Monroe resident John Vass is a talented musician who, along with other Monroe-area and Downriver musicians, popularized ’70s country/rock music that was often compared to the Eagles and Poco.
According to the Radio Vickers website, Vass and fellow band member Tom Treece were members of the appropriately named local group Custer’s Last Band Manning. Vass, who played both guitar and drums as well as carrying out vocal duties, worked with Treece, who focused primarily on vocals and rhythm guitar.
It was through the efforts of Allen Park-based high school friends Don Perrish and Ken Lush that what eventually became the band Brussel Sprout was launched. Perrish served as the lead guitar and performed vocals, and Lush brought his piano and flute skills to the group, that also included Jeff Benjamin on bass and Denny Moses. Moses was versed in multiple instruments, including the fiddle, congas and drums. The group began to meld and start recording home demos on a farm near Monroe; hence the group’s farm-based name (they briefly performed as The Amazing Vibrasonics prior to laying down their initial demo tracks).