(All photos contributed
by Al Omernick)
“Kicking off the three-day party in grand form were The Knights. Composed of Dick Stewart on lead guitar, his son Richard on bass and Fearless Fred on drums, the Albuquerque based trio opened the Festival with ‘Surfin’ Santa Fe Style’ (a guitar instrumental fan favorite written by Dick himself), and then played a few bars of ‘Wipeout’ before Sonny West joined the band on stage and proceeded to produce a frisky set of surfabilly garage rock. A unique pairing it was, but it worked well. Melodic guitar tones complemented by sure and steady drumming and a driving bass were served in spades. Sonny's rockabilly vocals were vibrant and confident, as were the harmonies supplied by Dick and Richard. ‘Clovis Highway’ and a rousing version of ‘Move It on Over’ were included in the program, along with ‘West Texas Wind’ and the Chuck Berry flavored ‘Rock-ola-Ruby.’” (Beverly Paterson – TLM Staff Writer)
