After Bebop A Lula: Utica Bands 50's 60's

[frankcor]

Maybe jon knows where that tattoo is?

[bobbbiez]

Don't stake your life on that one Frankie.

[jon hynes]

That was way back in 1967. Lucky to have electric lights and 5 digit phone numbers, say nothing about monitor speakers and PA Towers.

Right, that was a Ampeg B-18 tube amp that I bought to replace the one that got demolished in the accident with the Chessmen. I had bought the first one the day before that accident. Too bad I didn't get a chance to try it before I bought the second one. They were real pieces of crap. I ended putting the speakers from both amps into a cabinet I built, for my electronic drummer.

I played many jobs with Jim as a two piece group. Jim was the one that got me started playing one man. Jim later used Carmen Proyia from Rome as his bassman.

[wilum47]

So many familiar names.

I played in the area myself but kind of missed the 60’s thing. I was in a band in Clinton in 1966 called the Warloks but had to cut the gig short for my stint in the Air Force.

Went to school with Phil Nicotera at Conkling and was in Tony Fontera’s class when he died in the crash.

After I got out, hung around the old Country Place and did some Sunday jamborees and filled in with a few bands here and there during the 70’s. I used to go by my CB handle, Snoopy.

Finally, 1978, the guy that got me interested in guitar while he was home from school for the blind in the summers of the 60’s, you knew him as Sarkis Sageer or his CB handle, Sgt Snorkel asked to form a new group with a rookie drummer that lasted until 1995. Not many heard of us because we played mostly in the north country but we were house band at the Court Room in Utica a while. The band’s name was SSB & Co. The first letter of all our CB handles and the base player joining us later became & Company. Sarkis stayed with us for five years and decided to go back to country with Carl Sa Franco (sorry sp.) and we added a new member and that was the only change through the years.

Jon I had one opportunity to play with you at Arnold’s once and I can’t for the life of me remember who with!

Anyway, hope nobody minded my two cents,

[bobbbiez]

Hey Clipper, is that the same Sgt.Snorkel we knew from our old CB days that Wilum47 is talking about? If so, this world is getting smaller and smaller.

[bobbbiez]

Wilum47, if you were on the CB, what was your handle and what channel did you use? If you don't mind me asking.

We used channel three if I remember correctly. My handle was Sunshine and my better-half used WinterHawk.
My late brother-in-law, Steve, used Pied Piper. Steve was also blind. My oldest son was, Sailor.
Our best friend used, Little Joe/Stetson and another was, Scarecrow..
I could go on and on throwing out names.

Know many, many more people through the CB clubs.
We all hung out at Medicine Man's or the old Hyland Towers.
Great times back then.

I had a sonar base with a Turner plus-3-mike. Pretty powerful. Could walk over just about anyone. Most around me hated it. ;D

Just wondered if we hung with the same people. Like Clipper .

Don't ever worry about putting in your two cents. Enjoy your input to the forum and if I don't I'll make sure you know. ;D ;D

[jon hynes]

Tony Frontera of The Chessmen

[bobbbiez]

Am just lovin all the pictures and info you're putting up for us to see . Really shows how old we are.

Keep them coming my friend and thank you for sharing them with us. All is appreciated.

[jon hynes]

Yes I remember you Snoopy. We played at Bailey's in Hinckley Lake in a band together. I had your name on a list trying to remember who we had played together with there. Bobby Harwell? Bobby Mack? Bobby Lynn? Did you use Bill Fields as a bass player later?

Then of course at the Country Place Jamborees. I played there Wednesday nights with Doug LaVigne, Terry Tinckle on Electric Piano, Dana Lawton on Guitar and Wayne Bowling on Drums. We played at Griffs on Columbia St. Thurs, Fri and Sat (Sun?).

In Later years I played at the Country Place with Jimmy Porter as Looking Back. It was supposed to be just a local place to practice for us but lasted much longer. I played Guitar in that band and Electric Drums, Jim played Guitar and Edson (Tom) Collins played bass. Of course we all sung too.

Sgt Snorkel is who I had mentioned on earlier pages that started out with Jimmy Porter as the Guitar Stars. He would come to the Jamborees, along with others like You, Joe Angerosa, Danny Alberico and a whole cast of others that would sit in.

SSB I seem to remember you played at Arnold's on some Saturdays. I went there when you were there a couple of times. Good group. Didn't you have a girl that played keyboards?

[wilum47]

Yeah, Sunshine, you knew me as "Snoopy" on channel 3 in the CB days. The band I spoke about above began in the back room of Medicine Man's, my good friend, Joe Tripp. And yes, that's the Sgt Snorkel you knew too.

[wilum47]

Well, sooner or later it's gonna slip anyway, my name is Bill Fields, and yes I forgot Bailey's!

What a great gig that was to play with you and Bobby Harwell, what a blues player! I was rhythm and vocal back-up and we were backing Doug Levine. Ronnie Saunders was the drummer, Ron always brought an audience, the bikers!
Knew all those guys you mentioned and sat in with them at the Country Place.

[frankcor]

So, when do we all get together to jam?

[jon hynes]

Sorry to blow your cover. Now the whole world knows.

I knew we didn't both play Bass at Bailey's. I remembered you there as a guitar player. I was wondering how I happened to be playing there. I had forgotten, it was with Doug.

Did you ever play any of the Jamborees at Helene's Hideaway on Old Rt 49? There was another country music place in Rome near the Ritz Club Martin. The name escapes me right now.

Next picture is someone that used to come to the Country Place Jamborees.

[jon hynes]

Gary Hovish-Drummer

[Clipper]

Hell, Willum, I remember you vaguely. I knew Sgt Snorkel really well, from both channel 3 and his channel 8 days. My best friend was Pot Belly and Snuggles. She ran the highland tower and he was the 400 lb. 6 foot8 dude that cooked at the state hospital.

I was "busdriver". I don't know how I got such a generic handle, but it stuck for years. I used to go to medicine man's, and I was a Central NY Coach lines driver at the time, and wore a uniform quite often, as I got off work at 10PM and went there from work quite often. I didn't drink and could usually be found playing pool while slurping at a tall coca cola. I had a 40 channel Robyn mobile with all the peaking and toys that Firebird put in there for me, and a power mike. I bought it from "big bird" (Marty Martin) that used to live on Taylor Ave just off of James. I knew all the "good people". Jim and Jackie Amerosa, "granite man and supergal" Dave,"(scarecrow), Frannie (blonde bomber) Joe "stetson", Jackie from Guelich St "windy lady", Brian Bonanza "illustrated man", a girl from Trenton Falls that called herself "saddle tramp", and others.

My present screen name came from my CB handle. In later years when I drove a truck, I was a great Joe Dimaggio fan, so I called myself Yankee clipper. That went to clipper for short, and later, I drove for a company in Wisconsin, and had a large mural of a clipper ship airbrushed on my sleeper. People have wondered if I was a barber over the years. Haha. Nobody needs for ME to cut their hair, haha.

Hell, it is a small world, and the computer is the CB of the day for today. It brings together people of all backgrounds to become acquainted and to make friends. It also has the battles and the problems that the CB had, haha.