Steve Youngs Today
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STEVE "STEVEN!!" YOUNGS, 60, sings bass in a bar band called No, and teaches music theory at an alternative school in the Olympia area. The middle aged, bald bassist remains as outspoken as ever, and now extols the virtues of marijuana use "for medicinal purposes". Steve's interest in the hippie culture began when he left the RF's in 1967 to form the band Fatherhood with Paul Savanka and Jimmy Coin. The trio's albums never caught on with the public, though, something Steve blames on Jeff. "He did all he could within the industry to kill our debut album. We were not allowed to mention that we had even been in Jeff & the RF's". Youngs has seen the current RF's, but says "when I was in the band, with Paul and Jimmy, that was the real RF's. We recorded all the hits, a bunch of guys that came before us and after us didn't amount to squat!"
JIMMY "James Earl" COIN, lived on his dad's 30 acre ranch near De Kalb, Texas, with his old lady and three rugrats for many years. He owned a club in Guntersville, Alabama for several years during the 80's, where he performed with his band Guns and Cannabis. Coin was forced to sell the club when city officials found firearms and marijuana on the premises (Jimmy admitted to a heavy drug habit in his post-RF days and enjoyed collecting weapons ). His only other involvement in music was a short lived stint with "RF's & Roops" (including baseball star Ruppert "Roop" Jones, along with Steve Youngs and Paul Savanka). He was well fed, as his hefty 300 pound frame attested, and he became become very outspoken on social and political issues. "Ronald Reagan was greatest president in the history of the United States; he returned our country to its proud traditions of the past, and I'll shoot anyone who disagrees with me!" Coin died in 2001 when he was mistakenly shot by other hunters on a wild goose chase.
PAUL "Pauline" SAVANKA, quit the band in 1967 with Kowing and Youngs, to form the underground band Fatherhood. The trio recorded three low selling albums before calling it quits. Savanka went on to lead a Beach Boys tribute band, Pet Sounds, with his wife Cherie on vocals. They took up residence in Hawthorne, California, with their dogs Banana and Louie. Savanka died in 2010 while delivering papers for the Hawthorne Times.
A. J. THORDARSON, 104, still lives in Seahurst with his wife And. He devotes his days to gardening ("I'm growin' ivy......yeah, yuh want some?"), but did attempt a career as the first senior citizen soccer player. His pre-RF's career in swing music (as the leader of A.J. and the Chains) has made him a subject of interest again in the 2000's, and he can still swing a mean chain when he feels up to it. A.J. does rare appearances with his Rainbow Trout Revue, combining 40's swing era songs such as "Hey You" with ska and reggae. He loves introducing children to the music of the past, but his stardom has a downside, too. "I had to put an alarm on my front gate, because kids keep walking by our house, and opening the gate."
DAVID SHREWSBURRY, 60, joined the RF's in 1967, and began a concurrent career as a folk singer in 1969. Jeff Fowler negotiated a deal with Columbia River Records for David, while Ron took on the task of producing his records. His first single, "Moonshine the Blinder", went all the way to #2 on the folk surveys. A string of hits followed ("Recliner Land", "You Want (But Don't Give", "You Act Like It's Alive"), although he remained with the RF's until 1973. Since then, his songs have been recorded by many artists, including Norm Hardy, Augustus Pablo, Pablo Moses, and the Alligator Releases. He has lived in a trailer in SeaTac Airport for the past 40 years, and enjoys the sounds of the traffic all around him. "I usually wake up to the sound of roaring jets in the morning...that is cool, that is cool!" Although he he is deeply immersed in the folk scene, he still likes some of the old classic rock, such as the Allman Brothers, "Yes, and the Eagles...aahh!" It's been decades since he's put out and album, but he continues to write incredibly complex, compelling, hard to understand songs. "There's no point in just coming right out and saying what you want to say" he claims, "I like to use symbolism and cymbals."
CHUCK DELAURO, 60, is in prison on a drugs/public nudity conviction. He joined the RF's in 1967, but quit a year later, to start his own band, a hard rock outfit called Aluminum Caterpillar. Their one single, "In the Garden of Eden", featuring a ten minute drum solo, bombed. Chuck quickly got into trouble in his personal life. Delauro has not spoken to any of his former bandmates in years.
PAT WYMAN, 51, gave up rock 'n' roll for the Rock of Ages, and runs his own tv ministry. These days, Pat's not giving friendly advice, he's preaching! Pat played drums on all of the RF's recordings from the time he joined in 1967 until his departure in 1970. Wyman refuses to discuss his years with the group, but will gladly offer his vies on abortion, gun control, war, and the death penalty. "This country's going to **** in a handbasket unless people get saved and follow the Lord! I thank God we finally have a godly man to lead us, the great Donald Trump!"
CHRIS JOHNSON, 60, was a "High Action" cast member in 1966 and '67 with his own fan club and several record releases before joining the RF's in the summer of '68 (he had already played on many of their albums as a session man). In 1969, Ron Fowler produced Chris' version of "Love Song" which became a minor hit (the RF's own version went top twenty two years later). Chris stayed with the group up till mid-'75 (Ron had quit several months before). His post RF's years saw him become fully immersed in the hippie lifestyle, until he hit rock bottom in the late 70's. "That's when I sobered up, and got my life in order." He did various music jobs, and worked as a disc jockey at a college radio station, but says the most fulfilling aspect of his life has been "my relationship with Lord Krishna. Krishna taught me that I don't need an expensive car, I don't need a big house on a hill, all I need is to chant the names of the Lord, and I'll be free".
JEFF FOWLER, 60, the Dr. of Pepper, the King of Cookies, toured with his new and improved RF's for several decades, regularly performing at clubs, theaters, state fairs, and bakeries. He played a Yamaha keyboard built into the dashboard of a Datsun Sidewinder, and had more caps than anyone in rock 'n' roll except Mike Love. Jeff is divorced, but remains close with his daughter, Angel, 18. Jeff's home for many years was on the road - literally. "I tried giving it up for a few years, moved the band to Seaside Heights, New Jersey, where we played free shows on the boardwalk, but then the boardwalk got destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. That just proved to me that my home was on the road, so I bought a trailer that I kept hitched up to our tour bus all year round. One of my musician friends (DOW-DOH!!!) had tried the same thing with his trailer, but the thing collapsed in his driveway!" Jeff's busy schedule kept him traveling 365 days a year ("some years 366"), and health issues forced him to finally retire in 2014. Jeff encouraged the remaining band members to continue without him. "They're the best band in the world" he raves, "they always entertain, they take the music seriously, but they still know how to laugh!"
RON FOWLER, 60, enjoyed success as a solo artist while still with the RF's. "For Jennifer" made the national charts in the summer of '69, and was followed that fall by the top ten gold record "One More Chance". "Where You Belong" and "In My Dreams" also hit the top forty in 1970, as Ron branched out to do three solo albums and toured with the Electricians ("Sunny Days and Sundays", "Please Mr. Milkman", "(They Know They Will) Lose to You"). He also co-hosted the 1971 summer replacement tv series "Making You Kind of Sick". Ron stayed with the RF's up till January 1975, when he moved into A & R work for several record companies. "Lonely Summer" in 1996 was his first solo album in 25 years, and he also began touring again that year, playing the old RF's hits at fairs, theme parks, and donut shops. He later announced his retirement from the road, and hosted an oldies radio show, Ron After Dawn, on Burien's own KIUT FM 88.5. He was briefly talked out of retirement to tour with indie favorites the Mountaineers Club in 2012, but has since returned to studio work. The former teen idol has never been married, and rumours abound about his private life, which he chooses to keep private.