#tbt - Plaid jackets, a "staff car" and business cards : we remember "The Intruders," local rock band

On today’s ThrowBack Thursday blog, we feature a popular local rock band from the 1960s, one of several featured in author Randy McNutt’s homage to “The Cincinnati Sound.” * Then, in a 1965 newspaper article, we learn the band members’ opinions on the then-controversial topic of hair length for male high school students... **

One of the most popular teen bands in the mid-1960s was composed of “high school boys from Middletown” who “performed at fraternity dances and parties in Cincinnati, Oxford, and Middletown.” *

They had the talent, the hair, the matching outfits and business savvy. Proof of the latter : a manager, their own business cards * as well as their own advertisement in the back of the 1966 Middletown High School Optimist yearbook. ***

They were The Intruders.

Around 1965, the Intruders included Kent Goforth, Pete Weitzenkrone, Paul Goodwin, Dave Johnson, Terry Harrison and John Reagan, according to “The Cincinnati Sound.” *

In one photo, band members appear ready to begin the beat at any moment, donning their matching plaid jackets and light-colored trousers.*

In a 1965 Middletown Journal article, they were “shaggy-haired cutups” expressing their opinions about a recent school rule that dictated the hair length of male students.

Like many of their male counterparts, three members of the school’s “most popular combo, the Intruders,” who were “known for their shaggy hair-dos,” were having none of it. Interviewed by reporter Lynne Withey, three Intruders shared their opinions:

In the days of mop-topped Beatles, fewer crew cuts and flourishing local rock bands, the Middletown High School rule --  “all boys must have a space the width of two fingers between hair and eyebrows” -- became a contentious topic.

“Kent Goforth says he wears his hair long because it’s ‘different’ and claims ‘the school should do more about teaching and less about haircutting. However, he feels that if long-haired students get into trouble, they deserve to have their hair cut.”

“Paul Goodwin...agrees with Kent and adds that long hair doesn’t interfere with a student’s scholastic ability…”

“John Regensburg offers a practical reason for the long hair: ‘The band gets more jobs.’”

Even today images of the Intruders abound. They’re appear on the group’s Facebook page -- a bit more mature and minus the plaid jackets -- but rockin’ the music like it was 1965.

No matter.

It’s only rock ‘n’ roll but we like it.

Sources:

*”The Cincinnati Sound” by Randy McNutt, with foreword by Jim LaBarbara. Published in 2007 by Arcadia Publishing. Available onshelf at MidPointe Library and in e-book format.

** “2-finger ruling’s a jab in the eye, high school’s long-haired boys say,” by Lynne Withey, Middletown Journal, October 17, 1965. Available for viewing on microfilm at MidPointe Library-Middletown and online via www.midpointelibrary.org > eLibrary > Research Databases > Magazines and Newspapers > Newspaper Archive > Middletown Journal.

***1966 Middletown High School “Optimist Yearbook.” That year and many others are available for viewing in the Ohio Room at MidPointe Library-Middletown (cannot be checked out).

We’ve got it all!

The 1966 Middletown High School ‘Optimist Yearbook” and many other years are also available for viewing on MidPointe’s Digital Archives:

www.midpointelibrary.org > eLibrary > Digital Archives > The Optimist Middletown City School District High School Yearbooks > Year

If you’re a rock fan, check out MidPointe’s  catalog of thousands of works by artists representing many genres.

www.midpointelibrary.org > Catalog search.

You’ll also find music, TV shows, books and more on our eLibrary. One of the most popular sites is Hoopla with literally “hundreds of thousands of free movies, TV shows, full music albums, audiobooks, eBooks, comics and more…”

Start at www.midpointelibrary.org > eLibrary and you’ll be glad you did!

Please note: a MidPointe Library card is required to access some online sites.

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Middletown, West Chester, Trenton, Monroe, Liberty Township (2nd floor, Liberty Center) and onboard the “Library On Wheels” (formerly known as the Bookmobile).