John McAfee (left) is pictured performing with Climax resident, owner of Soundstage I, and touring musician Jim Cummings (middle playing bass guitar).
(Photos by Bruce Rolfe)
By Bruce Rolfe
The event was sponsored by the American Legion Riders.
Guitarist, singer, and songwriter, John McAfee and Whitehead/Mac along with longtime Climax resident Kit LeBlanc and Bobby O provided an afternoon and evening of upbeat and popular music at the local American Legion.
The event not only featured two well known local musicians, but visitors enjoyed a pork dinner prepared and put on by Legion Riders members, and corn hole games during the John McAfee Whitehead/Mac show.
Kit LeBlanc and Bobby O are pictured performing inside the C-S American Legion Post #465 during the local American Legion Post’s event August 10.
Legion Riders Event Coordinator Steve Kemp said McAfee, a 1979 Battle Creek Lakeview graduate, hasn’t been back to perform in the area for nine years. He wanted to use the event to bring some people from the Battle Creek area to draw attention to the local American Legion.
A poster with a message of “welcome home Johnny Michigan” that showed pictures of a younger McAfee in two former bands he played with, was behind the stage McAfee performed on at the local American Legion.
McAfee, who lives in Sylvania, Ohio and now performs with his band in the tri-state area but more in Ohio and Michigan after several years touring around the country, was thankful for the warm reception he received and was happy to return to the area to perform.
“Coming back to this area is awesome. For me to be able to see so many of my old friends and my family. My older sister lives over in Portage. I ran into some friends of mine at the Lakeview reunion a couple of weeks ago for my high school class reunion of ‘79. That was great I got a chance to see some of them. But even more people are here today that I didn’t get a chance to see then. It’s just great to be back home,” said McAfee, who said his middle son is the touring bassist for Broken Bow artist Dylan Schneider, who is currently touring with Kane Brown, and Luke Bryan later this year.
McAfee said he got his first guitar when he was seven years old and started playing music. He said the Beatles got him interested in music but admits he was also influenced by the Partridge Family and the Monkees. He said his parents were always supportive of his musical interests.
John McAfee and Whitehead/Mac are pictured performing at the C-S American Legion Post #465 August 10.
He not only relished the opportunity to perform in the area in front of many friends, but he asked his mentor and friend, Climax resident Jim Cummings, the owner of Soundstage I who helped him get started in the music industry, to perform a few numbers on stage with him and the band.
Cummings recalled McAfee’s sister rode horses at Cummings’ parents horse farm. Cummings, who was touring with bands, came home for a few days in the late 1970s and recalled McAfee’s sister asked Cummings if he would come and listen to her brother’s band and offer any tips.
The Soundstage I owner said he went to one of McAfee’s band practices “and immediately saw a talented bunch of guys.”
“Especially John. He just had a real knack for it. A nice kid. A good guitar player,” recalled Cummings.
Cummings said he called one of his local agents and told the agent he watched the band perform and felt they would be ready to go on the road if he was interested in contacting McAfee.
“He (the agent) called him and picked them up. I got him started,” explained Cummings.
Cummings said when he owned a recording studio while he was still touring full time, McAfee would come in and do some recording with his band.
McAfee recalled while he was growing up in Battle Creek Cummings was a local rock star and studio owner in Battle Creek, performing at the time with his band Odyssey. He said he looked up to Cummings and his band. McAfee adds he was friends with Cummings’ guitarist Bob Stange, and his former sound engineer Tom Lewis worked for McAfee for some shows before he moved out of Battle Creek.
Cummings said he hadn’t seen McAfee since about 1979, making the event at the local American Legion when Cummings was asked to step on stage and play a few songs with the band very special for both talented musicians.
“It was wonderful seeing John and no, we had never actually played together, so that was cool. His band prepared those two songs,” said Cummings.
“He’s got a good band. Everybody is experienced players. He is a very good guitar player,” added the Soundstage I owner.
“Saturday was the first time Jim and I ever performed together, which was a high point for me,” said McAfee, who said his former Battle Creek bands were Keystone and Boss Tweed.
After Cummings put him in contact with his first agent, McAfee ended up working with that agency and others on the class club circuit that took him up and down the east coast, and several trips west to Texas, Colorado, Iowa, as well as all the midwest states, Kentucky, Indiana and more. His greatest success was while playing with High Society. After a management change, the group’s name was changed to “The Affair.” The group was under the wing of the same management group as The Commodores, and Jon Parr (St. Elmo’s Fire).
After leaving the Affair, McAfee put together his own all original project called “BIG GAME” and produced a 5 song EP CD in ‘96, which was picked up earlier this year by the Australian label MRC (Modern Rock Classics) and is being distributed in Europe and Japan. The CD can be purchased at Walmart online. His Whitehead/Mac CD is available for downloading and streaming on iTunes, and YouTube music, and Spotify.
McAfee and his wife and band members toured the Soundstage I business Cummings owns in Climax and got to take a look at the tour bus Cummings owns that the rock band Journey toured with many years ago.
McAfee said he’s a big fan of our veterans and law enforcement and was especially happy to perform at an event that helped raise money for veterans.
“All the veterans. Law enforcement and everybody. I didn’t serve personally. I did sign up for the draft but didn’t get called. But everyone in my family served and I’m very proud of that. I’m about as red, white and blue as you can get,” said McAfee.
Teri Pearce, who knows McAfee and Cummings, said she enjoyed spending some time listening to music while supporting veterans.
“That’s the best part of it all. To support that,” said Pearce, of Battle Creek.
LeBlanc, who has lived in the area for 42 years, took the stage inside the Legion with Johnny O, and she gave another strong performance, interacting often with the crowd.
LeBlanc, who has played at the C-S American Legion Post #465 many times, said the local Legion is a smaller venue but she likes performing at the local post, especially when it helps veterans.
“It’s a great venue. It has a great stage. It’s my home town and I’m always up for supporting veterans any time, any where. It’s always fun to play for familiar people,” said LeBlanc.
LeBlanc, a Battle Creek Lakeview graduate, performs all over the area and in other parts of the country. Although she was accepted to attend Western Michigan University and already had a roommate and dorm room assigned, she hit the road with a band right after high school.
“I grew up very fast,” said LeBlanc.
While he was hoping for a better turnout, Kemp felt those that attended the event had a good time.
“It was an extraordinary event. Everything else went really well. The pork was fantastic, the music was great. The people who were there all had a great time. I didn’t hear one negative thing out there. Everybody had a good time and had fun. The ones that were there, definitely enjoyed themselves,” said Kemp.
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