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| In the above photo, Guy is performing with the Gene Thornton Orchestra (the same Thornton as Thornton's Department Store). Closer inspection shows brother Howard, at the left near the microphone, acting as announcer for this particular gig. |
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"Well, then the next thing you know, sometime later on, he bought a tenor saxophone and then he had that, an alto, and a clarinet. So he could pop-up and play (in an orchestra) with whatever was needed.
He learned how to arrange music and write music parts. In the summertime, he would go join up with a traveling orchestra and travel around all over the country playing one night dance stops hither and yon. In spite of doing all of that, he never got involved with smoking or taking drugs of any kind, which a lot of them did."
- Howard |
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Another local Abilene band Guy played in often was the Ray Maddox Orchestra, lead by Ray Maddox a local Abilene dentist. The Ray Maddox Orchestra performed at a variety of dances and other social functions in Taylor County and the surrounding area. |
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"I have strong and favorable memories of my friend and companion, Guy. Most vivid are the memories of the Ko Sari days and the summer of '41 when I had a dance band and Guy played First Sax. Things were tough then as a gig usually paid about $30. With a 15 piece band that came out to 2 bucks each. We might have done better if I could have read music.
The band was known as the Sonny Bentley Orchestra. From memory the band had a 5 reed section, which included Guy, Bernie Glover & Louie Cohen. Joe Steakley played bass fiddle, Carl Jensen, drums. Roy Boger, C. A. Wilborn, and Jerry Stevens on trumpet. B. B. McKinney played trombone. Jack Hays played piano, and Elmer Logston was on guitar. That only adds up to 13 (of 15) and maybe that's the reason that the flip side of the only record we cut was ' No Name Jive ' . That's all I now remember. The others shall remain, for now, ' no name '. "
- C. E. "Sonny" Bentley |
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