The Metro St. Louis Live Music

Historical Society

 

 

Barry Ebling & the Invaders

aka The Invaders

 

 

 

Barry Ebling /Vocals, Guitar

Gary Vandever /Guitar

Buddy Jones /Drums

Herman Schermer /Keys

Warren Kirkoff /Guitar, Vocals

Ron Valicoff  /Bass

Steve Scarborough /Drums, Vocals

RIP Greg "Pee Wee" Penrod /Guitar

 

 

Listen to The Invaders:

I Can Make it Without You

 

 

"I Can Make it Without You" charted locally in 1967

 

 

Pee Wee's Debut gig!

 

 

 

Listen to the great psychedelic flip-side:

Sunny Day Rain

 

 

I got this note from Barry Ebling on 4/7/12:

Hey Greg,                                                                                                                                                                                  
Don't have any photo's, but a little background. The original band was formed by Gary Vandevere &                    included    Buddy Jones on drums, Ron Valicoff on rhythm guitar, & Ken Hunter on bass with his girlfriend,   who's name I can't remember, singing. I also can't remember what the name of that band was. I first heard       them in Gary's basement where they practiced a very limited                                                                                         repertoire.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
The first gig that I was aware of them playing was a party at someone's house & there was a falling out                between Ken & the others. That was when they approached me & asked if I wanted to be the rhythm guitar     player & lead singer. I knew 3 chords so I said sure. That was 1964 I think. Ron went to Bass, Buddy was       replaced by Steve Scarborough on drums & we added Herman Schermer on keyboards over the next year or     so.                                                                                                                                                                                                
My father decided to use his influence & hooked us up with a DJ called "Johnny Rabbit" on the main AM rock station in St. Louis, KXOK. The old man got us better & better gigs & in late 1966 we added Warren                Kirkoff for rhythm guitar & vocals (the one in the middle of the top picture wearing shades) which gave us the four part harmony we needed to play the music of the day, Hollies, Byrds, Beatles, Cream, Stones as well as      every other song that hit the air waves, from rock to R&B. I quit playing & just fronted on lead vocals. In          1967 The Rabbit told the old man we needed to cut a record, so we spent a day & a night writing 2 songs. We   rehearsed for a week & went into the studio & did Sunny Day Rain in one take & Make it Without You in two.
Gary & Ron got drafted but Ron got around it. That's when we picked up Greg Penrod. While we were              working hard to get Greg up to speed, Warren disappeared & Herman decided to go into the family business    so I went back to rhythm & lead vocals, Greg could harmonize & Steve was still the falsetto and we carried on through half of 1968 when I got the notice.                                                                                                                         
I wish there had been camcorders back then, because live with six of us or four, we were a kick ass party band.
                                                                                                                                                                                                    
Bear                                                                                                                                                                                            

 

The Invaders invade The Bat Cave!

 

Here's a 1995 Video of Greg "Pee Wee" Penrod with Golden Daze:

 

Whole Lotta Love

 

Pee Wee Penrod RIP

Steve Scarborough still plays today!

 

 

If you have any info about, or photos or recordings of this band, PLEASE email me at: greg@dejawho.com

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Thanks to Jonnie King, Jean Inman and Vickie (Scarborough) Decker for photos and MP3's