When Dan Elliott reminisces about Syracuse’s History of Rock’n’Roll at Liverpool Library this week, I hope he’ll tell the story of guitarist Ron Lauback, who influenced the formation of rock bands like Elliott’s own Monterays.
Ron was born on Sept. 11, 1942 in Syracuse, to George and Helen Lauback. His mom, Helen, taught music teacher in the 1940s in the East Syracuse school district, and so young Ron was exposed to jazz, classical and pop music as a child. Ron’s first musical instrument was a ukulele.
After Chuck Berry burst onto the pop scene with “Maybelline” in 1955, Ron graduated to electric guitar. In 1958 he formed Eastwood’s first rock band, The Sabres, which specialized in instrumental tunes by early rock artists such as Link Wray, Duane Eddy and The Ventures.
Lauback went on to perform with The Saint & The Sinners, which enjoyed a long run at the Forest Hotel in Sylvan Beach, but not before he mentored any number of up-and-coming CNY rockers, including Elliott and The Monterays.
As a top scientist for Bristol Labs, Lauback wrote scholarly articles by day and strummed a Stratocaster by night. In 2002 he signed on with Elliott and The Monterays, and he continues with them today, now playing bass guitar.
He played lead guitar on May 9 when the Monterays shared a bill with The Tokens, The Teenagers, The Coasters and The Chiffons as part of the Old School Doo Wop Concert at the Landmark Theatre down city.
Formed in 1962, Dan Elliott and the Monterays have the distinction of being the longest-running rock band in Central New York. So Dan doesn’t just study the history of local rock and roll, he lived it!
Elliott, who also sings lead for The Belmonts, will shake, rattle and roll down memory lane at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, in the Carman Community Room as WSEN and Dinosaur Radio bring Syracuse’s History of Rock & Roll to the Liverpool Public Library.
Bands that made history here in our backyard include: The Monterays, Carmen Licitra & The Vikings, Otis & The All Night Workers, The Sermon and the Stomping Suede Greasers.
This program is free and open to the public; 457-0310; lpl.org.
BTW, Ron Lauback is the network announcer for his son‘s radio program, “The Wax Museum with Ronnie Dark,” broadcast 7 to 10 p.m. Sundays on WVOA 87.7 FM, and online at wvoaradio.com/listenonline.html. Both Lauback and Dark are members of the Monterays.
The pulled pork’s tangy and torrid at The Limp Lizard Barbecue, 201 First St., but so is the live music.
Former Kingsnakes guitarist Terry Mulhauser returns to Liverpool with his new band, Electric Bedlam, about 9 p.m. Oct. 18, at Limp Lizard Liverpool. “We’ll be playing a combination of rock, funk, country and blues combined with songs from the new CD that is about to drop,” Mulhauser said. “Stop out and join us. Have some of the lizard’s great food while you are there.”
Later this month Shawn Haldean and Mike O’Hara plug in at the LL, and Just Joe returns with his keyboard on Halloween night, Oct. 31.
Admission is always free at the Lizard, and the Dixie-fried vittles are perfectly piquant; 451-9774.
The Black Water Blues Band rocked the crowd at Sharkey’s Bar & Grill on Saturday, Oct. 4, with songs like “Sittin on Top of the World” and “Crossroads.”
The band’s lead guitarist, Tom Hutchinson, lives in Liverpool, and the band’s manager, Rose Stevens, grew up in the village when she was known as Rosemarie Vecchio.
I’ve known the Schueler family all my life, and for eight years one of my closest classmates at St. Joseph Elementary School was the freckle-faced Karen Schueler. So how could I misspell the family name when I submitted a short item about Karen’s mom, Dot, now living in Western New York for last week’s column? How? I plead human error. This time that good ol’ German name is spelled correctly complete with the ch and ue!
