RockabillyView
By Jennifer Allsup
OLD SCHOOL & A NEW TWIST
Can you remember back to 1950’s & 60’s ? A man by the name of Kent Whitt decided to start a band called “Kent Whitt & the Downbeats”. Kent is the downbeat man on drums. From what I understand, Kent formed Modesto’s first Rock ‘n Roll group of musicians. Laying down the beats at Modesto High, California Ballroom, weekend gatherings along Hwy 99, as far as our state Capitol in Sacramento, to the middle of California, in the Fresno area.
By luck ,”Kent Whitt & the Downbeats” had an amazing adventure traveling the world in the mid 1960’s, until the band members enlisted in the war. I met Kent for the first time at the MAMAs in 2013, where he was able to perform once again in front of the young talents in Modesto. Since that night, Kent has started putting the band (Downbeats) back together.
He has had the pleasure of playing a few shows with his new fellow musicians with local singer/songwriter Patty Castillo Davis on lead vocals, Mr. Rob Hill on keys (also front man for The Rob Hill Band), Izzy Alvarado on bass, and Joe Torres on guitar.
If you missed the “Elvis Tribute” show at the State Theater with Mr.Whitt and many others, you missed a real treat. No worries though, because coming soon you will have more opportunities to catch “Kent Whitt & the Downbeats” as we keep rolling into our HOT summer nights! So stay cool, stay connected, and keep your eyes peeled for more dates and info in the July and August issues of the ModestoView. Hope to see you all on these adventures!
Publishers Note:
Kent Whitt and the Downbeats awarded the Lifetime MAMA Award at the 2014 MAMA Awards. Kent teamed of with MAMA Winner and Rockabilly Legend Roddy Jackson during the late 50s and early 60s for performances up and down the central Valley.
