From 1964 to 1967, the top teen band in North Texas was a five piece combo … Read Full Bio ↴From 1964 to 1967, the top teen band in North Texas was a five piece combo called Kenny and the Kasuals. To earn the distinction of being number one was no easy task in those days as the competition was fierce. The hot R&B band The Nightcaps were still rockin' the city in the mid-sixties and younger rock bands were also filling local clubs and dances. Jimmie Vaughan was leading The Chessmen while his younger brother Stevie Ray was just starting to be noticed in a band called The Cast of Thousands. With competition from The Novas, The Briks, The Sensations, The Chaparrals, The Outcasts, The Five Americans and so many other talented groups in town, it meant that the choices when booking a band were huge. But the top choice was always Kenny and the Kasuals. They were the kings of the proms, frat parties and dances, drawing full houses and demanding top dollar.

The first LP for Kenny and The Kasuals was The Impact Sound of Kenny and the Kasuals Recorded Live at The Studio Club. This mouthful of a title was rarely used, and almost everyone referred to the album simply as "Impact." Only 500 albums were pressed, with the band thinking that it might be difficult to sell even that many. It wasn't. The album sold out (except for a few dozen copies which were warped beyond salvation in the heat while in drummer David "Bird" Blachley's car one summer day).

"Impact" has been cited by Rolling Stone as one of the most collectible American albums ever, and original copies still sell for over $400. The LP was reissued on vinyl in the seventies and is now available on CD.

After a couple of additional single record releases, in 1966 they hit on the song that would be picked up for national release. It was called "Journey To Tyme" and has been labeled as the very first "psychedelic style" recording.

Local airplay and positive sales caught the attention of the successful national record label United Artists, which negotiated with Mark Lee for the American rights. The song received good radio station play around the country, making the top ten in its hometown and reaching number one in Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Kenny has stated that the band's unwillingness to sign exclusively with United Artists kept the song from breaking into the national hit charts. Nevertheless, the song and the band were doing very well and it seemed like a good time for going "big time," and that meant a move to New York.

"In New York, we played The Rolling Stone Club after The Young Rascals and stayed in a hotel in Greenwich Village," Kenny remembers. "The New York bands we saw were terrific - Jimi Hendrix at the Nite Owl, The Seeds and The Lovin' Spoonful. We were asked to open for The Beatles at Shea Stadium. It was a great adventure."

After returning from a successful month in the Big Apple, Kenny and the Kasuals went back to their lucrative frat-party and nightclub circuit, becoming the most popular live band in Texas.

Record collectors rediscovered the "Impact" album in the early seventies, and eventually all of Kenny and The Kasuals recordings were re-released.

The band has been featured in write-ups in Rolling Stone (which called them one of the only true sixties bands left in the world), Texas Monthly, D Magazine, Creem, Bomp and Goldmine Magazines and have been featured on television news and variety shows.

Kenny and the Kasuals still perform, regularly featuring three of the original members (and on certain fun occasions, the entire original band). Two other top-quality musicians round out the current line-up. The music they play is still a high-energy mix of the hits and album dance songs that filled the dance floors in the sixties.

I'm Gonna Make It
Kenny & The Kasuals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Waitin' for the night to fade
Here on a foreign shore
And all I've done is run away
Like too many nights before

Its taken far too long
To make my world my own
I'm gonna try

'Cause this time round
I've made my mind up

[Chorus]
If I think about leavin'
I'm gonna do it right, alright
'N if I'm thinkon' about holdin' on
I'm gonna do it right

Never been known to lie to me
Ain't gonna start in now
I've never been one for hide and seek
So what's all this endless doubt about

I know just what I'll do
I've got to make my move
'N I'll be fine
'Cause this time round
I've made my mind up

[Chorus]

Don't matter what you do
Just get to doin'
It'll come to you

No more maybe
No more baby
No more "save me"

And if I want to live my life
I gotta get it up to do it right
And if I want to feel alright
Gotta shed a little light on me tonight

Oh, hold on, hold on

[Chorus: x2]

Overall Meaning

The song "I'm Gonna Make It" by Kenny & The Kasuals is about the act of making a decision and following through with it. The opening lines "Waitin' for the night to fade / Here on a foreign shore" evoke a sense of uncertainty and doubt. The singer of the song has been running away from making a meaningful choice for far too long and is now ready to take control of their life. They state, "Its taken far too long / To make my world my own," suggesting that they have been living their life on someone else's terms. The line "Never been known to lie to me / Ain't gonna start in now" shows a resolve to be honest and true to oneself.

The chorus is a statement of one's commitment to follow through with their decision-making. The line "If I think about leavin' / I'm gonna do it right, alright" talks about the importance of doing things with conviction and putting in the necessary effort to see them through. The repetition of "Do it right" emphasizes the need to be thorough and steadfast in carrying out one's plans. The line "No more maybe / No more baby / No more 'save me'" reinforces the idea of taking charge of one's destiny and not relying on others to rescue them.

The song ends with a reaffirmation of the need to take action and live life to the fullest. The lines "And if I want to live my life / I gotta get it up to do it right / And if I want to feel alright / Gotta shed a little light on me tonight" encourage the listener to take responsibility for their life and not let fear or doubt hold them back.

Line by Line Meaning

Waitin' for the night to fade
I am eagerly waiting for the night to end, so I can start a new day.

Here on a foreign shore
I am in an unknown place, far from my familiar surroundings.

And all I've done is run away Like too many nights before
I have a habit of running away from my problems, and I have done it many times before.

Its taken far too long To make my world my own I'm gonna try 'Cause this time round I've made my mind up
It has taken me a while to create the life I want, but I am determined to try harder and do better this time.

If I think about leavin' I'm gonna do it right, alright 'N if I'm thinkon' about holdin' on I'm gonna do it right
Whatever I decide to do, whether to stay or go, I will do it the right way and with conviction.

Never been known to lie to me Ain't gonna start in now I've never been one for hide and seek So what's all this endless doubt about
I have always been truthful to myself, and I am not going to start lying now. I am not one to hide from challenges, so what is the point of doubting myself endlessly?

I know just what I'll do I've got to make my move 'N I'll be fine 'Cause this time round I've made my mind up
I have a plan, and I am going to execute it to the best of my ability. I believe I will be successful because I have made up my mind already.

Don't matter what you do Just get to doin' It'll come to you
It does not matter what you do as long as you start doing something. Success will come eventually.

No more maybe No more baby No more "save me"
I am done with being unsure and indecisive. I am done with being needy and asking for help all the time.

And if I want to live my life I gotta get it up to do it right And if I want to feel alright Gotta shed a little light on me tonight
If I want to live my life to the fullest, I need to put in the effort to make it happen. And if I want to be happy, I need to be positive and optimistic.

Oh, hold on, hold on
I just need to hold on and not give up.

[Chorus: x2]
I am going to do things the right way, no matter what, because I have made up my mind.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KENNETH CLARK LOGGINS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

michelst14

i just realized I loved this song since I have heard it some twenty years ago , when listening to Jonathan's Experiences version ... it never fall into mainstream ears,
otrherwise it would have been a worldwde number one ...... and yes "Journey to tyme" is great too ...