All of the guys had a moment to shine on a solo or two, and all came through like their 19-year-old selves. Not easy to do when you are in your mid-60s with only a week of practice! Dave Adamson, the lead vocalist of the group, is still an active singer and sounded just like his 1968 voice. He displayed a talent for soul/blues singing that I never heard back then, even though I sang alongside him for three years in choirs and a folk group.
The induction banquet itself is a study in stamina and loud music for the audience, but that's OK. All groups were very good, as you would expect hall-of-fame performers to be. In addition to the nine bands inducted, other inductees included 1 radio station, DJ's from the 60s, two dance ballrooms, two booking agents and four individuals known for their contributions to South Dakota Music.
John Iverson and I sat across from each other and lasted through five hours of rockin' and rollin'. At one point, I glanced over at him to see that he was also plugging his ears at the louder moments. Neither one of us wants to lose any more of our middle-ear components than we can afford at our age.
Two pictures below show the members of Military Pickle signing autographs in the afternoon and performing at night. Watch for South Dakota Public Broadcasting to televise highlights of the 5-hour celebration.
