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- WHO DID WHAT ON C.D. # ONE
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- LYRIC PAGE FOR C.D. # 4
We are the Jukebox Babies!
HARRY B. SPROTT
Harry B. has been a creative force all his life. From playing in bands back in the early 60's, having poetry published while he was still in high school, to writing songs, he's always had something to sing or write about. Now share with him this latest CD in which he has included 14 of those original songs.
The following is an excerpt from the article "The Northern Kentucky Music Legends Hall of Fame" in Arts Across Kentucky's fall/winter 2013 issue.
HARRY SPROTT
It’s funny how the whole band thing began. One day in 1963, I was playing guitar on the front steps of my home in Covington, Kentucky. I was 12. A guy I didn't know walked up and asked me if I wanted to be in a band. I was floored but ,being young and a dreamer, I said “yes”. He was a stranger and had long hair (something my parents had warned me about) and I wasn’t sure at all what to expect. But that day changed my life forever. That man turned out to be Geoff Grissom who became a life-long friend. The name of our first band was Faith. We played regularly at local coffee houses. Eventually, Faith became August Monday . We drove to gigs in our 1954 Caddy hearse that was purple with green velour interior. As you might imagine, arriving back then at dances in a Hearse, let alone a purple one, was not well received. We created more anxiety in the conservative organizers of events by hauling our amps, etc. on the stretcher that came with the hearse. We must have looked like a bunch of ghouls as we carried our equipment inside. We wore navy, striped bell bottoms, and outrageous shirts. I remember going to a local thrift store one day and buying Kishma Grotto purple velvet toreador-like outfits for all three of us in the band. At that time it was me on keyboard, Steve Willis on guitar and Mike Mahoney on drums. The outfits were covered in gold appliqué swirl designs. For a different look, I had an old set of tux tails I bought at a local antique store. I'd flip my tails up in the air before I'd sit to play the keyboard. Just to make sure the look wasn’t too drab, I wore an old top hat to set off the tux. In the sixties, outrageous showmanship was everything! When we were Merry and the Happy New, we wore old band jackets cast off from local high school marching bands. Think Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. But this was in the early 60's, way before the Beatles did it, I am proud to say. I've still got a couple of those jackets. Some of our fans referred to us as “that punk band.” I have been told by a few people that we just might have been the first punk band ever. Ha! Then there were the adults back then always telling us to get our hair cut. The old worn out phrases like “Is that a boy or a girl" didn’t phase us much. We were too busy making music and having fun. In another band, Days Past, (Tim Mercer, brothers Ralph & Jim Franxman, Gary Stacey and me) , we dressed like
Paul Revere and the Raiders, with our tall black knee boots, velour shirts, white tight pants and vests. One thing for sure, if you came to see us, you saw a show. Times were changing, but attitudes were slow to change in those days. I remember when we'd practice, our parents or neighbors were yelling at us to turn our amps down. Many a time, the police showed up at our door, stressing out our parents. By 1966 , our reputation in Northern Kentucky had grown and the gigs got better. The following are some names of bands I was in during this 1960s decade: The Rubber
Highway, Days Past, Merry and the Happy New, Spirillis, and The Village Idiots. By the time I was 15 we were playing places like the National Girl Scout Convention at Newport High School. What a gig. Literally thousands of girls, and only three of us guys in the band. I'll tell you a funny story about that gig. There we were…three very impressionable young men staring at this sea of girls waiting to go on as the girls were yelling, smiling and waving. Suddenly the power went off. When it came back on, we were surrounded by all these girls in brownie outfits. Wow! And they were screaming, and I knew what the Beatles must have felt like right then. It was so wonderful. They gave us kisses, phone numbers, asked questions, and were grabbing at us to the point that it got out of hand. The scout troupe leaders quickly escorted them all out of the back of the auditorium. We never saw them again but I"ll never forget them dancing in the dark. Another time I remember. We were in a battle of the bands at a place called Granny's, a teen club in Erlanger, Kentucky. The first band to play was much older and was great. We knew we had no chance after hearing them. We were scheduled to go on second, right before the Nightcrawlers a band who had a hit on the radio called "Little Black Egg". They were the favorites. So I told the guys in our band, "Hey, let's play OUR version of ‘Little Black Egg’. What have we got to lose?" We did and I'll never forget the looks on the Nightcrawlers’ faces when we tore into it. There they stood, eyes wide, mouths open, not knowing what to do. When we were done, they took the stage and, of course, played their radio hit "Little Black Egg", but our version won. We played the heck out of their song. Sweet! I still think about that. We played at high school dances, Devou Park’s amphitheatre, teen clubs, VFW dances, swim clubs, private parties, etc. Everybody danced back then. Several of my bands opened