Biography
Garage combo the Trenchmen came together in Minot, ND, during 1965 with an initial lineup of singer/bassist Jim Mackey, guitarist Greg Jordahl, organist Alan Mattson, and drummer Ken White. The quartet took shape amid the height of Beatlemania while also absorbing a pronounced sonic influence from the Ventures, sharpening their style through performances at local proms and teen dances. By the close of that year their growing regional profile drew the notice of booking agent Vern Garrison and his Mid-American Production company. Under M.A.P. management the Trenchmen played nearly every weekend throughout 1966 in venues across the Dakotas, then broadened their circuit the next year to encompass Montana and Manitoba. Mid-1967 found them journeying to Minneapolis' Kaybank Studios, where they cut a pair of Jordahl originals, "Chains on My Heart" and "Travel With Me," for release on the band's own Sound Impact label. White departed shortly afterward and was succeeded on drums by Todd Ballantyne. In early 1968 Mackey joined the U.S. Navy, after which any search for a successor was abandoned and the Trenchmen disbanded. Years later the German label Break-a-Way paired both sides of the "Chains on My Heart" single on a 10" that also included material by fellow North Dakota garage band the Lost Souls.