Biography
A lengthy roster of performers drawn from rock, country, R&B, and blues circles—Steve Earle, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bruce Hornsby, Radney Foster, Foster and Lloyd, Jim Lauderdale, Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, R.E.M., the Mavericks, Neil Diamond, Charlie Major, Chuck Berry, David Ball, Delbert McClinton, the Beastie Boys, Robert Gordon, Shania Twain, Sherrie Austin, Sara Evans, Johnny Paycheck, B.J. Thomas, Joy Lynn White, Southside Johnny, Mel Tillis, Pam Tillis, Steve Forbert, Sheryl Crow, Ryan Adams, Patty Loveless, the Nighthawks, John Anderson, T. Graham Brown, Reba McEntire, the Bluebloods, Gregg Allman, Tricia Yearwood, Greg Trooper, Charlie Robison, Matraca Berg, the Judds, Garth Brooks, Ricky Van Shelton, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Lee Roy Parnell, Deana Carter, Amy Rigby, Jack Ingram, and Ricky Scaggs—share a single point of intersection: the Good Humor Band. Late in 1974, guitarists Mike McAdam and vocalist Jimmy Morgan, longtime friends and musical partners, confronted a stark choice between winter construction work and monetizing their devotion to 1950s and 1960s rock & roll and R&B. With extensive record libraries, a basement rehearsal room belonging to McAdam’s grandfather, and the addition of fellow enthusiasts Mark Corvino on drums, Bill Gerloff (also known as Manny Green) on bass, and Jack Irwin on piano, the Good Humor Band assembled in Richmond, Virginia. Early performances took place at local rooms more notorious for law-enforcement visits than for live music, yet a dedicated regional audience gradually formed.
Between 1975 and 1976 the lineup fluctuated repeatedly, though McAdam, Morgan, and Corvino stayed constant. Regular appearances at the Pass, a Richmond club, provided both a base of operations and an atmosphere of heavy drinking, romantic entanglements, and late-night rehearsals among a circle of twenty-something musicians. By mid-1976 the group had enlisted pedal-steel guitarist Bruce Bouton, sound engineer Tony Jordan, and bassist Drake Leonard; McAdam also acquired a partial stake in the Pass. Veteran pianist Gregg Wetzel, returning after two years with former Springsteen sideman Robbin Thompson’s solo project, rejoined his old acquaintances at the club’s bar. An evening of beer-fueled attempts to outdo one another with rock & roll obscurities, R&B standards, and Merle Haggard material convinced the participants that an exceptional musical chemistry had emerged, prompting plans for wider touring under the banner of the “humorhoid” experience. Because the members collectively knew virtually every style of the preceding three decades, performances seldom followed predetermined set lists; instead, spontaneous audience requests left listeners astonished by the band’s stylistic range across the mid-Atlantic circuit. Desperado’s, a leading Georgetown venue, added the Good Humor Band to its regular roster, further elevating the group’s regional profile.
In 1977 founding vocalist Jimmy Morgan departed, soon followed by pedal-steel player Bruce Bouton. Replacements arrived in the persons of pedal-steel guitarist Bucky Baxter and, briefly, vocalist Nancy “Louise” Atkinson. Although Atkinson brought new energy, the band concluded that the original “edge and a bit of (the) testosterone” had vanished. When guitarist Danny Gatton disbanded his own unit, singer Evan Johns promptly joined the Good Humor Band, contributing both a fresh repertoire and newly written material developed with Wetzel. The resulting guitar frontline of Johns, McAdam, and Baxter intensified the live shows, coinciding with the group’s sole regional radio success, “Thirty Miles Outside of Richmond.”
By 1978 the Good Humor Band had evolved from enthusiastic amateurs into dominant East Coast live acts. Danny Gatton, then leading a jazz ensemble, began sitting in under varying billings—“Danny and the Good Humor Band” or “the Good Humor Band featuring Danny Gatton”—according to whichever name drew better locally. Gatton’s presence rendered the ensemble even more formidable, bordering on guitar saturation. The following year brought further turnover: Evan Johns and Mark Corvino exited, David Eggleston took the drum chair, and Steve Bassett assumed vocal and organ duties as the band’s direction tilted toward R&B. Additional singers, a saxophonist, and another guitarist expanded the roster, inflating production costs and prompting a return to lean, guitar-driven rock & roll. Bassett departed; Mike Lucas joined on guitar and vocals. With Lucas aboard, the band entered the studio during what became its most inventive phase. On 7 January 1983 the Good Humor Band performed its final full-time concert at the Wax Museum in Washington, D.C.
