Nomads, Beat Inc. rocked first

The Nomads

By STEVE SEYMOUR

In the early 1960s, when country combos dominated the local scene and before the Beatles-led British Invasion sparked an explosion of new bands, Escanaba spawned its first rock group.

The Nomads filled a growing demand for live rock music and enjoyed a "pretty good following" among the area's young people, according to group member Hank Mroczkowski.

Formed in the fall of 1963, the Nomads consisted of Mroczkowski on sax and bass, younger brother Corky on lead guitar, Tony Romani on vocals and rhythm guitar, and drummer Mike LeMire.

Their first job was a dance at the Multi-Purpose Room at Holy Name High School, where Romani and LeMire were enrolled as sophomores, while Hank was a freshman. Corky was an eighth grader at the Junior High School. For the occasion, the group donned formal attire, including vests and skinny ties.

Vocalist Romani was a Cuban refugee, who moved here with his brother George. He had a noticeable Spanish accent, but was a talented singer who had a good rapport with an audience eager to hear the group recreate the hits of the day.

The Nomads, named by drummer LeMire, enjoyed increasing success in the coming months as demand for rock music grew following the assassination of President Kennedy and the arrival of the Beatles, bringing rock music to the forefront of public consciousness.

Hank recalled the band being paid $100-- $25 per man-- for a three hour show. The American Federation of Musicians Local 663 at the time mandated a fee of $8 per person for such engagements. The pay looked particularly attractive to Hank compared to the 80 cents an hour he was making while working at Mel & Elmer's Super Valu during the same period.

Despite the success of the Nomads, when his father booked a job for his polka band, called My Three Sons, Hank still handled accordion duties at the family gig even if there was a conflict with the Nomads schedule. "We played a lot of Polish weddings," Hank recalled of the band which also included Corky and their brother Dale.

The Nomads, meanwhile, played numerous school dances as well as gigs in Iron Mountain and Manistique. In July, 1964 they played a show at Pioneer Trail Park, dressed in sharp light blue suits with the group's name displayed prominently on LeMire's drumkit, surrounded by musical notes.

At the time, the Nomads owned two amps, three guitars, two mics and a drum set. Because they didn't have a public address system, the microphones were plugged directly into the amplifiers. Frank Wandahsega hauled their equipment and was involved with set-up and tear-down as well as being the band's "bouncer."



Beat Inc.

By 1965 however, the Mroczkowski brothers had joined with drummer Jim Lewis and keyboardist Bruce Douglas to form Beat Inc. The name reflected the Beatles' influence in pop music, while Inc. was borrowed from Sounds Incorporated, which had opened some shows for John, Paul, George and Ringo on a world tour. "We just put the names together," Hank recalled.

Playing with Lewis was nothing new for Hank. A few years earlier they were in a folk duo which became the Brimstone Trio with the addition of Barb Frasher.

One of the earliest shows Beat Inc. performed was the homecoming dance at Escanaba Area Public High School on Saturday, Oct. 2, 1965. Admission was 50 cents.

Reflecting the music tastes of the period, the newly formed Beat Inc. played songs by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, Dave Clark 5, Gerry and the Pacemakers and Herman's Hermits.

To promote themselves, the band had a professional photograph taken at Preston's House of Portraits, 801 lst Ave. S.

The band, which did not have a manager, booked themselves into Skinny's Bar, 1837 3rd Ave. N., while one of their biggest gigs was opening for Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs during shows in Green Bay and Escanaba in 1966. "We played at various local places, mostly at dance halls and schools," Douglas, now a Minneapolis resident, said. "We had a pretty regular gig at the American Legion Hall in Powers. We also did weddings and such.

"Corky was a good trumpet player as well as guitarist. Hank played just about everything, sax, bass, drums, accordion, whatever. I just played Farfisa organ. I believe there were times when Jim would play acoustic and Hank would play drums," Douglas recalled.

At one point, Beat Inc. was scheduled to perform on a March of Dimes telethon on WLUC-TV6, in Marquette but fate intervened that January day. Douglas remembers: "Jim, Corky and I were sitting in the front seat of Jim's car. Near Kipling, Jim reached to get something in the back seat and lost control of the car. It went off the road and hit a tree and then a school house. I was struck in the back of the head with a snare drum and ruined my jacket. Got blood all over it. I woke up in the ambulance with Corky sitting next to me. I remember he looked very concerned. Jim's car was totaled.

