J.T. Sears and the Rowbux


Cincinnati, 1966-9

J.T. Sears was the original lead singer for the Casinos. He left that group in the early 1960s and eventually hooked up with a working Cincy band, the Matadors. Together they billed themselves as J.T. Sears and the Rowbux. The Sears department store had been known as Sears Roebuck (they dropped the Roebuck name in the 1960s) so a phonetical change gave themselves a catchy moniker.

The group played the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky clubs. They did some recording for Saxony records but Saxony was not able to release them at the time because of financial issues. After Saxony co-owner Bud Reneau moved to Nashville, the band cut some songs down there and got them released on the Boone label, based in Union, KY south of Cincy. Several of the songs got local and regional airplay and sold decent in those areas.

In 1969 J.T. Sears was killed in a car accident on his way home from a gig. The Rowbux disbanded and many of the members went on to other bands.

Discography: