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THE DYNAMICS  "Live" Medley ('61)  Baby, What You Want Me To Do? ('62)  Love Hurts ('62)  Baby Elephant Walk ('62) BILLY CHAMBERS  I Stopped Living

I had never heard anyone play a trap set (drums) live before. I mean, sure, I was in the high school band and those marching drummers were cool, but that afternoon in 1960, over at Jon Corneal's house, I felt a power I had never felt before. When Jon took off on that signature drum intro to the Ventures tune, "Walk Don't Run", I was almost so overwhelmed I couldn't play it. We probably played that song ten times that afternoon. Just me, Gerald and Jon, two guitars and drums. It was no longer just a solo thing -- we were a band. We were the Dynamics.
But I guess it was that eighth-grade talent show that totally did me in. We only came in second, but our teacher (I believe it was Mrs. Wheatland, but then that's another story all together) was so impressed (?) that she kept the band and the rest of our class in the auditorium for about an hour after the show was over. We played every song we knew and few that we didn't. I was hooked. I loved making the music and I loved the attention.
Not long after that we added Aaron Hancock (from the high school ag band) on bass; and Buddy Canova on saxophone. In the course of the Dynamics two or three year history several members came and went or played part-time, including: Billy Joe Chambers (vocals and rhythm), Ray Lee (drums), Randy Green (piano), Bobby Braddock (piano).
The great thing about the early sixties was the circuit of Teen Centers that a young band could play. They didn't pay much --maybe 5 to 15 dollars (that's for the band, folks) depending on how much in demand you were-- but you had places to play. Thanks to Connie Zacker, the director of the Auburndale Teen [Civic] Center, we had introduction to Teen Recreation Centers in Haines City, Bartow, Lake Alfred and the prestigious Lakeland Teen Midway (big town you know). Eventually we gained access to several out of county centers, including: Dade City, Eustis, Mount Dora (the Hurricane Hut), Umitilla, and eventually the big-time (as local gigs go) Orlando Youth Center. Mrs. Zacker often acted as a sort of impromtu agent for all the local bands in the area, getting us many of the gigs we played.
While making a demo tape of "Summertime" (see the "Live" Medley in Audio clips) to use for auditions, Gerald took over the bass chores and Aaron switched to rhythm guitar. Actually we didn't have a bass, it was a Montgomery Ward "Airline" guitar tuned down half an octave. It required a light hand and Gerald had the touch. He would go on to be one of the best bass players in the business.
A few months later in or about 1962, we were joined by Bobby Braddock on the piano (Bobby's bio is in the "Local Legends" area). Bobby was a few years older than most of the guys in the band and had already developed a professionalism about him that would affect each one of us for decades to come. I was 15 or 16 when he asked me to play electric guitar on a recording session he was producing. It was a song he had written called "That's When I Stopped Living" and was being sung by my cousin Billy Joe Chambers, who was the lead singer with the Dynamics at the time. I regret that I don't have any pictures of this incarnation of the Dynamics, but I am fortunate to have some excellent "live" recordings my dad made from the TV show "Hi-Time" that we performed on frequently. You will notice right away a slicker and more professional sound to the music.

Just after doing the "Hi-Time" show chronicled above, Bobby Braddock left the group to play with the Starfires -- and Gerald Chambers and Jon Corneal left to play with the Legends. The Dynamics quickly faded into oblivion.

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