The Chane Gang
When Chuck Berry declared, "Long Live Rock & Roll" in 1957, John Chane (drums) and John
Capron (guitar) were already bitten by the bug. And by 1958, when Danny And The Juniors
shouted, "Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay," both had taken the plunge. They were already playing
in formal and informal "combos," with rock & roll becoming their newfound obsession. In fact,
Capron had previously appeared on the local (and iconic) Boston TV talent show, Community
Auditions, singing "I Believe." Not exactly, rock & roll, but a challenge, especially for a young
singer. It was his introduction to the world of live performance. Chane had already been playing
drums in jazz and "society" bands by his early teens.
Both Chane and Capron were outstanding athletes, and In the Fall of 1962, they arrived at
Vermont Academy for post-graduate years. Larry Power, a sophomore, had heard the wake up
call-to-arms of rock & roll also, and by age eleven was taking drum lessons. By thirteen he'd
switched to guitar, energized by the sounds of Link Wray, Duane Eddy, and especially The
Ventures. Like John and John, he had been moved by the sound and feel of the classic artists of
the Golden Age of Rock & Roll: Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis,The Everly Brothers, Bo
Diddley, and the great Chuck Berry.
The two seniors realized immediately that they were meant to play together and began to jam and
rehearse on weekends and evenings in a vacant classroom. They called themselves Sticks And
Strings, eventually playing at Vermont Academy dances. They hooked up with Power during the
Winter of 1963. By the time graduation came, The Chane Gang was born. That June, they played
their first gig: a graduation party at John Chane's house in Winchester, Massachusetts, including
lead guitarist extraordinaire Carl Palleschi, a friend of Larry's added at the last minute. The
lineup was complete and gigs started to come.
Although the original four members only played together for a couple of years, Carl, Larry, and
John Capron carried the Chane Gang legacy forward through several incarnations, finally ending
in 1972. Along the way, John Chane, who had gone on to college in The Midwest on a football
scholarship, dropped out of school and was a working drummer for some bands that were on the
cusp of making The Big Time. However, that was curtailed on yet another punishing road trip in
Erie, Pennsylvania. He met Karen, his future wife, and experienced a complete change of
direction after reading passages from a Gideon's Bible in a seedy motel room. He ended up
returning to school, graduating from both Boston University and Yale School of Divinity, and
becoming an Episcopal priest. That would eventually lead to higher callings, and in 2011 he
retired as Bishop of Washington, D.C. He still travels the globe as a deeply committed
advocate of Peace and Human Rights.
John Capron continued in music until 1976. Still playing with Larry Power at the time, he
decided not to continue that lifestyle and bid it farewell. John would go on to become a very
successful business executive, working in the commercial fabric industry. Ironically, traveling
the world became a regular thing for him also; just not in a rock & roll band. Larry Power kept
playing professionally and returned to music full time in 2002 after a fifteen year sojourn in
"the real world." Already with his own working blues band, he began a guitar teaching career for
his "day job," and continues to do both.
In 1993, on the occasion of Capron and Chane's 30th reunion at Vermont Academy, a band
reunion was also put together at V.A. It was so much fun that they decided they would do it again
if possible. The next year, The Chane Gang began playing for charitable causes on a semi-regular
basis, mainly initiated by John Chane. Over the years it has taken on a life of its own, with a
rotating cast of family and friends to keep it alive and vital. The band has played venues in
Vermont, Massachusetts, San Diego (Chane's first Bishop "gig"), Washington, D.C., New York
City and New Hampshire.
Through all of this, the original trio of John, John, and Larry has been constant. Several years
ago, they decided as a band to get into The Blues both as a means to keep things simple and also
a way to express the more personal side of playing. This has been a great addition to the rock &
roll tradition and roots of the group. In 2013, it was fifty years for The Chane Gang, and this year
(2014) the band is coming back East to celebrate that anniversary. Not only is it a milestone for
the band, but, more importantly, a celebration of friendship and camaraderie for over fifty years.
Those things will continue, whether they plug in together again or not. Rock And Roll brought
these three lifelong friends together, and Rock And Roll, like friendship, is here to stay.
Bishop John Bryson Chane (ret.): drums, vocals ... Winchester, MA,
H.S; Vermont Academy; College of Wooster (Ohio); Boston
University; Yale School of Divinity. Resides in San Diego, CA.
John Capron: bass guitar, vocals ... Bellows Falls, VT, H.S; Vermont
Academy; University of Vermont. Longtime resident of Hampton,
NH, area, retired V.P. of Sales, Haartz Corporation, Acton, MA.
Larry Power, lead guitar, vocals: ... Vermont Academy; Bates
College. Full time musician, happily residing in his hometown of
Swampscott, MA.