"Hank was following behind us. My organ got smashed but insurance paid for a new one. I spent a couple of days in the hospital," Douglas recounted. In addition, "Jim was pretty banged up," Hank said.

As was the case at the time, rock groups formed and broke-up, often staying together only a brief time. Beat Inc. evolved into John Evil and the Spirits in 1967, with the addition of frontman John Bergquist, who handled vocal duties. "He was pretty good, did stuff like Tom Jones and rock artists," Douglas said.

But, that's another story.

This Army rocked and rolled

MITCH RYDER

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Question: What do you do when you're a rock 'n' roll star whose last hit was in the sixties? Answer: You get together with your contemporaries and tour, of course.

That's exactly what a group of former hit-makers called the Rock & Roll Army did during a set of dates at the turn of the millennium.

The assemblage of eight rock 'n' roll veterans made a stop at Chip- In's Island Resort and Casino on Jan. 28 & 29, 2000 to advance their cause by promoting hits they originally delivered when they were barely in their twenties.

Not to be too analytical, but anybody who lived through the sixties knows the decade was perfectly divided between before the Beatles and after. The earlier period was represented in the Rock & Roll Army by Len Barry, Brian Hyland, Dickie Lee and Chris Montez. The later sixties were typified by Gary Lewis, Tommy Roe, and Mitch Ryder. The British Invasion of 1964 was covered succinctly by Billy J. Kramer, discovered by Beatles manager Brian Epstein.

The concert showed these purveyors of old rock still had some staying power. They earned 26 Top Ten hits among them, although their fame largely dimmed with the arrival of the seventies. Still, they were out on tour, with the entire group being 50-something, except Lee who was 66 years old at the time of the Harris performances.

It's no surprise casinos have been instrumental in providing exposure for older entertainers who might not otherwise make a commitment to touring. The gaming establishments provide modern venues, attractive accommodations, good working conditions and a guaranteed paycheck.

Despite the obstacles of age, the Rock & Roll Army put on a crowd-pleasing concert as evidenced by the Saturday show my wife Sue and I attended.

During his segment of the show Barry performed "Bristol Stomp," a number two smash and the first hit for his group, the Dovells. Barry, at age 57, then brought the audience back to 1965 with the catchy "1-2-3," which also just missed the stop spot on the Billboard singles chart.

Chris Montez, a protege of Richie Valens, defied his age (57) by jumping off the stage into the audience during "Let's Dance." The crowd loved the stunt.

Brian Hyland performed his biggest hits, including the number one "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," which reached its peak during the summer of 1960. The 56-year-old pop singer followed that with "Sealed With A Kiss" and "Gypsy Woman."

Dicky Lee touched a sentimental note with his rendition of "Patches," first recorded in 1960 by Jimmy Isle.

Meanwhile, the Merseyside-born Kramer, then 56, sang the Lennon- McCartney composition "Bad to Me," which the Fab Four hadn't bothered to to record themselves, as well as "Little Children." The two songs, issued on the same single, were a double-sided Top Ten hit.

The 54-year-old Gary Lewis gave the Upper Peninsula audience a trip back to the mid-sixties with "This Diamond Ring," a number one smash. The son of comedian Jerry Lewis demonstrated his pop credentials with a series of hits including "Count Me In," "Save Your Heart for Me" and "Everybody Loves a Clown."

Tommy Roe, at age 57, was no slouch, either. The Atlanta-born singer performed both his number ones, "Sheila" and "Dizzy," as well as "Sweet Pea" and "Jam Up Jelly Tight."

Detroit rock 'n' roller Mitch Ryder pumped out lively versions of "Jenny Take a Ride," "Devil with the Blue Dress" and "Sock It to Me Baby." The 54-year-old shredded his vocal chords for us, just like he did as a young man.

The crowd was treated to a nostalgic evening; that was to be expected.

What might not have been as likely is that those old hits continue to attract listeners. After all, when the stars themselves recorded these songs they were merely fodder for the radio. If you didn't like one song another would follow in two minutes. Songs were just little blasts of noise expected to occupy our time while we were busy doing something else. Even 45 rpm records were totally disposable.

Today we treasure those tunes because they became snapshots of our youth. Perhaps those portraits get more valuable as we get older.

If that's true, the rock 'n' roll heroes of long ago will continue to entertain us well into their dotage.

