The Gentrys

The Gentrys were an American band of the 1960s and early 1970s, known for their hit, 1965's "Keep on Dancing". They also had a follow up hit in 1970 "Why Should I Cry".

The seven-member group of Treadwell High School (Memphis, Tennessee), alumni included Bruce Bowles (vocals), Bobby Fisher (saxophone, keyboards), Jimmy Hart (vocals), Jimmy Johnson (trumpet, keyboards), Pat Neal (bass guitar), Larry Raspberry (guitar, lead vocalist), and drummer Larry Wall. The youths formed the Gentrys in 1963.

The Gentrys' million-selling "Keep on Dancing" reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965, and they appeared on "Hullabaloo", "Shindig!", and "Where the Action Is" and toured with The Beach Boys and Sonny and Cher, as well as playing on Dick Clark bills. However, two follow-up singles failed to break into the Top 40, and the group disbanded in 1966. Other notable band members during the 1963–1966 years were Claude Wayne Whitehead (Rhythm Guitar) Larry Butler (keyboards) Ronnie Moore (bass) and very briefly, Terry Manning (keyboards).

"Keep on Dancing" is notable for the fact that it is actually one short recording repeated, to stretch the record out to the length of the typical pop single of its day. The second half of the song -- after the false fade, beginning with Wall's famous drum fill -- is the same as the first.Fact|date=May 2007

Original member Jimmy Hart reformed The Gentrys in 1969, with himself as lead singer, but three attempts at singles again fell short of the top 40.Fact|date=May 2007 The 1969–1974 Gentrys included Hart, Steve Speer (bass), Dave Beaver (keyboards), Jimmy Tarbutton (guitar), and Mike Gardner (drums). Hart subsequently found much greater fame and success in professional wrestling as a manager and composer, nicknamed "The Mouth of the South".

Larry Raspberry formed a band in the 1970s, "Larry Raspberry and the Highsteppers." The band continues to play gigs around the country each year, and is known for its high-energy, bluesy performances.