Many musicians never walk away from their craft. They love the sound, the instruments, the people, and the atmosphere that come from making music throughout their lives.
For more than two decades, a few local musicians in Kokomo have gotten together to play a variety of tunes for the community, and they’re not stopping anytime soon.
They call themselves the Senior Jam Band and meet on the first and third Monday of every month from 5 to 9 p.m. at the old fire station across from Taylor High School.
“There are some original members, including Tim Jones and Dale Hoover, and a few regulars: myself, Dave Nave, Ralph Wyant, and Don Tapscott. Then, there are others that jump in from time to time and come and go,” said David Sprong.
They’ve lost a few beloved band members over the years too. It comes with the territory when jamming with retirees.
“I can’t count the number of people that have played with us that aren’t here anymore,” Sprong said. “We just lost our keyboard player in May, and we really miss him.”
Janie, Sprong’s wife, sings as do several other wives, and even people in the audience get involved.
“It’s a jam session and open to the public. Come when you want to and leave when you want. There’s no admission. We’ll have coffee, soft drinks, and some finger foods,” Sprong said. “If you want to sing, put your name on the list, and when we call you, we’ll play whatever you want to sing. We also have a 50/50 raffle if you want to do that.”
When the Senior Jam Band performs their favorites, you can expect to hear some gospel music, rock ‘n’ roll, and country tunes from the likes of Merle Haggard, Alan Jackson, George Strait, and others.
They’re good too.
The lead guitarist has been playing since he was 8 years old, and Sprong said he can sing just like Willie Nelson.
So good, in fact, the band is often hired to perform at community events: anniversaries, class reunions, VFW events, and more.
Sprong said the band has created a favorite hangout spot for fellow seniors who want to have a good time.
On a low attendance evening, there are 50 people, and often, there are just under 100.
“The majority of them know one another. They’ve been there more than once and they’re regulars. Some are coming in as far away as Frankfort and Tipton,” Sprong said.
For Sprong, he’s been playing since 2002 and loves everything about the experience.
“I like the music. I love to play with the guys, and I love getting together with all the people. This is our community, our friends. We get a lot of positive feedback. If we don’t host it one evening, we get a lot of calls about when the next one will be,” Sprong said. “If there are five Mondays in the month, we’ll often throw in an extra jam session just because the people want it.”
Goodwill donations are accepted at the bi-monthly event.
