John Teagle, leader of The Walking Clampetts, dies at 66
The local music scene has lost a beloved figure.
Akron singer and guitarist John Teagle, 66, founder of The Walking Clampetts, died March 26 after a battle with cancer.
The rockabilly-surf band packed Northeast Ohio clubs, theaters and auditoriums in the 1980s, cranking out cool covers of classics by Link Wray, Dick Dale, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and so many others.
“I’m still in shock,” said bassist Bob Basone, 66, of Stow. “He was just the greatest guy to know and play in bands with.”
“I am saddened beyond words at the passing of my friend and longtime bandmate, John Teagle,” said guitarist Michael Purkhiser, 67, a Stow native who lives in Los Angeles.
Teagle bought his first guitar, a 1966 Gibson Melody Maker, when he was a kid. A 1975 graduate of Kenmore High School, he came of age during “The Akron Sound” era, working at Henry’s Music in Barberton and running sound for such bands as Devo, Hammer Damage and The Dead Boys.
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A scholar of rock ’n’ roll
Drummer Bob Ethington, 65, of Coventry Township, who played in Unit 5 with John’s older brother, keyboardist Paul Teagle, remembers the teen working for Hammer Damage at The Bank nightclub in downtown Akron.
When Unit 5 practiced at Ethington’s duplex on Mull Avenue, Teagle liked to hang out with the group.
“At that time, he was really just learning how to play guitar,” Ethington said. “He kind of was a savant with that. I remember hearing him play and it was pretty rough, and then the next time I saw him, he was great. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘How did he get this good so fast?’ ”
Ethington described Teagle as a “rock ’n’ roll purist” who studied rockabilly and surf records to emulate their sound. He remembers sitting on his front porch in 1980 and talking with Teagle about The Clash’s new album “Sandinista,” a genre-bending, three-album set.
“I was raving about how much I loved it, and he hated it,” Ethington said with a laugh. “I don’t know why, but that always stuck with me.”
Basone was in the new-wave group Trudy and the Trendsetters, playing gigs at The Bank, when he met Teagle.
“He saw me play and we talked and hit it off and became friends,” Basone recalled.
Teagle recruited Basone to play in an Eddie Cochran tribute concert with singer Bruce Lipski and drummer Mike Hammer in the early 1980s. The group called itself Red Rocket Gang.
“That one-off show turned out to be 43 years of playing gigs,” Basone said.
The audience loved it so much that more shows were added.
When Lipski stepped aside later that year, Teagle took over as vocalist and the group rebranded as Johnny Clampett and The Walkers, playing regular gigs in Kent at JB’s and Mother’s Junction.
“They immediately just had this very wide appeal locally,” Ethington said.
John Teagle ’knew what was cool’
Whether it was collecting obscure records, buying old equipment or scouring Goodwill for vintage clothes, Teagle had a distinctive vibe.
“He knew what was cool,” Basone said. “He just had this thing about him.”
For a time, Teagle managed JB’s Down in the early 1980s, bringing such acts as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Husker Du, The Replacements and Black Flag to Ohio.
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The band renamed itself The Walking Clampetts after Purkhiser, formerly of The Action, joined in 1985. They had all known each other for years. In fact, Red Rocket Gang had opened for The Action.
Purkhiser was impressed with Teagle’s musical knowledge. The two bonded over their shared interest in collecting guitars.
“He was a walking encyclopedia of equipment,” he said.
Teagle’s musical influences were apparent in the way he played his Gretsch 6120 guitar.
“I would say he was kind of a cross between Duane Eddy and Eddie Cochran,” Purkhiser said. “He had a little bit of Cliff Gallup in him. He knew that stuff from Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps.”
The Clampetts put on fun shows
The dance floor was hot and crowded when The Clampetts played such classic tunes as The Chantays’ “Pipeline,” The Sparkletones’ “Black Slacks,” Clint Miller’s “Bertha Lou,” Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn” and The Champs’ “Tequila.”
“Those guys were just all really excellent musicians and they really knew how to put on a fun show,” Ethington said. “They’d always get really good turnouts. People were very loyal fans of theirs.”
Teagle was a true showman. When he went onstage, he didn’t want to leave it.
“He could have probably played the entire Sun Records and Link Wray songbook twice before he would come offstage,” Ethington said.
The group performed to packed clubs two or three nights every week.
“Everywhere we played, we had people dancing,” Basone recalled.
The Clampetts opened for such acts as the Stray Cats, Smithereens and Los Lobos. The band mostly did covers, but recorded original material in the late 1980s for an album that never materialized.
“Nobody’s getting rich here,” Teagle told the Beacon Journal in 1990. “Not as musicians — at least not so far. But we’re having laughs. And the way we figure it, there’s hope that the money will come.”
The group disbanded that year. Teagle moved to New York and worked at Chelsea Guitars in Manhattan. The clientele included Keith Richards, Jackson Browne, Eddie Vedder, Dee Dee Ramone, Billy Gibbons, Graham Nash, David Crosby and G.E. Smith.
A collector of vintage equipment including hundreds of guitars, Teagle wrote the books “Fender Amps: The First 50 Years” (1995) and “Washburn: Over One Hundred Years of Fine Stringed Instruments” (1996), as well as dozens of articles for guitar magazines.
He also played with bands such as the Vice Royals and Purple Knif.
In later years, Teagle served as a trustee in Cold Spring, New York, and worked as facility manager at the Garrison Institute.
Although The Walking Clampetts broke up in July 1990, the group reunited a year later and continued to hold reunion shows for the next 30 years. Just like the old days, the dance floor was crowded.
“We always try to keep it a fun night out,” Teagle once told the Beacon Journal. “We’ve played the same songs to the same people for years.”
Last reunion at Jilly’s in Akron
Their last show was in April 2022 at Jilly’s Music Room in Akron.
The band was scheduled to return this April, but announced last weekend on Facebook that the concerts were off:
“We are so sorry to inform everyone that, due to an illness in the band, The Walking Clampetts will have to cancel the upcoming shows at Jilly’s.
“Our deepest apologies. You know if we could, we would. Thanks for understanding. We will miss seeing you all more than you can imagine.”
Teagle died that Sunday night.
Preceded in death by his parents, Phillip and Mary Teagle, John’s survivors include his wife, Mary, daughter, Cassidy, siblings Judith, Laura and Paul, bandmates and countless fans.
“He was just a fun guy to be around,” Basone said. “He always was upbeat and positive. That’s what I always remember about him.”
“He was a wonderful person,” Purkhiser said. “I never saw him mad. He was just always calm and collected. He was very, very friendly towards everybody.”
“He was just a beloved figure,” Ethington said. “He was a really nice guy.”
After news of Teagle’s death spread on social media, friends and fans turned to Facebook to celebrate the musician’s life and commiserate with one another.
Among the tributes:
Rochelle Edwards: “We were so fortunate to have him in our lives. So grateful for that, but so sorry to lose him.”
David Wayne Dorsey: “Such a loss. Not only his music, but also the aura of his stage presence will be remembered and always missed.”
Dave Swanson: “One of the coolest cats ever. Such a nice guy.”
Mark Horner: “We only played together a few times way back when but his smile, joy and love for music never left or will ever leave me.”
Rob Branz: “Just terrible news. Boy, did we ever love him.”
Bob Goddard: “What a sad day, indeed. Rock on, Johnny.”
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com.
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: John Teagle, leader of The Walking Clampetts, dies at 66
