Farland to be inducted into Iowa Rock Hall of Fame

Dennis Farland has spent much of his time in recent decades making sure musicians get the recognition and exposure they deserve.

On Labor Day weekend, Farland and 25 other inductees are scheduled to be honored as the 2016 induction class of the Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Music Association Hall of Fame in Arnolds Park. Farland has played percussion with the 8-Track Band and helped in many other ways in helping arrange fundraisers, concerts and other events that help celebrate Iowa’s rich music history.

Farland, a lifetime resident of Newton, won’t be the first person with a Jasper County connection to be included in one of the IRRMA Hall of Fame’s 20 induction classes. The 1970s band “Jonesin’” and the 1960s Grinnell group The Mojos (which played many early gigs in Newton) are both in the hall.

“I was talking to one of the directors about getting this honor, and saying ‘But I help other people get into the hall,’” Farland said. “And I was told ‘Yeah, I know. That’s why we’re putting you in now.’”

Farland, 71, said his work on percussion with the 8-Track Band, a large collection of Newton-area musicians that was active for decades, was just one of the many ways he stayed involved in rock music on a regional basis. His recent efforts include scholarship efforts with IRRMA and helping bring a Veterans Day music event to Marshalltown last November.

Like many Iowans who were teenagers in the 1950s, Farland was entranced by the barnstorming tours of well-known musicians who hit the dance halls and other small venues in the Midwest. He remembers “The Day the Music Died” as a firsthand experience, shocked to find out about the Clear Lake plane-crash deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson and a native Iowan pilot among crying classmates at school.

His contributions to the Iowa rock music scene are not necessarily tangible in the sense that his name is listed on album credits; these aren’t the kinds of contributions that would show up on an Internet search or in sound or video samples. He has been much more of a behind-the-scenes guy.

Farland, a charter member of IRRMA when it was formed in the mid-1990s, has been involved with many oldies-rock shows and tours through the years. He helped organize the Winter Dance 40th Anniversary Tour, playing in the same cities as the ill-fated 1959 tour.

He said charity work is as important as passing down knowledge about musicians like Holly and Valens. Promoting charity events and concerts gives Farland a chance to focus his energy.

“I don’t really have a lot of music skills, and it takes a lot for me to focus on things,” Farland said. “If that Ritalin stuff would have been around when I was young, I would have been given a double dose. Now, I try to sharpen my organizing skills and conducting skills.”

Farland will receive a lifetime achievement honor for Iowa’s Central Region. He will be joined by fellow regional lifetime-achievement honorees Mark Vos of the Central Region, Joe Cuttell or the Northwest Region and John Scherle of the Southwest Region.

Former Newton resident Ron Wickman will be a part of the Hall of Fame induction weekend as well. The bass player is a member of the Street Band, a northwest Iowa group that is one of nine bands in this year’s class.

There are also four solo artists, one deejay, one “border band” (from a surrounding state) and two ballrooms in the hall’s class of 2016.

Farland said the support of his wife, Pat, and many others around the state has kept him involved with preserving history.

“I miss out on some things about enjoying a show because I’m backstage,” Farland said. “But it takes a lot of volunteer work to make shows happen, and preserving the history of the music is important.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com