As told by Brain Minaker

I met Ron Wood who was a fellow paper boy. We had a common interest in music. I will never forget the day when my electric guitar and amp arrived from Sears, maybe Eatons. I placed the speaker in front of our screen door cranked it up- to 10 and struck a G chord as Ron came running across the street with the gooniest grin on his face.

Later on it would be a Stratocaster, a Johnson's amp- and finally a Fender Bandmaster.

In grade nine we hooked in with Larry Elder who took piano lessons..... got a hold of Greg Sawchuk a university student who had  a Fender Bass and amp...

And the Beethoven came into being - first known as the Excels. Dwight Slator, Greg Sawchuck, Ron Woods, Larry Elder.  and moi, played our very first dance at East End community center.

Wayne McGill had recently moved  from Belmont to Brandon...to start grade ten with the Harrison bunch. Wayne suggested we rent the hall in Belmont for a dance. He knew a bunch there who would advertise the dance for us. Wayne would be our MC, couldn't sing worth a hoot. My Mom came as ticket taker, a buck a head, Ron brought his Dad''s car. The place was packed. And we made what we figured was a
fortune.

The next summer we traded Dwight for Donnie Sullivan and changed name to the Beethoven and had two fun filled years playing gigs around the country side through high school.We played together for the four years of high school and hit every small town with in a sixty mile radius of Brandon as well as all the community centers and high schools.

I don't think we were ever the best band in the time from sixty three to sixty six , I would give that nod  to Ed Turner, Rick Hersack, Johnny Owens, Jim Atkinson, and Vaughn Thorsteinson....the Challengers. Later on the Majestics from Elgin ...Gerald Perkins, Wes Smith, Fred  Gastonguay, had the Ventures down cold and fabulous harmony

Wonderful memories of Friday and Saturday nights in Brandon roaming around from community center to community center, checking out the women and hearing the different bands....and sucking back the bootlegged six pack.