Deep Purple's 'Smoke' lingers

DEEP PURPLE


By STEVE SEYMOUR

You may have seen the Dodge Avenger television commercial, which like a lot of others, utilizes a classic baby boomer oldie to make its point.

In it, a technician is evaluating the cars using a row of auto stick gear shifters. Eventually, he realizes he can manipulate the shifters to make the engines play the opening riff from "Smoke on the Water," by Deep Purple.

If you've listened to the radio at any point since 1972, you know the song. Millions have played air guitar to it. "Dom dom dom, dom dom da dom, dom dom dom da dom."

Inspired by the burning of the Montreux Casino on Dec. 3, 1971 during a Frank Zappa concert, the song is indelibly etched into the skulls of countless fans and is Deep Purple's most famous recording.

For me, "Smoke on the Water" perfectly encapsulates my senior year at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant.

The song was omnipresent and served as a one-song soundtrack to the news topics of the era including the Vietnam War, Nixon, the Soviet Union, feminism, radical politics and human rights. Ironically, the song also served as an escape from those realities.

Like many other people, I first heard "Smoke on the Water," in the spring of 1972. It was broadcast on WCHP-AM, CMU's carrier current radio station operated at 650 kilocycles. As I recall, I bought "Machine Head," the LP which contained the hit, at Downtown Drugs, 110 E. Broadway, although I also patronized Log Cabin Record Shop, 3980 S. Mission, and Boogie Records.

Deep Purple's record label, Warner Brothers, did not expect the song to be a hit and amazingly delayed releasing it as a single until 1973. That delay, however, allowed it to gain steam on college and FM radio, becoming an underground hit at first, then remaining on play lists for well over a year.

"Machine Head" features Deep Purple's most recognized line-up, including guitarist Richie Blackmore, keyboardist Jon Lord, bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice and Ian Gillian, who handled vocal duties.

Besides "Smoke on the Water," written by Blackmore, Gillian and Glover, the album contained just six tracks: "Highway Star," "Maybe I'm a Leo," "Pictures of Home," "Never Before," "Lazy" and "Space Truckin'."

The album, which spent an amazing 118 weeks on the Billboard chart, also spent considerable time on my stereo along with the likes of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.

Some folks contend that heavy metal was invented with the release of "Machine Head," actually Deep Purple's eight album. While you may get some disagreement from Zeppelin and Sabbath fans, Deep Purple certainly contributed their fair share of heavy sounds to the genre. Rainbow, Whitesnake and Trapeze are direct descendants of "Machine Head" era Deep Purple.

"Smoke on the Water" became a durable hard-rock anthem for the 1970s while we were busy having fun or trying to right the wrongs of the world.

Although Deep Purple performed the definitive version of their signature song, it was not my favorite one.

As our college careers were coming to an end, my suite-mate Bill Heydenberk and I decided to finish our final semester in style by going out for 30 nights in a row. Of course, we enjoyed numerous nightspots in Mount Pleasant including the Bird, 223 S. Main., which featured Happy Hour every Thursday and Friday afternnon. We also spent time and money at the Wayside, the Blackstone, the Side Door Saloon, the Pub and the Cabin, located at 930 W. Broomfield Road, less than a mile from campus.

The Cabin, serving students' refreshment requirements since 1934, was nothing special, but they did have cheap drink prices and featured live bands. One of those groups was called Stillwater.

Stillwater hailed from Mount Pleasant and is not to be confused with the group of the same name from Georgia which had a late 1970s hit with "Mind Bender," or the fictional band in the movie "Almost Famous." Started casually in 1969, the northern Stillwater was comprised of vocalist Howard Reihl, lead guitarist Mike Hendershot, guitarist Keith Schafer, bassist Al Cain and drummer Andy Spence.

Sure they played the Beatles, Michigan favorite Bob Seger, and contemporary hits, but the centerpiece of a Stillwater show was "Smoke on the Water."

The patrons at the Cabin didn't need much prompting to the dance floor when those distinctive guitar parts started, followed by Reihl's vocals,"We all came out to Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline...."

Stillwater took Deep Purple's song where it had never gone before. Their version was heavier, more engulfing, considerably longer, more imaginative, and just plain mind-blowing. Quite simply, they mesmerized the audience.

