DENNIS YOST and THE CLASSICS IV-Best Performance-(Thank You So Much,Mrs. Linda Yost)

Classics IV was a pop rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, in 1965. The band and its lead singer Dennis Yost are principally known for the hits "Spooky" and "Stormy", both released in 1968 and both of which have become cover standards.The group grew out of a local cover band called The Classics, consisting of Talmadge Branch, Walter Eaton, Burt Norton, and Robert Nix, who went on to play in The Atlanta Rhythm Section and on the first two Lynyrd Skynyrd albums. However, the very first Classics consisted of Walter Eaton on lead guitar, Burt Norton on rhythm guitar, Glen Futch on bass guitar, Bobby Bowen on drums, plus Greg Carrol on saxophone, with a second sax player added at a later date. Most rehearsals were held at the Norton residence in the Lakewood section of Jacksonville, Florida, beginning sometime in 1960 or 1961. The band played Ventures covers, instrumental versions of "Misty" and "Summertime", and a rendition of The Tornados "Telstar", as well as "Sherry" by The Four Seasons. Robert Nix and Dennis Yost traded places on drums a few times prior to the Classics IV being formed. The original Classics had a regional hit called Pollyanna, a song written by Joe South. Shortly after they received a letter stating that another group had the name, "The Classics" and had a hit call "Till Then". Not wanting to change the name they added IV because they were only 4 members. Kim Venable was hired after the name change. The Classics IV members were Dennis Yost (vocals & drums), James R. Cobb (guitars), Wally Eaton (Bass) and Joe Wilson (guitar & keys). During live shows, Yost would stand in the front of the stage and play drums while singing the lead vocals. Cobb and Wilson left the band and Wilson was replaced by Dean Daughtry. The Classics IV moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1967 and were discovered by Bill Lowery who produced their first national hit in 1968 with "Spooky", a song they recorded in 1967 on the Imperial Records label. Guitarist James Cobb and producer Buddy Buie added lyrics to an instrumental called "Spooky", a regional hit for saxophonist Mike Sharpe. The song made it to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S., and #46 in the UK. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Having achieved popularity, the group brought in Kim Venable on drums so that Yost could focus on singing. They changed the band name to Classics IV Featuring Dennis Yost and enjoyed two last Top 10 hits, "Stormy" (1968, #5) and "Traces" (1969, #2) and a Top Twenty hit, "Everyday With You Girl" (1969, #19). "Stormy" and "Traces" both sold over one million units, and were awarded gold discs by the R.I.A.A.. They changed their name again, to Dennis Yost and the Classics IV, and had one last minor hit, "What Am I Crying For?" (1972, #39) on the MGM South label. Cobb, Daughtry and producer Buddy Buie joined the Atlanta Rhythm Section in 1974. Yost continued to perform with Classics IV for the next thirty years. During the 1990's the lineup included Steve "Stevie G." Guettler (guitar, vocals), Jeff "JT" Strickler (bass guitar, vocals), Steve Farrell (guitar, vocals), Mike Wilson (keyboards, vocals) and Wes Armstrong (drums, vocals) of the Atlanta based group The Rockerz. The most recent lineup included Brian Correll (lead guitar, backing vocals), Don Martin (bass guitar, backing vocals), Perry Williams (keyboards, backing vocals) and Doug Reed (drums). Following an outdoor concert on September 24, 2005 at Chenay Bay Resort, St. Croix, Virgin Islands at "Kat-Fest", Brian Correll and Don Martin headed for home, while the rest of the group stayed on the island for about a week. Martin had some business affairs to attend to and Correll returned to the recording studio to work on some songs that the group had been putting together for a new album to promote a 2006 tour, which would have marked the 40th anniversary of the group....