A new book is coming out about a very exciting time and some very special people from Madison County that started a little garage band they called “The Exiles.”
The book is written by one of those founding members of the band, Billy Luxon. Luxon describes what started as just playing local gigs and parties, by 1968 saw “The Exiles” becoming a regular fixture on Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars and a favorite touring band in nightclubs ranging from Richmond, Ky, to New York City. The band played hundreds of other venues across the country. Center stage was Jimmy Stokley, whose magnetic personality and wild, charismatic stage persona fueled not only the music, but notoriously, also the libidos of girls in attendance.
“Exiled—the climax and surrender of Jimmy Stokley” describes the group’s climb from local garage band to professional musicians grinding out mostly one-nighters for over a decade, and finally to success and gold records at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 charts. Including the bands biggest smash hit “Kiss You All Over” that was released in 1978. The book also details the pitfalls of life on the road, where sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll wasn’t just a catchphrase—it was a lifestyle.
Exiled details the cast of characters in the band’s rise up the charts, plus Stokley’s heart-wrenching fall from the fame he desperately desired and so richly deserved. The book, a five-year project for Luxon and his daughter Landry, is scheduled to release April 15th. There is also a special book release party, sponsored by the Madison County Historical Society and the Richmond Area Arts Council, on May 11 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the RAAC. It will also reunite several past members of the Exile band who are scheduled to be there for that event. We will have more on this in the weeks to come on WBON-TV.