Maybe you had to be there, but I can't hear Deep Purple today, even in a 30-second TV advertisement, without thinking of Stillwater and my last days of college.

U.P. accordionists acclaimed

By STEVE SEYMOUR

The Upper Peninsula has produced a pair of accordion masters who both enjoyed extensive recording careers.

Art Van Damme, born in the City of Norway, has dozens of jazz albums to his credit and at age 86, still appears before accordion aficionados.

Viola Turpeinen, meanwhile, born in Champion on Nov. 15, 1909, was a major star by 1930 and remained a musical mainstay in the Finnish-American community even after her untimely death at age 49.

Wil Kilpela of Marquette recalls seeing Turpeinen perform polkas and waltzes in the Copper Country community of L'Anse in 1950. Learning to play the instrument at age 15, Kilpela was influenced by Turpeinen's technique on the piano accordion.

"Her fingering style amazed me," said Kilpela, who now fronts his own band. In fact, a compact disc by Wil Kilpela and Friends Band pays tribute to the late accordion legend by including one of her songs, "Life in the Finnish Woods."

With her immigrant father working in an iron mine, Turpeinen grew up in Marquette County. Her heritage was quite evident as the region surrounding western Lake Superior has the largest concentration of people of Finnish descent in the United States. Turpeinen, known as the "Finnish-American Accordion Princess," left northern Michigan for New York City when she was 18.

Once there she parlayed her accordion and vocal abilities into a recording career which brought her major fame. She recorded dozens of 78 rpm discs for the Victor and Columbia labels in the 1920s and 1930s and was the first woman to immortalize her accordion solos on wax. Although her recordings are difficult to find in the U. S. today, they are still readily available in Finland.

Playing many dances and concerts, Turpeinen toured extensively, often with her husband William Syrjala or accordionist Sylvia Polso, becoming the biggest star in Finnish-American music. She had two active periods: the ten years starting in 1928 and from post World War II until 1954. Sadly, she died of cancer in Lake Worth, Fla., on Dec. 26, 1958.

Turpeinen had such an influential career, winning acclaim for her performances and recordings, that she has become an icon in Finnish-American culture.

Another iconic figure in the accordion world is Van Damme, who brought his instrument into the jazz arena.

Van Damme was born April 9, 1920, to parents who came from Belgium to settle in Dickinson County. He took up the accordion at age nine, moving to Chicago with his family five years later, where his father found work during the Great Depression. Van Damme studied classical accordion during his high school years and by the time of his graduation had a sophisticated knowledge of musical concepts. He then formed a jazz trio and played the Big Band hits of the day in Chicago area clubs, adapting idol Benny Goodman's arrangements to the accordion.

Van Damme worked with the Ben Bernie Orchestra in 1942, but two years later formed a quartet and the following year fronted a quintet consisting of his accordion stylings combined with guitar, bass, drums and vibes. He cut his first record in 1945, and began working for the National Broadcasting Company in Chicago that same year. He appeared often on The Today Show hosted by Dave Garroway, as well as The Tonight Show and Dinah Shore Show. He toured Europe extensively and played with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy DeFranco, Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee.

An acknowledged innovator, Van Damme recorded for Capitol and then Columbia. He released at least a dozen popular albums from the early 1950s until the mid-1960s. Some of his most noteworthy titles include "Cocktail Capers," "More Cocktail Capers," "Martini Time," "The Art of Van Damme" and "The Van Damme Sound." He also recorded 130 fifteen minute programs for NBC Radio.

His cool sound was an integral component of the post-bop jazz of the1960s. Since 1965, Van Damme has recorded for a German label, releasing 16 additional albums.

A favorite among squeezebox fans, Van Damme has been voted top jazz accordionist in an annual Downbeat magazine poll for ten consecutive years. A Contemporary Keyboard magazine poll also put Van Damme at the top of his category for four consecutive years.

Although Van Damme announced his retirement on his 75th birthday, he still leaves his Florida home for occasional appearances. He'll be featured at the Las Vegas International Accordion Convention at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino on June 18-21, during a event celebrating 100 years of the piano accordion.

During that century the public has seen such famous accordionists as Lawrence Welk, Myron Floren, "Polka King" Frankie Yankovic, Bruce Hornsby, and even "Weird Al" Yankovic. Now, don't forget to include two "unsung heros," Upper Peninsula natives Viola Turpeinen and Art Van Damme on that list.