Thereafter the members reconvened annually for reunion shows in Richmond. In March 2000, Eggleston, Lucas, McAdam, Morgan, Leonard, Bouton, and Wetzel gathered at Silvertone Studios in Nashville, a facility owned by McAdam and Irwin. By then the musicians had become sought-after session and touring players across multiple genres. The session produced six new songs that appeared on the band’s first official release. An anthology compiling essential studio recordings and previously scarce live performances from every incarnation is now available through Permanent Records via the Good Humor Band’s website and CD Baby.
Between 1975 and 1976 the lineup fluctuated repeatedly, though McAdam, Morgan, and Corvino stayed constant. Regular appearances at the Pass, a Richmond club, provided both a base of operations and an atmosphere of heavy drinking, romantic entanglements, and late-night rehearsals among a circle of twenty-something musicians. By mid-1976 the group had enlisted pedal-steel guitarist Bruce Bouton, sound engineer Tony Jordan, and bassist Drake Leonard; McAdam also acquired a partial stake in the Pass. Veteran pianist Gregg Wetzel, returning after two years with former Springsteen sideman Robbin Thompson’s solo project, rejoined his old acquaintances at the club’s bar. An evening of beer-fueled attempts to outdo one another with rock & roll obscurities, R&B standards, and Merle Haggard material convinced the participants that an exceptional musical chemistry had emerged, prompting plans for wider touring under the banner of the “humorhoid” experience. Because the members collectively knew virtually every style of the preceding three decades, performances seldom followed predetermined set lists; instead, spontaneous audience requests left listeners astonished by the band’s stylistic range across the mid-Atlantic circuit. Desperado’s, a leading Georgetown venue, added the Good Humor Band to its regular roster, further elevating the group’s regional profile.
In 1977 founding vocalist Jimmy Morgan departed, soon followed by pedal-steel player Bruce Bouton. Replacements arrived in the persons of pedal-steel guitarist Bucky Baxter and, briefly, vocalist Nancy “Louise” Atkinson. Although Atkinson brought new energy, the band concluded that the original “edge and a bit of (the) testosterone” had vanished. When guitarist Danny Gatton disbanded his own unit, singer Evan Johns promptly joined the Good Humor Band, contributing both a fresh repertoire and newly written material developed with Wetzel. The resulting guitar frontline of Johns, McAdam, and Baxter intensified the live shows, coinciding with the group’s sole regional radio success, “Thirty Miles Outside of Richmond.”
By 1978 the Good Humor Band had evolved from enthusiastic amateurs into dominant East Coast live acts. Danny Gatton, then leading a jazz ensemble, began sitting in under varying billings—“Danny and the Good Humor Band” or “the Good Humor Band featuring Danny Gatton”—according to whichever name drew better locally. Gatton’s presence rendered the ensemble even more formidable, bordering on guitar saturation. The following year brought further turnover: Evan Johns and Mark Corvino exited, David Eggleston took the drum chair, and Steve Bassett assumed vocal and organ duties as the band’s direction tilted toward R&B. Additional singers, a saxophonist, and another guitarist expanded the roster, inflating production costs and prompting a return to lean, guitar-driven rock & roll. Bassett departed; Mike Lucas joined on guitar and vocals. With Lucas aboard, the band entered the studio during what became its most inventive phase. On 7 January 1983 the Good Humor Band performed its final full-time concert at the Wax Museum in Washington, D.C.
Thereafter the members reconvened annually for reunion shows in Richmond. In March 2000, Eggleston, Lucas, McAdam, Morgan, Leonard, Bouton, and Wetzel gathered at Silvertone Studios in Nashville, a facility owned by McAdam and Irwin. By then the musicians had become sought-after session and touring players across multiple genres. The session produced six new songs that appeared on the band’s first official release. An anthology compiling essential studio recordings and previously scarce live performances from every incarnation is now available through Permanent Records via the Good Humor Band’s website and CD Baby.
Albums