MEET STONE STREET REVIVAL
Click on each photo to read their stories.
I’ve had an appreciation for music as far back as I can remember, though I didn’t always know that I wanted to be a musician. In fact, I ended up playing the guitar almost by default. I don’t think I really noticed the guitar much until seeing Terry Kath play on television with Chicago. That completely blew my mind! A year or two later I told my parents I wanted to play guitar. My father said I would start out on acoustic guitar and take lessons, and if I showed any diligence, they would help me buy an electric. I was having fun, so things just kind of came together as I went along. I’ve learned most of what I know about playing an instrument and being a musician on the job playing with other musicians.
How many years have you been playing ?
Although I started playing guitar when I was in middle school, I really didn’t play gigs with any regularity until after I graduated from high school in the early 80s.
What are some of your former bands?
Scene of the Crime, Blues Report, Soul Xpress, sharrie Williams and the wiseguys, as well as the Music Doctors to name a few. Currently, I still play with the Claimjumpers, Barbarossa Brothers and Straight Eights as well as SSR.
Tell us about your favorite gig.
It’s difficult to choose a favorite. Playing the Attucks Theater in Norfolk, Virginia comes to mind.
Tell us about your brush with fame.
Having the opportunity to play and record with my dear friend Donny Brown and the Verve Pipe. Warming up for Bobby “Blue” Bland and Johnny Taylor with Sharrie Willams at the Flint IMA also comes to mind.
I came from a musical family. Started learning guitar from my grandfather and two uncles. got my first guitar at age six. And I have always loved singing. It was just a natural thing.
How many years have you been playing?
I started playing in 1972, and never looked back. So I have been performing for 48 years!
What are some of your former bands?
There's quite a list. My first band was The Wagoneers at 14. Blackwater. The Congregation. Westwood. Borderline.The Shakers. Koriala. Romeo Ridge. The Tennessee Fat Cats. The Music Doctors. The Claimjumpers.Yesterdays Country.SSR
Tell us about your favorite gig.
I guess my favorite gig was with the Tennessee Fat Cats. It was a touring gig with country Artist Joe Stampley. Did it for about 15 years.
Tell us about your brush with fame.
I guess 2 things. first was with Romeo Ridge where we were national champions of the True Value Country Showdown in 1989, And Second was my first time to play on the Grand Ole Opry.
There was always music in my house. We had a big record room and my folks let both of my older brothers’ bands practice at our home. So, naturally, I played their instruments as soon as they left.
How many years have you been playing?
Played in clubs in my teens so nearly 40 years.
What are some of your former bands?
The Verve Pipe, Robertson Brothers, Water 4 The Pool, Mirage, the Mick Furlo Band, Quotient.
Tell us about your favorite gig.
Too many- let’s see…. State Theatre Kalamazoo, Pine Knob – nothing quite like being on a stage you watched some of your favorites perform on.
Tell us about your brush with fame.
Lots!! Recording at Ocean Way LA, Playing Letterman and the Tonight Show. Could also be almost knocking Billy Joel over or watching Gene Simmons crack his head on a doorway because of his KISS boots! Ask me about these!!
I came from a very musical family. We sang all the time! We also listened to a large variety of music on the stereo- orchestral, marching band, vocal music from the Hi-Lo's to the Beatles. The first time I heard Peter, Paul and Mary at age 9, I knew right then that I wanted to play guitar. The rest is history!
How many years have you been playing?
Pretty much all my life. I started piano at age 5, guitar at 9 and flute at 11, and was singing rounds and harmonies almost from when I started talking (my mom said I sang before I talked)!
What are some of your former bands?
I started out in junior high school as a duo with my sister. We were "The Rinker Sisters". I moved to Hawaii after high school and started my first real band called "Wish". We played all over Maui and then moved to Truckee, California, Lake Tahoe area and played all around that area. Then "Flyin' Bayou" in Northern California, "Fallen Angels" in NYC, "Longshot" in Mid-Michigan and "The Catbird Seat" in Michigan as well.
Tell us about your favorite gig.
Lots of fun times, but nothing really stands out. My days in Hawaii were probably my favorite!
