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We all lived in Hometown
(I know the name sounds hokey but its true, what
can I tell you it was the 1950s') a small post war
housing development of two and three bedroom duplex
homes. We all attended Oak Lawn High School and got
involved in music then. Tom Charvat and I... Joe
Bowlby were interested in art and went on to study
at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Tom's
brother Glenn Charvat went on to major in music at
DePaul University. He attended class with some of
the founding members of the rock group Chicago. Dan
Keiner was on the extended five year high school
plan, I think he eventually dropped out. Cal Conley
graduated from Oak Lawn. Jerry Patrusha dropped out
of high school. He had to leave early from the last
gig he played with us because his wife was having a
baby. Jerry Patrusha stories would also take
another web page.
Joe, Tom, Dan, Jerry, and
Glenn outside the 3Bs lounge.
The white stuff is snow but note the shades on
Glenn.
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Personnel:
Glenn Charvat - Sax
Tom Charvat - Drums
Joe Bowlby - Bass Guitar and Vocals
Dan Keiner - Guitar
Cal Conley -Guitar
Jerry Patrusha singer for about a year
(65-66). Jerry had a great "black" voice
and a volatile lifestyle. He sang the shit
out of Ray Charles' GEORGIA ON MY MIND and
Junior Wells' MESSIN WITH THE KID and
other blues and soul tunes.
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Influences:
Chicago
Blues, James Brown, Otis Redding, Chuck
Berry. When it comes to influences I have
to mention the late Terry Kath one of the
founding members of the rock group
Chicago. When I first saw Terry he was
playing bass. As a bass player myself
seeing Terry play for the first time was a
humbling experience to say the least. And
on guitar he was as good or better than
anyone playing at the time in Chicago or
the world.
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Setlist
Sample:
Louie Louie, Midnight Hour, Papas Got A
Brand New Bag, Rescue Me, and of course we
would cover all the top 40 tunes of the
day.
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Equipment:
Gibson guitars, Fender Jazz bass ( I sold
it in 72' after I got married... what a
dumb ass move that was) Fender and Ampeg
B18 amps, Rodgers drum set, Shure
microphones and some kind of make shift PS
system.
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Rehearsal
Space:
Tom and
Glenn's fathers garage... we ran
extensions cords from the
house.
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Band
Vehicles:
Parents
cars and later on our own cars. Some of
the bigger bands in Chicago owned old used
hearses or ambulances but we could never
afford that.
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Fashion
Statement:
Shiny
blue tux jackets from Seno's, Collarless
suit jackets and Puffy sleeve Tom Jones
shirts.
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Best
Gig:
After
playing the standard teen club and seedy
bar circuit in and around the southern
suburbs of Chicago the band broke up for a
short time. Dan Keiner and Glenn Charvat
landed a gig on Rush St., in what was then
Chicago's night club district, at a place
called the Scotch Mist. After a few weeks
that band needed a drummer and Bass player
so Tom Charvat and Joe Bowlby jumped in
and the Diplomats were back in business
along with a trumpet/keyboard player named
Buzz Youngquist. The Scotch Mist was a
classic Chicago Mafia run night club; guys
in shark skin suits, a bouncer named
Jerry, who for a price would be glad to
break someone's leg for you, red flocked
wallpaper on the walls, a black men's room
attendant named Leroy ( he referred to
himself as "The Shit-House Man") and of
course go go girls...many many go go
girls. The girls danced and we played rock
sets between the main act shows. We played
on the same bill with comic Jackie Mason,
The Platters, Della Reese and others. The
owner a guy named Sid told us "I know a
good band when I hear one...by the sound
of the cash register"! I would need a web
page of my own to even begin to tell all
of the Scotch Mist stories.
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Gig
from
Hell!:
Wow there
were so many. One that comes to mind is
right out of the Blues Brothers. We got a
gig at a little dump of a bar in Argo
Illinois. Yes... they were expecting
Country and Western, at the time I think
the farthest south any of us had ever been
was 147th street. It was a night to
remember.
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Last
Gig:
The
Scotch Mist
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Comments:
I think I can
speak for all of us when I say that playing in a
band was a great experience. When I think back to
those days all I can remember was laughter
friendship and good times. I guess at 56 one tends
to block out the hard parts, that's probably a good
thing. One thing I know to be true is that for a
short time just before really growing up and facing
the real challenges that life brings it was very
cool to be in a band. And at 18 or 19 years old
COOL is a great thing!
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