1965–1966: Early days The group began as
The Classics, a
Jacksonville cover band consisting of guitarist
J. R. Cobb, bassist Walter Eaton, keyboardist Joe Wilson, sax player Greg Carroll, and drummer Dennis Yost, who had previously been a member of The Echoes. The name "The Classics" came from the Classic drum set Yost owned. He was known in the Georgia/Florida area as the "stand-up drummer" because he played standing. The Classics played
Ventures covers and
instrumental versions of "
Misty" and "
Summertime". People started requesting vocals, so Dennis said "I can sing," and it was the beginning of the group's new direction. The group was discovered performing in
Daytona Beach by talent agent Alan Diggs, who became the band's manager in partnership with Paul Cochran and, later,
Buddy Buie. The pair had formed an alliance with manager-publisher
Bill Lowery and urged the band to relocate to Atlanta. With the help of Lowery, they quickly snagged the group a singles deal with
Capitol Records. The Classics' debut single was "Pollyanna", a song written by Lowery client
Joe South and sung in a style resembling the Four Seasons. However, after they were later informed that there was already a recording act called
The Classics, who had had a hit single in 1963 with "
Till Then", the group added "IV" to their name to represent their four members.
1966–1970: Success The Classics IV performed "Pollyanna" on Dick Clark's TV Show
Where the Action Is! and the record became a regional hit. But when
WABC (AM) radio in New York started playing it they received a call from the Four Seasons' manager demanding they cease airplay of "Pollyanna" or they would no longer get exclusives on future Four Seasons recordings, among other disincentives. The group landed a deal with
Imperial Records. Guitarists Cobb and Buie added lyrics to a jazz instrumental titled "
Spooky", a 1966 regional hit for Atlanta saxophonist Mike Sharpe. The single made it to No. 3 on the
Hot 100 in February 1968 in the U.S. and No. 46 in the UK. was brought in so Yost could move freely out front (drummer Dennis St. John and bassist Emory Gordy were the musicians on their studio recordings). Wilson left the band and was replaced by
Candymen member
Dean Daughtry. The band changed its name to
The Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost and enjoyed two more top-10 hits, "
Stormy" (1968, Hot 100 No. 5) and "
Traces" (1969, Hot 100 No. 2, Easy Listening No. 2), the latter of which Emory Gordy also co-wrote. Cobb and Buie borrowed heavily from 1936's "Every Day with Jesus" by Robert C. and Wendell P. Loveless to pen the top 20 follow-up "Every Day With You Girl" (1969, Hot 100 No. 19, Easy Listening No. 12). "Spooky", "Stormy", and "Traces" each sold over one million units and all were awarded
gold discs by the
R.I.A.A. Those three hits plus "Every Day With You Girl" also appeared in the 1977 film
The Chicken Chronicles. In 1970, Cobb, Buie and Daughtry formed what would become
Atlanta Rhythm Section with
Candymen drummer
Robert Nix. However, the former two remained active as writers and producers for the band. The band's subsequent releases were less successful, despite the final top 40 hit, "What Am I Crying For?" which peaked at No. 39 in 1972. By this time, the partnership between Cochran and Buie ended. After the release of "My First Day Without Her" in 1975, Yost disbanded the group and returned to Florida. Yost died aged 65 from
respiratory failure on December 7, 2008, the 40th anniversary of the entrance of "
Stormy" into the Hot 100's top 10.
2008–present: Post-Yost The current line-up of Classics IV consists of Tom Garrett as lead vocalist, Mark Cowles on bass, James Yoder on keyboards, Paul Weddle on saxophone, John Kerner on guitar, and Shawn White on drums. The group regularly tours to this day. ==Discography==