My
musical career started about 1968 with my buddies in our neighborhood. We
were all just learning, but eventually turned out to be our town's number
one party band. We had many names, but I'll always think of us as the
Fairview Gang. (Chuck and Mike Caudill, Paul D'Angelo, Pat Markham,
Harvey Cantrell, and Jim Miner). We all still remain friends and will be for
life.
Check out the
Games of Fairview!
[Photo on right - Foreground: Chuck, Jayne - Background: Dave,
Mike, Pat (behind Chuck), Harvey, Paul, Jim]
My first professional gig was a band called Dean Blevins and the County Gold (all I remember is Dean and Charlie Mankin). Next, it was backing up a country singer (Gary Miller). We were the Southern Revue. I backed Gary up for four or five years, made several singles (45s), which were recorded in Beckley, W.Va. It was a great experience. I learned a lot and the good and bad times helped me grow as a player. It was also the first band that fired me. (Gary Miller, Charlie Mankin, Mike Dimmick, and Bobby Martin).
In the early 70s, I kind of floated around. I played in a band, Passin Lane, (Mike Ault and Darell Bacon). Then I took another job as sideman with Kim Soy. The band's name was Saucer. Soy was a big Korean who knew how to play and sing every song ever written. I don't think he every really cared for me much, but the band liked me, so he put up with me. We rehearsed a show for about a month and got booked for our big gig. He didn't play one song we had rehearsed - and we were unable to follow our leader. So I was part of another first - firing Kim Soy.
We continued as Saucer. (Gary Carroll, Keith
John, Jerry Piper, Steve Spencer, Eddie Davis, Larry Taylor and Mike Dimmick).
Saucer had a house gig from the mid-70s on. We learned a lot about our craft
over those years. We played six nights a week and rehearsed four days a week. We
were just about living in the club. We were one of the first bands looked at by
Virgin Records in England, but we could not wait
for an answer. So, we signed
with White Horse Records in Nashville, Tenn., and released a single, I'm
Flying/Thank You. It was a bad record deal, but we learned a lot about what not
to do when you sign a record deal. I still stay in touch with Gary Carroll, a
great songwriter and friend.
In the late 70s came The North Star Band. They
were ready to go on the road and needed a bass player - and I was their man. We
went all over the country for a few years and played with every famous country
act you could think of. It’s been said that The North Star Band was a big part
of the DC music scene. We recorded a live album while I was in the band and we
have a studio album that never got released. We had a great management team,
which included my father, Oliver Watt Besley, Jr. But even with the great people
backing us, we could not survive as a band. We broke up in the early 80s. I
learned a lot with those guys. I still miss you all. (Al Johnson, Lou Hager, Jay
Jesup, and Paul Goldstein).
I was a little lost after North Star. I did an open mike night at the Pickett Inn in Fairfax, Va. It was a hell of a party and included notables, Bob Margolin, Heavy Country and Kill Devil.
I played in a couple of groups: Ludwell Newton (Ricky Meyer, Billy Mahoney, Danny Menzie, Kevin Ball, and Kevin Kirkman); and Bob Margolin (Bob, myself and a host of drummers).
What a great player and person, Bob Margolin is. I learned a lot from that man. That was also the only time I got a chance to play with my ex-brother-in-law, Matt Abts (Government Mule).
Dewhite (Jim Staford, Bob White, Deny Desloge, and Bill Mahoney). They were from my favorite band, Kill Devil. It was a dream come true to get a chance to play with those guys. I think about them a lot.
In 1986, it was time to leave Virginia. I headed to Jekyll Island, Ga. I started playing with my half-brother, Ed Pickett. We had a duo and recorded a cassette that a lot of people talk about and a lot of the songs are kept alive on Those Guys 1 release. I have since moved to Florida, but Ed remains on the island. Recently Ed and I have started playing together again and working on a new Seiners CD (after 20-years). Look him up if you're on the island. (The Seiners: Ed Pickett, Brady Green and myself).
When I met Walt and Chris, Ed and I were playing in St. Augustine, FL. They sat in and it wasn't long before Those Guys was a trio.
Those Guys have 7 CDs to date. Two recorded on Last Resort Records and 5 on Eclipse Records. Currently, we are working on number eight. Those Guys are Walt Kulwicki, Dave Besley, Barry Dunaway and Frankie Urzetta.
I have completed my first solo CD (Believe These Eyes) and working on solo CD #2 with the help of Kurt Johnston, Barry Dunaway, Walt Kulwicki, Woody Pernell, Ed Pickett, Jim Miner, Chuck Nash, Rob Peck, Jim Stafford, Rusty Springfield, Mike Howard, Frankie Urzetta and a host of other great musicians. I'm very excited about this new project.