The Bards

Moses Lake, Washington rock group active from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. Originally former as "The Continentals, in 1962, soon changing their names to "The Fabulous Continentals". Consisting mainly of Moses Lake High School music students, the Continentals configuration was constantly being shaped by graduation, college, the army draft and parents. When the final combination of Mike Balzotti on keyboards, Mardi Sheridan on guitar, Bob Gallaway on drums and Chuck Warren on bass arrived, a true band was born! Eight years of intense effort and creativity took the group with a new name "The Bards" to every **dance hall, armory, radio station and recording studio in the Northwest. The height of their success was in 1967, following the release of "Never Too Much Love", with Mardi Sheridan leaving soon after, to go to San Francisco and join the "movement" there. Mardi Sheridan returned to the group after "Never Too Much Love" had pretty much run its course. The Bards regrouped around their original English poet and minstrel theme and decided they would literally put poetry to music. This new direction resulted in their second single, "The Owl & The Pussy-Cat", based on a poem by Edward Lear. Over the course of 8 years they had recording contracts with Piccadilly, Jerden, Parrot, Mercury, Together and Capitol Records. Of a half dozen or so records, two others received significant local air play --"Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues" written by Danny O'Keefe and a Jimmy Webb tune called "Tunesmith". The band disbanded in 1969, due to the strain of recording their full length debut, containing all original songs inspired from the words of other more famous "bards" like T.S. Elliot and others. In the end, after the completion of the album, their producer, Curt Boetcher offered to come back to the Northwest and sign with the group. Mardi Sheridan and Mike Balzotti were delighted with the opportunity to continue our growth with our Hollywood mentor. However, Chuck Warren and Bob Gallaway were more interested in returning to our old money making circuit and preserving our autonomy. That decision was the end of The Bards. Mike and Mardi left the group on that turn of events and ultimately moved to L.A. to pursue their writing and recording careers. Bob and Chuck regrouped and carried on with the name for a time before disbanding. Mardi and Mike brought in Michael Langdon, a local Seattle singer song-writer extraordinaire and continued for a year or so, recording and regrouping toward a new recording / performing tour group. Michael Balzotti and Michael Langdon got back together as a duo called "The Michaels", playing local Seattle clubs at night, while going to college in the daytime. Mardi Sheridan and Bob Gallaway also got respective groups together for a time, but these efforts were relatively short-lived. Today, Mardi Sheridan is still active in many aspects of the entertainment business in Seattle; Chuck Warren is a manager at Lad Irrigation in Moses Lake; and Mike Balzotti is busy creating web sites, music and conducting business in the real estate field in Scottsdale Arizona. Bob Gallaway passed away in 1994 in Spokane. The last time all 4 Bards were together was the occasion of Mike's 40'th birthday in 1987, with the 3 surviving members reuniting, once again, in 2002. ORIGINAL MEMBERS: INSTRUMENTS PLAYED: Bob Gallaway Drums / Vocals Chuck Warren Bass Guitar / Vocals Mardi Sheridan Lead Guitar / Vocals Mike Balzotti Keyboards / Vocals WHEN: 1961-1969 WHERE: Moses Lake, Washington