The Grass Roots – like rock and roll – will never die.
Seems like yesterday it was the mid-1960s and the Grass Roots’ glossy, Top-40 rock was all over the radio.
Times have changed and many former members have passed away. The Grass Roots’ sound, however, remains the same, with catchy guitar licks, upbeat lyrics and dance-friendly songs.
“But now we’re part of the rock and roll senior tour,” Mark Lawson, lead singer and bass player for the Grass Roots, joked Sunday in Savannah Center. Rocky and the Rollers opened.
“We remember vinyl records, 8-track tapes and listening to hits on an AM car radio,” Lawson added. “And we hope you remember it, too.”
The Grass Roots have gone through multiple line-up changes over the years, featuring dozens of members, including the late Chris Merrell, who lived in Leesburg. These Grassroots – Dusty Hanvey, lead guitar; Larry Nelson, keyboards and Joe Dougherty on drums – may play songs from the past, but they live in the present.
“This is one you might want to sing along with,” Dawson said, as the band ripped into “Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes.”
The Grass Roots scored 21 chart hits from 1966-75. And the group sold more than 21 million records.
They current edition of the band played the Grass Roots’ songbook, which includes such ’60s staples as “Temptation Eyes” and “Midnight Confessions.”
Midway through the concert, Hanvey asked to have the house lights turned up to honor military veterans.
“We made this song in 1967 and tonight we’re dedicating it to all veterans,” Hanvey said. The band then rocked out on “Live For Today.”
Dawson is the focal point of the band, with long, flowing, snow-white hair and an engaging personality.
“We flew out of Chicago,” Lawson said. “It’s hard to fly, but when you get to come to see your friends in The Villages, it’s worth it.”
The band opened the show with a souped-up version of “I’d Wait A Million Years,” featuring some nasty guitar licks by Hanvey. “Sooner or Later” was another smooth rocker and things slowed down on “Things I Should Have Said.”
Rocky and the Rollers offered a hot opening set that featured Bruce Wallace as Joe Cocker. Wallace bears a physical resemblance to the late singer and he even copied some of Cocker’s stage antics, carting a bottle of whiskey to the microphone.
It was all in fun, but the music was serious, as Wallace brought blue-eyed soul to “The Letter,” with some help from Al Layton on keyboards.
Wallace sang such Cocker classics as “You Are So Beautiful,” “Feeling Alright” and “Unchain My Heart.”
Al Morse and the rest of the Rollers opened with a hot and funky tribute to Sly and the Family Stone. They had the Savannah Center crowd jumping with a Sly mash that included “Everyday People” and “Dance to the Music.”
Tony Violanti is a veteran journalist and writes for Villages-News.com.
