Chapter Five
Sons of Thunder's Full Time Years
(2) June 1973 - December 1974

By June 1973 Sons of Thunder had been a highly active band for six years, with the past year full time. Momentum had continued to grow this past year, and the band continued to receive new invitations for concerts -- especially from churches, campus ministries, and high school ministries such as Young Life and Youth for Christ. Its recent concerts with Rock Gospel for the Deaf also promised to open further doors. The band had mastered the art of the self-sponsored, area-wide concert in the D.C. region as well -- which was typically held in a large high school auditorium, that always filled to capacity for these events. And so most members felt that devoting another year to it full time was justified, and most were eager to do it. And most were still young enough and free enough from family commitments for it to be feasible.
     

Three members needed to move on at this time, though. Drummer Bob Eagan needed to return to his family’s foundry business in Baltimore; Steve Halverson, now the band’s one married member, needed more family stability than the road allowed; and Hendricks Davis wanted to pursue seminary. Six of SOT’s performing members remained, however, along with light-show presenter Charlie Ruh, technician Duane Self, and financial manager Steve Belknap.
    

Drummer Tom Paustian, whom the band had met on their Omaha trip in May, was eager to fill Bob’s spot, and he agreed to come to Bethesda and audition. Tom was so confident he would pass, that he drove from Omaha to Bethesda with his drums and enough belongings packed in his car to move in immediately to the SOT house if he was accepted. His step of faith was rewarded; everyone loved him and his drumming, and he was asked to join. He quickly proved himself a hard worker and significant talent, and Tom drummed for SOT for the remainder of their full-time tenure. He was also the first person from outside the Washington-Baltimore area to join the group.
    

At nine members, SOT was so large that they decided to replace Steve and Hendricks with a single male singer. Through friends in Baltimore SOT met Eric Logan, a gifted singer who for some time had traveled with a Youth for Christ touring band. Eric was available to work with SOT for the summer months, and so the band welcomed him in. He provided Sons of Thunder with a strong male voice and engaging stage personality during this time.
    
Then in July ’73 SOT got a welcome surprise. They’d assumed it would be difficult to find another keyboardist with the talent of Ed Weaver or Burnett Thompson. But the father of a recent graduate from West Springfield High School in Springfield, Virginia contacted Blaine, saying he was certain his son, Jack Moffat, could meet this need well. The band agreed to audition Jack, and everyone was stunned at his talent. Jack signed on and for the next year played organ and piano for SOT, filling the lead keyboard role outstandingly.
    

And so this was SOT’s lineup as it began its second full-time year: Phyllis Wade, Becky Newell and Eric Logan singing on the frontline, Jack Moffat on lead keyboards, Donna Gadling singing and keyboards, Blaine Smith and Dorian Lester on lead guitars, Tom Willett on bass and singing, and Tom Paustian on drums. Tom Willett continued as music director and Blaine as general leader.
    
SOT added one more member to its troupe at this time, in this case a stagehand (well, “roadie” in today’s language). The band now had a truck full of equipment, and set-ups and tear-downs for major concerts were time-consuming and complicated. While Charlie, Diane and Duane helped considerably, the band needed someone dedicated to the task, and Steve Nelson, a good friend of several members, agreed to take the job. For the next year Steve traveled with SOT, helping move the gear and handling many miscellaneous tasks.
    

That summer was as busy as ever for SOT. The band continued for the seventh year performing for the weekly college meetings at Fourth Presbyterian, which about 400 now attended. SOT played many other concerts as well, including events in Burlington and Charlotte, North Carolina; Fredericksburg, Luray, and Virginia Beach, Virginia; Philadelphia; Boston; Gloucester; and New York City. In July SOT traveled to the Midwest and south with Rock Gospel, presenting that special concert to hearing-impaired audiences in St. Louis, Kansas City, Birmingham, and Memphis. In August SOT returned for the fourth year for a four-night engagement at Inter-Varsity’s now legendary coffeehouse in Virginia Beach, the Upstairs.
    
Duane recorded the band’s performances at the Upstairs on a four-track Teak recorder he owned, making a point to mic the band carefully. The results were surprisingly good and provided Sons of Thunder with the material for a new album. “Live at Virginia Beach,” released in September 1973, contained the best recordings from this batch. It was SOT’s third album, and its first live one.
    

