WILL BELLAMY REMEMBERS .......

The story starts here ......

"The Centurys" started in 1963 at Alamo Heights High School at the annual
Howdy Night Fiesta. Tony Volz and Bill Bellamy had taken guitar lessons at
Caldwell Music Co. from Ed Fest over the summer. Tony had a National fat
body electric guitar and I had a Fender 3/4 Musicmaster solid body. We
shared a Silvertone Twin Twelve Amplifier with reverb and tremolo. Our
passion was instrumentals by The Ventures and Freddy King. So we played
almost unnoticed at Howdy Night as the music of choice then was country
western and the best band was Peyton Starr and The Drifters featuring Johnny
Witherspoon. One fellow noticed, a different kind of guy from New York with
Brylcream hair named Pat Wellberg. He asked if he could sit in and produced
a white Fender Stratocaster with an Ampeg fliptop amplifier. What proceeded
was an outrageous version of Gandy Dancer by The Ventures executed with
flawless double picking. We recruited Pat instantly and a fellow nearby said
he was Jimmy Taylor and could play drums. Jim had a white pearl Ludwig set
and could play Wipeout. Pat's brother, Ed had played with Joey Dee and The
Starlighters at the Peppermint Lounge in NY. Remember the Peppermint Twist?
Ed told us at practice that we'd be more professional if we did steps
(choreography) And wore black and gold lamme tux jackets which he happened
to have. So we did.

_Will Bellamy, April 2002