Marc Krueger: vocals, rhythm guitar

Jill (Dunton) Waldron: vocals, rhythm/slide guitar

Nel (Dunton) Krueger: vocals, bass guitar

Rick Waldron: vocals, lead/slide guitar, keyboards, harmonica, and melodica

Braydn Krueger: vocals, percussion

"Utopian Monk Revival"

The year was 1966. I was in the basement with a couple of buddies, trying to put our talents together to play a couple of songs without much success. Then it happened! This cool dude moved to town, Rick Waldron. Man, could he sing! In addition, he played bass, guitar, piano and trombone. Of course, I invited him over, and with a couple of songs, "The House of the Rising Sun" and "I Can't GetNo Satisfaction," a band was born.
Since it was the 1960s, we had to come up with a band name that was cool and had a deep meaning. "The Grateful Dead" was already taken, so we turned to Bob Dylan. While listening to a song called "The Gates of Eden," we heard a line about “utopian hermit monks riding sidesaddle on a golden calf.” That was about as cool and deep as anything we had ever heard, so the band became "Utopian Monk".
While attending a high school talent show, Rick and I heard one of our classmates, Jill Dunton, playing guitar and singing with a couple of her sisters, Nel and Jen (the original "Dunton Sisters"). It sounded great! We asked Jill if she would like to be a Utopian Monk, and she accepted. To not let two perfectly good sisters go to waste, I married Nel, who has been my wife for 52 years. We spent the next five years playing at high school dances, parties, and other events. We played some club gigs after high school, but by the early seventies, people had headed off in different directions. The band never really broke up; we have always remained friends, but we just went on a 54-year hiatus.

As the wheel goes around, Rick and Jill (now husband and wife) found their way back to town after retirement. It just seemed natural that Rick and I would get together and play a few tunes. My son Braydn (a touring musician and recording artist) stopped by and sat in on the drums, and things quickly jumped up a step. Jill came in to add her excellent rhythm and slide guitar, as well as her pristine harmonies. All we needed was a bass player. My wife, Nel (keyboardist and harpist), picked up the bass and ran with it, and the Utopian Monks were reborn.

My name is Marc Krueger, and I just try to keep up. We play a wide variety of tunes for both listening and dancing, but our basic style is raw country and Texas roots music, played in the tradition of the great Texas storytellers.

I am very proud to present: "Utopian Monk Revival"

Utopian Monk (1968)

Marc Krueger: vocals, guitar
Jill Dunton: vocals, flute
Rick Waldron: vocals, bass guitar
Ken Crawford: vocals, guitar
Jim Weaver: vocals, organ
Ralph Krebs: drums