The following information is from The Valley Blend magazine (article located here):
When Chuck Berry made his infamous appearance at Lakeside Amusement Park, and when many R&B acts came to Virginia, those were the days when acts did not travel with their own rhythm section. Instead, the agent would find local musicians to fit the bill. The Divots from Roanoke, Virginia was one such band.
Bob Newman, Russ Gwaltney, Don East, Andy Christiansen, and Perry Calligan began the band as The Roulettes. The name change was necessary because of a conflict with the Roulette name and a record label in Salem. In 1961, The Roanoke Times reported on a hot new single released by the band recently reviewed in Billboard Magazine! “Missing You” was the “A” side, written and sung by Christiansen for his girlfriend. “Diddy-Wah-Diddy” was the “B” side. The band was touring voraciously at fraternity parties and clubs on the east coast. Band members changed. Bob Hess, Richard Cecil, Jim Lough, Eddie Johnson, Dan Durham, and Odgie Fitzgerald worked their way in. It was, in fact, the latter gentleman who coined The Divots name at Hole Number 9, Salem Municipal Golf Course.
In 1963, Roanoke hometown favorite The Divots performed for the University of Georgia’s Homecoming. They backed a nine-act rhythm and blues bill that sold-out the 40,000 seat Sanford Stadium. Major Lance, Jerry Butler, Don Covay & The Goodtimers, Irma Thomas, Mary Wells, King Curtis, Gene Chandler, Don Gardner, and Dee Dee Ford. Elmer Coles moved into this band about 1964. Some call them Roanoke’s best band ever! At one time, The Divots’ prowess was SO great, and SO well-known and respected, they backed nearly every major R&B act touring in the 1960s. This also included The Supremes and Herman’s Hermits. This is about the time the competition heated up between the Divots and The Premiers/The Chevys. The Divots tended to get their vocalists from Jimmy Lewis’ band including their first African-American singers, Wayne Johnson and Sonny Womack. Musicians, as always a little ahead of their time, integrated long before the clubs, who would not do so until about 1968.
The Divots were about to get a taste of their own medicine. In 1965, founding members Perry Calligan and drummer Roger Fowler left. The Royal Kings were born and, you, dear Reader, know their great-great grandchild: The Kings. Mike Webber, bassist for the Divots, went on to tour with The Judds. Elmer Coles hooked on with The Stylistics, and Cedric Lawson went with Miles Davis. Oscar Jackson, Cole’s band director, played tenor sax with The Imperials, Temptations, and Dionne Warwick. Byron Morris went to D.C. to establish his own sound and jazz band, “Unity”.
