Band formed in Howard County over the winter of 1964-’65. Brent Woodall had performed a solo in a talent show at Waterloo Middle School. After hearing his performance, Paul Lorenz asked Brent if he would like to join a band. Brent said that he had never sang before, and Paul said that it was okay because he had never played before… The seeds were sown for what would eventually become one of the top Howard County teen bands of the ‘60s.
L-R: Jerry Smyzer, Jim Redding, Bob Awalt, Laury Davis, Brent Woodall, Glen Curtis, Paul Lorenz
By July 1965 the Mystics were playing around the local teen circuit. Seen at the Forest Hills Swim Club, the Howard County Fair concert on August 18, teen dances at the K of C Hall. The Woodall family operated the Last Straw Teen Center in Ellicott City where the band frequently performed.
The line-up as of early 1965 was Brent Woodall (lead singer), Glen Curtis (guitar), Paul Lorenz (guitar), Bob Awalt (bass), Laury Davis (drums), Jerry Smyzer (sax), and Jim Redding (trumpet). They were seen at St. Stevens CYO Hall Battle of the Bands on August 19, 1966 vs. the Lexingtons, Scotch-Grains, and the Strangers.
L-R: Lorenz, Redding, Smyzer, Davis, Woodall, Awalt, and Curtis
In August of 1966 Woodall left and the band changed its name to the Obsessions. They performed a couple of gigs at the Last Straw, keeping basically the same line-up as above.
Shortly afterward articles began appearing in the local paper to “get ready for the Coming Generation” and by October the band had changed its name again. Other than the departure of Lorenz and Davis, the members of the Coming Generation remained the same as the Mystics.
