The Shaw Band through the years

Betsy Anderson remembers The Shaw Band back in 1976 during her junior and senior year proms at the Cat and Fiddle.

The band performed at the Echo Public School proms in 1976 and 1977.

“They were a great band to listen to and dance along to the wonderful songs, (adding to the) many great memories from high school years,” she said.

The Shaw Band goes back to 1969 and has performed Blue Moon of Marshall, Key Largo on Lake Shetek, the Gibbon Ballroom, The Palms Ballroom in Renville, and the Cat & Fiddle in New Ulm.

Fans of the band can reminisced their younger days during a reunion performance June 3 by the original members inside the Key Largo on Lake Shetek.

Jim Allen and Mike Shaw launched the band in Litchfield and the name took many forms over the years. First it was the Jim Allen Trio, then The Shaw Allen band, and even the Shaw-Allen-Shaw Band as members came and went.

The Shaw Band cranked out a mix of rock and country music, most of which were covers of Top 40s hits.

Most of the members took turns singing in addition to their respective instruments, such as guitars, drums, and even a concertina for one song (“Mama’s Got a Squeeze Box”).

The band began as a three-piece band – the Shaw Allen Trio. When Terry (Mike’s brother) got out of the Army, he joined the band, too. That’s when it became Shaw-Allen-Shaw Band. Terry left the group in 1976, and the name went back to Shaw-Allen Band.

“Terry was a teacher, we were playing over 200 jobs per year,” Shaw said. “So, he quit playing for about five years. He joined a small bar band. We kept getting bigger and bigger. Adding more people to band. In 1978, Jim left. I was basically in charge. Greg and I were kind of partners. We just hired a new drummer and a new keyboard player.

“Then Brian got a job with rotating shifts, making it tough to book gigs,” Shaw added. “Greg got tired and quit. Then the two from Mankato didn’t want to travel anymore.”

In 2000, The Shaw Band was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame.

“The Minnesota Music Hall of Fame is a museum in New Ulm,” Shaw said. “Pictures of all the various members in the different stages are there.”

A few years later, Mike volunteered to become a director, so he is now on the board.

In 2004, The Shaw Band was inducted into the Minnesota Rock and Country Hall of Fame.

By then, the ballrooms were vanishing, according to Shaw.

He said the nightclubs didn’t pay enough to make it worthwhile, so they disbanded.

Beginning last year, though, the Original Shaw Band has seen a lot of success in giving reunion performances in southwest Minnesota.

“The reunion shows have had great numbers in attendance,” Shaw said. “That makes us want to continue to do more as long as we can.”