Above photo taken at Keenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, NC
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Nantucket is a rock band that formed in Jacksonville, North Carolina in 1969. Originally known as beach music band Stax of Gold and later Nantucket Sleighride (after the song by Mountain), the six-member group -- Tommy Redd, Larry Uzzell, Mike Uzzell, Eddie Blair, Kenny Soule, and Mark Downing -- became a huge draw in their home state of North Carolina as a cover band. Nantucket eventually became a powerful and tenacious sensation, amassing numerous fans across the southeastern United States well before its first release.
The band signed with Epic Records in 1977 and released its self-titled album the following year, which featured the hit single "Heartbreaker." An aggressive cross-country tour followed, and Nantucket opened for top acts such as KISS, Styx, Boston, Mother's Finest, Journey, and The Doobie Brothers. Although its debut release was fairly dated, it sold around 200,000 copies and also made the Billboard charts. In 1979, Nantucket followed up with Your Face or Mine? which fared no better in sales despite higher-quality work.
Pee Wee Watson replaced Mike Uzzell on bass for the third album. Mike went on to found the booking agency "Showtime" which handled the booking of many regional acts. As a tribute to AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott, who died in 1980, Nantucket's Long Way to the Top included a version of the 1975 classic "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)". The move landed the band a spot with AC/DC on its Back in Black tour for the entire summer.
Even though Nantucket found some success, Epic Records soon dropped the band. Drummer Kenny Soule and bassist Pee Wee Watson left in 1981, joining guitarist Michael Gardner to form rock trio PKM. They were replaced by Richard Gates and David "Thumbs" Johnson for Nantucket's fourth album. Unfortunately, the band's last two studio albums, produced in 1983 and 1985, were disappointments and the group had disbanded by 1990. A compilation album came out in 1986.
The original members of Nantucket reunited on November 29, 1991 to record a live session and released an album called Still Live After All These Years in 1992. It featured earlier songs and new material.
Above photo courtesy of Terry Strom
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