GAIUS LEROY FARNHAM, 86, of College Park, Md., formerly of Memphis, retired warehouse agent for Klinke-Reed Dairy and a professional drummer, died of heart failure Saturday in Takoma Park, Md. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. today in Forest Hill Cemetery Midtown. Canale Funeral Directors has charge. He was a choir member at First Presbyterian Church. He leaves a sister, Marguerite F. Jones of College Park. The family requests that any memorials be sent to a charity of the donor's choice. (Published in The Commercial Appeal 1/6/2000)

Gaius 'Ringo' Farnham, drummer for the Country Rockers, died Jan. 1 at his sister's home in College Park, Md. He was 86. Like the more famous Ringo, Farnham, a two-time guest on The Jon Stewart Show in the early '90s, was the backbeat of his band, which included fellow Memphians guitarist Sam Baird, 79, and bassist Ron Easley, 49. The Country Rockers formed around 1986 and were noted for their special brand of roots music as well as for their considerable age; at the time, Baird was in his 60s and Farnham in his 70s. "It's like we lost a chapter of American drumming," says Easley. "He went back so far, his style of drumming was from a different era - from the '20s into the '30s he developed that style." The trio made two albums for the French label New Rose (now Last Call), 1988's "Free Range Chicken," and 1990's "Cypress Room" and had a loyal following in Europe. "Free Range Chicken" released domestically in 1992 on Telstar Records is perhaps the Country Rockers' finest hour, an unusual mix of western swing, country, rockabilly and surf music highlighted by the hillbilly bop number Arkansas Twist, a polka cover of Wipe Out and the Hawaiian lull of My Happiness, sung by Farnham. "Just like the Beatles, we'd let (Ringo) do one song a record," says Easley, who adds that My Happiness will most likely be the Country Rockers track featured on a coming 20th-anniversary New Rose boxed set. Though the band retired in 1994, when Farnham moved to Maryland, they reunited in 1996 for Sweden's version of Lollapalooza, the Lollipop Festival. It was their last show. "He played better behind me than any drummer I can remember," says Easley. "He never let me down." (By Bill Ellis, published in The Commercial Appeal 1/15/2000)

Memphis's oldest working rock drummer, the Country Rockers' Gaius 'Ringo' Farnham, 80, is retiring tonight with a farewell party at the Antenna Club, 1588 Madison. The event, from 10 p.m. to midnight, is being organized by Country Rocker bassist Ron Easley. "We're not going to play, but we're gonna show some videos and just have a little party for him, get everybody to turn out." Farnham 's sister Betty, with whom he lived, died this month and Farnham will be moving in with his older sister Marguerite, who lives in College Park, Md. Farnham and the Country Rockers have just finished a live album for a German record label, Easley said. The drummer was a favorite with audiences and even made an appearance on MTV's Jon Stewart Show. Easley said the band will continue without Farnham for European tours but probably will no longer play local dates. (By Larry Nager, published in The Commercial Appeal 3/30/1994)