Sir Winston and the Commons Oral History

Interview Highlight

In this Interview Highlight, Ron Matelic, John Medvescek, and Joe Stout reflect on the band’s move to California, where they performed at the Galaxy Club on the Sunset Strip. They also recall one memorable night when The Doors were performing just two doors away. John Medvescek shares the story of touring with blues legend Big Mama Thornton, while the band also remembers opening for Joe Cocker in New York City.

Complete Interview

In this Complete Interview, Ron Matelic, John Medvescek, and Joe Stout trace the band’s evolution from its earliest days as The Illusions and The Suspicions through the formation of Sir Winston and the Commons.

They discuss winning local Battle of the Bands competitions, recording their first records, writing original music during the British Invasion, performing throughout the Midwest, and building such a loyal following that two busloads of fans traveled to Chicago to see the band perform.

The conversation also explores the stories behind the band’s recordings, the creation of “Not the Spirit of India,” their move to California, and an opportunity to tour Europe that they ultimately declined. The musicians follow their later paths through Madison Zane, Anonymous, J. Rider, Ross, the Carl Taylor Band, and the DoorJams reunion, while reflecting on the Indianapolis music scene and friendships that have endured for more than sixty years.

Biography

Sir Winston and the Commons began in Indianapolis in 1963, when a group of young musicians came together around a shared interest in surf music, rhythm and blues, and the rapidly changing sound of American rock and roll. Ron Matelic and John Medvescek had already begun playing together, while Joe Stout and Don Basore lived near one another and were developing musical ideas of their own. After the musicians connected, the early group initially performed without a fixed name and jokingly referred to itself as The Pickups because the members picked one another up for rehearsals.

The band soon adopted the name The Illusions and focused primarily on instrumental surf music. Matelic’s guitar work drew heavily from players such as Dick Dale, while Medvescek developed his drumming style by listening to early rock and roll records. Stout entered the group as a saxophonist, bringing experience from school marching and jazz bands, while Basore played bass. As the British Invasion reshaped popular music, the group began adding vocals and Top 40 material to its repertoire, briefly performing as The Suspicions before becoming Sir Winston and the Commons.

The band’s new name arrived through booking agent Bob Kelly, who encouraged the musicians to adopt an English-sounding identity that fit the era. For a short time, promotional materials even presented the Indianapolis group as being “direct from Liverpool,” requiring the musicians to use mock British accents at some appearances. The strategy produced humorous situations when audience members who had attended school with the band recognized them onstage.

Sir Winston and the Commons developed during a period when teen clubs, college dances, armories, and youth venues offered young bands abundant opportunities to perform. The group played regularly throughout Indianapolis and across Indiana, appearing at locations including Indiana Beach, college dances, teen clubs, and the National Guard Armory in Crawfordsville. Their growing popularity led to a loyal regional following, and on at least one occasion two busloads of fans traveled with the band to Chicago to see them perform at The Cellar.

One of the band’s earliest recording experiences came while backing singer Rojay Gotee on “Thunder ‘n Lightnin'” and “Miss Jantje Jones.” The musicians rehearsed the material and recorded it at Jan Eden Recording & Sound in Indianapolis while they were still known as The Suspicions. Hearing “Thunder ‘n Lightnin'” played on the radio became an early milestone and encouraged the group to pursue its own recordings.

Influenced by The Beatles and the growing expectation that bands should write original music, members of Sir Winston and the Commons began composing their own songs. Manager Sonny Hobbs helped the group secure a relationship with Soma Records, and the band traveled to Columbia Records Studios in Chicago to record “We’re Gonna Love” and “Come Back Again.” Released in 1966, the single introduced the band to listeners beyond Indiana and became its best-known commercial release.

The group continued writing and recording, issuing “Not the Spirit of India” backed with “One Last Chance” on its own Nauseating Butterfly! label in 1967. Written by Ron Matelic and Herb Crawford, “Not the Spirit of India” reflected the period’s growing psychedelic and Eastern musical influences. The band also recorded other original material, including “No Sorrow” and “All of the Time,” some of which remained unreleased for decades before later appearing on archival garage-rock compilations.

