Half a century later, you finally have proof. In July – to celebrate the 50 th reunion of the Staples High School Class of 1967, and a “Summer of Rock” that included a Westport Historical Society exhibit and a performance by Staples Class of ’71 grads who were inspired by those concerts to have musical careers of their own – the Westport Cinema Initiative hosted a screening of “The School That Rocked!” There, in Town Hall, a sold-out crowd reveled in a 30-minute documentary that told the remarkable, true and non- hallucinatory tale of how some of the biggest names in rock history came to perform at one suburban high school. And after the film, the person who helped mastermind it all sat right there on stage, adding color and insights about that still- astonishing time. Dick Sandhaus was that man. In the spring of 1965, though, he was just a teenager. He was the newly elected president of Staples High’s incoming junior class, and he had a problem. He’d promised a free junior prom. Now he had to deliver. The 15-year-old was a huge rock ‘n’ roll fan. Suddenly, he had an inspiration: He’d put on a concert.
No matter. The Board of Ed’s money was as green as any adult’s. The duo found a California band that looked English, and had just released its first record. They haggled the agents down from $1,500 to $1,250. Sandhaus and Gambaccini were tough – and lucky. The day the Beau Brummels played Staples, their debut single
“Laugh Laugh” was #1. Contrary to some fears, there was no riot. The capacity crowd of 1,200 shrieked and yelled as if the Beau Brummels were the Beatles. Empowered by their success, Sandhaus and Gambaccini booked Eric Burdon’s Animals. Later that spring, the Blues Project – Al Kooper’s band – did indeed play that free junior prom. “I talked them into playing four 45-minute sets,” Sandhaus said 50 years later. “They still hate me for that.” Gambaccini graduated. But Sandhaus continued producing shows. His greatest coup was the Yardbirds. Two weeks before the show, Eric Clapton left the band. The agent assured Sandhaus that the guitarist’s replacement was also great. He was right: 18-year-old Jimmy Page could indeed play. With time to kill after the show, Sandhaus invited the group to his house for a bit of food. Page asked for scotch. He got it. Sandhaus’ luck continued. He booked the Rascals. The day they came to town, “Groovin” topped the charts. That fall Sandhaus went off to Amherst College. But he continued to book more
Sandhaus’ good friend Paul Gambaccini – “the only teenager inAmericawitha subscription to Billboard Magazine,” Sandhaus recalled – was on board. As the new president of the Staples Student Organization, he had access to cash for a contract deposit. That fall, they presented the idea to the new principal, Jim Calkins. He was enthusiastic, but advised them to seek Board of Education approval. Petrified – and wearing a jacket and tie – Sandhaus asked. They offered $750 as down payment. He and Gambaccini headed to Sandhaus’ father’s office in New York. Cold calling talent agencies, they said they represented Staples High School. They omitted the tiny detail that they were not administrators or teachers, just 11 th graders who had never booked a band.
86 WESTONMAGAZINEGROUP.COM
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker