I’ll Go Wandering – The Search for the Saxons

I had heard rumors of the Saxon’s REM recording for years. It was supposed to be a great rock record. I heard more rumors. None of the old musicians I quizzed in town had heard of the band. None of my local collector buddies owned it. Heck, no one had even seen it! My early REM spreadsheet had an entry for it with a brief notation by me: MNE (may not exist). Many years go by. The music gods smile. My good buddy, Lee Bryant, finally tracked down the elusive Saxons and has delivered a great history of the band. Little wonder they remained a local mystery as the REM issue is really the only tie to Lexington, but they are such a great band and it is such a great record that they are getting the full Lexingtunes treatment anyway. Killer twin spin all the way!

The Saxons
[2018 Lee Bryant – Lexingtunes contributor]

By the mid 1960s a thriving music scene had developed in Floyd County’s towns and well-hidden hollers scattered along the steep river banks of Big Sandy’s Levisa Fork. This movement had started a generation before when wild-eyed eastern Kentucky kids saw Elvis Presley shake silver on the TV screen and heard Carl Perkins and Chuck Berry electrify country bop and rhythm and blues with an invigorating new sound. Cheap guitars were eagerly snatched up by teens all-too-ready to try their hand at rock n’ roll. Fast forward a decade and the British Invasion had completely conquered even the remotest mountain towns with ease. It was into this new world that the Saxons were born.

Clearly, the Saxons did not form in a vacuum. There was a plethora of teen combos that were actively recording and gigging. The Classics from neighboring Paintsville / Prestonsburg were close friends with the Saxons and would record an amazing slice of teen punk (“I’m Hurtin’”) in Louisville after winning a battle of the bands competition. Prestonsburg had Lord Jim Terry & the Invaders and Pikeville boasted Richie Weems & the Continental 5 (who broke at least semi-nationally with “Natural Born Man” on Dunhill). The Pepper Crystals from nearby Wayland Kentucky were another band that waxed two songs before fading into obscurity. Elkhorn City’s Sunshine Syndicate, Paintsville’s Essence of Society, and The Stepin’ Stones from Pikeville all remain well-remembered area acts from the same timeframe. There were well stocked record shops and musical instrument shops at the time and everyone and their cousin seemed to be starting a band.

The Saxons formed in ’64 with a couple of high school friends knocking around Beatles tunes. Paul Neil Allan (although never an actual member of the group) was a key contributor to its formation and sound. The original group lineup and those performing on the record include: Bassist Paul Preston Burchett, Drummer Bobby Goble, William “Bill Ted” Perry on both lead guitar and lead vocal, and Quentin Terry manned the Hammond Organ. Shortly after the record Seibern Hazelett was added as a second guitarist. The Saxons were a young group with all members either Juniors or Seniors in high school with the exception of Bill Ted Perry who was a year or two already removed from school.

Though the group was initially inspired by the Mersey Sound, once they heard the Byrds by ’65 their sound started soaring down that road. Also being an active live entertainment band, they were playing more of a soul / R&B sound live in the early days. There were many places to play and the Saxons covered lots of ground. The nearby Pikeville Rec Center and “Teen Town” in Paintsville offered open doors. The Martin Youth Center (aka “The Knife and Gun Club”) was one of the most well attended venues in the area. Other small communities in the area include Louisa, Hazard, Fleming-Neon, Jenkins and others. One of the group’s biggest claim to fame was opening up for Paul Revere & the Raiders for Dick Clark’s Caravan of the Stars in nearby Pikeville.

The Saxons truly were a band and each member contributed to the sound. Longtime friend Joe Spradlin recalls the band together in one of the band member’s bedroom writing both original songs that would later appear on their record. While Spradlin recollects it was mostly Bill Ted and Paul Neil Allen doing the writing, the songs were nevertheless credited to the entire band. This gesture may have been diplomatic or deserved – that is uncertain. It is a certainty, however, that the heart-and-soul of the Saxons resided in Bill Ted.

Bill Ted Perry came from a musical family. With an extended family home life in a holler outside of Prestonsburg there was little opportunity to work for a paycheck, but music was alive in the home. His mother and an uncle both showed Bill Ted song chords on guitar and he naturally took off. Bill Ted’s story is that of the song “Johnny B Goode”. A slight framed country kid with Melungeon roots from the other side of the tracks who could light the guitar on fire with his hands. It was said he could play anything after hearing it once by ear including jazz and classical compositions.

His talent was undeniable, but Bill Ted also had his quirks. He never drove and band mates would have to drive out to Bull Creek where he lived to pick him up for practice and gigs. Despite his playing skills he never owned his own guitar. He could paradoxically be a peacock and showboat on stage with the best of them, but could be equally content to sit quietly and study other acts and absorb new tricks and techniques from them.

The Saxons had a great sound and with original material in hand they were ready for the next step. The band secured a recording deal with Lexington’s REM Studio (housed then in Bob Mooney’s garage on Liberty Road). Drummer Bobby Goble’s mother, Hazel, funded the session and the record pressing for $125. Her financial contribution earned her a publishing credit on the 45 label — credited as H-A-GoGo in true 60s fashion.

“She’s All Wrong”, the rocker side of the record has a direct Sir Douglas Quintet ‘Tex-Mex’ influence. And it is said that the Saxons also covered “She’s About a Mover” at shows. There are hints of Dylanesque undertones as well although not pushed nearly to the extent as some other bands like Mouse and the Traps, etc. Bill Ted’s high pitched rural drawl really gives it the regional Kentucky sound. Quentin’s pulsing organ lead sets the pace and Bill Ted’s effortless guitar break really puts it in motion.

The flipside “I’ll Go Wandering” is a real gem. The imaginative lyrics, Bill Ted’s angelic vocal delivery and jangly unique guitar accompaniment paired with Bobby Gobles hypnotic drum beat and the sparse offset organ bass tones from Quentin paint a dreamy soundscape. It has a Byrds influence and helps reinforce the proper decision to credit the songwriting as a group effort.

It is not known exactly how many records were pressed, but given the history of other known REM pressings it is likely 300-500 copies were made. The impact of the record (as expected) was mostly regional. Band member Paul Burchett recalls hearing it played by local radio DJ Don Lafferty on WPRT and seeing it on some local jukeboxes around town. With Huntington being the larger close by city, folks in extreme eastern Kentucky were not likely receiving Lexington stations, but picking up the Huntington and Charleston air waves. For this reason, it is likely that the record traveled eastward into West Virginia for airplay.

The 45 is scarce enough and there remains little else to document the history of the band or what their shows were like. The only photograph of the Saxons is from the fall of ’65 and was professionally taken at the May Lodge at the Jenny Wiley State Park. Done after the recording session it features the expanded lineup with the aforementioned added guitarist Seibern Hazelett. The band would pack and haul their own homemade drum riser and light show boxes to their gigs. Originally wearing matching green tailor-made vests with “Saxons” emblazoned down the front side, the band would later wear matching green blazers they bought second hand in nearby and closest big city Huntington WV.

Bill Ted left for the Navy in ’66, but even without him there was still a bit more life left in the Saxons. The band would eventually disband by ’67 and go through a few lineup changes prior to that. They added a horn section and had a few different lead singers. For a couple of months in ’66 Jim Ford was home from living in California and sang with them. Ford is famous among deep record collectors for his 60/70s country-funk material and more mainstream audiences might remember him as co-writer of “Niki Hoeky” – a hit for PJ Proby in 1967. Ford was clearly fond of the area as he would record an LP in ’69 called Harlan County.

Bill Ted could have been picked up for his musical talent but he could never leave Prestonsburg. After his stint in the Navy he returned back home and continued to kick around as a guitar man. He would play the Merle Travis and Chet Atkins style of guitar later on. He was just as happy to be home hunting squirrels and fishing as wanting to be a rock star but a rock star he could have been. By 2001 after suffering a stroke and complications due to alcohol related health issues, Bill Ted was residing in a nursing home in Paintsville. He died July 5, 2002 at the young age of 56.

Of the remaining Saxons, Paul Burchett remained in the area and became a successful lawyer. Seibern Hazelett still resides in Prestonsburg. Bob Goble is probably riding his motorcycle through an Arizona desert. Quentin Terry is deceased.

Discography:
45
REM 393      She’s All Wrong / I’ll Go Wandering   1965

CD
Gear Fab    Psychedelic States – Kentucky in the 60s – features both sides of their REM single