Who Are The Exiles?

The Exiles are not your dad’s classic rock and roll band. In the ninth grade at J. L. Long Junior High in East Dallas, Texas, Mike Ellis, who was learning the guitar from his older brother Jimmy, heard about Jimmy (we call him "Jammie") Barnett, who was a local legend on the drums at the age of 14. Mike also knew Blake Miles, who loved to play “boogie woogie” on the piano. Mike asked Jimmy and Blake to get together and play some songs over at Jimmy’s house. Jay Ballou, a classmate of Mike’s since first grade at Stonewall Jackson, was at Jimmy’s that first “jam session.” Jay had no musical experience, but got hooked and asked the guys if he could be the bass player – and with no other options, they said yes. Jay convinced his dad to take him to McCord’s Music and buy a used bass guitar, and then bought his first amplifier from Mariano Martinez, future restaurant pioneer. Mike’s friend Chris Pappas, with whom Mike had played previously, later joined the group, and The Exiles were formed. For about 2 years The Exiles played local parties and venues around Lakewood and East Dallas, specializing in music from the “British Invasion” – The Beatles, Dave Clark Five, Rolling Stones, Kinks, etc. For reasons none of the band can remember, The Exiles parted and the guys went their separate ways – Mike and Chris formed "Inner Sanctum", Blake and Jimmy left the “band scene”, and Jay played in local groups “Manchester Lime” and “The Rafters” for a couple of years.

Fast forward a mere THIRTY FIVE (35) years to the class reunion for the Woodrow Wilson H.S. Class of 1967’s 35th class reunion in 2002. The reunion committee asked The Exiles if they would consider playing for the reunion – the band said yes, played the Friday night party at Matt’s in Lakewood and had a blast. The Exiles continued to jam for a couple of years but did not pursue other venues. Then, the 40th reunion came around, the band wanted another dimension to its music and asked Keith Barnett to join and play harmonica and percussion, and the band played the Friday night party at The Backyard. Since the last concert, Chris Pappas tragically passed away, and Steve Bones has replaced him on guitar and vocals. We loved Chris and miss him. Steve has brought a new sound and energy to the group as the "baby" of the group (he graduated from Woodrow a year after the rest of the boys). The band’s focus is on the music of the late 1960’s and early 1970's – classic rock and roll – and enjoying each other while we play music we love. We enjoy playing reunion gigs and venues where people enjoy classic rock and roll...

A partial song list: