The Esquires was a band that organized in Port Royal in 1965. Its members all attended Tuscarora Valley High School in Port Royal, PA. The group broke up in 1968 when most of the members had graduated from high school.
THE ESQUIRES ROCKED US IN THE '60s
by Sheila McCarthy Yorks
for JUNIATA JOTTINGS, Spring 2025
In the 1960s, rock and roll was beginning to come alive and it was so in Port Royal Borough.
Dances, called Royal Bandstand, were held by Friendship Fire Company at the Port Royal Community Building with local disc jockey Charlie Stump. In 1961, Stump was contacted by John Leidy Sr., a prominent figure in the fire company, who asked him to hold the very first Saturday rock ‘n’ roll dance at the fire hall (as everyone called it) with his own record collection and record player. In 1964, Stump’s Royal Bandstand ended.
With live rock ‘n’ roll bands becoming more in demand, Leidy Sr. began booking groups for the Saturday night dances. The Bugs (Linglestown), Donshires (Harrisburg), and the Hoods, East Coast Invasion and the Night Riders were just a few.
The seed for the rock ‘n’ roll group called The Esquires was planted in 1965 when Port Royal youth Phil Kilmer and classmate Dick Sheerer listened to a group led by Bob (Bucky) Walters, Marlin Peck and drummer Ben Milliken entertain at the local square dances. Kilmer said after watching Walters play guitar, “I couldn’t get it out of my mind.”
The two decided to take guitar lessons. Kilmer’s mother, Madeline McCready Kilmer, Tuscarora Valley High School music teacher and band leader, was very supportive, as were the Sheerers. The boys began taking lessons at Frank’s Music Store, Lewistown, in 1965. And less than a year later they received electric guitars for Christmas and began perfecting their playing.
Kilmer and Sheerer approached another schoolmate, Jim Stimmel, a freshman who played the tuba in the high school band and wanted to play the bass fiddle. Pleading with his parents paid off when they purchased a second-hand string bass fiddle from Art Aumiller, of Port Royal, for $150 for Christmas in 1963. Stimmel was already quite proficient on it when he and Kilmer began jamming, and Stimmel joined the other two with the hopes of forming a group.
They met at Kilmer’s home to see how it would go. Kilmer was on lead guitar, Sheerer on rhythm guitar and Stimmel on bass fiddle. Although they played several songs well, they realized they couldn’t play and sing at the same time. Larry Sheerer, Dick’s older brother and a sophomore, had always dreamt about being in a group, and agreed to sing for them. At Kilmer’s they ran through “Rhythm of the Rain” and “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter,” with Larry as the lead, while they played, and things went much better.
Kilmer’s mother was there and she said, “With a little
work, you guys sound pretty good.”
Now they needed a drummer. A classmate of Larry’s, Ben Milliken, an excellent drummer in the TVHS band, was asked by Larry to join them. He agreed and they now had the beat for their full band.
Next, a name was needed. With the help of the Sheerer boys’ older sister, Nancy, they chose from a scribbled list of possible names. On that list was "The Esquires", which Nancy thought would be the best as it had more dignity to it, Larry said. And, along with an official name, they also gained the Sheerer’s neighbor and junior at school, John Leidy Jr., as their band manager.
The band - Milliken, Stimmel, Kilmer and the two Sheerers - began practicing wherever they could find a place to get together, whether it was someone’s basement or, since Leidy Sr. was in charge of the fire hall, they gained use of it as well. Soon, they all took part in several songs, but Larry remained their lead.
Their first official performance was at a TVHS assembly where they played and sang Jewel Akens' song, “The Birds and the Bees.” It went well.
The band continued practicing, and one Saturday early 1966, Leidy said, his dad received a call from another band that was to play at the hall that night and learned they had to cancel. Desperate, he asked his son if the local boys were ready.
That evening, The Esquires played at the fire hall dance and were a hit from the start. “We weren’t scared,” Stim-
mel said. They played each of their eleven songs over and over again, and everyone kept dancing.
Leidy began scheduling their gigs at firehouses, various high school dances/after prom parties, Mifflin County
churches, the McClure Playhouse, the Reedsville Youth Park, splash parties and private parties. They also entertained at the Lewistown YMCA.
“We never played at any bars,” Leidy said. The members were too young. In fact, Leidy, who said he was the “adult of the group,” did all the driving, as some of the band members weren’t yet licensed.
Leidy graduated from TVHS in 1966 and went to Shippensburg State College. The next year, there was another change to the band, as Milliken graduated and went to art school.
They needed a drummer, and borrowed Milliken’s drum set for try-outs when he wasn’t home. The only drummer to try out wasn’t up to par. Then, Kilmer saw another schoolmate, Steve Leonard. Kilmer knew Leonard had a make-shift drum set and played along with records. So Leonard played for the group, and it worked instantly.
Coming on board in 1967, the youngest of the group now, Leonard fit right in. He enjoyed being an Esquire.
The Esquires broke up in August 1968, but some of them reunited to perform at Port Royal's 200th Anniversary in September 2012.
Contributed by rkohler3 on 3/23/12 - Image Year: 1967
The Esquires with 2rd drummer, Steve Leonard. Picture was taken sometime between 9/1967 and 8/1968. (l-r) Dick Sheerer, Jim Stimmel, Steve Leonard, Larry Sheerer and Phil Kilmer.
Contributed by rkohler3 on 4/1/12 - Image Year: 2012
On March 17th 2012 the Esquires held a reunion in preparation for the upcoming 200th Port Royal celebration in which they will be playing for the first time in 44 years. (seated (l-r)) Larry Sheerer and John Leidy, (standing l-r) Dick Sheerer, Phil Kilmer, Steve Leonard, Ben Milliken and Jim Stimmel.
