Email from Jim Kane, Bristol's rock 'n roll guru/historian...

Hi Guys:  I was just online and was reading Bob Montgomery's "Bristol Bits" column.  He had a segment about the local band, The Galdiens.  He mentioned Larry Palin as a member, and if memory serves me right I believe BEHS's Russ Luce was also a member. But that was a long time ago.  I was wondeing if any of you can name the most successful rock n' roll band to come out of Bristol.  I give you a hint - they played in the middle '60s.  They were from Bristol Eastern High School.  They formed from remnants of The Rogues, and they called themselves The Squires.  The members were Mike Bouyea, Tom Flanigan, John Folcik, Jerry Pelletier, (all Bristol guys), and Torrington's Kurt Robinson.  They were signed by a major record label - Atlantic Records, and recorded a few songs.  As luck would have it, the British invasion was in full swing, so radio air play was dominated by the Brits.  The irony was that their songs went over with a bang in Europe.  They charted and are still paid royalties today.  Mike Bouyea had the most success.  He was WDRC's drive time disc jockey before moving on to Florida, Texas, and finally Toronto, Canada.  He went under the stage name -Mike Holland.  He also recorded solo albums while in Canada, with success.  He now is back in Bristol, living on Lardner Road.  I call him every so often, and the topic always goes back to the dances of the '60s , which were held in Bristol.  The Squires had a lot of success in Bristol, but were the only band to sign with a major record label.  (See Wikipedia post)