It would be a shame if it never rained in Heaven. We need rain to break up the monotony and help us appreciate the sunny days. It can also be our friend when we’re feeling lonesome.

I love the rain, and I love this record. The first thing you’ll notice when you hear it is that the lead singer sounds incredibly young. That because he was only about twelve years old. His name was Dennis Chitwood of Medford, Oregon, who sang lead and played his Fender rhythm guitar. The other three kids in the band were Bill Leach on his Rickenbacker lead guitar, Frank McCaslin on bass, and Kent Klinkenbeard on drums. The oldest kid in the band, Bill, was just 14 years old. They saved up some money and, with help from their parents, drove five hours to the Rex Recording Service in Portland where four very excited young men cut this record.

They played a bunch of local gigs, including a Battle of the Bands in the parking lot of a local shopping center and an appearance on a local television show called Woman’s World. KBOY-AM 730 Radio had them in the studio for an interview to help promote this record, which went to #3 on the KBOY “Rogue Valley’s Swingin’ List” Top 25 chart on 26 August 1966, right behind Sweet Pea by Tommy Roe and Yellow Submarine by The Beatles.

Here’s I Love The Rain by Us Kids on Rex 2629/2630 from 1966:

Check out the flip side, a Garage Rocker called Check-Out:

Sadly, Dennis Chitwood passed away in 2009. He would have been only 55 years old.

I’ll dig up some more dusty 45’s to share with you, but in the meantime, check out MusicMaster Oldies. It’s especially fun on a rainy day.