Jamie Coeīecause the live music at the West Side 6 was so popular, Dr. During that time Jamie Coe almost became a member of the Speer family. Jamie Coe was so successful that Leo Speer was able to sell the Military Inn and move him over another famous bar on the corner of 6 Mile and Telegraph in Detroit called the West Side 6, where Coe worked steadily for the next five or six years. Coe gave Benny his first microphone stand after seeing him try to tape a little microphone to a broomstick handle. Coe befriended the youngster and took him under his wing. Speer would often sit at the side of the stage and watch Coe sing. He took a few lessons but was mostly self-taught. He had appeared on American Bandstand and although his career had peaked a couple of years earlier, Coe was arguably one of Detroit’s most successful white artists at that time.īenny Speer was in the second or third grade when he met Coe, and he had just started to learn how to play the guitar. Coe had already released several 45s, including his hit cover of “The Fool”, that were popular in the Metro Detroit area. Benny’s father brought in Jamie Coe to play at the club in the mid- 60’s. When it appeared that the bar was about to go under, Dr. It was a landmark structure that looked something like a castle and was home to a famous gun collection. Speer first started out as a silent partner of the Military Inn at the corner of Telegraph and Warren in Dearborn, Michigan. As a result, people like Bob Seger, David Bowie, Iggy Pop and countless other big names were well-known to the Speer family.ĭr. He eventually became the owner of the famous Michigan Palace Theatre in downtown Detroit. Speer’s father went on to become a major player in the music field, turning into a well-known promoter and owning several highly successful bar/night clubs. Benny was exposed to live music when he was very young, and by watching what went on at his father’s clubs, he gained insights to the music business that weren't available to most kids his age. Leo Speer gradually slipped into the music business, first by becoming a silent partner in a couple of nightclub/bars that featured live entertainment. Strangely enough, Speer’s initial contact with rock and roll came through his father. Both had attended the University of Michigan. His father was a doctor (chiropractor) with an office in Ann Arbor and his mother was a nurse. Speer, his two brothers, and sister all attended Plymouth High School. The city is probably most famous for being the former home of the Daisy Manufacturing Company, best known for its development and production of the BB gun. He was the first of the four children born to Leo and Pat Speer, and he grew up in the little town of Plymouth, located about 16 miles east of Ann Arbor and 26 miles west of Detroit. The band looked to the music of Elvis Presley, Rick Nelson, and Detroit’s Jamie Coe for their direction and like their local heroes, Brownsville Station, they used performances at large car shows around the country as their launching pad.īenny Speer was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on September 12, 1955. They formed in Plymouth, Michigan, and took their name from one of the street gangs in the hit musical West Side Story. Motown’s non-stop hit factory was another important influence in a vibrant rock and roll scene largely based around a network of teen dance clubs all across the state.īenny & The Jets, however, were stimulated by much earlier forces. Many of the Michigan bands that formed in the late 60’s and early 70’s took their inspiration from British Invasion groups like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, or The Yardbirds.
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