What Is Rockabilly
This is a good question. It is a bass guitar oriented rhythm and blues adapted from delta blues by the people at SUN Records in Memphis in the late 40's and early 50's. (Carl perkins, Elvis, the Killer, etc.)
It is dance hall/roadhouse blues. If you can sit during a good rockabilly set then, YOU DEAD!
I was born a poor white child. both parents were jazz players. Musicians were always in our house. It was a constant jam session. Began gigging early and never stopped. Was studio cat in Chicago in the early 70's. Eventually drifted to Toledo in the 80's.
The Boogie Boys have changed players over the 30 years of jumpin around, but, the music remains firmly grounded in the honkey tonk blues of my childhood.The Legend of Rockin Roy
back to the Diving Board
is the singer and lead guitar of this medicine show. Through most of his career, he has been known as a song writer. He was won numerous awards from Song writing associations (SWA's) overthe years.
He has been playing guitar for more than 30 years. We have just published the fifth edition of "Easiest Guitar System Ever! (originally published in 1976 by Black Hawk Press, Chicago) on this web site. He plays many styles of music, but, prefers to play road house blues.
Matt Currier. Is the current bass player.
Her main interests are in music and healing. She has a gifted connection to the River of Life flowing from the Throne of God and the Holy Spirit that is awesome to the people around her.
Our 7th drummer is Rick Ryan. He plays drums in various bands with RR since the middle 90's. He has a tasty, funky style that fit immediately with all of the styles that we play.
The LP called "& Frenz" was recorded while I was a studio cat at ABC Dunhill in Chicago. At night, we would get free recording time from the studio. I would play on other people's projects and they would play on mine. Dog Ear Records picked me up because I already had tapes in hand.
same deal...
Headed South (with "Southlands" - 1983)
We made an 8 Track (AN 8 TRACK, MAN..!)of the bar band stuff we were doing. It was great fun...we got one single played on 61 Country in KC...we were hot stuff.
Our first gospel recording, Good and Faithful Servant, was released in April, 1997. These are the songs on the first album:
Good and Faithful Servant
Cleave To Me 1982- Best Wedding Song-Chicago SWA
Hang Onto Jesus 1993
For the Least of These 1996
Good and Faithful Servant 1994
First Day In Heaven 1971-Chicago SWA, KC SWA
Not My Will, Lord, but Thine 1990-Ohio Gospel Assoc
Need You More and More 1995
Sweet Talker 1983
What’re we Doin’ Right 1971-KC SWA AWard, Milwaukee Folk Mag,
Boston Folk Festival,
Long Glory Ride 1980For this album, all of the songs were written or co-written by Ben Miller. There are 7 different songwriting awards given to the songs in this collection.
2B Continued
This CD album project, 2B Continued..., was a live set of recordings with the Gospel band. It was recorded at YES-FM's Solid rock Cafe. We were practically the house band. We played there at least once a month over a period 97~99. It is the last recordings of One Heart at it's best, featuring all three of the songwriters. It was released in in 1998 and then , again, with newer tunes, in 2000.
Most of these songs are available on mp3.com for your listening pleasure.
Our second gospel studio recording was completed in late 2002.
It features a variey of players as the band kept shifting personnel after the Great Bear left us. We also brought in as many great players from other bands to make ourselves look good.
Rhythm...
This project is in "post-production." That means that all the tunes are recorded. We are now awaiting artwork and then sending it off to the factory to make boxes of CD's for us to sell.
Since I have my own studio now, I have begun re-recording or remastering as many of the oldest songs that I wrote in case they begin to fade from my memory. There are songs from the 60's and 70's that I have performed but never recorded due to the slightly off-color nature of the material (Pokin...)
There are some new tunes also from the unrecorded "I Like Girls" collection. (Lookin Fer Trouble 98, Bad Love 03, etc.) I have 8 or 9 done, so I am pre-releasing the stuff on mp3.com.
Acknowledging that the roots of Gospel Music is Rhythm and Blues, we share our relationship with Jesus through the Blues Music that we have played all of our lives. After the first album, radio stations didn’t know what to call us. They came up with sacred blues. The tunes are straight blues riffs and the words are from the Bible.
Blues can be bright and lively. This is the area of blues that we like to share most.
Lively "jump style" and "hot rhythm" Blues songs can express the joy that we feel as Children of God.
The slower pieces are useful to express our sadness over not being as good of Christians as we like.
Blues, in all its forms, lends itself well to the Spirit Feast concept that we share in our concerts.