The Chessmen

Original members pictured from bottom to top: Tommy VanAtta, David Adams, Michael Catalano, Joe Veach, Wayne Veach, and Bill Vernon.

Also known as Tommy and the Chessmen, they had one single on Abet in 1967 and continued to play as an event group well into the 21st century.

History[edit | edit source]

Bandleader Tommy VanAtta, a graduate of Donelson High ('57), had originally played keyboards in a group called The Castaways in high school and afterwards until about 1960, when he left for college. The Castaways included leader and guitarist Johnny Hines, Sam Pugh on bass, and Jim Broadus on guitar. In an interview with Jon Sewell, VanAtta believes the local drummer phenom Tommy Amato filled in on a few occasions, though he was not their main drummer. Sam Pugh later played in numerous local groups including The Messengers, which became Past, Present, and Future. Jim Broadus later ran Hewgley's Music Shop in Nashville and became a hub for the local music scenes.

At Austin Peay. VanAtta joined a local Clarksville group called The Apogees, which gigged in Nashville and area bases. Describing them as "half rock and roll, half country," VanAtta remembered Lowry Shrader, acting as drummer and bandleader, booked them all over Middle Tennessee, including numerous performances on fraternity row at Vanderbilt. Lead singer Wendell Harris also played guitar for The Apogees. Graduating from Austin Peay in 1963, VanAtta left the group when he moved away from Clarksville.

The Chessmen formed in 1964, when VanAtta put an ad in the paper. One of the first respondents, Mike Catalano, who played sax and flute, remained with the group until his death in 2022, and did most of the booking early on. Guitarist David Adams, originally from Miami and responding to the ad, had just come off the road touring with a performing version of the Beverly Hillbillies. With Bill Vernon on alot sax accompanying Catalano to comprise the horn section, the group then added the brothers Veach, local boys who graduated from Litton High, to complete the original line-up: Joe Veach, bassist, and Wayne Veach on drums.

Their single of "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" was number one for radio play in Chicago for ten weeks, upon its release. Joe Veach, the bassist, worked at Woodland Studios, providing the connection to a studio for recording, while his job at Ernie's Record Mart provided the connection a record label. As the soul/ R&B sublabel for the Nashboro Records family owned by Ernie Young, Abet (sometimes stylized as A-Bet) typically release singles on local black performers, such as Freddie North, The Avons, and The Hytones. VanAtta recalls that the original release of the 45 did not include the parenthetical subtitle, prompting a threat of a lawsuit from Jackie Gleason who had copyrighted the phrase "How Sweet It Is." In an article for the Wilson Post in 2014, VanAtta recalled that "Marvin Gaye had a hit with it first. We had it second, and James Taylor had it third."

Their busy performing schedule limited their ability to record further due to constant engagements around town. From their first show at a skating rink off Gallatin Road in 1964, The Chessmen progressed through further teen clubs, such as Don's Den, the Doghouse near DuPont, to proms and college gigs. From there, adult clubs, such as Hick's Dinner Club, clubs off Charlotte, and even the National Guard Armory, Municipal Auditorium, Boradway Dinner Club and Printer's Alley. As a music teacher for Metro Schools, VanAtta was unable to tour widely to support the record, choosing instead to remain closer to home. Catalano also taught in Metro Schools, eventually becoming band director at Pearl-Cohn. Their residencies at local clubs often lasted months if not years, such as their stay at The Starlite Club on Dickerson Rd in the mid and late 1970s.

From Chip Curley's Nashlinks website:

One day they were sitting around jamming, trying to come up with a name for the group. On the TV happened to be a chess game going on between Russia and the US. And there is where the Chessmen were born. The Chessmen have been entertaining audiences since 1964 when they started as a R&B Band. In 1967, The Chessmen released a top 40 single, “How Sweet It Is.” Some controversy arose when Jackie Gleason called Woodland Studios and complained that he had the phrase “How Sweet It Is” under copy write. So the name of the single had to be changed to “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” By Tommy and The Chessmen. This single, recorded at Woodland Studios on the ABET label, charted in Billboard Magazine was number one in Chicago for ten weeks. The strength of this record helped popularize the band throughout the Southeastern United States.

During those years, the Chessmen performed for many of the local clubs—Don’s Den, the Briar Patch, Teen Town, the Dog House, and Tiger A Go-Go. They hit the college scene at Vanderbilt, UT, Sewanee and of course, Fun Night at MTSU. They did out of town gigs also at places like the Cellar in Shelbyville and hit the Military circuit at the NCO Club, Officer’s Club and Stewart Air Force Base. Those of you who frequented The Starlight Dinner Club on Dickerson Road in the 70’s may remember The Chessmen because they played there every Sunday night for six years. They backed such big names as The Platters and Brenda Lee.