That summer SOT got wind of a Virginia Commonwealth student who was stunning folks at Virginia Young Life Clubs with his unusual gift for singing and original songs. Knowing they'd need a replacement for Eric in September, SOT invited Scott Wesley Brown to drop by their house. Scott spent that evening sitting on the floor of the practice room singing his originals, while SOT members sat around him, mesmerized with his music. Now the story gets interesting. Scott was eager to join SOT full time, and to take Eric’s place in the fall. As members discussed the idea over the next few days, though, they were divided. About half wanted Scott in, while the others felt he was an extraordinarily gifted solo performer, but too strong a personality to front this band. Since a unanimous decision to invite him in couldn’t be reached, SOT had to tell Scott no.
    

Scott was seriously disappointed. But not joining SOT left him free to pursue a solo career. Within a short time, he had forged a friendship with Larry Norman, leading to a major record contract and countless other open doors, and . . . the rest is history. Within a year or two it was abundantly clear that joining Sons of Thunder would have held Scott back from the unique solo career he was destined for. It is one of those endless lessons that, when God closes a certain door, it’s sometimes to open a different and ultimately much better one for us.
    

SOT did find a replacement for Eric, and just in time for its fall ’73 season. Dan Robbins, who hailed from from Eugene, Oregon, had sung with several west coast bands, including Jeremiah People, The New Hope, and The Continentals. Eager for a new adventure, he agreed to fly to Washingtonin in early September and audition for SOT. He passed handily, and was asked to join. Dan was a highly versatile and energetic lead singer and an excellent harmonizer. He fit ideally with the band’s sound, and continued with Sons of Thunder through the rest of their second full-time year. (He was also the second person from WAY out of the D.C. area to join the band.)
    

On September 8, 1973, Blaine Smith married Evie Kirkland, at a ceremony at Fourth Presbyterian in which many from SOT participated and some performed. Prior to that, Blaine made a proposal to Sons of Thunder -- that Dorian become the band’s sole guitarist, for a while at least, while Blaine would focus solely on managing and booking the band from the home office. This would free Blaine from the road while newly married, and also allow him more time for some other ministry interests. The idea was reasonable musically, for with Jack now on keyboards, the band no longer needed two lead guitarists. Band members agreed to this arrangement, which stayed in effect from August ’73 through February ’74, and worked well for this period.
    

SOT continued its busy schedule throughout the fall, including campus concerts at Taylor University, University of Delaware, Manchester College, Kutztown College, Lehigh University, Wesley College, Elon College, Virginia Tech, Wesley Theological Seminary, and Frostburg College. SOT also presented many Rock Gospel concerts with the Gallaudet troupe, in Ft. Wayne, Detroit, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Hartford, Philadelphia, Frederick, Maryland, Lancaster, Pennsylvania,  and again at Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C.

The Rock Gospel team had that Gallaudet College concert, held on November 20, professionally recorded. From that tape they produced an album, “Rock Gospel: Sing and Sign,” featuring ten songs from the event. It was Sons of Thunder’s fourth album, and their second live one.
    

Then in December, ’73 Sons of Thunder taped a TV documentary with Rock Gospel for WETA public television in Washington, D.C. It consisted of a one-hour Rock Gospel for the Deaf concert presented to a hearing-impaired audience at the WETA studio. “Rock Gospel,” the first program of its kind, was first broadcast on December 30, 1973 on WETA, then aired many times during 1974 on WETA and other public service stations in the U.S. Its segments can be viewed today on YouTube, and you’ll find a full listing on the Rock Gospel page on this site, along with news articles and more information about RG. (There are also many photos from this program featured in the photo gallery for this period.)
    

December ’73 also brought another major transition for Sons of Thunder. Longstanding member Phyllis Wade left SOT that month, in order to resume her college studies at Roberts Wesleyan University. Her angelic voice and powerful stage personality had graced SOT performances for more than three years. The question now was whether to seek someone to replace her. After taking inventory, the band decided not to. Becky Newell, an inexperienced performer when joining SOT, had sung with the band for a year and a half, and now was a strong singer in her own right, with a magnetic personality onstage. Dan Robbins was working out well as the band’s new male lead soloist. Donna Gadling, Tom Willett, and Dorian Lester also all sang leads in SOT concerts. All these singers were stronger now from SOT’s frequent performing, too. And so there was enough vocal talent among these folks to justify not replacing Phyllis, and letting the band shrink to a more manageable seven members.
    
Between Phyllis’s exit in December ’73 and the following June, SOT underwent only one more personnel change. In March Dorian left to join the gospel band Danny Lee and the Children of the Truth. Blaine, who by then was eager to start performing again, came back on board as lead guitarist. Dorian still performed with SOT on occasion, when convenient to his travels with Danny Lee, but Blaine handled most of it from then on, through June. (That summer Dorian left Danny Lee and joined Andre Couch and the Disciples.)
    

