Many area bands and venues were backbones of the rock ‘n’ roll era in Southwestern Indiana. Of the three most popular places to jam — Lamey’s Grove, Lutz’s Barn, and Midway, all sprinkled throughout Gibson County — Lamey’s was a favorite. It was easily accessible along U.S. 41 north of Warrenton Road, had the best acoustics, a large parking area, and a wooden dance floor, and was home of The Corvettes.
“Dances were the teen activities in those days. Groups of girls could go and groups of guys (to) meet kids from other towns or schools,” says Gayle Lee, younger sister of The Corvettes lead singer Neil Long. “I was allowed only because my big brother promised Mom to watch over me.” Lee was singing with The Corvettes at the time.
Local and famous musicians entertained at those venues. Jerry Lee Lewis played at Midway. Boots Randolph, famous for his saxophone hit “Yakety Sax,” visited Lamey’s. Area bands often were opening acts. The Corvettes – made up mostly of Knox County-area residents such as Long on lead vocals, cornet, and tambourine; Don Russell on bass; Jim Russell on rhythm guitar and vocals; Rex Walters on lead guitar; Mike Blythe, Dave Hargrave, and Bruce Stephenson on keyboard at different times in the band’s history; and Sonny Kixmiller on drums – opened for Ike and Tina Turner, Roy Orbinson, Jan and Dean, Bobby Sherman, Exile, The Byrds, and Tommy James and the Shondells.
Decades later, Don Russell and his brother Jim were approached by a young singer-songwriter studying at Vincennes University who was looking for a backing band. That budding artist was John Mellencamp. The Corvettes also had the opportunity to record “Elvira,” a song written and originally recorded by Dallas Frazier and released in December 1965, but the band passed. Instead, the Oak Ridge Boys’ 1981 recording of “Elvira” hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, sold two million units, and earned them a Grammy in 1982.
Lamey’s Grove, which hosted The Corvettes for around 10 years, was torn down in the 1980s. The Corvettes reunion dances at the Old Haubstadt Gym in 2004 and 2005 were evidence of the continued popularity of The Corvettes and the power wielded by the music of the 1960s.
