Paul Revere & the Raiders

As a little girl, the music I remember hearing the most at my house was country; Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Marty Robbins, and many others.  My parents did listen to other types as well however.

The first music I remember asking to have was Paul Revere & the Raiders.  It was the summer of 1968, and a friend and I happened to see this show on TV one afternoon called “It’s Happening”.  The Raiders were the stars of the show and had different guests daily.  I loved the show, loved the music, and was instantly hooked, and have been ever since.

I never saw the Raiders when Mark Lindsay was the lead singer, though I’ve seen both Mark and the Raiders separately, several times.

It was Raider member, Freddy Weller, who kept my interest in country music, as he had a solo career in country, aside from being with the band.

When my friend and fellow Raider fan, Denise, her sister, Shauri, and I heard the Raiders were playing at Seven Feathers Casino in Canyonville, Oregon we HAD to go; especially since the band had recently gotten a new lead singer.

The 3+ hour trip was well worth it.  Not only did the Raiders do their hits, they did cover songs of other artists as well.  Of course, the show was filled with Paul’s comedy also, which is always fun.  You’d never know he turned 73 years old this past January.

Bass player, Ron Foos, guitar player, Doug Heath, and keyboardist, Danny Krause have all been a part of the Raiders for 30+ years.  All three are as great now, as they were all those years ago.

Drummer, Tommy Scheckel was with the Buckinghams for 27 years before joining the Raiders. To say the guy can play drums is an understatement; Tommy really gets into what he’s doing onstage.

Then there’s the newest member of the current Raiders, lead singer, Darren Dowler.  Darren is an entertainment renaissance man for sure.  He’s sung with the Lettermen, the Righteous Brothers, and the Fifth Dimension, to name a few acts. He was also the original guitar player for the Backstreet Boys.  Musically, Darren also does impressions of other artists, like Sammy Davis Jr. 

Besides his extensive musical background, Darren has appeared on Broadway, in television and movies, and has written two novels.

Though the Raiders have had several good lead singers since Mark Lindsay’s departure in 1975, I have to say, Darren is definitely one of the best from the last 36 years.

Even with the 40 to 50+ changes in band members over the years, (Paul is the only original member of the band left),  the sold out concert in Canyonville is proof Paul Revere & the Raiders are still definitely a fun band to see and hear.