for famous bands like The Lemon Pipers, Ivan and The Sabres, The Us Too Group, to name a few. It was an incredible time to be alive! I'd go back to school after the weekend gig and the girls would all be talking about us. We found it hard to believe that our classmates were actually paying money to hear us play. Wow! It was great that everyone seemed to know our names. It seemed like each band member had their own following. Something else I remember. Seemed like the girls were always up front dancing, and their boyfriends were in the back, trying to look tough. Many a night we had to pack up our equipment quickly in order to get out before a fight would break loose over some guy’s girl who paid just a little too much attention to one of the band members. I wrote a lot of songs for my bands in those days and soon discovered playing other people’s music was not my thing. But with all this experience, I learned a lot about songwriting and what people like. I still write songs today. In fact, I've just put out a CD entitled Harry B. and the JukeBoxBabies using some of my original band members and our music from those 1960s glory days. The name comes from my memories of everyone dancing around juke boxes in the 1950s and 60s. Music has been a wonderful road to travel, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. If you are interested, check out my website at www.harrybandthejukeboxbabies.com
It’s funny how the whole band thing began. One day in 1963, I was playing guitar on the front steps of my home in Covington, Kentucky. I was 12. A guy I didn't know walked up and asked me if I wanted to be in a band. I was floored but ,being young and a dreamer, I said “yes”. He was a stranger and had long hair (something my parents had warned me about) and I wasn’t sure at all what to expect. But that day changed my life forever. That man turned out to be Geoff Grissom who became a life-long friend. The name of our first band was Faith. We played regularly at local coffee houses. Eventually, Faith became August Monday . We drove to gigs in our 1954 Caddy hearse that was purple with green velour interior. As you might imagine, arriving back then at dances in a Hearse, let alone a purple one, was not well received. We created more anxiety in the conservative organizers of events by hauling our amps, etc. on the stretcher that came with the hearse. We must have looked like a bunch of ghouls as we carried our equipment inside. We wore navy, striped bell bottoms, and outrageous shirts. I remember going to a local thrift store one day and buying Kishma Grotto purple velvet toreador-like outfits for all three of us in the band. At that time it was me on keyboard, Steve Willis on guitar and Mike Mahoney on drums. The outfits were covered in gold appliqué swirl designs. For a different look, I had an old set of tux tails I bought at a local antique store. I'd flip my tails up in the air before I'd sit to play the keyboard. Just to make sure the look wasn’t too drab, I wore an old top hat to set off the tux. In the sixties, outrageous showmanship was everything! When we were Merry and the Happy New, we wore old band jackets cast off from local high school marching bands. Think Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. But this was in the early 60's, way before the Beatles did it, I am proud to say. I've still got a couple of those jackets. Some of our fans referred to us as “that punk band.” I have been told by a few people that we just might have been the first punk band ever. Ha! Then there were the adults back then always telling us to get our hair cut. The old worn out phrases like “Is that a boy or a girl" didn’t phase us much. We were too busy making music and having fun. In another band, Days Past, (Tim Mercer, brothers Ralph & Jim Franxman, Gary Stacey and me) , we dressed like
Paul Revere and the Raiders, with our tall black knee boots, velour shirts, white tight pants and vests. One thing for sure, if you came to see us, you saw a show. Times were changing, but attitudes were slow to change in those days. I remember when we'd practice, our parents or neighbors were yelling at us to turn our amps down. Many a time, the police showed up at our door, stressing out our parents. By 1966 , our reputation in Northern Kentucky had grown and the gigs got better. The following are some names of bands I was in during this 1960s decade: The Rubber
Highway, Days Past, Merry and the Happy New, Spirillis, and The Village Idiots. By the time I was 15 we were playing places like the National Girl Scout Convention at Newport High School. What a gig. Literally thousands of girls, and only three of us guys in the band. I'll tell you a funny story about that gig. There we were…three very impressionable young men staring at this sea of girls waiting to go on as the girls were yelling, smiling and waving. Suddenly the power went off. When it came back on, we were surrounded by all these girls in brownie outfits. Wow! And they were screaming, and I knew what the Beatles must have felt like right then. It was so wonderful. They gave us kisses, phone numbers, asked questions, and were grabbing at us to the point that it got out of hand. The scout troupe leaders quickly escorted them all out of the back of the auditorium. We never saw them again but I"ll never forget them dancing in the dark. Another time I remember. We were in a battle of the bands at a place called Granny's, a teen club in Erlanger, Kentucky. The first band to play was much older and was great. We knew we had no chance after hearing them. We were scheduled to go on