Lance
Abair
How it all began .
. . My mother, an opera singer and a piano teacher, greatly
influenced my early years in music. I started playing piano
at the age of 4 and wrote my first song at the age of five.
I picked up clarinet in the sixth grade at Woodlawn Elementary
and stayed with the instrument until the beginning of ninth
grade when the band director (Mr. Drum) asked if anyone wanted
to learn to play sax. I raised my hand and thats how
it started. I was a short, skinny ninth grader and had to carry
a huge, heavy baritone sax (it was bigger than I was) all the
way around Mirror Lake to take lessons downtown with Harry
Newell. Harry Newell pounded his feet on the floor to reinforce
the importance of a solid tempo. He also engrained in me the
importance of a big, aggressive sound. He made a difference
in my musical life. I switched to tenor sax in the tenth grade
and alto sax in the eleventh.
One group I greatly admired was The
Midniters, fronted by Ronnie Hagen on guitar and lead vocals.
This was a BIG band. Lots of guitars, saxes, trumpets and trombones.
And they did all the requisite choreography too! I remember a
bunch of us (musicians) went to see them play at the Woodlawn
Recreational Center, around 61 or 62, after the word
got out that they had purchased all new equipment. Ooh! Equipment
lust! When we walked in and saw the stage our jaws dropped to
the floor! Three brand new Fender Bassman amps, all in a line.
Plus, both guitar players had brand new Fender Jazzmasters. Bob
Bachelor, the bass player, had a brand new Fender Jazz Bass.
This was the first time any of us had seen any of that equipment
before. Then they did the ultimate both guitar players
and the bass player sat on their amps and played Blue Feeling by
Chuck Berry. The thought of actually having an amp that was big
enough to sit on was mind-boggling. Realize also that the bass
player was playing through four ten-inch speakers un-micd
in a big room. And people STILL said it was too loud. Some things
never change. I wonder if Ronnie Hagen ever got his glasses to
stay up on his nose.
During my senior year I joined The Continentals. We
thought we were totally cool because we wore the latest trend,
Cardigan sport jackets with no collars bought from Arnolds
Mens Wear. I bought a lot of show clothes from Arnold.
At that time the St. Petersburg-based group consisted of Jim
Scott on guitar and lead vocals, Russ Hoyle on bass, Jimmy Powell
on drums, me on Tenor Sax, Don Pasco on Baritone Sax and Danny
Beeman on trumpet. We played out on the beach at the Madeira
Beach Recreational Center, the Suntan Club on St. Pete. Beach,
the Jokers Club and the other usual gigs in Bradenton,
Sarasota and Clearwater.
When
I first joined The Continentals I had never played
in a rock band before and was presented with quite a shock. Guitar
players play in keys like E, G, D, and A. That is not good news
to a person playing a B flat tenor saxophone. It was a whole
new world. I was rudely introduced to some very challenging new
keys (C#, B, F#, etc. you get the idea). On my first gig it was
necessary to have a local, more experienced sax player named
Bruce Miller play all my solos because he was comfortable with
the keys. By the way, it was on that same weekend I understand
that The Mystics played THEIR first gig. Great band.
I remember driving by Playland Park on Highway 19 and hearing
a band with a really big bass sound. I stopped to see who it
was and it was the very early Mystics. The bass player was Blair
Mooney. He was playing a detuned guitar through a Standel amp!
It sounded huge! They had a great lead singer named Rodney Justo,
one of the funniest guys Ive ever met and one of the best
singers ever to come out of the state of Florida.
The Fabulous Rockers from Tampa
played our Northeast High School graduation party in1962 and
they let me sit in. I was wearing Bermuda shorts and probably
weighed 110 pounds dripping wet. I was so intimidated by The
Rockers (best band around at the time) that my knees were
shaking.
Later The Continentals made two
personnel changes: Bill Broderick replaced Don Pascoe and Skip
Pittman replaced Jimmy Powell. At that time we thought the coolest
band in the world was The Mar-Keys.
