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I'm afraid my musical history begins like so many others. 

I saw and heard The Beatles.

The impact was evident on my brothers, and friends at school as well. But I seem to be the only one that sought out guitars. Toy and handmade guitars, or whatever I could find.

Also at this time, there were other influences. Radio stations from Cincinnati and Chicago, and my big brother's record collection. During the day, Cincinnati stations came in clear, and in the evening my transistor radio picked up Chicago quite nicely, while under my pillow, in the window by my bed.

My mother decided that we should play in the school band, and brought home a saxophone and clarinet. I very quickly yelled out, "Saxophone", when she asked who wanted to play what. The sax playing lasted for 5 years, but I guarantee you that I spent more time playing a broom in front of a mirror . . .

When it became evident that the sax was spending more time in it's case than perhaps it should, it was sold, and a Gibson EBO bass and Thor amplifier were purchased with the proceeds. A senior friend in high school taught me how to play 'Sunshine Of Your Love', and I was off and running.

Not long after the acquisition of the EBO, a senior named Leonard (Lee) Bray approached me about joining a band he was playing drums with, called 'The White Falcons'. While on my way home that afternoon, I realized I hadn't even asked what kind of music they played before responding, "Yes".

                                                                         Leonard Bray, with my Fender Musicmaster.

The White Falcons were not too happy with the 'dynamic rhythm section' they now had, and advised us to contact another guitar player by the name of Jay Johnson. We set up a jam with Jay, and discovered he owned many of the same albums as Leonard and I. He also played with the same passion and intensity.
We formed a Power Trio named, OBIE.

A double-exposure of Jay Johnson(Right), & I.

This lineup lasted for a year or so, until Joel Vaughn joined us on keyboards. This was very good, because he had a place to rehearse and his mother was an excellent cook, who always insisted on feeding us. Plus, neither of his parents ever complained about how loud we played!

OBIE became an excellent jam-band, playing dances for High Schools, Youth Centers and private parties.

Finally, Leonard had to go off to college, Jay decided to hitchhike out to the west coast, and I,    . . . joined the Navy.

It didn't take long to discover that was a mistake. Six months of IC School in San Diego, to be exact. Long story short, after two months of 'negotiations', I was out with a General Discharge under Honorable Conditions. My test scores were good, and they had a spot waiting for me on a nuclear sub, but unlike now, they had plenty of people that wanted to be there.
 

I was only home for a few months when I got a call from Jay Johnson, who was visiting his aunt & uncle in Plattsburgh, NY. He was playing with a group that had, ate-up-and-spit-out 3 different bass players. If I had been more experienced, I would have picked up on the vibe that this might not be a great gig. But all I could think about was getting out of my hometown. It just so happened that Jay's brother, Eric, was going to visit him and could give me, and my gear a ride in his van.

There were a number of short-lived  bands in the first few months. Then Jay and I went to an audition for a local group that held a housegig at a club called The Office. They were looking for bass and guitar, and we were fortunate enough to land the gig.

We were now members of THE JEREMY BAND.





Jeremy Drake, Jay Johnson, Chris Trigg, Me, Jim Norcross

As I remember, I was using a pick exclusively, and only three fingers on my left hand. This would change over the next few years. As would my Main Bass.
A soundman showed up at The Office with a 4001 Rickenbacker, hoping to sell it. With a loan from Jay, I purchased the Rick over the next 3 weeks. That bass was a major upgrade on all levels of my musical development.
 

The Jeremy Band, had a nice long run, but everyone grows and changes.
Jay had an offer that developed into a band called Crossfire, and The Office was looking for something new, so I spent a few months playing with different bands.
It wasn't long before George Sherman(Jeremy Band) called and said he was putting something together. It was, of course, a house gig at The Office.
This group became CRACKERS.


(Front) Me, Jim Madsen, Mike Taylor (Back) Jim Norcross, George Sherman

It was at this time I began to grow a little tired of the Pop Rock Dance formula. And I didn't really know that, until I was approached by, and auditioned for an R&B Funk group.
For the next few years, I received an education on, 'The Pocket'. This is where the rhythm section for every band, lives. Ebb and flow.
Generally though, it begins with the bassist and drummer. This is a vital combination for every band, and I like to quote James Brown: "If the bass and drums ain't happenin', we may as well all go home".
I think that says it all . . .

During this time, I also watched the dancefloor and grew to understand the 'Philosophy Of A Setlist'. If you're being paid to keep bodies in motion all night, create a good songlist. Some songs put people on the dancefloor, and some don't. From club to club, this will vary only slightly.
There is also the 'disconnect' between a band and the audience to be taken into account, and this is something that can happen in the first 15 minutes after a band hits the stage, but that's a different issue. If you have good dance music in your songlist, placed in the proper order, you will have a very happy audience.

When you're a full-time musician, money can dictate your employment. That brings us to KRYPTON.
I was approached by Steve Nolan(GTR), and I was happy to join as the band had a good reputation and a nice housegig at the time.
Little did I know that they had been given notice and that was why they needed a bass player . . .

Randy Hurly, Jim Madsen, Steve Nolan, Mike O'Connell, Me

KRYPTON lasted roughly a year, and I was once again, 'looking'.

That's when an old friend knocked on the door. Chris Trigg(Jeremy Band) had hooked up with a power trio called THE SPOILERS, and they wanted to head in more of a, 'Rock Dance' direction. I had learned a lot since my trio days, and I found this offer very appealing. There was some roadwork in the beginning, but we soon settled into a housegig at one of my favorite clubs in Plattsburgh; The Rook.
THE SPOILERS garnered a great reputation, and many fond memories.

(Back) Me, Chris Trigg (Front) Vince Consoli

The SPOILERS was the first professional group where I felt like a band member. My opinion meant something, and I wasn't punching a clock. We also played a couple of my original songs. It would be hard to go back to being a band  employee . . .

So I came up with a 'band game plan', where I would surround myself with pros that already know what they are supposed to do, and I would act as the 'band representative' with the club owners, bar managers and booking agents.
Why not? Every musician I knew always had something negative to say about 'band leaders'. I certainly didn't want to become one of those.

That brings us to STRANGER. This time, I approached Steve Nolan(KRYPTON), and let him know what I had in mind. And because I wanted some R&B in the rhythm section, we asked Ray Ruffin, who brought Tom Bergeron along.
I also have to take responsibility for the failure of this group's popularity. My idea was to, 'educate the audience'. A large percentage of our songlist consisted of songs that I thought were cool. I had been listening to CHOM out of Montreal, and we played a lot of Canadian music, which just didn't fly.
It was a very talented lineup, that I'm still proud of to this day.

 Tom Bergeron, Ray Ruffin, Steve Nolan, Me

STRANGER stayed alive by the grace of a housegig at The Rook, but Tom was soon married and left town and we became a trio. Steve also made the wedding commitment at this time, but had no intention of not playing.

I was now thinking that maybe I should take another look at that Billboard Chart.
There has to be something a band could play without completely selling out . . .
 Steve Nolan, Me

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