INFO
The late 1970s were a rough time for Akron. Like most of the country, citizens were experiencing the horrors of rising gas prices thanks to inflation and the rubber industry that had once brought prosperity to the city was in the middle of a drastic and overwhelming decline.
But, if only for a brief time, Akron found a new export: music.
Believe it or not, our mid-sized, industrial town was once teeming with record label talent scouts scouring the local bars searching for the “next big thing.”
The origins of “the Akron sound” can be traced back to a string of bars lining Kent’s Water Street in the late 1960s and early 70s. It was in these bars that a power trio led by a young Kent State student by the name of Joe Walsh got their start. The signing of Walsh and his band, The James Gang, in 1969 and the success they experienced gave hope to an entire generation of Northeast Ohio musicians. Maybe, they too, could “make it big.”
A small, but diverse scene was soon born. Inspired by the Stooges and Frank Zappa, bands like Devo, Tin Huey and 15 60 75 (The Numbers Band) began to push the boundaries of traditional rock n’ roll by incorporating jazz and electronic influences. The Bizarros and Rubber City Rebels would mirror the punk movements taking place in New York and London and Chi-Pig and the Unit 5 would lay the groundwork for female fronted bands like the Go-Gos and the Bangles in the 1980s.
“It was pretty diverse. There were pure punk bands, art rock like Tin Huey, and also just plain bar bands doing blues and pop,” said Ralph Carney, Tin Huey’s multiple brass and woodwinds instrumentalist and uncle of Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney.
But, at least in the beginning, Akron was missing out on the burgeoning scene.
“At first there were [no places for bands to play], said Carney. “You had to either go to Kent or Cleveland.”
It wasn’t until one of the longest and most miserable rubber workers’ strikes in Akron history that the city would be able to take part.
Modeled after Hilly Crystal’s CBGBs in New York, the band would turn the bar into a haven for the original music that was being produced by Northeast Ohio bands. And, not too long after, the buzz began to spread (as far as across the Atlantic, in fact. In 1978, England’s Stiff Records, at the time home of Elvis Costello and Wreckless Eric, released “The Akron Compilation”.
During this time, the Rubber City Rebels acquired a bar known as “The Crypt” from the previous owner, a cash-strapped factory worker.
Between 1978 and 1980, many Akron bands – including Devo, Tin Huey, The Bizarros, and The Rubber City Rebels – would record and release their major label debuts.
However (with the exception of Devo), due to lack of promotion and an inability to fit into any one genre, most of these bands would not get to reap the rewards of a successful major label recording contract. Tin Huey was even paid $20,000 by Warner Bros. to never record for the label again.
“We didn’t fit into a niche,” said Carney. “WMMS played our record quite a bit…but we didn’t get the push from the California department at Warner’s. I think they didn’t get why Jerry Wexler and Karin Berg signed us.”
For a very brief time thirty years ago, Akron was home to music’s “next big thing.” And although the focus was diverted all those years ago, the spirit of these bands can still be found in the tiny, crowded bars and basements hosting the new generation of "Akron Sound".
To demonstrate just how influential the "Akron Sound" was an internet communication was documented recently about a major "Akron Sound" contributor DEVO. This Facebook chat conversation took place in July of 2015 from Manchester, England.
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“heheheh i remember devo - whip it was #1 over here for weeks”
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“we had a dance for it and everything”
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“...not talking some macarena-type rigmarole here - about two, maybe three moves if you wanted to be fancy”
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“...executed in a minimalist, slightly-annoyed-looking fashion if memory serves lol.”
