Top-40 band formed in 1970 by ex-members of Scarlet Image Don Hudgins (guitar), and Chuck Grim (keyboards), with Marilyn McFadden (vocals), Gus Peckaitis (bass), and Ron Fleming (drums ex-Knights, Tremolos). Gus (worked at the original Bill’s Music House) was later replaced with Kevin Northrup.
Marilyn Seashole nee-McFadden recalled that “Sage was a very original group with beautiful vocal harmony due to Donny… he was an excellent rhythm guitarist and great with harmony. Chuck was the personality and played organ. One of our first songs was “No Sugar Tonight” by the Guess Who.”
Sage performed at Sarano’s in Ellicott City, the Vogue Room in Hagerstown, Judges Bench, Squires Inn as house band…
Grim left the group in 1972 and joined the Ellicott Brothers. McFaddin and Peckaitis went on to join Tapestry. Sage continued briefly as a trio with Hudgins, Northrup, and Fleming.
The group split up in 1973. Hudgins went on to join Free Spirit.
In early 1974 ex-Penny Candy members Danny Lough (guitar), Mike Porter (bass), and Mike Lowery (keyboards), along with Steve Hammond (drums) began a summer of jamming in Lough’s barn. This line-up played one gig at the Forest Hills Swim Club. Later that summer former Sage member Chuck Grim along with Bill Stahly (drums) of the recently split up Ellicott Brothers approached Lough and Porter about putting together a Top-40 band similar to Appaloosa. Stahly had been approached by Danny and Mike on other occasions but he had always been involved with other projects. This time he was available. The time was right for the foursome and with permission from the previous Sage members they adopted Grim’s former band name Sage.
Below: 1974 ad, Mike Porter at Howard High School – 1974
Below: 1975 ads and ticket stub
Sage played Top-40 and album cuts at many clubs and teen centers around the Baltimore area. Patapsco Inn, Club Brandy, Sarano’s, Chatham Lounge, Howard Place, Rhapsody, Park Lounge, Hoffman’s, Mimmies, The Horse You Came in On, Act III, The Barge, Eastwind, Parkville Teen Center, Our Lady of Victory CYO, many high school dances, Fallston Swim Club, Rollingwood Swim Club, etc. Ocean City at the Dungeon, White Horse Inn (Port Deposit), Altland’s Ranch (York), the Hanover Tavern, Goucher College, Towson State College, Concerts at Putty Hill Park, Catonsville Community College…
Equipment was transported in two vans which traveled in a convoy connected with CB radios. Eventually the group bought an old beat-up UPS truck which became nicknamed “The Black Mariah.” Sage employed a number of equipment managers over the years including Chuck ‘Doodles’ Deavers, Joe Vaccarino, Joe Lough, Paul Aldridge, Mark Braun, Nick Ferraro, Nick Sambuco, Earl Spangenberg, Chris Trieble, Jim Ward…
In 1977 former Koffee Bean guitarist Marc Latham briefly joined the band.
By mid-1977, the band had grown tired of performing the usual Top-40 fare which at the time consisted of a lot of disco. Stahly along with former Boat bandmate Jimmy Neeson (who was currently with Appaloosa) had both been tiring of the Top-40 scene. Neeson had also been talking with a number of other musicians and wanted to assemble a new band to play southern rock / southern boogie i.e. Little Feat, Allmans, ZZ Top, etc. Stahly left the band and with Neeson they formed Bandit.
Sage briefly carried on with Grim, Porter, Randy Eckley (ex-Gene & Noblemen, Sky-HY) replacing Bill on drums, and guitarist Roger West (ex-Horde, Ignoramous, Ellicott Brothers), until splitting up in early 1978.
Lough went on to play in numerous bands including the Danny Lough Band, The Core, Kaos… he also briefly played in Bandit. In the ‘90s Danny was the lead guitarist for an 8-year stint with Mary Lou & the Untouchables. In the ‘00s he formed a rockabilly trio called The 45’s and more recently played with Blue Steele. Porter revived his musical career in the ‘90s and ‘00s as a guitarist. He released a CD in 1998 “Songs from Oblivion”. Mike also wrote the soundtrack music to the film “Xenamenfrito” and a CD of his original music was issued. A new CD was scheduled for release in the summer of ‘01. Eckley went on to join the Capris…
