Reveleers in 1964
The Reveleers
Cottage Grove, Oregon
1962 - 1965
Members
Larry Plummer ~ Drums
Darryl Wetzell ~ Guitar, Vocals
Mike Whaley ~ Bass
Steve Whaley ~ Guitar, Vocals
Larry Plummer
1947 - 2006
The Reveleers from Cottage Grove played at the Boots and Sandals.
“DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF OUR FRIEND AND OUR THUNDER, LARRY PLUMMERSteve Whaley & Darryl Wetzell
Steve was President of Cottage Groves Teen Beat Club. Larry was the drummer that inspired me to play drums in 1964.
Reid Smeltzer, December 2006
The Reveleers, a rock and roll band from Cottage Grove, Oregon, was formed by high school classmates Steve Whaley, Darryl Wetzell, and Larry Plummer in 1962 after Steve's first rock and roll band, the Stratotones, disbanded.Steve and Darryl played guitars and sang the songs and Larry played drums. They were an instant hit wherever they played. Their gigs included the Upper McKenzie Community Center at Blue River, Teen Beat functions and street dances in Cottage Grove and surrounding communities, and the regular Friday night Rodeo Dance barn gig in Cottage Grove, where they would rent the hall (which would hold a couple hundred people), hire a rent-a-cop for security, and their friends and parents would sell concessions. That place was packed every Friday night during the Fall, winter, and Spring months and it was like that for the 2 years (64 & 65) they did that.
When the Beatles and the English guys came on the scene, they learned some of their material too, like the rest of the local groups did, but they also had their own distinct sound thanks to a heavy footed drummer and some killer harmonies... and all without a bass guitarist! Both guitars ran through Steve's Fender Bandmaster amp. They didn't own a PA but, instead rented a Bogen 2 channel PA amp unit and a Shure mike & stand and a single outdoor horn loudspeaker... that was the PA equipment rundown. Darryl played a green Epiphone cutaway hollow body electric, Steve played a Fender Jaguar solid body electric and had an early Fender tape loop echo chamber as an effect unit. Steve finally taught his brother to play bass and he was in the band until the group disbanded in 1965 and everyone went into the Army and Navy to fight the Vietnam war.
The Fabulous Wailers, Don & the Goodtimes, the Sonics, the Kingsmen, Paul Revere & the Raiders were some of the Northwest groups that influenced their music, but the ones who really put music on the map for them were Little Richard, Elvis (pre military), Fats Domino, Dion & the Belmonts, the Ventures, Link Wray, the Everly brothers, Buddy Holly, and Duane Eddy.
Steve Whaley, January 2009