second, right before the Nightcrawlers a band who had a hit on the radio called "Little Black Egg". They were the favorites. So I told the guys in our band, "Hey, let's play OUR version of ‘Little Black Egg’. What have we got to lose?" We did and I'll never forget the looks on the Nightcrawlers’ faces when we tore into it. There they stood, eyes wide, mouths open, not knowing what to do. When we were done, they took the stage and, of course, played their radio hit "Little Black Egg", but our version won. We played the heck out of their song. Sweet! I still think about that. We played at high school dances, Devou Park’s amphitheatre, teen clubs, VFW dances, swim clubs, private parties, etc. Everybody danced back then. Several of my bands opened for famous bands like The Lemon Pipers, Ivan and The Sabres, The Us Too Group, to name a few. It was an incredible time to be alive! I'd go back to school after the weekend gig and the girls would all be talking about us. We found it hard to believe that our classmates were actually paying money to hear us play. Wow! It was great that everyone seemed to know our names. It seemed like each band member had their own following. Something else I remember. Seemed like the girls were always up front dancing, and their boyfriends were in the back, trying to look tough. Many a night we had to pack up our equipment quickly in order to get out before a fight would break loose over some guy’s girl who paid just a little too much attention to one of the band members. I wrote a lot of songs for my bands in those days and soon discovered playing other people’s music was not my thing. But with all this experience, I learned a lot about songwriting and what people like. I still write songs today. In fact, I've just put out a CD entitled Harry B. and the JukeBoxBabies using some of my original band members and our music from those 1960s glory days. The name comes from my memories of everyone dancing around juke boxes in the 1950s and 60s. Music has been a wonderful road to travel, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. If you are interested, check out my website at www.harrybandthejukeboxbabies.com
NEAL HUTCHINSON
Neal and Harry B. have been making music together since the 1960's. A vocalist and drummer, Neal has been "banging on things" for as long as he can remember. He began taking drum lessons in the sixth grade when he realized this was what he wanted to do. In 8th grade, he took lessons from one of the jazz greats, Terry Williams. In high school, Neal played with several bands. He was also in his high school marching and award-winning concert band. In his senior year, Neal quit band and concentrated on honing his skills as a drummer in a working rock and roll band. Shortly after that he was drafted into the U.S. Army. While overseas, he started a band and entertained the troops. Once back home and out of the service, he began playing in another rock band, AX with Tom Deaton and Bobby Moore. It was considered a "glam rock band" and proved to be an interesting and learning experience. Through all of this, Neal and Harry B. wrote songs together and continue to this day. It is his smooth voice on the songs, "My Sweet Marie", "The Coconut Song", "South Street Rhythm", and "Summer". Neal says the only reason he is still into music is because his song-writing partner of over 40 years "still has the touch".
DAVE GREENWAY
An exceptional studio engineer and former President of APRA, (the Association of Performing and Recording Artists), Dave befriended Harry B. while engineering four songs on this CD, "My Sweet Marie", "The Coconut Song", "Summer", and "South Street Rhythm". Though deceased, he forever lives on in the songs he produced, not only for the JukeBoxBabies, but for many others. He produced other songs that will be included in future JukeBoxBabies albums.
STEVE WILLIS
An intuitive guitarist, Steve played with Harry B. for over twenty five years beginning in the early 60's. Steve is featured on the song "Violet", as the lead guitarist. Although Steve is gone, more songs featuring his unique style will be coming in future releases.
BRAD SHAFFER
Brad is an exceptional guitar/bass player. His talent is evident in songs like "The Loser", "Long Gone", "Mornin' Walker", " Stuck To The Rug", "Crank it Up", " Big Limo", and " Red Candle". Brad has played with many bands over the years both in Austin Texas and Greater Cincinnati.
Brad Shaffer
Brad was drawn to the guitar, like so many kids of his era, by the appearance of the Beatles back in 1964. He took lessons for a couple of years and, after that, taught himself by ear all of the hot licks of the time. His major influences were all greats: Hendrix, Clapton, and one of his favorites, Leslie West…also Richie Blackmore, Johnny Winter, Jimmy Page and, of course, Billy Gibbons.
He followed the usual path of being in and out of bands through high school and college, playing any bar or club that would have them. He was based out of central Illinois for most of that time although he did spend a few years in the ‘80’s in Austin, Texas, where he did get to meet Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Johnson. He gave up playing for a few years to raise kids and didn’t start playing again until 2005 as he missed it so. Brad feels he’s been lucky to be in the right place at the right time and proud of being able to say he’s opened for Humble Pie, Uriah Heap, Sammy Hagar and Pat Travers to name a few. Brad has enjoyed contributing his unique and powerful twists to some of these recordings and hopes the listener will enjoy them too!
