Embedded Files
Drum sticks and Harmonica, 1954.
"The Highlanders" dance band
"The Highlanders" dance band
Donor: Nancy Vail McEntire, class of 1958.
Author(s): Stella Taylor & Natalie Abdon, Class of 2028.
Story Contributor/ Co-author: Lind Voth, Class of 1954.
Web Page Designer: Jade Farley, Class of 2027.
The Highlanders, 1954.
The year was 1954. Highlands had its own Dance Band called “The Highlanders”. The band included Sherwood Williams and Jim Knauer on trombone, drummer Tony Foellger, Kay Ziegler as pianist, trumpet players Nancy Hahn, Mary Jane Furio and Vernon Becker, saxophones played by Shirley McGowen, Lind Voth and Bob Huheey, Dick Vail on string base, and Highlands band director, Fred Wilcoxen.
Five members of “The Highlanders” made up The Breakfast Club. Ziegler, Hahn, Becker, Vail and Voth along with Fred Wilcoxon met weekly at rotating homes for breakfast before heading to school to rehearse. The Breakfast Club was a subset of The Highlanders band, not a separate band.
Any good thing requires practice, especially in the creation of music. “These guys, in the Breakfast Club, would meet every Friday morning at 6:00 a.m. I remember seeing my mother fix breakfast in the morning and they’d all talk about what they needed to do and what they needed to practice,” said Nancy Vail McEntire, sister of former member Dick Vail.
Fred Wilcoxen, the band director at the time, would then drive the Breakfast Club members to school to rehearse their music with the rest of the Highlanders.
The Highlanders breakfast club, 1954.
The Highlanders performing at a local canteen, 1954.
The Highlanders performed at all sorts of places such as Ruth Moyer Elementary School’s canteen, Highlands Theatre, school dances, and the Highland Country Club. Their performances brought life to parties as their audience members danced the night away!
“I enjoyed most of all playing at the canteen with The Highlanders at Moyer because it was all our contemporaries, all of our classmates were there doing the dancing,” explained former member of the Breakfast Club, Lind Voth.
Before people could listen to music on Spotify or Apple music, they listened to music on the radio or on a record player. Live music was, and is, a large part of American culture. Big Band Jazz and Rock ‘n Roll took radio stations by storm, and the students at Highlands High School were no exception.
“We are talking about the big bands like Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie,” said Voth.
Voth continued to play music beyond high school, and even to this day! He plays the baritone saxophone in his 50-member church orchestra.
Those who participated in The Highlanders Dance Band got many opportunities once they graduated from Highlands High School. Many members went on to march at a collegiate level and even start their own orchestra.
“As a result of having played in that group, Dick Vail and I were able to get into a professional dance band at the University of Kentucky. We had several people writing and arranging music. It was really the next step up,” said Voth.
HHS Highlanders dance band, 1954-56.
Being part of a small band or orchestra that performs is an accomplishment, but having one’s own band is an extremely impressive feat. The work and dedication one must put in is unbelievable. Nancy Hahn, former Highlands student and Breakfast Club member, went on to create her own orchestra.
“Nancy Hahn actually went on to teach trumpet,” Voth shared. “She was probably the most talented of everybody in the whole Highlands band. She was really good.”
Highlands High School gives many opportunities that students remember their entire lives. Seventy years later, Lind Voth remembers his high school years spent being involved in different musical groups.
“Being able to perform with a group like that was more focused, Voth explained. "When you performed with the full orchestra or marching band, you were kind of just one of the folks. But with a small group like the Dance Band every person had the opportunity to play some solos and be a little more outstanding as an individual rather than being part of the huge band.”
Lind Voth and Dick Vail DJ during lunch.
As another musical side note, the Highlands principal allowed band member Lind Voth, who went on to become a radio and TV personality, to spin records in the office, playing DJ over the loudspeaker while the student body ate lunch. This was enjoyable for all! Also, as a result of this (and other broadcasting opportunities), Lind earned a “Broadcasting” Scholarship to the University of Kentucky, upon Highlands graduation.
Music will always find a way to connect people whether it’s in the past or the present. The story of the Breakfast Club and The Highlanders is a perfect example because they bonded through their instruments and even after graduation; Lind Voth continues to remember the good days of learning music at Highlands High School.
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