The Syndicate Warren,Ohio 1964-1967   Left to Right Jimmy Ryan, Melody Wireman Rink, Bill Cook, TJ Rink, Butch Lepro  The Syndicate was formed in Warren Ohio by Tom (TJ) Rink in 1964, two days after seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Rink contacted his neighbor and very close friend Alex (Butch) Lepro and asked him if he wanted to be in a rock band. Butch said "sure, lets do it". It didn't seem to be a problem that neither Rink or Lepro owned or played any instruments or could read music. Their main concern was finding a few more guys and getting their first gig. TJ contacted another sophomore Phil Starr from Newton Falls High who played drums and could read music. Phil showed up at the first band meeting and was asked if he knew anyone that played bass. About an hour later, Bruce Swartzmiller arrived and was brought on as our bass player. We now had our band. TJ and Butch started learning how to play guitar, not by taking lessons, but by learning a new song each day. Butch had a great ear and could note out (tabulate) each lead and rhythm part. TJ would learn the cords and Butch did all the leads. They all tried singing lead, but at that time playing and singing was too hard so they decided to get a front man. TJ went to his high school choir and found Jimmy Ryan, another classmate of Rink's. Jimmy took to the band like a duck to water and with some work the group was showing really good four part harmonies and on certain songs either TJ, Butch or Bruce would do the leads. After about 6 months of work the band was ready for their first gig. The band went from an idea to reality in less then 6 months, learning about 20 Top 40 songs performing them with decent harmony and reasonably good musicality. The Warren/Youngstown area was a hot bed for the gangsters that ran the area. Generally there was about 1 mob killing per month. The Mafia was real in the Mahoning Valley and Rink believed that a band name that reflected that image was good for business. The Syndicate was born. Less then 6 months after getting together The Syndicate got its first gig playing at a "Nam Going Away Party". They earned 25 bucks and played their songs 10 or 12 times each, but the crowd loved them! There was about 100 people there from all over the Warren area and within 24 hours they got booked for their second gig at an 18 and over joint called the Sugar Shak located in Howland Ohio. The joint was open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday and sold 3.2 beer and most of the patrons were Youngstown State University students. The promoter said the band didn't need to audition and they could start the next week for the Wednesday night crowd. TJ pulled out a contract and started filling it out, listing the date and times, and most importantly the fees. The promoter was a little shocked that this 16 year old kid was so well prepared with only one gig under his belt. Rink told the promoter that The Syndicate were members of the Warren Musicians Union 118 and they only worked for union scale. The promoter stated he only paid bands on Wednesdays $25 to perform. Rink stated they wouldn't play for less than $60 and evidently the promoter wanted The Syndicate because he signed the contract. Rink put down 4 nights at $60 each with an option to leave in 2 weeks or get 4 more with a raise. The gate on Wednesday was never more then about 35 patrons that were charged a .50 cover. Rink told the promoter that if the Syndicate didn't increase the gate, they would leave in 2 weeks and accept the $25 for their scale. Within the first 2 weeks The Syndicate brought the gate up to over 100 and after 4 weeks they had the same numbers as on the weekend. The promoter rebooked them for the next 3 months at 3 nights a week at $85 per night. The minimum wage at this time was about .85 per hour. You can see The Syndicate was making some serious money with just 6 months in the business! Their fans spread the word around YSU and within a very short time they were getting booked at places near the University (The Tomb, Penguins Roost, University Club, and many Frat parties). In the summer of 1966, The Syndicate got booked at a college summer retreat called Geneva-on-the-Lake. College kids from all over Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania came there to chill out from their studies. This place only existed for the summer trade, renting cottages on the shores of Lake Erie, providing about 50 bars to hang out in and 100s of guys and girls wanting to hook up. Two bars really stood out at the time, The Cove and the Sunken Bar. The Syndicate got booked at the Sunken Bar to open for a Pittsburgh group called the Jaggers. The Syndicate played the Saturday and Sunday Jams from 4 to 8 and the Jaggers would come on and play till closing. This was an over 18 crowd and the place was always packed. The Syndicate contacted for 8 weeks at $125 per session. The Jaggers were a super group and were about 3-5 years older and went out of their way to give advise on our showmanship and harmonies and what were the coming trends in music. Again word of mouth spread our name and in the fall of 1966 The Syndicate was playing in Kent, Akron, Cleveland, Painsville, Mentor, and Columbus. They played with, opened for, or on the same bill with the James Gang (pre-Joe Walsh era),The Outsiders(#1 Hit/Time Won't Let Me),The Choir(Baby Its Cold Outside),The New Christi Minstrels, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and of course The Jaggers(#1 Hit/The Rapper done in the early 70s and with Wild Cherry(Play that Funky Music White Boy).   