From January through June 1974 Sons of Thunder continued to perform as often as possible, and there were many opportunities. Campus concerts included Brown University, William and Mary, Western Maryland College, Messiah College, Gordon College, George Madison College, Bridgewater College, Wheaton College, Longwood College, Swarthmore College, Virginia Military Institute, and Princeton Theological Seminary. SOT also performed at numerous churches, and with Rock Gospel in Framingham, Mass., Providence, Rhode Island, Norwich, Conn., and Brooklyn, N.Y.
    

Here’s one of the band’s favorite memories from that period: On Saturday, March 9, ’74, SOT was scheduled to perform at Wheaton College, located in a Chicago suburb. It was an important engagement to the band members, for Wheaton was the most esteemed Christian college in the U.S. then, and many notable leaders, like Billy Graham and Fourth Presbyterian’s Richard Halverson, had attended there. Dorian, who had just joined Danny Lee and the Children of the Truth, was free that evening and planning to play guitar for SOT. But while en route there from upstate New York, Danny Lee’s bus, which Dorian was driving, broke down. Dorian phoned Blaine around 3:30 p.m. with the bad news, and then phoned Tom Willett.

Around 4:00 Tom phoned Blaine from Wheaton, asking if there was any way he could come to Chicago and play guitar for the 8:15 p.m. concert. Since Blaine was living in Poolesville, Maryland then -- a remote suburb over an hour from the nearest airport -- pulling off this feat seemed unlikely. Blaine and Evie scrambled, though, made it to National Airport (now Reagan) and at 7:30 p.m. stepped on a plane to Chicago as the doors were closing. At Wheaton a local artist, Steve Camp, entertained the audience as an opener for the first hour. With the hour gained flying west, Blaine made it to Wheaton, and walked on stage with the SOT at 9:30. Whew!

That’s not the end of the story, though. About thirty minutes later Dorian, who’d gotten the bus repaired hurriedly and broken national speed records en route, showed up, ready to perform and expecting to surprise the band. The one surprised, though, was Dorian, who was stunned and puzzled at how Blaine, whom he’d spoken with in Poolesville just hours before, could possibly be standing on that stage!
    

From SOT's Thunderbolt newsletter, April 1973, about their Wheaton College trip (see above)

A Big Transition

By May 1974 Blaine concluded it was time to take a new direction with his life. He was eager to begin a full-time teaching ministry, and upon acceptance to a program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, decided to move there, do some further study and chart his new course. He announced he'd be leaving at the end of June. Most others in the band also concluded it was time for them to move on too. While the experience with Sons of Thunder had been extraordinary beyond words, most wanted either to return to college or to begin forging their long-term career niche. And so Becky, Donna, Tom Willett, Dan, and Jack also decided that they would leave at the end of June.

Charlie and Diane, Tom Paustian, and Duane, however, wanted to stay with SOT full time and continue developing its ministry. And since others were waiting in the wings eager to join the band, members agreed SOT should continue after June, even though the personnel change would be sweeping.

A problem remained, though, which had been growing for some time. In spite of all the band’s performing, maintaining a troupe of 12-14 people had been costly, and SOT was now in debt for about $4,000 -- a substantial sum at that time for young folks living from hand to mouth. To resolve this debt, the band decided to hold a reunion concert, featuring everyone available who’d ever been part of SOT, and a major one, at the largest event facility nearby then -- the field house of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda. About 4,000 attended. It succeeded well financially, providing the band almost exactly the amount needed to settle the debt. Most important, though, everyone who'd ever been in Sons of Thunder participated, except for Leslie Williams (White) and Joan Tinsley (Hettenhouser), who was pregnant and almost at full term. The concert itself came off extremely well, and provided a noble send-off for those who were leaving at that time.
     

The Final Sprint

Sons of Thunder played one more concert that June with its current lineup, and then in July the new team took over. Under Charlie Ruh’s direction, the new lineup included Bettie Ann Morse, vocals, Paul Rosenstock, lead guitar, Jack Keller, bass, Steve Huwe, guitar, and Tom Paustian drums. Most of these players sang as well. Diane Ruh stayed on as the band’s secretary, and Duane Self continued as its technician.

This new troupe performed a handful of times that summer, while getting up and running, including a concert with Scott Wesley Brown at the Virginia Beach Civic Center (“Dome”), and the band’s fifth annual multi-day appearance at the Upstairs Coffee House in Virginia Beach in August. They continued to perform into the fall, and this new team made a valiant effort to keep Sons of Thunder alive and active. But with so many familiar faces now gone, and the financial burden of maintaining the band full time, the challenge grew too great. In December ’74 Charlie and the rest decided to bring SOT to a permanent close.
     