Brad was drawn to the guitar, like so many kids of his era, by the appearance of the Beatles back in 1964. He took lessons for a couple of years and, after that, taught himself by ear all of the hot licks of the time. His major influences were all greats: Hendrix, Clapton, and one of his favorites, Leslie West…also Richie Blackmore, Johnny Winter, Jimmy Page and, of course, Billy Gibbons.
He followed the usual path of being in and out of bands through high school and college, playing any bar or club that would have them. He was based out of central Illinois for most of that time although he did spend a few years in the ‘80’s in Austin, Texas, where he did get to meet Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Johnson. He gave up playing for a few years to raise kids and didn’t start playing again until 2005 as he missed it so. Brad feels he’s been lucky to be in the right place at the right time and proud of being able to say he’s opened for Humble Pie, Uriah Heap, Sammy Hagar and Pat Travers to name a few. Brad has enjoyed contributing his unique and powerful twists to some of these recordings and hopes the listener will enjoy them too!
ELLEN EVERMAN
Author of the novel, Pink Dice, Ellen joined Harry B. in his studio at the end of 2012 and has been his Assistant Sound Engineer and Business consultant ever since. You can hear her voice in "Stuck to the Rug", and "Big Limo". She added many of the sound effects and some drum parts on this CD.
Ellen Everman, author of Pink Dice, a novel set in the 1950’s Greater Cincinnati, has always been interested in music. She played snare drums, timpani and all manner of percussions at Dixie Heights High School, Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, her Freshman year and has been finger tapping and toe-tapping (she’s an inveterate dancer) ever since. A proud participant of Beatlemania in the 1960s, (she attended the Beatles’ concert at Cincinnati Gardens in 1964) she has since been steeped in and is passionate about all manner of classical and forward-thinking music. Ellen has been playing her vintage small Gibson acoustic guitar since the age of thirteen and veers toward the English/Irish ballad/folk genre. She teaches creative writing in Covington, Kentucky, at Baker Hunt Art & Cultural Center (www.bakerhunt.com) where she often uses lyric writing to illustrate importance of themes. An Editor of Arts Across Kentucky, Ellen covers in this triannual online magazine (www.artsacrossky.com) the visual, literary, culinary and performing arts. It is her voice you hear in two songs on the album One Step Over: “In the Middle” and “Reality Bop”. Check out her novel, Pink Dice, at www.pinkdicenovel.com
ROBIN DAVIS
Robin came to the JukeBoxBabies when he answered an internet ad. He added those harmonica parts you hear on several of the songs.
No picture of Robin is available at this time
Donald Mackie
A lot of you know Donald. Don has played in many bands over the years, worked as an engineer in several recording studios, and won a couple of Emmy's for his work in television. Don worked with Harry B. to get this album moving along. Not only did he help set up Harry's studio, and mentor him along the way, he produced the song "Candle In The Sky", and played on it.
LOIS WHITTEMORE
Lois is responsible for that soft voice in "Crank It Up". She's the lady D.J.
STEVE SCOTT
Steve is an excellent drummer. Steve has worked on several projects with Harry B. over the years and is featured playing drums on "Heartbeat".
THIS IS A RECENT PHOTO AT THE STUDIO WITH HARRY ON THE LEFT, STEVE SCOTT CENTER AND BRAD SHAFFER ON THE RIGHT.
Joe Gemma
Joe grew up in the Mission District in San Francisco. His early years were filled with just being a regular kid and hanging around. After high school, he went into the Marine Corps. After serving three years in the Marines, Joe taught himself how to play the drums, and before long he started playing drums in supper clubs, piano bars, and lounges in the San Francisco Bay Area. Eventually Joe started getting work with Show Bands from Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, and he started touring with Road Bands doing the Hotel Circuits. Joe traveled and played from the West Coast to the East Coast, and all points in between. The years he spent on the road were filled with great and wild times that he says he would not trade for anything, but"...when you have to look at a matchbook in order to figure out where you are, something tells you that you are ready to move on." In addition to his road work, Joe played several large concert venues in San Francisco which included Winterland and the House of Good. Joe earned a Bachelors Degree in Music from San Francisco State University, and moved to Cincinnati where he started teaching music in the public school. He taught General Music, Concert Band, and Choir while teaching full time, he continued his education in the evenings and eventually received a Masters Degree in Music from N.K.U.. He continued to work full time in Education until a few years ago when he retired. Joe currently plays the drums set, African and Latin Percussion, including Congas, and Timbales, and he also plays keyboards and a little guitar (that he keeps in his shirt pocket)! Ba-Da-Dum-Chssh!!! Joe has a great sense of humor ! Although his first love has always been the drums, it is his knowledge of music and his ability to play other instruments that makes Joe the great musician that he is.