Michael Stevens IV

Who are these guys?

During 1967 and '68, The Michael Stevens IV is the house band at The Embassy Room in The Club Seville in the Sheraton Crest Inn overlooking Austin's Town Lake (now known as Lady Bird Lake), but oddly the band also appears at The Club Seville as The Kings IV. Which name the band uses seems to depend on who's playing bass. When it's Mark Chaney, the band appears to be The Michael Stevens IV; when John McIver is on bass, the band appears to be The Kings IV.

As The Michael Stevens IV, the band backs touring acts appearing at The Club Seville, including Stanton & Peddie, Grady Wilson, Cathy Carter, Patty James, and Sylvia Price. And the band provides able backing for Sonobeat's recordings of solo artists Don Dean, Fran Nelson, and Bach-Yen but never records under its own name. It's no coincidence that the combo backs Don and Bach-Yen, since Don manages The Club Seville and Bach-Yen, who performs on multiple occasions at The Club Seville, is introduced to Sonobeat by Don. So, in a way, The Michael Stevens IV is Sonobeat's "house band", too. The band features Phoenix, Arizona-native Michael Stevens (attending The University of Texas for a doctorate in music) on piano, vibes, and trumpet, Mark Chaney on bass violin, Waco, Texas-native Billy West (a government major at The University of Texas) on drums, and Waco-native Ike Ramirez (a Baylor University business major) on trumpet.

Originally formed by Baylor University students (yes, they regularly trek 200 miles round trip from Waco to Austin to perform) and led by pianist Michael Hanson until 1967, when he passes the ivories to Michael Stevens, The Michael Stevens IV a/k/a The Kings IV is not just The Club Seville's house band. As The Club Seville management changes in 1968, the band moves on to regular gigs at The Loser's Club, The Chart Room, The Torch, and Dominque's, all in downtown Austin, and even makes occasional trips to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to perform at the Sheraton Western Skies, most often under the name The Kings IV. The quartet performs on August 11, 1967, at the sixth annual Austin Aqua Festival; the performance precedes the Rio Noche Night Lighted Water Parade on Town Lake, ironically enough, in the shadow of the Sheraton Crest Inn.