03:00 PM PDT on Thursday, June 9, 2005

By JIM DEVER / Evening Magazine

As the birthplace of Jimi Hendrix, "Louie Louie" and Grunge, the Northwest has already assured its place in rock-and-roll history, but not this area is getting a new reputation among the rock and rolling community as a place to retire.

Paul Revere and the Raiders then...

They scored chart-topping hits and rode huge waves of success. They survived the pitfalls of rock-and-roll excess to take a swing at something new - they've moved from the hard rockin' stage to softer, quieter digs in the Pacific Northwest where they wonder if the phone will ever ring again. They are the Northwest's retired rockers.

Seattle-native Jim Valley had already scored some local hits as the beret-wearing leader of the Viceroys when he got tapped to wear something even more revolutionary as a member of Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Jim Valley still enjoys doing things with kids.

When Jim joined the band in 1966, Paul Revere and the Raiders already had a hit TV show and pages devoted to them in teeny-bopper magazines. Jim got the Raider nickname "Harpo." But when he couldn't get the Raiders to record his songs, Harpo left the band.

He is still relating to rock's youngest fans by making children's records. He performs at schools all over the country.

One of his favorite acts is to take a child's poem and put it to music.

Goldy McJohn

In 1968, Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild" signaled a shift in the counterculture - from flower power to something wilder. But the wildest thing about Steppenwolf was probably the hair on the keyboardist Goldy McJohn's head.

Steppenwolf sealed its outlaw biker image on the soundtrack to Dennis Hopper's underground classic "Easy Rider," but as Steppenwolf found fame, Goldy found drugs.

Goldy McJohn gets a different high now.

Now, Goldy McJohn has found a new addiction - golf.

Back in the early 19802, Tommy Tutone scored gold with a catchy tune that had the whole nation singing Jenny'' phone number - 867-5309.

There really was a Jenny and that really was her number. Trouble was, it wasn't just Jenny's number.

Tommy Heath of Tommy Tutone

"We had people threatening to sue us. It was the Chief of Police in Buffalo's daughter's number in New York," said Tommy Heath.

Tommy Tutone responded to their massive success by recording a concept album "National Emotion."

Today, Tommy is a computer analyst in Portland, Oregon, but the gap-toothed troubadour is still writing songs and recording.

Tommy Heath, now into computers

There are a lot more rockers retiring in the Northwest than you might imagine. For instance, Steve Miller had a place in the San Juan Islands and Denny Greene from Shanana is a law professor at Oregon State University.