Ernest Lane is a pioneer in early Rock-n-Roll. He has played with many legendary musicians and currently is using the Ike Turner Band as his own for various gigs around the world.

He was a member of Sam & The Goodtimers, whom were the "ghost" band playing for The Monkees. 

The Beginning

For starters, just who were Sam & The Goodtimers? Let me introduce them by name!

• Bass/Lead Vocals-- Sam Rhodes
• Lead Guitar-- Willie "Jitterbug" Webb
• Trumpet-- McKinley "Mack" Johnson
• Saxophone-- Clifford Solomon
• Drums-- Thomas "Nose" Norwood
• Piano-- Ernest Lane
• Bass-- Tony De La Verada

Just how did this odd combination of rhythm and bubblegum come about? Well, it all started in early 1969, where Micky Dolenz happened upon the "Soul'd Out" club in Hollywood. It was there that Sam & the Goodtimers were playing, and Micky dug the music so much, he apparently gave Davy Jones and Mike Nesmith the impression that Sam & The Goodtimers were the Almighty himself!. According to Sam Rhodes, the Monkees went to check out the band at the "Soul'd Out", and Micky and Davy approached him and asked if his band would like to play with them on their upcoming North American tour. "I asked the guys, and they thought it was a great idea," explained Sam. Thus, the tour went underway starting in March, 1969, the first stop being in Vancouver.

The Tour

Originally, the tour was to span a period of one year, running from March 1969 to March 1970. Sam felt the tour's purpose was very simple: "They wanted to see how strong their audience was."

Unfortunately, dates started to be cancelled from the beginning, including the Monkees only would-be appearance in New York City. While no reason was ever officially given for the cancellations, it is logical to conclude that poor ticket sales were the culprit. When asked how these cancellations affected the Monkees, Sam replied "We got the feeling that it didn't bother them that much because there was a lot of infighting." This fighting mainly stemmed from Mike Nesmith's wanting to come off the road....something Davy and Micky sternly refused to do.

On the other hand, there were many unexpected dates, as Sam pointed out to me. For example, many people have seen the pictures of the Monkees playing in Guadalajara (Sam is the one in the sombrero!). This was an odd Sunday afternoon show. After seven nights playing Mexico City, the promoter came up to the guys and asked them if they would be willing to do a show at 2:00 the next day...in a bull ring! "No one was there," remembers Sam. "It was in the afternoon on a Sunday, when most Mexicans are sleeping." That is not to say that the other dates in Mexico were attended poorly..."It was packed every day." Another unexpected stop along the way was New York City. The Monkees told Sam & the Goodtimers that they would be doing the Tonight Show (which apparently was a last-second decision). Sam said the band originally thought that only the Monkees would be going...he was shocked to learn that he and his band would get to meet Johnny Carson, too!

The Music

The lineup of songs per concert generally would be based on how long the show was allowed to run at the various venues (or how late the show started, at times!). Shorter sets would feature these songs:
I'm A Believer, Pleasant Valley Sunday, Tapioca Tundra, I Wanna Be Free, Show Me (Micky & Davy), A Man Without A Dream, Daydream Believer, Goin' Down, Someday Man, Listen To The Band, Don't Wait For Me, Unknown Micky solo, For Once in My Life (Davy), Johnny B. Goode (Mike)

As for the music, anybody involved would say the same thing...FAR OUT! "It was great, I couldn't believe it!" said Sam. "When we did the shows, Mike Nesmith would be there with his guitar, and he was beside himself!" While Mike was the only Monkee to play an instrument the entire show, Micky actually did sit behind the drum kit for his solo spot every night. As for the Monkees musical abilities, Sam was impressed, especially with Mike: "Mike's guitar was very soulful and very funky. Nesmith was the glue that held them together musically." Even thirty years later, Sam found time to take in a Monkees concert and still points out that "the band really sounded good. Peter Tork is very good on the guitar."
When asked how he best remembers his experience with The Monkees, Sam explained "I think if we had completed that tour, it would have been one of the greatest things that came out musically at that time...it was a great cultural mix. It really was clicking. The show was dynamite. We blended with them so well!"

TV Appearances
The Monkees made the following appearances with Sam & The Goodtimers:

• June 16, 1969 -- "Tonight Show"
  (appearance to plug "Monkees Greatest Hits" released two days prior)
• June, 1969 -- "Joey Bishop Show"
• December 22, 1969 -- "Music Scene"
  (Davy-only appearance)

Sadly, I have been informed that the tapes for all 1969-era "Tonight Show" episodes have been destroyed.....thus, only unprofessionally recorded audio exists. Davy's appearance on "Music Scene has recently been released on VHS and DVD. It is assumed the "Joey Bishop Show" appearance exists on video, though I have only come across unprofessionally recorded audio.

Concert Audio

Sam Rhodes has informed me that indeed there WAS a concert recorded professionally, although NOT by Colgems Records for commercial release. It was in fact The Monkees who financed the project, so as to capture the magical sound forever (especially as the tour was collapsing rapidly). Sam notes the concert was held in Hollywood at the "Soul'd Out" club (where the Monkees met the Goodtimers) sometime in August 1969. Apparently, numerous copies were made for the band members, yet most now remain missing either through theft or misplacement. However, Micky Dolenz's mother did have a copy, so Micky may now be one of the few people that had this audio (Davy has told us that he cannot find his copy, and would love to replace it...as Mike did not finance the project, he may not have been given a copy). Other than that, the only concert audio circulating is the August 29, 1969 show at the Colorado State Fair. this tape is of HORRENDOUS quality, and is strictly to be had for historical purposes.

Aftermath

The last date Sam & The Goodtimers played with The Monkees was October 17, 1969 in Raleigh, North Carolina. While the Monkees did play another date late in November, Sam & The Goodtimers were not in tow. They did remain together for a couple more years, though, and it was in 1972 that they decided to part ways. Since then, a few of the members went on to play for many R&B greats as session musicians. Both Clifford Solomon and Mack Johnson have been highly regarded for their horn playing abilities, while Willie Webb has sat in on dozens of albums on guitar.