Verdugo Hills High School Alumni
Tujunga, California (CA)
Alumni Stories
gary leeds (walker)
Class of 1961
(Gary Leeds)
Gary was born in Glendale California on 09/03/42. He started to play the drums when he was 12 years old. One of his many talents was to become a pilot and he got his license while at Glendale College in 1962/63. He received a BA Degree in Aero Space Technology but was unable to pursue his career because of a knee injury. This led him into music instead. He first played with his Verdugo Hills High School friends and later formed The Biscaines with whom he had a record that was a minor hit in California called �Blue Skies�. He was then asked to join a group called The Standells in Hollywood where they played the club circuit for the twist craze that was happening in L.A. The Standells became very popular which lead to a recording contract. PJ Proby, along with a lot of performers, (Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, etc.) would come in to sing along with the group. PJ was asked by the Beatles to do a TV show in England and invited Gary to join him on the drums, which he did. After meeting and making connections with the right people in England, Gary returned to the USA and persuaded John Maus and Scott Engel to return to England with him, telling them they could be as successful as the Beatles. They agreed and the rest is history.
Achievements
· Album and CD & etc. 25 million +
· One of the first singles Sun Ain�t Gonna Shine Anymore spent four weeks at number 1, one of the first groups to achieve that length of time in the charts.
· Playing drums for Elvis with PJ Proby.
· Playing and meeting Prince Phillip, at the London Palladium.
· Playing for the Emperor of Japan.
· Having photographs of the group taken by Cecil Beaton.
· Brian Epstein and the Beatles invited Gary to sing and join in their live TV transmission of All You Needs Is Love (300 million viewers world wide).
· Being successful with Standells, PJ Proby, Walker Brothers and Gary Walker and the Rain
The Gary Walker and the Rain No 1 Album, which was only released in Japan, reached No 3 in the Japanese charts. The album has become a cult collector�s item and a one in perfect condition commands £1500.
Currant projects
· Finishing the book Walker Brothers Story out in September.
· Writing music to submit to the British Museum
· The release of Gary Walker & The Rain�s No.1 Album on Universal in May.
· The exciting project with Dave Cash for the next biggest worldwide Internet radio site and associated innovative projects.
Gary writes and performs music, directs and films promos, music festivals. He has been in the music bizz for over 45 years.
E-Mail: gary@garywalker.net
Gary was born in Glendale California on 09/03/42. He started to play the drums when he was 12 years old. One of his many talents was to become a pilot and he got his license while at Glendale College in 1962/63. He received a BA Degree in Aero Space Technology but was unable to pursue his career because of a knee injury. This led him into music instead. He first played with his Verdugo Hills High School friends and later formed The Biscaines with whom he had a record that was a minor hit in California called �Blue Skies�. He was then asked to join a group called The Standells in Hollywood where they played the club circuit for the twist craze that was happening in L.A. The Standells became very popular which lead to a recording contract. PJ Proby, along with a lot of performers, (Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, etc.) would come in to sing along with the group. PJ was asked by the Beatles to do a TV show in England and invited Gary to join him on the drums, which he did. After meeting and making connections with the right people in England, Gary returned to the USA and persuaded John Maus and Scott Engel to return to England with him, telling them they could be as successful as the Beatles. They agreed and the rest is history.
Achievements
· Album and CD & etc. 25 million +
· One of the first singles Sun Ain�t Gonna Shine Anymore spent four weeks at number 1, one of the first groups to achieve that length of time in the charts.
· Playing drums for Elvis with PJ Proby.
· Playing and meeting Prince Phillip, at the London Palladium.
· Playing for the Emperor of Japan.
· Having photographs of the group taken by Cecil Beaton.
· Brian Epstein and the Beatles invited Gary to sing and join in their live TV transmission of All You Needs Is Love (300 million viewers world wide).
· Being successful with Standells, PJ Proby, Walker Brothers and Gary Walker and the Rain
The Gary Walker and the Rain No 1 Album, which was only released in Japan, reached No 3 in the Japanese charts. The album has become a cult collector�s item and a one in perfect condition commands £1500.
Currant projects
· Finishing the book Walker Brothers Story out in September.
· Writing music to submit to the British Museum
· The release of Gary Walker & The Rain�s No.1 Album on Universal in May.
· The exciting project with Dave Cash for the next biggest worldwide Internet radio site and associated innovative projects.
Gary writes and performs music, directs and films promos, music festivals. He has been in the music bizz for over 45 years.
E-Mail: gary@garywalker.net
Recent Members
| Brian Rickman | 1974 |
| Ed Green | 1983 |
| Hernan Alexis | 2004 |
| Lori Bryan Lori Bryan | 1970 |
| Maya Sanchez | 2006 |
| Michael Hannant | 1964 |
| Paul Lecocq | 1964 |
| Robyn Chang | 1984 |
Military Alumni
Honoring Our Heroes
This area is dedicated to our alumni that have served or are serving in our armed forces!
Lost Class Rings
Have you lost your Verdugo Hills High School class ring? Have you found someone's class ring? Visit our Dons lost class ring page to search for your class ring or post information about a found ring.
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Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays!