The Gants was an American garage rock band that formed in 1964 in Greenwood, Mississippi, in the cultural and geographic Deep South.

History

The Kingsmen – a different band from the Kingsmen that had a major hit with "Louie Louie" in the same time period – began with Sid Herring & Johnny Freeman in 1963 playing R&B covers and the type of instrumentals popularized by The Ventures. The Gants were formed shortly after by Sid Herring (lead vocals and guitar), Johnny Sanders (October 8, 1945 – September 29, 2012; guitar), Vince Montgomery (bass guitar), and Don Wood (December 19, 1949 – May 14, 2011; drums).

Several events combined to push the band from the obscurity of playing other artists' songs at Greenwood, Mississippi dances and into the popular genres of 1960s garage-rock. Freeman dropped out of the Kingsmen because of conflicts with his parents over touring out-of-town. After discussions with Vince Montgomery and Don Wood, Sid Herring replaced Freeman with Johnny Sanders. The band name was changed to The Gants, after a popular brand of shirt with a button-down collar, which is also the French word for "glove". In 1965, The Gants released their first single and album, Road Runner. At the same time, Herring, who resembled Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, began writing some original songs. In early 1965, The Gants were overheard by a U.S. tour manager and coordinator for The Animals, York Noble, while playing in the Holiday Inn ballroom in Laurel, Mississippi and were chosen to open for that band's Florida tour. This turned out to be a typical development for The Gants — playing the first set for more famous groups — but opportunities were limited with half the band still in high school and the other half in college.

Don Wood died in his home in Greenwood, Mississippi on May 14, 2011, at age 61.

Johnny Sanders died at home on September 29, 2012, from Alzheimer's Disease, at age 66.

Discography

Albums

  • Road Runner (1965)
  • Gants Again (1966)
  • Gants Galore (1966)

Compilation albums

  • I Wonder (1988)
  • Roadrunner! The Best of The Gants (2000)
  • Introducing The Gants (2005)

Singles

{| class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Single

! colspan="2"| Chart Positions

|-

! <small>US</small>

! <small>AU</small>

|-

|rowspan="2"|1965

|"Roadrunner"<br />/"My Baby Don't Care"

|align="center"|46

|align="center"|28

|-

|"What's Happening"<br />/"Careless"

|align="center"|-

|align="center"|-

|-

|rowspan="3"|1966

|"Crackin' Up"<br />/"Dr. Feelgood"

|align="center"|-

|align="center"|-

|-

|"I Want Your Lovin'"<br />/"Spoonful of Sugar"

|align="center"|-

|align="center"|-

|-

|"(You Can't Blow) Smoke Rings" <br />/"Little Boy Sad"

|align="center"|-

|align="center"|-

|-

|rowspan="2"|1967

|"Drifters Sunrise" <br />/"Just a Good Show"

|align="center"|-

|align="center"|-

|-

|"Greener Days" <br />/"I Wonder"

|align="center"|-

|align="center"|-

|-

|rowspan="1"|1969

|"Another Chance" <br />/"Ain't Too Proud To Beg"

|align="center"|-

|align="center"|-

|}

References

  • Official website
  • Story from Sid Herring about being mistaken for Peter Noone