Effective period / Period of releases: 2024

1960s rock group from South Carolina.

Jim Owens a television producer at WCIV Channel 4 in Charleston, South Carolina created a local music variety series called The Village Square in 1964. He hired to work Jeanne Lavoie and Doug Randall to host the show and local group The Lancers (Leroy Thompson, Mike Thompson, Frank Taylor, Ricky Baltzegar (Little Ricky), Wally Till and Don Cantrell). With the show's success Jim Owens decided to change the name of the band to The Villagers. Then Little Ricky left, Mike Thompson started school at the College of Charleston and was replaced by Preston Mullinax (from The Riviera’s) soon to be replaced by Fred Hoffmann on drums. Frank Taylor got married and was replaced by Bill (Jonesy) Jones on Bass. Wesley Braxton (sax) and Cleve Wiggins (lead Guitar) were with the group for a short time. Steve Wiggins (keyboards) joined and Wayne West (guitar) left the Dardanelles and came back to the group. Finally, Dana Douglas joined the group as lead singer. The Villagers and the Village Dancers played live concerts on the entire east coast and throughout the mid-south of USA.
They played at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion for the first time in May of 1965. Their first record, "You Don't Know What You've Got Until You Lose It" was was recorded in May 1966 and was number one in Myrtle Beach during the summer of 1966. Some of the guest stars that appeared on the series over the years were Dionne Warwick, Ronnie Millsap, Jackie DeShannon, Roger Miller, Billy Joe Royal, Tommy Roe, The Box Tops, The Tams, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Lemon Pipers, Joe South, Spider Turner, Kenny Odell, The New Beats, Marion Love, The Wayfarers, The Gentle Touch, The Eighteenth Edition, and many others. Band breakups in 1968 and then short lived band August (John Hostetter – vocals, guitar, organ, harp; Wayne West – lead guitar, vocals; Jeanne Lavoie (West) – vocals, percussion; Leroy Thompson – bass, vocals; Bobby Hibbits - drums) was formed.