Sid Herring says coming back to Greenwood next Friday will be a nostalgic moment.
The sole surviving member of the rock band The Gants will return to the group’s birthplace for the unveiling of a historical marker.
“I wish the guys were here to enjoy this. I am so thankful to (Mayor) Carolyn McAdams. It means a great deal to The Gants and their families,” said Herring, who now lives in Nashville. “We never really expected anything. We feel very fortunate to be on the map to get an honor.”
The city of Greenwood will honor the four-man group at the American Legion Hut on Claiborne Avenue at 5:30 p.m. April 27.
Everyone is invited to the dedication and interview with Herring afterward in the Legion Hut. The interview will be conducted by Charles Abraham, an entertainment industry studies instructor at Delta State University.
Among those on hand will be The Gants’ classmates from the 1960s, who have been spreading the word about plans for the event.
Allan Hammons, who designed the marker, said The Gants “were quite a force in their day.”
He said, “The mayor and I had discussed coming up with a concept that would allow us to interpret a lot of our city's history in a unique way.”
The historical marker will be the be the first in a new series, Greenwood Memories, that will tell the story of Greenwood, according to Hammons and McAdams.
The mayor said she is anxious to hear the history of The Gants and remembers listening to the group while she was in high school. “It is a golden opportunity to those who danced and listened to the music of The Gants back in the 1960s to be youthful again,” McAdams said.
Herring said he has a lot of great memories of playing at the Legion Hut, where he, Don Wood, Vince Montgomery and Johnny Sanders had some of their first gigs.
Herring sang vocals and played guitar, with Wood as drummer, Montgomery on bass and Sanders on rhythm guitar.
“We have so many great memories. It went on for almost 50 years,” said Herring, who has retired but still plays music. “It means a great deal to me.”
Called “the Mississippi Beatles” by rock legend Tom Petty, the four friends began playing music together in 1963 when they were students at Greenwood High School.
The band toured the country from Boston to Los Angeles with such groups as The Animals. They even played on the same show with The Dave Clark Five and the Yardbirds and recorded alongside legends, including Aretha Franklin.
In 1965, The Gants recorded “Road Runner” and an original written by Herring, “My Baby Don’t Care,” in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. “Road Runner,” released by the small label Statue, reached No. 46 on the Billboard chart. Later, The Gants’ first album was released in stores.
Around 1967, the group decided to take a break. Sanders became an obstetrician-gynecologist in Tupelo, and Montgomery became an attorney in Clarksdale. Wood, who lived in Greenwood, and Herring kept playing music.
In 2000, fans rediscovered The Gants, who started playing music again and went on tour with groups such as the The Spencer Davis Group, The Hollies and The Lovin’ Spoonful.
In 2001, Montgomery passed away at his Clarksdale home. Wood died in 2011 and then Sanders in 2012.
Herring said his family members including his wife Sandra, the 1967 Miss Teen USA, his daughter Halley, son-in-law Landon and granddaughter Layton will be attending the event honoring The Gants. According to Herring, family members of the deceased Gants will also attend, including Sanders’ son.
Herring said the members of The Gants were like brothers who were very close and did a lot of laughing.
“I am looking forward to seeing all the classmates and saying a few things about the guys and the opportunities that we were given,” Herring said. “We are so appreciative of an honor like this. We were just four kids growing up together, following our dreams.”
•Contact Lauren Randall at 581-7239 or lrandall@gwcommonwealth.com.