Then came Florida State. There was no hip
music being played at FSUs music school so we would drive
over to the other side of town near the Florida A&M campus
and sit in at a club called The Cosmopolitan. That
was where the REAL musical action was. My jazz cat buddies and
I kept our sanity through having a lot of jam sessions. I was
also part of band that played fraternity parties. We played current
songs like Hang on Sloopy and Hey You, Get
Off Of My Cloud. The music school looked down its nose
at jazz or rock players and I felt musically out of place so
I split in the spring of 1966.
I came home from college and joined The
Impacs who, at the time, were a four-piece group consisting
of Vic Waters, Bobby Barnes, Tony Brown and Dennis Ballew. They
were the hot band in town. My first gig with them was at the Cock
and Bull which was the first topless club in town. Very
interesting watching all that when youre trying to play.
In 1967, I married my dream girl Linda. In
1969 we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl named Mindi.
We are still happily married today.
In early 68 The Impacs played
a gig in Miami Beach and, on our night off, went to see Wayne
Cochran and the C.C. Riders. We were blown away. Very shortly,
a great five-piece band from Virginia called The Spinners that
had recently moved to St. Pete., also played Miami Beach and
saw Waynes show. Once back in St. Pete. both bands got
together and said, Hell, we can do THAT! We rehearsed
and the newly formed Vic Waters Soul Revue played
one trial weekend at Jersey Jim Towers Crystal Lounge in
Clearwater and the next at the Blue Room in St. Pete. The crowds
ate it up! We decided to make it permanent and got booked into
the Desert Ranch Motels upstairs nightclub. The original
lineup consisted of Vic (front man), Dennis Ballew (guitar),
Bobby Tate (guitar, organ, lead vocals, choreography, and baton
twirling), Don Hunziker (bass), me (sax and organ), Bobby Barnes
(drums), Dave Iannaci (drums), Jerry Michael (sax keys and lead
vocals), Tony Brown (trumpet) and Tom Saitta (trumpet). Yes,
we had two drummers at one time just like J.B. During the first
few months both Bobby and Dave decided that the road was not
for them. Donnie Vosburgh replaced both of them. Dave Iannaci
moved to Vegas and became a stand-up comic. Bobby stayed in St.
Pete. and kept The Impacs alive.
Vic Waters and the Entertainers signed on
with an Atlanta agent, Hugh Rodgers, and started out on the road,
recording a few singles for Capital: Taking Inventory and Im
White and Im Alright. We recorded them in Memphis
at Chips Momans legendary American Studios.
After about a year-and-a-half later Vic decided
to go out on his own leaving the group without a dynamic front
man. After having seen a killer show band named The Mob in
Dallas where each member switched instruments and fronted, we
decided that now was the time to put up or shut up. We all had
to stretch into new areas to make the band interesting. We found
a very talented and funny new blue-eyed soul singer named Billy
Joe Ashe who also did a great Moms Mabley impression. My stretch
was doing comedy playing the buffoon in some of our comedy skits.
We changed our name to The Fabulous Entertainers and
blew away every audience in every town in which we performed.
We finally wound up being regularly booked at the Sahara Hotels
in both Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. Later, a young bass player
named Larry Haywood replaced Don Hunziker. Larry not only played
great bass but he also sang his butt off. Dennis Ballew left
to go out on his own and we decided to keep the band at nine
pieces. That was the best of times! We worked all across the
country with a lot of our favorite stars. The band was hot however,
due to growing and aging families, it became necessary for the
families to settle down so that kids had stable homes and could
go to school. The Entertainers disbanded in March
of 1972 after a fun and successful run. Linda and Mindi, my wife
and daughter, toured with me throughout the entire time.
Where are they now? Vic and Sherry Waters
are living near Savannah, Georgia where he has become a local
celebrity. Tony Brown is back on the West Coast of Florida. Tommy
Saitta owns several Chrysler and Dodge dealerships in the Las
Vegas area. Larry Haywood is living in his hometown of Dahlgren,
Virginia after surviving a savage bout of throat cancer caused
by second hand smoke from the bars we had played. Don Hunziker
is happily married and living in Roanoke, Virginia. Billy Joe
Ashe is living in Knoxville, Tennessee. Bobby Tate runs an entertainment
company in Longwood, Florida. Jerry Michael is a successful music
publisher in Nashville, Tennessee. Bobby Barnes has stayed in
St. Pete. heading up The Impacs and promoting a host
of musical shows. Dennis Ballew passed away a few years ago due
to cancer. Dave Iannaci is still doing stand-up comedy in Reno,
Nevada.
