The Gestures

The Gestures were a teenage American rock band based out of Mankato, Minnesota.

The group was known as The Jesters, until changing their name to correspond with the release of their first single.[1] They are primarily known for their chart hit, "Run, Run, Run", from the fall of 1964. "Run, Run, Run" has been favorably cited by some rock historians as containing a Beatle-esque, British Invasion sound, with crisp guitar playing and a quick beat. The song came about in 1963 when Dale Menten decided to write original material for the band. In 1964, the band recorded a demo of the song to present it to a DJ on KTOE radio. The DJ favored the recording and it made it to Jim Madison, who recorded the song, along with three other tracks, with the band. On August 24, 1964 the band had a session at Kay Bank Recording in Minneapolis, two weeks later, they re-record "Run, Run, Run" with a faster drum section. This version was used for the group's debut single.[2]

The Gestures were: Gus Dewey (Guitar), Tom Klugherz (Bass), Dale Menten (Guitar/Vocals), and Bruce Waterston (Drums).

"Run, Run, Run" was released on the Soma label in October 1964 and became a major hit in the Midwest. Nationally, the song hit number 44 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart on December 20, 1964. The song also reached number 60 on the Cashbox charts earlier in the month. On the Twin Cities charts it reached number one, in New York it also charted number one, and in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City it peaks at number three. In 1965, the band makes an appearance on American Bandstand, and then tours across the Midwest and Canada. Their single, despite being heard on Canadian radio stations, is not available in store. They discover their single is being back-ordered instead of an actual purchase.[2]

The Gestures released only one more single; "Don't Mess Around" b/w 'Candlelight" was almost as big as "Run, Run, Run" regionally, but didn't chart nationally since there was confusion over which side was the A side, ("Don't Mess Around" was the initial A side but it flipped over soon after) and the limited distribution by the small label. The group broke up shortly after.[3]

"Run, Run, Run" has been featured on numerous compilations, most notably Rhino's 1998 re-release of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968.

In 2008, the Gestures were inducted into the Minnesota Rock & Country Hall of Fame.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "The Gestures". last.fm. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "The Gestures - 1962 - 1966". minniepaulmusic.com. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  3. ↑ Richie Unterberger. "The Gestures - Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  4. ↑ Scholtes, Peter S. (2007-04-27). "MN Rock and Country Hall of Fame tonight and tomorrow | City Pages". Blogs.citypages.com. Retrieved 2014-08-23.


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