At least 18 members of the popular late '60s Columbia band the Shingle Shakers will return to Columbia next weekend to relive a little magic.
The group, which played Dixieland jazz and sing-along tunes, will play a reunion show at 8 p.m. Saturday at Harpo's, 29 S. Tenth St.
Former Shingle Shaker Jim McCormick, who lives in Colorado, organized the concert.
"We've not played in 30 years, so I'm not sure if I want people to show up," said Larry Garrett, an advertising executive who started playing his clarinet in the band in 1969. He said the Shingle Shakers had regular gigs at a number of venues, including a Shakey's Pizza in the Forum Shopping Center and Village Inn Pizza, which Garrett said was across from Jack’s Gourmet Restaurant.
"It's hard for me to believe that just 30 years ago people were still listening to this classic style of music," Garrett said. "We used to be very popular -- people would line up wall to wall to hear us. You learned not to drink beer too early because we'd inevitably end up playing for hours."
Garrett estimated that there have been some 25 people in the band over the years.