the Ramblin' Rebels / the Rondels

Fairborn, 1961-1965

L-R: Jack Wooton, Don Musick, Paul Pfaff, Pam Todd, Jim Wooton, Phil Perreira. Photo posted by Pam Todd on Phil's memorial page.

The Ramblin' Rebels were a band of teens from Fairborn. The band included Jack Wooton, the band leader, on guitar and keyboards. Jack's brother Jim Wooton was the lead singer and also on guitar. Don Musick played rhythm guitar, Phil Perreira on bass, and Paul Pfaff on drums. The band members were pretty young, around 14-15 years old and in 8-9th grade. 

The band added a girl singer, Pam Todd, in 1963. A posting from Pam on Phil Perreira's tribute page says she met band at a talent contest in town and the promoted suggested she perform with the group. Together they won a statewide battle of the bands in Cincinnati after winning some regional contests.

The band recorded a 45 in 1962. Both sides are good rock instrumentals, with "Impact" having a proto-garage rock sound. The B side is more midtempo and includes some vocalized "whoas". The record was on the Dess labe from Wilmingotn, OH, the only 'rock band' 45 on the label, as the rest of their artists were rockabilly or country.

In 1964-5 the band changed their name to the Rondels. They played local dances. A post on Discogs mentioned they played in Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. 

October 1965 ad, and another Sugar Shack club in Ohio, at minimum the fifth OH club with that name.

Phil Perreira, Don Musick, and Paul Pfaff were mentioned in the local papers playing in bands later on. Phil Perreira passed away in 2018.

There are some online post(s) that say the band were the Ramblin' Ramblers who backed up Gene Sisco on Dess. This is incorrect, as they would have been 9-10 years old at the time, and sound nothing like the band on the "Impact" 45. The name similarity is probably coincidence.

Discography:
Impact / The Lost Safari - Dess 7008, 1962