Paul Revere and the Raiders performed at Balmoral Pavilion

By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

The first wave of baby boomers in Otter Tail County who were born from 1946 to 1954 recall the good old days during the 1960s when rock bands came to this area to perform their hit songs. Among them were lead singer Mark Lindsay and the band Paul Revere and the Raiders singing “Hungry” and “Him or Me, What’s It Gonna Be?”

Lindsay and the Raiders performed at the Balmoral Pavilion, a popular place for teenagers on the south side of Otter Tail Lake, northeast of Battle Lake.

Other performers at the Balmoral Pavilion included the Byrds who recorded “Mr. Tambourine Man” in 1965 and the British rock group Herman’s Hermits who were famous for the songs “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” and “I’m Henry the Eighth, I Am.” 

The Animals rock group came to Otter Tail County and sang “House of the Rising Sun” and “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” The Fabulous Flippers sang “Harlem Shuffle” and “I Don’t Want to Cry.”

Two of the trailblazers in pop music came to the Leaf Lake Ballroom north of Henning in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They were Jerry Lee Lewis and Eddie Cochran.

Lewis, a Louisiana native, was a pioneer of rock ‘n roll. He was best known for his piano playing and for his hit songs, “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” Cochran, from Albert Lea, Minnesota, was best known for his hit tune, “Summertime Blues.” He played the guitar, piano, bass and drums.

Sadly, Cochran died in a traffic accident on April 17, 1960, after a singing engagement in England. He was only 21 at the time of his death.

Ed Darby, who grew up in Otter Tail County and currently lives as a retiree in Colorado, remembers the days when the Leaf Lake Ballroom was among a mix of good area pavilions in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

“When summer evening rolled around, the activity moved from the beaches at areas lakes to the ballrooms. Among them were Leaf Lake, Balmoral, the Fergus Falls Armory and other venues in Otter Tail County,” Darby said. “This provided dance menus that filled our souls with passion and a promise of life outside the protective influence of our hometowns.”