The Jesters formed in Mankato, MN in 1963.  The four founding members were Tom Klugherz, Gus Dewey, Bruce Waterston, and Dale Menten.  All four lads had previously played in local bands.  Menten in the Dischords plus the Diamonds while the other three had been members of the Mark V's.  But the four of them performing together really clicked and they quickly became a  very good band.  The Jesters like playing Beatle's music along with some Menten originals.  It was evident Dale had a gift for writing music and when he teamed up with Dewey on vocals people took notice. 

That summer the band played at a lot of southern Minnesota dances and events.  Menten composed a song titled "Run, Run, Run" that they always performed.  Jim Madison became their manager, helping further along their career.  He arranged a recording session at Kay Bank Recording Stufio in the Twin Cities where Menten's song plus three other tunes were recorded.  Popular KDWB DJ Lou Riegert became a big fan of the band and proved to be influential in their future success.  Soon after their initial recording they were signed by Soma Records and "Run, Run, Run" / "It seems to Me" was recorded as a single.  Right before it was released they discovered there was another Jesters group with a record out so they quickly changed there name to the Gestures.

"Run, Run, Run" soon became a national hit in 1964, reaching #1 in many local cities across the country and #44 on the national charts.  It was also played on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand".  This presented a tremendous opportunity for the group and they were soon performing all over the country.  Had Soma done a better job distributing records, who knows how big their record would have been.  More recordings on Soma followed but none of the followups enjoyed the success of their fist hit.

By 1966 Dale Menten had left the Gestures and was living in the Twin Cities.  He continued to write songs and was a member of several groups, including The Only Ones, Best Things, Madhatters, Escapades, Seraphic Street Sounds, and Blackwood Apology.  He has written countless songs, including the album "House of Leather", which appeared as a theatrical production.  Both Dale Menten and the Gestures have been honored by numerous organizations and hall of fame's around the Midwest.  They left their mark as one of the most successful and talented groups of the sixties

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