The Past:

PHOTO TAKEN IN 1965, AT A FARM IN  TAMPA, FLORIDA

PHOTO TAKEN IN 1966 AT THE NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY IN ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA

In the 1960's, Florida was one of the leaders for having the most local Rock N Roll garage bands. And Tampa Bay had some of the Best! Everywhere you turned there was a local garage band playing at a teen dance or a concert. The Tempests were one of those bands from the 60's that were very popular in Florida. They were formed in 1963 in St. Petersburg, Florida when the original members were just 13 years old. The original band members included Doug Palmer (rhythm guitar), Bobby Allen (drums), Bill Hickman (bass guitar), Tom Angarano (vocals) and the late Charlie Bailey (lead guitar). The second version of The Tempests replaced Bill Hickman and Doug Palmer with Mike Hammer (rhythm guitar and vocals) and Buddy Peterson (bass guitar and vocals). These replacement band members enhanced the band's ability to play more songs with harmony. This was a big plus since the Beatles dominated the airways in the sixties. As a result of this change they won the Battle of the Bands at the Electric Zoo. Bobby Allen left the area and was replaced by the late Brad Myers (drums). The last version of the Tempests replaced Charlie Bailey with Roy Delese (keyboards) and included Mike Hammer (lead guitar and vocals), Buddy Peterson (Bass guitar and vocals), Brad Myers (drums) and Tom Angarano (vocals) . The Tempests broke up in 1967 after recording  2 songs. The Viet Nam War draft took some of the members, and the other band members pursued other musical interests. The Tempests opened for many national groups such as the Dave Clark Five, the Shangrilas, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, Tommy James and the Shondells, Blues Magoos, GAP, McCoys, Mindbenders, Allman Brothers, Left Bank and more.

There were lots of dances and concerts back in the sixties at teen clubs, halls, rec centers, auditoriums and armories. The Tempests played at almost every one of them. Eldorado Showcase, Joker's Club, Surfers Club, National Guard Armory, Bayfront Center, Gulfport Casino, Yacht Club, Electric Zoo, Holiday Park, Pinellas Park Auditorium and more. Almost every rec center had dances or concerts in St. Petersburg. Some of the other dances and concerts in Florida included The Village, Curtis Hixon Hall, Letter Carrier's Hall,  Tiger's Den, Darry Downs, Lakeland Civic Auditorium, The Wedge, Melbourne Civic Center, White Bunny, Sarasota Armory, Bradenton Civic Center, Dante's Inferno to name a few. The Tempests were also chosen as the Florida House Band for the Nationally acclaimed Hullabaloo TV Show and Clubs in the 1960's.  

PHOTOS TAKEN IN 1966 AT THE AT NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY IN ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA

PHOTO  TAKEN IN 1966 AT THE SURFER'S CLUB IN MADEIRA BEACH, FLORIDA, COURTESY EVENING INDEPENDENT