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“I do have one copy left that I’ll probably sell for the right price. If I knew how valuable they were going to get, I wouldn’t have given so many away,” Cain said. Barry, who also has a couple of copies left, is waiting for the right time to sell. To his surprise even the paper sleeve — sans record — has become valuable. Music remains a constant for Barry and Cain. Barry, lead vocalist and drummer for The Benders, performs regularly during the winter months. After retiring in 1998 from Cudahy High School where he taught industrial arts, he chose to move to The Villages in Florida, where live music is played nightly 365 days a year. The residents — all over 55 — love rock and roll oldies, and Barry loves to deliver. He also has written his own material and recently recorded a solo CD.
“A turning point in my life was going to UW-Stout,” he said, saying that he found he was more interested in pursuing music than studying for metals class, for example. Cain left after about 1½ years and became a full-time musician, playing with small bands and duos and teaching guitar. He lives in Menominee, Mich. Jansen left UW-Stout after 1½ years and transferred to UW-Eau Claire, where he graduated in 1969. He then moved to Texas, where he still lives. Upon hearing the news of the popularity of the 45, Jansen was recharged, dusted off his guitar — he played bass — and started to practice. This July, after 47 years, Jansen, Barry and Cain — Noffke is deceased — reconnected for a weekend at Barry’s home near Watertown. “We swapped old stories of our Stout days, jammed and even went into the studio to record,” Barry said. The group did a remake of “Can’t Tame Me” with three other tracks, which they plan to release on a CD in the fall. The original recording uploaded by Barry is available on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKbhjU9XSr8.
BOTTOM right: The Benders gather at a Wausau studio in 1966 on the day they recorded “Can’t Tame Me.” Seated is Paul Barry. From left to right in back are Tom Noffke, Gerry Cain and Geno Jansen. MIDDLE right: A copy of “Can’t Tame Me” has sold for $2,000, and even the 45’s paper sleeve is considered collectible. TOP right: Bandmates reconnect for a weekend to swap stories and jam out. From left to right, Geno Jansen, Paul Barry and Gerry Cain reunited this summer after 47 years.
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Cain, who had always been interested in music, planned to be an industrial education teacher when he attended UW-Stout. But his plans took an unexpected turn when he met the three musicians and started to play music for the college scene.