Paul Revere, leader of the band the Raiders, dies

Paul Revere, the leader of the rock band the Raiders, became known as 'the madman of rock and roll.' He had a theatrical colonial wardrobe and an infectious onstage persona with the band.

Paul Revere, the organist and leader of the Raiders rock band, has died. He was 76.

Roger Hart, manager for Paul Revere and the Raiders, said he died Saturday at his home in Garden Valley, Idaho. Revere was born in Harvard, Nebraska, Hart said.

"Paul... retired recently back to Idaho, where he and his wife, Sydney, always kept a home," Hart said.

Revere, born Paul Revere Dick, became known as "the madman of rock and roll" for his theatrical colonial wardrobe and infectious onstage persona with the band.

"From Day 1, we've always been a party band that accidentally had some hit records and accidentally got on a hit television series," Revere told The Associated Press in a 2000 interview.

The group became popular in 1963 with its rendition of Richard Berry's "Louie, Louie" before releasing its own hits, such as "Kicks," ''Hungry," and "Good Thing." The band's biggest smash came in 1971 with "Indian Reservation."

Paul Revere and the Raiders served as the house band for the Dick Clark TV show "Where the Action Is" and made an appearance as themselves in the "Batman" TV series starring Adam West.

While the band's line-up changed over the past 50 years, Revere remained a constant presence with the group and he continued touring until earlier this year.

Michael Hann of the Guardian remembered the band’s past and praised their singles.

“The Raiders were able to conquer America in 1965 and 1966, when they racked up hit after hit (this one reached No 6), because they were made for TV,” he wrote. “Taking advantage of Revere’s name – his real name, incredibly – the group styled themselves in some version of American revolutionary garb, though possibly one George Washington wouldn’t have recognised... All the TV appearances would have meant nothing, though, if the Raiders weren’t making great single after great single: the fact that they were one of the most consistent singles acts of the mid-60s is sometimes obscured by the tricorn hats.”