-------------1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%------------

1967. The Noble Five.

1966/1967

The constant practice soon turned into a "learn as you earn" policy that resulted in the Noble Five's first gig that past October and their second gig at the Christmas party in December. <see post://1966 , The Green Pigs Junior Baseball Game. The First 2 Gigs.>

Ronnie's brother-in-law owned Morris Auto Supply, the auto parts store where Ronnie worked. His brother-in-law wanted a cheap band for his annual Christmas party at a big barbecue restaurant.

Gary explained, "It wasn't the Green Pig, but it had a little dance floor and stage and they used to have country combos so people could dance after they ate.

It was kind of a juke joint/barbecue joint.

He invited all his employees, friend's and gas station people that worked and bought parts from him and he wanted a band - cheap.

We got ten bucks.

"That was big time money. We thought we were rich.

That was two bucks apiece and we all chipped in a quarter apiece for gas.

We came home with $1.75.

"At that time we were still playing through Allen's Super Reverb and Bob had drums and Larry had a little Ampeg bass amp you could barely hear.

It was one of those little R2-D2 robot-looking things. We played `Gloria' and a few Rolling Stones songs. We only knew about five, six or seven songs.

We kept doing those all night and he paid us and we got out of there."

Shortly after that Christmas Party, Allen bought the Beatles '65 album that had just come out. Gary recalled, "I remember when Beatles '65 came out.

We were together then and we were trying to learn their songs. they were too hard to learn, but we were trying."

Slowly, they developed their musical talents and the gigs increased. At the very beginning, only Ronnie had reached the legal driving age and for quite awhile he was the only one with a car.

Soon after the Christmas Party for Bill Morris in 1966, they recruited Larry Junstrom to play Bass Guitar:

(Lawrence Edward Junstrom. June 22, 1949 – October 5, 2019). Larry Junstrom played the Clarinet and Saxophone in the School Band!

Larry got with Ronnie and the boys to go play at teen dances instead of in marching bands!

Bob, Gary, Ronnie, and Allen didn't have a Bass player for their first two gigs In October and December 1966 , And in early 1967, Larry Junstrom joins to play Bass Guitar.

It was around this time they changed their name to the "Noble Five" and they began working at the city’s youth centers, primarily Southside and Brad Tredinnick, as well as the few privately owned teen clubs around town.!

There was even a Radio Ad announcing that "The Noble Five" were playing at Westside Teen Club.

In 1967, Allen is 15 yo, Gary is 16, Ronnie is 19 yo, Larry is 18 yo, Bob is 17 yo.

Gary and Allen are still at school .

The Noble Five were Playing the Local Live Circuit!

The Noble Five were restricted to Teen clubs, and parties, as they were teens themselves, Their set list was mainly top 40 cover tunes.

Teen Clubs and Dens, playing Covers of British invasion Bands!

Bob Burns says They did copy tunes and did them well!

"We Played, Doors, The Stones, The Beatles, some Blues Rock, all Copy Tunes! it was one of the best copy tune bands in the world!" says Bob Burns.

Gene Odom says: " How good were they? , Not really good!"

Larry Steele says "They were Average!"

"Ronnie was confident, and had a lot of stage presence and had a plan of what he wanted to do!"-Larry Steele

-------------1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%------------

-------------1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%------------

"Allen was really Loud and when you came in a room you would know it , he would knock stuff over." - Gary Rossington.

"Besides Bob Burns, Allen was the next craziest person on the face of this earth!"- Larry Junstrom.

"Allen used to sniff glue, He could put a model Airplane together with his Breath!" - Larry Junstrom

"Everyone used to take speed back then.it was hard keeping a girlfriend or going to school. We just wanted to to play guitar all night."

"Allen and i used say , I wish we could get thrown in jail so we could play our guitars all night."

"Teen Dens and Garages! music music , Guitar Guitar. that's all we thought you know" - Gary Rossington.

After seeing the Rolling Stones play on the Ed Sullivan Show on television, Gary began shifting his emphasis from baseball to rock and roll, but later admitted the process was difficult, "It happened slow at first. It took a long time to learn how.

We were trying to learn from people, no lessons or anything, just watching."

The band, first called "The Pretty Ones", but quickly changed to the Noble Five, learned their music by watching others perform and picking apart the songs they heard on the radio.

Early influences ranged from the Southern blues common in north Florida to the country standards Ronnie heard on runs up the Atlantic seaboard in his father's eighteen-wheeler.

Ronnie always claimed though, that the band really modeled themselves after the first waves of the British rock invasion, "If you ask me, we're closer to the classic British rock groups like Free than anything else."

"You know, we came from English music," Gary agreed, "We'd listen to the Yardbirds and Clapton, you know and Jeff Beck, the Beatles and the Stones, the Animals, all those groups.

They were our idols and gods at the time. As a matter of fact, that's when I really did think the Beatles were like gods.

I had this thing when I was going to school. I'd listen to the radio - couldn't afford a record player then - I had a little radio then.

If they ever came on, I would never turn them off and if I was late for school, had to miss schooll or miss church and get my butt beat by my momma because I'd miss a chore. It was like against my religion to turn them off."

The Noble Five's earliest practice sessions occurred in the carport of drummer Bob Burns' parents. The band practiced where ever and whenever one of their mother would turn a deaf ear and agree to their requests.

Gary reminisced, 'See, it was who's mother would let them play at their house.

It wasn't where you were going to rehearse, it was who's mom... Bob went, `I can talk my mother into it.' So..." Often their Jacksonville neighbors were not as tolerant as Bob Burns' mother.

"We used to practice after school until the cops would run us off every night, then on weekends, all day, all night."

-------------1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%------------

-------------1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%------------