Where Are They Now?

     
Lance & Linda

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 that’s 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-mic’d 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 Arnold’s Men’s 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 Joker’s 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 I’ve 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 FSU’s 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 you’re 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 Wayne’s 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 Tower’s 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 Motel’s 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 “I’m White and I’m Alright”. We recorded them in Memphis at Chips Moman’s 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. I’ve 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, Chili’s restaurants, Abercrombie and Fitch, Finishline, Krispy Kreme, CHICO’s, 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. It’s 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. She’s 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






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