(This story was originally written and recorded for Retrocast 38, released on December 3, 2025.)

I have to say it’s rare that I begin to read a story and instantly recognize someone’s name. Well, that happened to me when I came across a story that appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal on September 20, 1970.

The name Myron Grombacher instantly stood out of the page at me. I mean, how many people can there be named Myron Grombacher?

The story told of 50 male students who attended Austintown – Fitch High School in Austintown, Ohio who were refused admittance because their hair was too long. Basically, they had returned from their long summer break with their hair grown out.

The only way they could be let back into the school was to get their hair cut. In 49 of the 50 did just that, except for 17-year-old Myron. He had come up with a creative way to both keep his long hair and be allowed back into school.

Then, Myron found themselves sitting in Principal Merlin Valot’s office one day, discussing a scheduling problem.

“Is that a wig?”

To which Myron responded, “Yes, sir, it is.”

“I wasn’t sure,” replied the principal.

And with that, the questioning ended. Principal Valot later said, “Some might consider it insubordination. But I don’t. As long as he’s not distracting other students, as far as I’m concerned, he’s complying.”

Reporter Robert E. Hoyt questioned Myron about how he felt about wearing the wig.

“I hate it. But it’s better than the alternatives. And, if it makes them feel better — and apparently it does…

“It doesn’t change me — any more than long or short hair does. I’m still me.”

He was then asked why he had long hair.

“I like it that way. I think it looks better. I play drums in a group — Hard Willow — on weekends, and I’d look out a place with short hair.”

He went on, “I don’t know why adults are so hung up over long hair. To them, it seems to say: You’re dirty. A dope freak. A communist. And I’m not any of those things.

“I don’t think they should have a right to discriminate against us — against musicians — and deny us an education because of our hair.”

Myron pointed out the hypocrisy of the long hair ban: “They are nice to us when they want us — to play for a ‘gig’ or a prom. But the rest of the time it’s like we had leprosy. Well — all the high schools are throwing out musicians are going to have a tough time getting a group to play this year.

“If teachers were as well educated as they are supposed to be, they should realize that a lot of decent kids just prefer their hair long.

“Our group, for example, has played lots of benefits. On the way to one — for the kidney fund — we had an accident. We were pretty shook up. But we knew they’d be in a tough spot if we didn’t show up. We went right to the ‘gig.’

“I think I’m a pretty good citizen — even with long hair.”

As I said, I recognized the name Myron Grombacher instantly. That’s because when I was in college in the 1980s, his drumming was being played on nearly every rock and pop radio station.

Maybe I should back up a bit: after leaving high school, Myron moved on from local bands to bigger gigs.

His first big break was becoming the drummer for another Ohio native, Rick Derringer, who sadly recently passed away. Derringer’s probably best remembered for the hits Hang On Sloopy, which he first recorded with his band The McCoys, as well as his solo hit Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.

Then Myron got a request from a former member of Derringer’s band, a guitarist who had recently left the group.

That’s because the album he had just finished recording with an up-and-coming female singer had just exploded on the national charts, and Myron was asked to go on tour with them.

That man was guitarist Neil Giraldo, and the singer was none other than his future wife Pat Benatar.

Myron Grombacher became an integral part of the band and played drums on nearly all of Benatar’s hit records.

Myron can also be seen in the second video ever played on MTV, The Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star being the first. That second video was Pat Benatar’s You Better Run, an indication of just how popular she was at the time.

I’ll just add that if you were to see Myron today, his long hair is long gone. In fact, he is completely bald. I’ll jokingly state that maybe he should have kept that wig for future use.

But long hair or not, he’ll always remain on my list of favorite drummers.