Sabbath. Going for a loose, instrumental energy similar to Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin the band embraced the “Art Rock” concept, i.e. a miniature plane crashing on stage, flash pods and explosions. Musically, they challenged their audience with interludes inspired by classical composers, odd time signatures and embellished music-theory obscurity.
They backed up many major touring acts like Nazareth, Kiss, BTO, REO Speedwagon, Steely Dan, Molly Hatchet, Ted Nugent, Black Oak Arkansas, Tommy Bolin/Zephyr, Alice Cooper, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Sugar Loaf, Brownsville Station and a number of artists that were regionally big at the time: Crow, Frantic, Vixen/Cradle (Suzi Quatro), Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids, Cornerstone (became Survivor) and the Illinois Seed Press (morphed into Poco).
ASIA pushed the music scene past conventional boundaries. Future musicians learned from their discoveries of high emotional content, expansion of musical themes and exquisite harmonies. The breathtaking solos and hard-charging performances went against the typical “party band” mentality of the time. To experience ASIA live was to witness an ongoing conversation between musicians who consistently complimented and embellished on what the other would play. Their exchanges bordered on musical telepathy and even seemed to insinuate a mystical element. Their virtuosity wasn’t about showing off but of communication at a higher level. English, Coates and Galbraith are still working/ recording musicians in the Midwest and Los Angeles areas.
Solomon Kane 1983
Solomon Kane was a progressive hard rock band from Rapid City, South Dakota (1981-1983). It was formed by members of the midwestern supergroup ASIA (1976-1981), which in turn had been formed from the remains of WhiteWing (1968 - 1975)
Rota Max 1986 - 1987
MidWest Coast 1983 - 2016
Midwest Coast originated in 1981 and the band continued performing nationally until 2018! The name, Midwest Coast, came as a response to the often asked question, “What does your band sound like?” The response from the band was, “We don’t have an East Coast sound or a West Coast sound. We have a Midwest Coast sound.”
Original members Myron “Skip” Kubel from Tyndall, Dave Burns from Murdo, Kent Smith, Mike Theye and Greg McDonald from Rapid City rocked the Black Hills of South Dakota. When Kent decided to step away from playing bass guitar and run sound for the band, Mike English from Hot Springs, was hired for bass and vocals. Shortly thereafter, Kent left the band and Tom Plambeck took the roll of soundman. With five lead vocalists, Midwest Coast’s harmonies were unparalleled. The ability to change up the lead vocalist gave the group an edge on playing all genres of music. From current hits, to rock n roll, to soul and funk (often adding in trumpet and trombone), the band could fill any club owner’s needs.
Midwest Coast covered all of South Dakota playing at The Gaslight in Rockerville, The Alex Johnson, Dan’s Backporch, Toomey’s Mill, Holiday Inns throughout the state, Groveland, the Embers, Old Style Number 10, Dakota Territory Saloon and the Starlight, then onto Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Minnesota, the Pacific Coast and into Canada and across the ocean to Hawaii. Relocating the band to Southern California, the group’s popularity grew quickly and the band was hired in rotation for the nationally recognized Red Onion Nightclub circuit. The band opened for and worked with Edgar Winter, Lover Boy, Dionne Warwick, Elvin Bishop, Ronnie Montrose, Coco Montoya, Casey and the Sunshine Band and Mickie Thomas of Jefferson Starship. Hired to perform with Elio Rota of Rota Max, Midwest Coast travelled to Seattle, Vancouver BC and Los Angeles working and recording for A&M. Corporate events for major companies included Ghirardelli chocolates, Mondavi wines, Microsoft, Bongo, Cocoa Cola and the Disney Family picnics. Highlights included sponsorship by Coca Cola and playing on the Lollapalooza stage for the 1994 World Cup, the 1995 Super Bowl and a bandwagon party for a major presidential candidate! Regular gigs included Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm and a few side gigs with wet-t-shirt competitions, mud wrestling and dancers for ladies’ night! They did it all!
Briefly renamed Dakota Territory (as a nod to their South Dakota roots), the band entered and won the Jimmy Dean Country Music Showdown for the entire state of California. For the next 3 decades, with many reconfigurations, Midwest Coast made a living playing at weddings, bar mitzvahs, and private country clubs for famous athletes, TV and movie stars. After 37 years, the band Midwest Coast “retired” but all of the original guys, Greg, Skip, Mike T., Mike E. and Dave still play in California and South Dakota.
They are all proud of their South Dakota roots.
Dakota Territory 1995
E.K.G. (English Kubel Group) 2000
Gravity 2015 - 2016
Lynette Shebyrd 2019 - 2020
Ivory 2022 - Present
Formed in an old one-room schoolhouse in 1975, Ivory wowed crowds touring in their semi-truck and producing massive sound and light experiences. Today, Ivory’s sets feature a lineup of all original members performing a wide variety of the biggest recognizable hits geared towards sing-along and get-up-and-dance music!
Each of the original members was a strong lead vocalist allowing the band to create their famous and peerless soaring four and five part vocal harmonies.
With a wealth of original music that included popular hits such as You Are My Baby, Try Me, Comin From the City, Sweet Lady, Hey Girl, Tell Me Why and many others, Ivory always put the fans first and complemented their set lists with legendary rock hits from the country rock of the Eagles; southern rock; heavy metal; and the power of pop rock’s Journey and Boston.
