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By Tosha Osborne

For the Sun

Hot tunes and cool cars dazzled a crowd of well over 100 attendees on Main Street Winchester this past Friday during  Rock the Block.

The Clark County Courthouse steps sprung to life as the Dooley Gang began to perform for many sitting in folding chairs on the street.

The band plays a wide range of sets drawing from rock, country blues, and R&B influences.

Classics from Bruce Springsteen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Van Morrison, paired with newer sets from artists like Tyler Childers, were also heard by attendees admiring vehicles at the car show just feet away.

The Dooley Gang consists of Pam Perry on mandolin, Curt Chapman on mass, Art Cohenour on drums, Mike Howard on guitar and Steve Dooley on guitar and vocals.

They have performed in various other local venues from counties including Richmond, Lawrenceburg, Georgetown and Lexington.

Many of the members have a rich history in the music industry.

Perry was an entertainment director at Renfro Valley; she also signed to Capitol Records with Wild Rose in the 1990s.

Chapman was a former touring/recording member of the J.D. Crowe band.

Howard was one of the original members of American country rock band, Exile, from 1963 to 1969.

When asked what he likes most about small venues like Rock the Block, he said he’s just a ham at heart.

“I just enjoy playing, and I’m 74,” Howard said. “I’m gonna do it till I can’t do it anymore.”

How the group found each other was almost serendipitous.

Dooley was playing an acoustic show at a bar and grill in Richmond called Vintage 18.

“I looked up, and there sat Mike,” Dooley said. “And I had heard about him all my life because he’s one of the original Exiles, and I got him up there to play with me. And his wife said he never plays with nobody.”

The next week Chapman was there, and the week after that, Perry showed up.

“And then, before I knew it, they said we’ll play behind you,” Dooley said. “And I thought, ‘Holy Crap’, because that’s two Grammy-nominated players from the Exiles. I thought, ‘That ain’t too bad.’”

He had already been playing in another band with Cohenour at the time they formed the Dooley Gang.

“I was very blessed to be able to play with these guys because they are pros,” Dooley said.

After the last chord had been struck, one of the attendees, Paul Bradley approached Dooley to let him know that it was one of the best shows he had seen in a long time.

“Not a dud in the bunch,” Bradley complimented. “You put some soul in that stuff!”

The Dooley Gang’s next performance will be this Thursday, July 20, at Madison Garden Bar and Grill in Richmond.

Friday night’s Rock the Block was the third show in a four-part concert series, which will be wrapped up by The Tim Talbert Project on Friday, August 11 at 7 p.m.