Early in the 1960s, before the Beatles, about the time that the Wailers and Kingsmen were waking up Seattle and the three chords of “Louie Louie” were inspiring garage bands along the west coast, The Continentals’ evolved on the other side of Washington State. Consisting mainly of Moses Lake High School music students, the Continentals configuration was constantly being shaped by graduation, college, the army draft and parents. When the final combination of Mike Balzotti on keyboards, Mardi Sheridan on guitar, Bob Gallaway on drums and Chuck Warren on bass arrived, a true band was born! Eight years of intense effort and creativity took the group with a new name “The Bards” to every **dance hall, armory, radio station and recording studio in the Northwest—traveling in the “Bard-mobile”!As their local acclaim grew, they began sharing the stage with acts like The Dave Clark Five, Young Rascals, Animals and The Turtles. Legendary Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame DJ Pat O’Day featured them in concert with Tommy Roe-where police had to escort them off stage past a screaming mob of young teens at the Seattle Coliseum. In a recent documentary on Northwest Rock, O’Day was asked what NW group deserved greater national recognition. - He answered, “The Bards.”