Background
Mike and his identical twin, John, were born on March 15, 1959. In 1984, Mike Connell formed the band that bears the surname of himself and his younger brother David, born on May 27, 1961.
Mike and his identical twin, John, were born on March 15, 1959. In 1984, Mike Connell formed the band that bears the surname of himself and his younger brother David, born on May 27, 1961.
David, two years younger, graduated later from a different school in North Carolina.
They play a guitar-oriented, melodic power popular type of rock music with introspective lyrics that reflect themes and history of the American South. According to Stooksberry in an interview on March 6, 2008, in 1979 Eason, Connell, Stooksberry and Sammy Deet (drums) started playing publicly in a band called "Clark Eason and the Greaseguns" at nightclubs and parties in Macon. Connell and Eason were on guitar, and Eason and Stooksberry shared vocals.
They wore suits and skinny ties tucked into their dress shirts, as was the style at the time.
They performed mostly 1950s music and Beatles songs. After a year, Mike Connell transferred to a college in North Carolina.
Tripp Crumbley took over Connell"s guitar role in the band. Connell then occasionally made guest appearances with "Clark Eason and the Greaseguns" while visiting his father in Macon, until that band broke up in 1980. and Stooksberry continue to keep in touch.
Mike Connell graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with a bachelor"s degree in 1981, and received his Juris Doctor (Law) degree also from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 1985.
He was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in 1986. Afterwards, David went at least one year to Mercer University, where they had family connections. began to come together as a group in the spring of 1984. John was a junior at University of North Carolina and was from Raleigh, where the Connell brothers" home base now was located.
George Huntley, who was a childhood friend of both brothers Mike and David, became a member of the band in 1984. On second guitar, keyboards, and vocals.
