Club Sticks With a Tradition for New Year’s : Jimmy Dale and Desperados will play at Ban-Dar in Ventura, where they’ve been delighting fans for 16 years.

New Year’s Eve is the biggest night of the year for most night clubs. But Ban-Dar, Ventura County’s original honky-tonk, isn’t scheduling a special band or entertainment for the holiday, unlike other country-music venues. Instead it will stick to its winning formula, Jimmy Dale and the Desperados.

“I’ve had two jobs in my life--22 years in the Navy and 16 years here at the Ban-Dar,” said Dale, a 54-year-old former member of an elite Navy SEAL unit.

The Mississippian came aboard the Ban-Dar when Jimmy Carter was president. That’s a longer run than most marriages. And in a business where musicians dream of a sit-down gig, Dale has what one friend called “a lay-down gig.” But he never takes it for granted. And he never gets stale.

He says that if you work for Ban-Dar co-owner Johnny Mosby you do your homework. “And if I’m doing the best I can, I also expect my players to,” he said.

Dale runs a tight ship--just ask the five drummers he went through in one week.

“We give him new people to stay fresh,” said club co-owner Jonie Mosby Mitchell. “And Jimmy knows what he’s doing. Johnny (Mosby) is the one that taught him how to read and handle a crowd--knowing the right things to say, the right things to play to keep them.”

In addition to Dale (vocals, rhythm guitar), the current Desperados lineup includes Danny Herrera (lead guitar, fiddle), Ray Lawrence Jr. (bass guitar), Michael Vincent (keyboard) and Michael Dimarra (drums).

And despite the absence of formal rehearsals, they learn current material each week. “Usually on Wednesdays when it’s slower, we’ll work up new songs,” Lawrence said. “The first go-round might be rough. But we’ll play it four times that night to get it right.”

The Desperados might be the last of a breed--a house band playing live music every night. “Now most places are using deejays because it’s less expensive,” said Mosby Mitchell. “But the Ban-Dar is nostalgic.”

During the past 32 years, this landmark club has produced many of the area’s dance instructors and two generations of clients that have ranged from military personnel to oil-field workers. The Ban-Dar crowd is younger these days. And they come mainly for the old-fashioned couples dancing--something so old it’s new.

“We’ve had two-step lessons for 20 years--ever since the Twist died,” Johnny Mosby said. Ten years ago, the Ban-Dar was the first club to offer line-dance lessons. That was before it became a fad. “But you won’t see much synchronized partner dancing in here,” Mosby said. “And the men don’t really line dance. They’re like me--if I’m gonna dance, I ain’t gonna waste my time dancing by myself.”

Line dancers don’t rule the floor at the Ban-Dar, and Jimmy Dale neither counts them down nor puts them down. “Line dancing has its place in the ‘90s,” he said. “It’s good so people don’t spend the night sitting by themselves. And where else can you go to be social, exercise and drink beer?”

One secret of Dale’s success is his ability to control the flow of the evening. He prides himself on his collection of three-ring notebooks that allow him to play most requests, including a few line-dance numbers each set. “I mix it up--two-step, waltz, jitterbug--or otherwise people who want to dance together are out the door.”

Details

* WHAT: New Year’s Eve Party.

* WHO: Johnny and Jonie Mosby host Jimmy Dale and the Desperados.

* WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday.

* WHERE: Ban-Dar Nite Club, 3005 E. Main St., Ventura.

* HOW MUCH: Cover charge per person $10 in advance, $15 at the door, includes party favors; in addition, three-course New Year’s Eve dinner available 7-10 p.m., $12.50 in advance, $15 without reservation; $2 midnight buffet breakfast.

* CALL: 653-9176 or 643-4420.

* ETC: Dance lessons will resume after the first of the year, 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays.