Book Three: The Bottom Line

Bassists come and bassists go, and sometimes peter out, you know. But we'll be friends through thick or thin...Well, the original Whales bassist, by whose standard all others have been judged, was Philip Franklin. Nicknamed "Funky" for various reasons, Philip's first rock & roll band Zebedee, was formed in 1975. The lineup included fellow future Nuker Phil Proctor on guitar and future Whiz Kid Alan Jenkins on drums. That three-piece added a fourth member, Ed Miller, played a few YMCA dances, and then found itself without a bassist. Funky Philip had left the fold for more fertile musical territory with Robert Adamek and Thor. Well, jump ahead a few years and you have Philip and Phil rejoined in NTW, and the old magic was back (someone roll down the windows, please). Philip helped define the sound of the band with his bass as well as his voice. He catterwalled songs like "She's So Cold," "Surfin' USA," and the classic "Boogie 'Til You Puke." Philip also loaned the Whales his bitingly dry sense of humor, making those early road trips more fun than a vacation with Granny and the young 'uns.

After about a year, Franklin had had enough. His absence was sorely felt. He was replaced in a week or two by music store owner and impresario Tommy "T" Shepard. Tommy was already a legend in the halls of his alma mater, Lee High School, where he once cleared the entire science wing with a refrigerator box full of crickets and six bags of Purina hog starter. T stepped in where Philip left off, wiped his feet, and got on with the business of legend-making. He quickly found his niche in this band of musical misfits, and was soon perched atop his seven-foot bass rig, jumping to and fro with the energy of a man twice his age. There was no stopping this man-devil-rocker. Just ask the attendants at the Tennessee Welcome Center on I-24 outside of Nickajack, or the little Whalettes in Mountain Brook, or even the exotic dancers at the McCaully Lake party. Those were the days, my friend. We thought they'd never end...

Tommy soldiered on with the Whales, lowering his musical standards gig by gig, until he'd been worn down to a nub (not the same as Walter, you understand). He finally bolted around 1984 and was followed on bass by Kenny Crouch, who must've put his integrity on hold to assume the position...of bassist with the Whales. Kenny had spent time in several successful area bands, some fronted by the venerable Butch Menefee. In the early eighties he, along with Mike Eden, put together a bona fide punk band named Youth In Asia. They were one of the few serious punk bands in the Rocket City--definitely the best. After that folded Kenny took up with the Whales, bringing his incredible vocals along, free of charge. The band seemed reinvigorated. Kenny added an air of seriousness that helped push the band in a different direction--less slapstick, more music. Seventeen-year-old Antony Sharpe was added on guitar--a smoking talent even at that young age--and then Walter moved to Birmingham, the gigs thinned out, and chaos reigned. Walter put together his own "scab" Whales including Tommy Shepard--this time on guitar--Chris Stephens on bass, and a few others who slip the mind of this blogger. A few more personnel changes may have taken place before the final Whale gig at a private party in Mooresville, Alabama in 1985. That is the history, in a nutshell, of Huntsville's GREATEST ROCK & ROLL BAND EVER.