The Sandpipers
No history of Northwest Florida music in the Sixties would be complete without mentioning The Sandpipers. This group of singers was composed of three young girls, two of which were sisters. In the winter of 1965, Debbie Kilpatrick was 13-years old, her sister Charlene was 14 and the third voice was Sally Hurst, also 14. These girls all went to middle school together. They weren’t even in high school, but they had a vocal blend and harmonies as good as you’ll ever hear. The group was managed by Debbie and Charlene’s mother, Fran Kilpatrick. Fran was a successful businesswoman with a very thriving ladies clothing store that catered to the high-end clientele. Fran was primarily into the money end of the music business and she was ruthless when it came to the girls’ careers. Since the girls were solely a vocal group (none of them played an instrument), Fran was constantly on the lookout for bands to backup the girls. Fran insisted that the girls have only the best and she was constantly on the lookout for the best band to provide music for their performances.
When they first started, most of what they did was acappella. They sang for school functions, for civic groups and other small gatherings. We (that is The Soul-7) were approached by Fran in December of ’65 and after hearing them sing, we were pleased to have them join our band. Fran had plenty of money and bought a new PA system (mikes, amp and speakers) and had costumes made for the girls that complemented the burgundy and black tuxedos we wore. We worked with The Sandpipers until March of ’66. That was when The Allman Joys came to town, later to be known as The Allman Brothers Band. These guys were all in their 20s and were dedicated to a life in the business. They were a very polished nightclub band and shaped their music for that kind of crowd. They had the long hair and dressed mod in the English style and played a lot of English music. In fact theirs was primarily an English sound with multiple harmonies. They performed in Pensacola nightclubs for about three months. Within a few weeks of their debut (which really stoked all us local guys; they were really a great band with a distinctly new sound for this area. Their influence was felt, seen and heard long after they left town). Fran had made a deal with Greg and the girls started singing with them. Unfortunately, the girls were all too young to be employed in a nightclub. (The law was pretty strict about that, even in the ‘60s.) Since they were more or less a local phenomenon, and as long as their parents were present, this was overlooked on the local level, but The Allman Joys were strictly passing through and there was no way The Sandpipers could do the gigs The Allman joys were doing. I didn’t really regret them leaving The Soul-7 since I had a hard time dealing with Fran and her obsession with stardom. However, they took the PA and all the mikes when they split and that posed a problem. Keep in mind that I was only 17 at the time and was legally incompetent to enter into contracts. There was no way I could get financing to buy a PA on my own. I was fortunate to have credit-worthy parents who were willing to co-sign a loan for me, which I paid back every month with what I earned with the band.
But The Sandpipers time with The Allman Joys did get them some good exposure and experience. They managed to make a connection with a record producer in New York and released a single called ‘It’s All Over But the Crying’ that got some national attention but never made the charts. The group eventually folded (I think Sally’s family moved) but both Debbie and Charlene continued singing with local bands
Written by Tommy Ratchford.
http://www.60sgaragebands.com/scenesthings/pensacolatommyratchford.html
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