Classics IV

Early days

The group began as The Classics, a Jacksonville cover band consisting of guitarists J. R. Cobb, Walter Eaton, keyboardist & guitar Joe Wilson, and singer Dennis Yost. Cobb and producer-manager Buddy Buie would later form Atlanta Rhythm Section with the Candymen drummer Robert Nix, also from Jacksonville, and keyboardist Dean Daughtry in 1971^[2]. Yost had previously been a member of the Echoes. The name "the Classics" came from the Classic drum set Yost owned. He was known in the Georgia/Florida area as the "stand-up drummer" because he played standing up. The Classics played Ventures covers, as well as instrumental versions of "Misty" and "Summertime". People started requesting vocals, so Dennis would say "I can sing that," and that was the beginning of the group's new direction.

The band was discovered performing in Daytona Beach by talent agent Paul Cochran, who became the band's manager in partnership with Buie. The pair had formed an alliance with manager-publisher Bill Lowery and urged the band to relocate to Atlanta. With the help of Lowery, they quickly snagged the group a singles deal with Capitol Records. The Classics' debut single was "Pollyanna", a song written by Lowery client Joe South and sung in a style which resembled that of the Four Seasons. Shortly after that they received a letter informing them that there was already a recording act named 'the Classics', who had a single titled "Till Then." In an effort to differentiate themselves, Yost and company added "IV" to the name because there were (at that time) four members.

The Classics IV performed "Pollyanna" on Dick Clark's TV Show Where the Action Is! and "Pollyanna" was a regional hit. But when WABC (AM) radio in New York started playing it they received a call from the Four Seasons' manager demanding they cease airplay of "Pollyanna" or they would no longer get exclusives on future Four Seasons recordings, among other disincentives.^[3] The group landed a deal with Imperial Records. Guitarists Cobb and Buie added lyrics to a jazz instrumental titled "Spooky", a regional hit for Atlanta saxophonist Mike Sharpe. The single made it to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and No.  46 in the UK.

Drummer Kim Venable (born Clayton Kimbal Venable on May 5, 1944 in Eclectic, Alabama, died June 12, 2016)^[4] was brought in so Yost could move freely out front ([[Dennis St. John (drummer) and Emory Gordy (Bass) were the musicians on their studio recordings). Emory Gordy was also co-writer on the song Traces. Daughtry replaced Wilson. The band changed its name to 'the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost' and enjoyed two more top-10 hits, "Stormy" (1968, Hot 100 No. 5) and "Traces" (1969, Hot 100 No. 2, Easy Listening No. 2). Cobb and Buie borrowed heavily from 1936's "Everyday with Jesus" by Robert C. and Wendell P. Loveless to pen the top 20 follow-up "Everyday with You Girl" (1969, Hot 100 No. 19, Easy Listening No. 12). In 1971 Michael Huey^[5] became the drummer after working for other Lowery artists Tommy Roe and the Swingin' Medallions. During this period Huey also became the staff drummer for Lowery Studios, and later moved to L.A.

"Spooky", "Stormy", and "Traces" each sold more than one million units, and all were awarded gold discs by the R.I.A.A.^[6] Those three hits plus "Everyday With You Girl" also appeared in the 1977 film The Chicken Chronicles.

They changed their name again, to "Dennis Yost and the Classics IV," and had one last top 40 hit, "What Am I Crying for?" (1972, No. 39) on MGM South. J.R. Cobb's Atlanta Rhythm Section played on Al Kooper's album "Naked Songs"(1973) include "Jolie". And Atlanta Rhythm Section got hit such as "So into You"(1977), "Imaginary Lover"(1978), "Do It Or Die", "Spooky"(1979), and "Eilian"(1981).

Later career

In 1975 Yost began performing solely under his own name, and eventually he lost the rights to the Classics IV name. During the 1990s, without the trademark, he used many backup bands including Steve "Stevie G" Guettler (guitar, vocals), Jeff "JT" Strickler (bass guitar, vocals), Steve Farrell (guitar, vocals), Mike Wilson (keyboards, vocals), and Wes Armstrong (drums, vocals) of the Atlanta-based group The Rockerz. He also used Nashville-based Steve Jarrell and The Sons of the Beach Band, as well as the Hitts out of Virginia Beach, Virginia, with Ed Hutchison (guitar, backing vocals), Ramon Gonzalez (keyboards, backing vocals), Andy Crosswell (drums), and David Voss.

In 2001 Yost underwent successful throat surgery for a condition that had severely impaired his singing voice. He also won a trademark dispute which gave him exclusive rights to the name The Classics IV for both performing and recording purposes.

Albums

CDs

• Lil' Bit of Gold – Rhino R3 73004 – 1988 (this is one of Rhino's rare 3 inch gold CD singles featuring the band's four hits, "Spooky", "Traces", "Everyday with You Girl", and "Stormy"; as Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost)
• The Very Best of Classics IV – Capitol – 1988
• The Greatest Hits – EMI Special Products – 1992
• Best of Dennis Yost & the Classics IV (from the Legendary Masters Series) – Imperial/Capitol/EMI – 2003
• Atmospherics: A Complete Career Collection 1966–1975 – Raven (Australian release) – 2003 (29 hit singles/b-sides/album tracks by Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost)
• The Soundtrack of 'Six Feet Under' (HBO series) – 2004 (includes "Spooky")
• A New Horizon – Classics IV Label – 2011 (CD/digital download)
• Classics IV Live at the Ritz – Classics IV Label – 2015 (CD/digital download)
• "Paint My Blues" by Dennis Yost (recorded 1991); included on Voices for the Voiceless – Rockandrollrecords.com – 2015 (CD/digital download) All proceeds donated to Animal Place International.

Singles