In Summer of 1972, I became the first staff
member of Young American Showcase, a musical production company
that booked six to eight rock bands a year into Junior and Senior
High Schools throughout the U.S., Canada, and Australia. It was
a school of entertainment for the players. I was able to take
some of my experience and impart it to young, highly motivated
musicians. It was during this time that I met and started a lasting
friendship with another local Tampa Bay musical stalwart, Robin
Sibucao. I stayed with Showcase until 1983 when I moved to North
Carolina to manage a 24-track recording studio. North Carolina
was not what I had hoped, so I moved my family back to St. Petersburg
and went to work for Paragon Music for two years while recording
and producing local artists in my home studio. Ive always
enjoyed turning knobs and pushing buttons.
In 1986 I left Paragon Music to go to work
for KORG, USA as a Product Specialist doing musical technology
clinics throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. This lasted about
four years until I decided to strike out on my own and produce
Instructional Music Videos. I named my new company FreeLance
Productions. In all, I produced ten videos that were not
only sold in the U.S. but were translated and sold in both Japan
and Germany.
During this time, I played the local casuals
circuit with a band named R.S.V.P. led by local Booking
Agent and drummer, Hoot Gibson. From time to time both Sher Dolan,
the current Mrs. Sibucao, and Robin played in this band. We had
a lot of fun and a lot of laughs. Hoot and I remain close friends.
At about the same time I was offered the opportunity
to play in a band led by former Grand Funk member, Mark Farner.
I toured nationally with him, for two years, playing keys and
sax. Ah, it was great to get back in the saddle and rock out
again! It was comical coming home from playing large concerts
to adoring fans to play parties and weddings where we had to
come in through the kitchen.
Next, I joined a new startup company in Clearwater
called Armadillo Enterprises. Its offices were upstairs at the
Kapok Tree building that housed Thoroughbred Music. My position
was North American Product Manager for Nord Lead synthesizers
and ddrum Electronic Percussion. This lasted three years and
was followed by a two-year stint as Senior Trainer for Bose Professional
Products in Framingham, Massachusetts. Interestingly, Robin Sibucao
was the head of sales for this very powerful division of Bose.
In 1999 an opportunity presented itself in
the form a new startup company called PlayNetwork, Inc, a creative
entertainment company that supplies branded music and high performance
sound systems for customers like Starbucks Coffee, Chilis
restaurants, Abercrombie and Fitch, Finishline, Krispy Kreme,
CHICOs, etc. The Chief Operations Officer was, you guessed
it, Robin Sibucao. Oh, I forgot to say that the company is located
in Redmond, Washington (minor detail). Robin needed someone to
help develop the music department and I was ready for a change.
I now live in Bellevue, Washington along with Bill Gates, Microsoft
and Nintendo. Linda and I love it here. Its the most beautiful
place in which we have lived. Robin and Sherry, Craig Carman
(another Tampa Bay transplant) and I get together to jam and
reminisce about the old times.
Oh yeah, and what about that little kid, Mindi,
who used to travel with me on the road? Take a look at her write
up in the Tampabay Garage Bands section. <Click
Here>
Also, check out her website at www.mindiabair.com.
Shes carrying on the musical torch and moving up to new
levels. Needless to say, Linda and I are very proud parents!
Additional Info: 3/29/2004:
I toured with Young American Showcase (Freedom Jam and Free Fare
in 1980-82). I'll always remember Lance's sincerity and tireless
dedication to me and all the guys that toured with Showcase.
Lance always did things with class and an intense energy and
sense of fun that was INFECTIOUS!
The Showcase band's made a lot of music during
their time. And we reached out to a lot of kids with a powerful,
positive message. Many of the life lessons I learned as a very
young drummer with Showcase have served me well as the years
have gone by. I will always be thankful for the Showcase experience
and for knowing Lance. If you see him, tell him tell him John
says Hello... John Peele • Greensboro, NC |