As the Vietnam war took a
draft toll on the band, the group's personnel changed and
evolved over the next several years with some of the lost
members even rotating back into the band. By 1970,
a new group had emerged consisting of many of the
original band plus members of a protege group, The
Tymes, also from Dunn, who had emulated The
Cavaliers from that group's birth. Harry
named this new group The Men of
Distinction.
The Men, as they became affectionately
known, had a new, driving style of visual performance
that was on the leading edge of the entertainment culture
of the time. They adopted the powerful horn-section
style of fusion jazz-blues-rock groups like Blood,
Sweat & Tears; Chicago (Transit
Authority); Tower of Power and Earth,
Wind & Fire while holding onto their soulful
roots, The Temptations, The Four
Tops, The Impressions, The
Tams, The Dells, The
Commodores and the like. They ventured
into arenas of new sounds like those of Gino
Vanelli, Maynard Ferguson and the experimental Stevie
Wonder. No type of "music of
substance" was left untested. During the next
ten years, The Men made an impact in the
Southeast that has never been forgotten.
