In 1958, Gary Budde and Dave Gates, both of Wisner, NE
and
Doc Rauss of Pilger, NE got together to form a rock band.
This band
became The Shadows. With Gary on lead, Doc on rhythm/vocals,
and Dave
on drums, they practiced whenever they could get together.
That summer their
first job was at The Wisner Stock Show. The stage
was a hay wagon
parked in the middle of a ball diamond.
As soon as the music started, the drums fell
over and the microphone started
to rock back and forth. Singing was difficult and
just keeping ones balance
was like walking during an earthquake. However,
the band and crowd
loved it..and they were ready for anything.
Dave left the band later that year for Military Service.
Upon being
discharged, he played with many different bands through
the years. He was
living out a teenager’s dream. He played with groups
in the U.S. and overseas.
Sadly, in late 1998, Dave passed away during a
visit with his family at Wayne, NE.
Ed Loewe and Dick Kuhlberg, from the Howells, NE area,
joined
Gary and Doc in mid-1959. With Ed on bass and Dick
on drums, they became
known as The Teen Rogues. They played at local
dances and also
contacted Civic Leaders in other areas to obtain sponsorship
for teen dances in
those communities. Later that year, Dick left the
band for Military Service and Harry
Pokorny from Howells, NE took over as the group’s drummer.
Also, during this time, Dale Kudlac of Pender, NE joined
the group, playing
the saxophone. Unfortunately, conflicts in scheduling
caused Dale to
leave the group after a short time.
In 1960, Denny Steckler of Hooper, NE took over booking
dates for the
group. This allowed Gary Budde more time to concentrate
on the band. Denny,
along with C & M. Enterprises in Sioux City, Iowa
(Dick Matousek – owner
and manager of The Velaires – Jamie Records) expanded
The Teen Rogues performance
territory. The band found most weekends booked
at school dances, skating rinks
and even playing some Sunday afternoon gigs at teen dances
at Merritt Beach in
Omaha, NE. They were regular performers at the
legendary “Kings Ballroom” in
Norfolk, NE – playing alongside local groups such as
Ron Thompson & The Broughams
and Don Sohl & The Roadrunners as well as national
touring acts like Buddy
Knox & The Rhythm Orchids, Johnny & The Hurricanes,
The Velaires,
Del Shannon, Bill Black’s Combo and The String-A-Longs.
The Teen Rogues were honored to participate in The First
“Rhythm Festival” in Sioux
City, Iowa performing their “Rock-A-Billy” style of music.
Although several recordings
were done, all that exist today are several 78- RPM and
45- RPM acetates.
In 1962, the group disbanded. However, members continued
to perform
in locals groups such as The Classics, The Kimberlys,
and The Larry Marik Quartet.
Ed Loewe moved to California and played with the
regionally popular “Royal
Monarchs”. They were the house band for a while
at the famous “Cinnamon
Cinder” Club and backed many popular national artists
of the day. Several Royal
Monarch records are highly collectable today with many
collectors seeking vintage
“surf” records for their collections.
Currently, Gary Budde lives in Norfolk, NE, Doc Rauss
in Wayne, NE, Ed Loewe
in Fremont, NE, Harry Pokorny in Howells, NE and Dick
Kuhlberg in California. They
will regroup in 1999 for their first performance since
1962 during their induction into
The Nebraska Music Hall of Fame in July in Norfolk, NE.