Sir Winston and the Commons were known not only for their recordings but also for a visually distinctive stage presentation. Photographs from the period show the musicians in dramatic clothing, including capes, patterned jackets, bandoliers, and other theatrical attire. Members occasionally switched instruments for photographs and performances, reflecting the flexible and playful nature of the group. Joe Stout, originally the band’s saxophonist, moved to keyboards after the group won a Lowrey organ in a Battle of the Bands competition. He later expanded his setup with electric piano, Vox organ, Hammond B-3, and Leslie speaker.

The band’s lineup evolved over time. Herb Crawford replaced earlier guitarist Gary Crawford, joining Matelic, Basore, Medvescek, and Stout in what became the group’s best-known configuration. The musicians worked closely as a unit, rehearsing for years in the garage at Stout’s family home. The garage became an informal gathering place where neighborhood listeners and aspiring young musicians could hear the band practice.

In 1967, Don Basore was drafted into military service. The remaining members continued as a four-piece and began looking toward opportunities beyond Indiana. After an exploratory trip to California, the band relocated to Los Angeles the following year. They auditioned at several venues before securing an extended engagement at the Galaxy Club on the Sunset Strip, where they performed five hours a night, from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m., for approximately six weeks. During at least one of those nights, The Doors were performing nearby, two doors down.

While in California, the band recorded additional material whose eventual fate remained uncertain. John Medvescek later toured with blues legend Big Mama Thornton, a story he shares during the interview. The musicians were also offered an unusual opportunity to tour Europe while assuming the identity of another group whose song had become successful overseas. Sir Winston and the Commons declined the proposal rather than present themselves as another band.

After returning from California, Joe Stout left the group, and Sir Winston continued as a three-piece with Ron Matelic, Herb Crawford, and John Medvescek. In that configuration, the band traveled to New York City and performed at Steve Paul’s The Scene, opening for Joe Cocker. They also recorded material in New York, though it was not released at the time.

The members continued pursuing music after Sir Winston and the Commons ended. Joe Stout and John Medvescek helped form Madison Zane in the early 1970s. As the group evolved, it became Ross, an eight-piece disco and funk band, and later the Carl Taylor Band. The Carl Taylor Band won the Marlboro Talent Roundup, opened at Market Square Arena for Barbara Mandrell, Ronnie Milsap, and Ricky Skaggs, and recorded the album Indiana Lady at Bill Gaither’s studio in Alexandria, Indiana. John Medvescek also returned to California for additional musical work, including recording and film-score projects.

Ron Matelic, John CC, Marsh Ervin and Glenn Weaver recorded the Anonymous album through the auspices of Jim Spencer, a highly talented songwriter/performer who occasionally partnered with Matelic on co-writing songs. The album eventually became a highly sought-after recording among collectors of psychedelic and progressive rock. Matelic, Medvescek, Marsha Ervin, Greg Reynolds and Justin Garriott later formed J. Rider, continuing the creative path that had begun with Sir Winston and the Commons.

Decades later, Matelic, Medvescek, and Reynolds reunited musically along with Bill Kossmann in the DoorJams, a group focused on original material. The band performed around Indianapolis and recorded new music before the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted its momentum. Their reunion demonstrated that the friendships, musical instincts, and creative ambitions formed during the Sir Winston years remained strong.

The recordings of Sir Winston and the Commons continued to find new audiences long after the band’s original era. Their songs appeared on garage-rock compilations, and Sundazed Music released an EP collecting the band’s recordings in 1999. “We’re Gonna Love” has since been recognized by garage-rock historians as one of the notable American recordings of its era.

More than sixty years after the musicians first began rehearsing together, Sir Winston and the Commons remain an important part of Indiana music history. Their story connects Indianapolis teen clubs, Midwestern dance halls, Chicago recording studios, the Sunset Strip, New York City, and later generations of collectors and musicians. Through original songwriting, ambitious performances, enduring friendships, and a willingness to follow music wherever it led, the band created a body of work whose reputation continues to grow.

Image Gallery

Explore photographs, recordings, magazine features, artwork, promotional materials, and other images documenting the history of Sir Winston and the Commons, along with related projects that followed the band’s original era.