Tell us about your brush with fame.
The closest "brush with fame" I had was when Jimmy Hodder, the drummer from Steely Dan told me I had "star potential". I used to play in his club in Northern California and he'd sit in with us occasionally. Another was when I played in Hawaii, the drummer of Paul Revere and the Raiders, Mike "Smitty" Smith played with us most of the time. And we can't forget, Donny Brown!!
I started singing at a very young age. My father was a music teacher and I had 3 older sisters that were all classically trained. I heard many different styles of music growing up and got my first trumpet when I was 9 years old. I sang in choirs, played in concert bands, orchestras and was involved with theater productions.
I started performing professionally in clubs as a lead singer in a rock band when I was 15.
How many years have you been playing?
About 45 years now.
What are some of your former bands?
Lead singer for Summit and Airplay, trumpet and vocals for Bodacious, lead vocals and trumpet for Westwood, lead vocals for the Motor City Dance Band (while living in Boston), lead singer/percussion/keys & brass for the Perpetrators, background vocals/percussion/brass in the Dick Wagner Raw Emotion Orchestra, lead vocalist for Ovation, lead vocalist for Soul Xpress then switched to lead trumpet after our trumpet player left to play for a Cruise Ship company, and trumpet for the Saginaw Elite Big Band.
Tell us about your favorite gig.
My favorite gig was singing in the rock band Airplay in Council Bluffs, Iowa at a club called The Joker. We were all treated like rock stars and I was celebrating my 18th birthday at the gig. Another favorite was opening up for Cub Koda of Brownsville Station in my hometown Midland.
Tell us about your brush with fame.
Getting the chance to play trumpet with Dennis Najoom (principal trumpet for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra) while performing with a choir in Athens, Greece.
Dennis told me I was a good trumpet player and gave me a lot of good advice.
Meeting my favorite trumpeter in London, Art Farmer, and spending time with him at one of his gigs in Soho. We talked about trumpets, equipment, etc.. on his breaks, 9 months before he died. Also working with the late Dick Wagner (guitarist/songwriter) and hearing all the stories of his time with Alice Cooper.
As a preschooler, my first instrument was a pint-sized violin I think my grandmother gave me. I tried to play back ideas I heard in my head… Apparently, I wasn’t too awfully good at that, because the only two things I remember about that violin is that it was a pale maple color, and that my parents kept it on top of the refrigerator, where I couldn’t reach it. My siblings and I had the obligatory short-lived piano lessons, which I could kick myself for quitting. In fifth grade, I started playing trombone, mostly because I had long arms. It’s a miracle I kept playing, due to the director’s tendency to holler, throw things, and kick shins! I guess I was just stubborn enough to try to outlast her! In middle school, I really got drawn into it, because my best friend and I continued switching back and forth for first chair, all the way through high school. I won the auditions for principal trombone in the symphony and lead in the top jazz band at Michigan State University my freshman year. Quite full of myself, I transferred to North Texas State University (now UNT) the next summer and was awakened to discover just how many better players there were out there! Humility was served. I’ve been on a mission, ever since.
How many years have you been playing?
I’ve been trying to figure out how to play this thing since 1968 … so that makes it 52 years!
What are some of your former bands?
Outside of school bands, my first rock ‘n roll band was a cover band called The Golden Charity Band, so named because all we played were charity gigs. There weren’t a lot of paying gigs for low brass players, so I’ve played in more pit orchestras than I could count since about 1974. In college, I played in big bands, wind ensembles, orchestras, and marching bands. I played briefly with the Dallas Symphony and the Midland Symphony. I did some “Play-to-Stay” hotel gigs at the Supergroup hotels in Jamaica in the early 80’s. After taking some time off to start my family and my business, I played some more pit orchestras and played lead in The Hall-Mighty Big Band for its brief life span. In more recent years, I’ve played in Blast From the Past (big band), Cool Lemon (variety band), 23 North (R&B cover band), Soul Xpress (soul cover band) and, of course, Stone Street Revival.
Tell us about your favorite gig.
