TURNING IMAGE
Manassas, VA
Turning Image, foromerly the Halfways, performed from 1967 to 1976. The band reunited in 2014 and 2009.
Members were:
Gene Thompson lead guitar, occasional drums and vocals
Larry Hixson guitar and vocals
Michael Hadder drums, occasional guitar and vocals
Tommy Griffith lead vocals, keyboards and occasional bass
Allan Johnson lead vocals and guitar, percussion
Sharon Stacy vocals, percussion and dancer
Mark Krebs trumpet
Dennis Bailey bass, trombone, occasional guitar and vocals
Clay Johnson keyboards and vocals
Bob Newell trumpet
Tom Tierney sax, flute and Clarinet, guitar, percussion and vocals
Billy Bodin trumpet and percussion
Linda Hixon vocalist, dancer and keyboards
Larry Goodman roadie and drum tech
Tommy Dever roadie and van driver
Here's a video of a local TV appearance!
Dennis Bailey
Allan Johnson and Linda Hixson
The Halfways, Michael Hadder and Sharon Stacy
Linda Hixson and Gene Thompson
Gene Thompson
Michael Hadder and Ric
Ric and Dennis Bailey
L-R: Gene Thompson, Tommy Griffith , Michael Hadder
Tommy Griffith
Larry Hixson, dennis Bailey and Gene Thompson (on both coronet and guitar)
Horn section
Reunion pics 2009 and 2014
Michael Hadder later sold merchandise for Three Dog Night for 17 years. He also filled in for the drummer on sound checks
Michael on drums
(pics and info courtesy Michael Hadder)
Michael
Hadder was drummer for both the Halfways and that band’s later
incarnation as the Turning Image. Together the two bands history
spans nearly ten years from 1967-1976 in Manassas, Virginia. Michael
sent in this history of the bands and the photos.
Our
beginnings were pretty humble. First day of High School in 1967, I
became reacquainted with Larry Hixson who I knew from the 5th grade.
He had moved out of the Manassas area for a while and had asked me
to bring my drums over to his house that Friday night to jam. It was
there I met Gene Thompson who was from Leesburg, Va. The next thing
I knew , Larry’s step Dad and some other older gentlemen joined us
and we began playing a lot of old Hank Williams songs. I thought
that night was just a one shot deal, but they kept inviting me back.
I
was told that on Halloween night , we would play our first gig at a
Virginia radio station and then later at a night club. As it turned
out, we played in front of this little old AM station on the back of
a flat bed truck. It was so cold it cracked the finish on Gene’s
Gibson S-G guitar. When we got to the so-called night club, it
turned out to be a beer joint which was probably against the law
since the 3 of us were way under 18 years old. I think I took home
around $8.00 that night but it was good experience and was
technically our first paying gig.
That
was pretty much the end of our “Country Music” phase, as the 3 of us
broke away and just started playing rock on the weekends. For the
next year and a half, we would pile up our then meager equipment
into Gene’s 57’ Chevy and spend our weekends playing for friends
& family and all the girls that Gene and Larry had stashed away
all over Virginia and it was probably the most fun time of our young
lives. We bought a small PA system and actually got pretty good for
just the 3 of us.
It
might have ended there but then by a twist of fate, Tommy Griffith
who was a well known singer in the Northern Virginia area agreed to
join forces with us, and we went on to get a manager and in the
summer of 1969, placed second in a Battle of the Bands, played some
dances and make a local TV appearance. By this time we had added
Dennis Bailey on bass, (Larry’s cousin) and Linda Hixson (Larry’s
sister) and Sharon Stacy as dancers and singers. In addition, Gene
was quite the electronics whiz and hooked a switch to the bass drum
pedal to make colored lights go on and off in time with the music
and the whole experience became quite a show. At the end of that
summer Tommy informed us he was leaving and by this time we had had
a taste of success, so our manager (Mr. Kay) hooked us up with Allan
Johnson as our new lead singer.
After
Allan joined, we went thru some personnel changes as Clay Johnson
became our keyboard player, and Dennis (who also played trombone)
suggested we add other horn players as well and it became quite a
large group. We worked a lot. You name it: dances, high schools,
talent contests, military bases, beauty contests, teen clubs,
weddings, car dealerships, private parties, homecomings, proms,
Lions clubs, Rotary clubs, Knights of Columbus dances, county fairs,
community centers, etc. all over Virginia, Maryland & DC.
Thru
another twist of fate, Allan informed us he was getting married and
moving to North Carolina and Tommy Griffith rejoined as lead singer
& keyboard player. By this time we were making pretty good money
and had a van with our name on it and 2 roadies and continued
working almost every weekend. We continued to upgrade our equipment
and band uniforms which by now were tuxedos.
One
of our gigs at the Manassas National Guard Armory was hosted by
local Washington D.C. DJ legend Jack Alix(known as J.A the D.J.) The
same Jack Alix who emceed the first appearances of The Beatles in
Washington at the old D.C. Coliseum & D.C. (now known as RFK)
Stadium.
By
1976 the rigors of keeping up this pace had taken their toll. In
some cases we were doing 2 gigs a day in 2 different cities and it
was time to call it a day. I got married, raised a family, but kept
my hand in music by selling merchandise for super 70's group Three
Dog Night for 17 years. In fact, if there drummer was not available
for sound check, I would fill in. (See Pic)
In
2009, Tommy Griffith approached me with the idea of reuniting all
the popular area bands for one day for a charity event and also to
be recorded for a CD & DVD. We also invited all of our friends
from all over the US to be in the audience. The logistics involved
with this undertaking took months because all people involved were
spread all over the country, but in September of that year, it came
to be and the same formula was repeated 5 years later (See Pics)
These
were special years that produced golden moments. What began as a way
to meet girls on the weekends, turned into a second full-time job
for all of us and became extremely lucrative. For someone like me
who never had a music lesson in my life, to have the experience of
playing drums for so long a time with such a talented group of
players & musicians was incredible. When the venues we played at
were packed & we fed off of the energy of the crowd, it was
absolute magic I will never forget. Normally bands & band
members come & go & break up, but I have been so blessed
& fortunate to still stay in touch with all these people I so
treasure for over half a century.
(info provided by Michael Hadder)