Dean Kohler

Dean Ellis Kohler is an American rock musician from Portsmouth, Virginia who has been active in various groups and as a solo artist since 1962. That year he formed Dean & the Mustangs, who later changed their name and recorded demos as the Satellites. In 1966 Kohler was drafted into the army as an MP in the Vietnam War. While stationed in Qui Nhơn, he formed the group, the Electrical Banana, who recorded several songs in an army tent, amongst which a version of Lou Reed's "There She Goes Again" and Kohler's original, "She's Gone" were pressed into a limited number of 45RPM records and came to the attention of garage rock enthusiasts. In 1968, when he returned from duty to Portsmouth, he assembled a backing band and recorded the single "Gooseberry Pie". Later in 1968, he formed the band, the Soft Light,who appeared weekly on a local TV show . and by the end of the decade the hard rock group, Mad Wax, who remained active into the 1970s. He chronicled his Vietnam War experiences in Rock 'N' Roll Soldier: A Memoir, published in 2009. Kohler's recordings with the Satellites and the Electrical Banana are included on the compilation, Aliens, Psychos & Wild Things, Volume 1, and "Gooseberry Pie" on Essential Pebbles, Volume 2.

Biography

Musician Dean Kohler is from Portsmouth, Virginia and got his start in 1962 as the founder and leader of a combo, Dean & the Mustangs. The other members in the group were Joe Spear on rhythm guitar, Cecil Baines on bass, Billy Watson on drums, and Roger Thacker added as singer.^[1] In 1964 Roger Thacker left and Dean became the lead singer and still the lead guitarist. In late 1964 Billy left the group and was replaced by Lynde Gilliam on drums. In early 1965 Joe Spear left the group, and they added Cliff Eaton on keyboards and changed their name to the Satellites.^[1] At this time the group came under the influence of the British Invasion.^[1] In 1965, they recorded an acetate of the songs "Will You Stay?", which displayed the influence of the Kinks, and "The Next Boy".^[1] These were the Satellites' only recordings.^[1]

Their plans were interrupted in 1966, when Kohler was drafted into the army to serve in the Vietnam War^[2][1] as part of the 127th MP Company in Qui Nhơn, Vietnam. With the permission and support of his commander, Captain Richard Leadbetter, Kohler assembled band, the Electrical Banana.^[3][1] The moniker was chosen partially in reference to the front cover of the Velvet Underground's first album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, a lyric in Donovan's "Mellow Yellow", and influenced by the book Fuzz, Acid and Flowers.^[1] The group practiced and performed at military bases, sometimes wearing banana outfits.^[1] In 1967, they recorded several songs in an army tent in Qui Nhon including two that were included on a limited number of 45 RPM records single—a version of Lou Reed's "There She Goes Again" along with the Kohler original, "She's Gone".^[1] One of the records came into the hands of the compilers of the Aliens, Psychos & Wild Things, Volume 1 CD, which was released in 2000 and contained both songs.^[1][4]

Upon returning to Portsmouth in late 1967, Kohler assembled a new group with the backing lineup of George Newsome on bass, Robert Craig on organ, and Johnny Johnston on drums to record his only official single in 1968, "Gooseberry Pie", for the Elko label,^[1][5] which was later included on Essential Pebbles, Volume 2 in 1998.^[6] That year he formed the group the Soft light, who recorded several songs, including "Out-of-Sight", and appeared the television programs, Disc-O-Ten in 1968 and Saturday Session in 1969. In 1974 he created and produced a one-hour TV special that aired on the local NBC affiliate WAVY-TV called "Rock Me" featuring his band, Mad Wax, and other local bands.

During the 1970s, he fronted Mad Wax, Dean on lead guitar and lead vocals, George Newsome on bass and vocals, and Tom Ryan on drums, a power trio that recorded an unreleased album.^[1] The band's name at first was Spectrum but after four months was changed to Mad Wax. In the 1980s and 1990s, he formed and led the 1950s/1960s tribute showband Big Bubba & the Blockbusters.^[1] He chronicled his Vietnam War experiences in the book, Rock 'N' Roll Soldier: A Memoir, published by Harper Collins in 2009.^[1]

Instruments used included his first guitar, a Guild M-65 Freshman and a Silvertone Twin Twelve amp. In 1964 he purchased a 1963 Gretsch Tennessean and a Fender Showman amp used in The Satellites. In Vietnam he used a Fender styled no-name guitar and a Fender styled no-name amp purchased in Vietnam and used with The Electrical Banana. In the Soft Light, 1968, he used a Fender Telecaster with a factory Bigsby and still using his 1964 Fender Showman. In late 1969 he purchased a Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty used in Spectrum and Mad Wax. With Mad Wax in 1971 he ordered a Gibson Les Paul Custom with a sunburst finish built to his spec's from Gibson's custom shop, his main guitar until this day. Peavey amps were a new brand at that time and he purchase two British Stacks. He used the Peavey amps for only one gig and returned them to the music store the next day telling the store owner " You can keep this crap, order me a Marshall." He purchased two Marshall Super Lead 100 stacks. With Big Bubba & The Blockbusters he used one Marshall bottom and one Marshall Super Lead 100 for outdoor gigs, a 1964 Fender Bassman or a Marshall JCM 900 1-12 combo for in-door gigs. For the Satellites and Soft Light recording sessions he used the 1963 Gretsch Tennessean and the 1964 Fender Showman. For all other recordings he used the 1971 Les Paul Custom with the 1964 Fender Bassman. Other guitars purchased and used on gigs include a 1966 Rickenbacker 330 twelve-string, a 1971 Gibson Limited Edition Medallion Flying V #20, a 1983 Fender Stratocaster with EMG pickups, a 1992 Paul Reed Smith, a 1974 Les Paul Special/1955 Reissue.

Discography

References

Bibliography

• Kohler, Dean Ellis (2009). Rock 'n' Roll Soldier: A Memoir (1st ed.). New York, New York: HarperTeen. ISBN 978-0061242557.
• Markesich, Mike (2012). Teenbeat Mayhem (1st ed.). Branford, Connecticut: Priceless Info Press. ISBN 978--0-06-124255-7.