My favorite gig was a short series of gigs in Jamaica. As our band began setting up for our first night of the engagement, there was a quiet, smiling, middle-aged guitar player already setting up on stage in the middle of our band! The hotel manager informed us that we would be joined for the duration of our stay by “the third best guitar player in the world!” Turns out, this guy was Jamaican studio legend (and co-inventer of SKA), Ernest Ranglin! He’d listen and noodle quietly to a chorus of anything we played, and then join in, playing even our own originals better than any of us ever did! That was an unexpected 10-day rush!
Tell us about your brush with fame.
I’ve played college big band gigs with big-time (jazz) guest artists like Eddie Harris, Louie Bellson, Eddie Russ, and Marcus Belgrave. I played in bands with future jazz standouts like Conrad Herwig, Chris Seiter, Steve Rentschler, Carey Deadman, and Eric Swanson. I played in pops orchestras backing the likes of Robert Merrill, Anna Moffo, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Jodi Benson, and Robert Goulet. And then, there’s that 10-day gig I just described with Ernest Ranglin!
My mother was (is) a piano teacher so I started out with her about when I started kindergarten.
How many years have you been playing?
Since 1968, so 56 years as of this writing
What are some of your former bands?
Bopharvey (1984-1994),
Teddy Richards(1994-1997)
The Atomic Fireballs (1997-2000)
Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise (2001 -2006)
Brian Vander Ark (2006-2010)
The Verve Pipe (2010-2023)
Tell us about your favorite gig.
? I've been very fortunate to have had so many great gigs throughout the years but one that sticks in my memory is the 1993 Presidential Inauguration Celebration concert with Bopharvey. There were multiple stages there and on our stage was Little Feat, Taj Mahal, & bophavey. We shared a green room with Taj Mahal and warmed up singing with him and his acoustic guitar.
Tell us about your brush with fame.
I've had numerous "brushes" throughout the years but one that is meaningful to me was a pre-production rehearsal in NYC with The Atomic Fireballs. There to listen and give us some pointers was Ahmet Ertegun (co-founder of Atlantic Records) and record producer Steve Lillywhite. I think I was more nervous about playing for Steve Lillywhite than Ahmet Ertegun as Steve produced so many great albums and one of my favorites, Black Sea, by XTC.
We later went to dinner in little Italy with them and Rob Thomas from Matchbox Twenty where Steve told the table he liked the piano parts I wrote. That small remark meant a lot to me.
I started playing music in middle school at Bridgeport and began playing by ear at church. My dad played guitar and my mom played the piano. Many Friday nights were spent singing and playing as a family. I started playing the piano because my grandma told me she would either buy me new boots or pay for lessons.
How many years have you been playing?
Well, if we count middle school band, I have been playing for over 30 years. I went to college for music education, with sax as my major instrument and have been playing professionally for 25 years.
What are some of your former bands?
I started playing with the Sugar Daddies at age 19. I have played with Soul Street, the Saginaw Elite Big Band, Eminence, Drifters Review, Platters Review and several other local groups.
Tell us about your favorite gig.
One of my favorite gigs was a birthday party on Walled Lake. Here’s what happened. The gig was fine but I had just had a hernia surgery four days before. I could get the job done but just couldn’t laugh or cough without pain yet. As we were loading up at the end of the night, my buddy Chuck was loading his keyboard into the top of the SUV when he lost his footing and fell down a small hill/cliff. Our drummer, Chris, is now yelling at Chuck for not helping him get the keyboard in, but hasn’t realized that Chuck is gone. It is dark, no lighting and Chris was in the SUV pulling the keyboard while Chuck was outside pushing.
Once they figured out what happened, they are cracking up and want to tell me all about it, but I can’t laugh without pain. I slam the door and cover my ears telling them no. This causes them to laugh even more.
We rode in almost complete silence for an hour with me telling Chuck to zip it everytime we wanted to relive the experience. It was hilarious with a few parts I left out. I guess you had to be there;)
Tell us about your brush with fame.
Played in Chicago and had a nice musical conversation with Bill Cosby. (This was before knowing what we all know now.)
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