Sons of Thunder's Legacy

While it’s difficult to gauge the legacy of most bands, certain things can be said with certainty about Sons of Thunder. Most important is that they ministered profoundly. SOT never took the stage without praying together -- and for more than a moment -- that God would convey the love of Christ to those in the audience, and meet important needs of each one there. Christ’s message of salvation was presented clearly at every concert, and those attending were urged to commit their life to him. And the songs SOT performed were written and chosen, not only to challenge, but to uniquely touch the heart and conscience, and bring encouragement and fresh heart to the many in their audiences who deeply needed it. Sons of Thunder members were always available, following concerts and at other times, to talk and counsel with those needing direction or encouragement. Through the band’s ministry, on stage and off, a multitude gave their lives to Christ, and countless others had their faith strengthened and refreshed. It’s hard to exaggerate how many simply felt they had a friend in this band, and looked to its music for nurture.

Sons of Thunder also had an important influence on the direction of modern Christian music. Today, there’s a church on every block with a praise band. Many of these ensembles have rock instrumentation, and many are highly professional. The youth ministries of many larger churches have their own bands as well. And it seems like a light year since anyone wrestled with the appropriateness of mixing rock music and the Christian message; to raise the issue at all today is to illicit a yawn.

How different things were in SOT’s era. When Sons of Thunder began at Fourth Presbyterian Church in 1967, no other church in the Washington-Baltimore region had a rock band in residence; the Catholic folk mass with acoustic guitars was as radical as it got at that time. Many felt it was simply inappropriate to mix modern music and Christian ministry, and not a few regarded rock solely as the music of the devil. Throughout their tenure, many regarded Sons of Thunder as rebellious, while others, more generously, believed they were at least flirting around the edges of what was appropriate.

Yet for more than seven years Sons of Thunder demonstrated constantly that rock and modern music styles have their place in the church and in conveying Christ’s love. It should be stressed that SOT didn’t perform the music they did as some sort of manipulative evangelistic tool. There was no artistic compromise. Members simply played the music they loved and had long been familiar with. But because they were also deep-hearted Christians, bringing Christ into this music, and thus playing “Christian rock music,” was as natural to them as breathing. The results spoke for themselves. Young people who were bored with traditional church music loved Sons of Thunder’s. Increasingly, many adults were drawn to their music as well. And in turn, countless people who loved their music were deeply affected by the message of their songs, and inspired to yield their lives to Christ, or to draw more fully on his power and love.

As Sons of Thunder logged hundreds of concerts over their seven-plus years, many other musicians and Christian leaders caught the fever, and began to recognize the importance of modern music in Christian ministry. SOT influenced Christian music through its recordings as well, and the band’s 1968 Zondervan recording "Till the Whole World Knows" was the first nationally distributed contemporary Christian album. Other albums by other bands followed suit in 1969 and the years following, and the Jesus movement in southern California spawned some highly creative artists, like Love Song and Larry Norman, and some outstanding albums. By the close of SOT’s tenure in 1974, Christian rock bands were becoming more commonplace in America. Sons of Thunder was the most active such band in the mid-Atlantic area during this period, though, and at the start, the first to be active in this region at all.

While it’s difficult to measure the direct influence of any of the early Christian rock bands on modern Christian music, there is no question that Sons of Thunder’s effect was substantial. They helped to open the minds and hearts of a great many to contemporary Christian music, and the explosion of this music in modern Christianity is due at least in part to their influence.

Finally, Sons of Thunder helped pioneer the presentation of live music to hearing-impaired audiences. Their many concerts with “Rock Gospel for the Deaf,” closely associated with America’s premier college (now university) for the hard of hearing -- Gallaudet -- demonstrated time and again that those whose hearing is disabled can still experience live music through vibrations meaningfully and joyfully, when it is simultaneously signed and choreographed. And rock music, because of its volume intensity, lends itself to this dynamic especially well. While this concept is widely accepted today, it was novel during the Rock Gospel era. Equally novel was presenting the message of Christ through this means, and through Rock Gospel for the Deaf, Sons of Thunder helped pioneer this concept as well. SOT members are forever honored to have been part of the Rock Gospel troupe, and appreciative that the Gallaudet team chose them as a Christian band to be part of this bold creative venture.
     

Sons of Thunder
P.O. Box 448
Damascus, Maryland 20872
sot@nehemiahministries.com

Celebrating America's Pioneer Christian Rock Band