The Do's & The Don'ts

The Escorts/Do's and Don'ts band will be featured at this year's Kalona Days and the Tuscan Moon and The Kalona News Classic Car Show Saturday June 20. The car show will be on 5th Street and B Avenue in Downtown Kalona starting at 5 p.m.

In 1966, Red Bird Records of New York City, picked the band up and the Escorts became The Do's and the Don'ts.

Today The Escorts/Do's and Don'ts include Dick and Zelda Sherman's son, Rick, North English, on drums; Frank Glaser, Hiawatha, on guitar; Dick and Zelda Sherman, rural Ely, on bass guitar and keyboard, respectively; and Roger Booth, Washington, lead singer.

The original band released eight records nationally. It's most popular song was "I Wonder if She Loves Me," which hit both Billboard and Record World Top 100 Chart. They played in all the major ballrooms in Iowa and at one time played 21 straight nights.

They were one of the first full time rock groups from Eastern Iowa and the first one in the state to feature a female keyboard player in what was mostly an all male business. Over the years they won many awards including in l965 and l966 Iowa's Best Dressed Band and appeared with such groups as Sam the Sham, The Four Seasons, Tommy James & The Shondells, the Everly Brothers, Dickie Lee, and Gary Lewis & The Playboys.

The Escorts/The Do's and The Don'ts, which will be performing for the Tuscan Moon/Kalona News Classic Car Show Saturday night, June 20, are originally from Washington and at least one member of the band, Dick Burns, hailed from the Kalona-Wellman area.

The 50's and 60's music group will be performing from 7 to 10 p.m. June 20 on 5th Street between The Tuscan Moon and Yotty's Ace Hardware. The Classic Car Show will feature vintage cars and will line up on B Avenue.

The Escorts were among the first to be inducted into the Iowa Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in August of 1997.

Dick Burns, from the Kalona-Wellman area, playing guitar, joined Dick and Zelda Sherman, rural Iowa County, and Roger Booth of Washington, to form the Escorts, one of Iowa's first Rock and Roll bands, in April of 1959. Dick Burns died in 1984. His widow, Sandy Burns, lives in Washington and represented him when the band was tapped for the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Escorts played their first performance in the front window of the new Montgomery Wards store in Washington for that store's grand opening in Washington in April of 1959. They became known as Iowa's best-dressed band as they performed throughout Iowa.

In all, The Escorts/Do's and Don'ts released 11 records during their career, the most by any Iowa rock group during the 50's - 70's.

If it is good old fashion Rock and Roll music you enjoy, Kalona is the place to come Saturday night, June 20.

You can enjoy the music as you look over the Vintage cars and other vehicles that will be on display. Or you can dine and dance in the fenced off extended patio area of the Tuscan Moon. Dancing will be permitted in the street in the fenced off area.

You will again have an opportunity to vote on the Peoples Choice cars. The Kalona News and Tuscan Moon Grill on 5th will be giving three large trophies to the top three entries you pick.

The car show is being coordinated by the Corn Country Cruisers of Washington.

Reprinted with permission © 2009 The Kalona News, Kalona, Iowa. The content of The Kalona News is protected by federal copyright laws and may not be reprinted without written permission.

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