The Gentrys are an American rock band from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1963. Originally made up of young high-school musicians, the group achieved national fame in 1965 with its biggest hit, "Keep on Dancing", a dynamic cover of a song by the Avantis. The single, released by MGM Records, climbed to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for thirteen weeks. With its youthful energy and danceable garage-pop style, the song became emblematic of the American teenage rock sound of the 1960s. The band followed up with other songs such as "Spread It on Thick" (#50), Arthur Alexander's "Every Day I Have to Cry" (#77), "Why Should I Cry" (#61), then during its country-rock turn "Cinnamon Girl" (a Neil Young cover, ranked #52) and finally Cat Stevens' folk-pop "Wild World" (#97), without ever regaining the same level of commercial success. The original line-up included Larry Raspberry (vocals, guitar), Jimmy Hart (vocals), Bruce Bowles (vocals, keyboards), Jimmy Johnson (keyboards, trumpet), Pat Neal (bass), Bobby Fisher (saxophone, trumpet) and Larry Wall (drums). After several changes of musicians and the end of the original group in 1966, Larry Raspberry revived The Gentrys with new members, orienting the sound towards Southern rock and pop rock between 1969 and 1972. At the same time, Jimmy Hart pursued an unusual career in professional wrestling, becoming manager and composer of theme music for the WWF and WCW.