Personnel: Tom (TJ) Rink :Leader/Rhythm Guitar/Acoustic Guitar/Bass/Vocals/Booking agent. Alex (Butch) Lepro:Lead Guitar/Acoustic Guitar/Vocals/Music Director. Bruce Swartzmiller: Bass/Acoustic Guitar/Acoustic 12 String/Vocals. Bill Cook: Drums Jimmy Ryan:Lead Vocals/Tambourine/Ladies Man Influences: We started out with the Top 40 and it didn't matter who played it, as long as the fans wanted to hear it, we did it. We were current with the top 10 weekly, British, Pop, Rock, and Soul. When we got with the Jaggers, they suggested that The Syndicate could be a top show band if we started doing the Detroit Sound Stuff (Soul). We had tight 4 part harmony and started doing the Temptations, Casinos, Five Stair Steps, Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, Capitols, Ink Spots, Isley Brothers, etc. Most of this stuff was fairly new to the college kids and they ate it up Setlist Sample: .Cool Jerk, Have You Heard, My Girl,Twist and Shout, Hold On I'm Coming, Knock on Wood, Midnight Hour, Mustang Sally, along with the Stones, Beatles, Kinks, Who, McCoys, Turtles, Rascals, and PR & the Raiders, just to name a few. Equipment: Like all new and fresh bands of the 60s we started with junk. Butch and I actually rented our first acoustic guitars. Within a month I bought a used Fender Jaguar and Butch got a club from Sears. I remember I could pass my fingers underneath the strings at the 12 fret on Butch's guitar. But boy could he play that mess. As the money started to come in we started buying the best available, ending up with: TJ: Grestch Country Gentleman/Fender Tube Bandmaster Amp with JBL Bass Speakers Installed. Butch: 1964 Fender Stratocaster/Fender Tube Bandmaster Amp. Bruce: Gibson solid body bass/Fender Tube Bassman Amp. Bill: Rogers Drums, top-hat, double toms, 5 cymbals. University TL3 Column Speakers, Ampex Tower Speakers, Bogan Amp with mixers, Shur mics, and Norleco Stereo 8" reel tape recorder. Rehearsal Space: Butch was an only child and had a fairly new home with a big basement and the band practiced here. Butch's mom would be our "ears" and give us input on our harmonies Band Vehicles: TJ had a 1962 Bel Air Hardtop that he drove and Butch rode. Ryan also had a Chevy that carried Bruce. Bill had a new car with a trailer to haul his drums and sound systems. Fashion Statement: Needless to say, they presented themselves as professionals. Some shows they changed during breaks. Most though they wore what their fans expected. They weren't into the hippy styles but like a nice, sharp look Best Gig: When we opened for the Jaggers. That was the turning point for The Syndicate, as we went from a fairly good garage band that got people dancing, to a more professional show band that applauded our music and vocals Gig from Hell!: Actually all of our gigs were great, but one did come out kind of threatening. If you notice in our band photos, there is a girl in the picture. If you count the guys, you come up with four. We had posters printed with our picture attached and the venue would put the "Appearing Tonight' poster in the lobby. The poster also showed who did what in the band, name along with instrument etc. We got booked for a place in Cleveland without auditioning, just by word of mouth. I sent a contract and the "Appearing" poster with our band pictures. We got to the gig about 3 hours early to set up when we noticed a line already forming outside to get tickets. We was getting $500 for this gig and I was thinking maybe I should have asked for a cut of the gate. While we were setting up,this bent nose type came to me and said he wanted to meet Jimmy Ryan. I pointed him out and the guy said "No, I want to meet Jimmy Ryan the singer". This guy was about 5 times bigger then I was and about 45 years old and he kept pronouncing RYAN as RAN. After a short discussion, I learned that this guy thought he hired a group from Toledo who had a female as lead vocals whose name was JIMMI RYAN (pronounced RAN). He looked at our band photo and wanted to know "who in the hell is this girl?" I explained that on the day of the photo shoot, Bruce was in Cleveland getting his military physical and never made the shoot. The photographer suggested we show the quality of our equipment and should pose with the guitars. Ryan picked up Bruce's bass for the shoot and the girl was my girlfriend and was just added because she had great legs. The personal description on our posters showed all positions were filled by men and it was just a goof that a female singer from Toledo had a name spelled the same as Ryans, and because the picture showed a female not holding any instrument, he assumed she was the singer. The guy stuck his meaty fingers in my chest and told me "you better be worth the F@%*!!$ money I'm paying you!!" I went back stage and told the guys what happened and they all thought it was funnier than hell and I told them that if the crowd really wanted to see the female singer, they could demand their money back and we would be out of the jig. We weren't under much pressure! We went on to a packed house, didn't take a break for 2 hours, keeping the fans dancing and buying a lot of beer. The crowd responded to us with requests and applause and we brought the house down and ended up with a C-Note tip. Last Gig: The last gig we did was the finish of a 26 week engagement (4 nights a week) at the Stables in Painsville Ohio. The Syndicate started there in late fall of 1966 and finished in May 67. We started on Wednesdays, moving on to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday gigs.This was a lounge off a bowling alley and near the Painsville Armory, where we also played a few times in the past. The Stables showcased many local bands in the Cleveland area, such as The Outsiders, Choir, and Mixed Emotions. They charged a cover of about $2.00, $1.50 for beer and sold liquor. The place easily held 350 persons, and many times the Fire Marshal would do an inspection for over capacity and would close the doors. The management paid us very well, averaging $500 per session. Comments:       Where are they now? Winter, 2009 TJ married the girl in the band photo and will celebrate their 41st anniversary in 2008. He attended Ohio State University and the University of Akron. He graduated from the Ohio Fire and Police Academies and retired from the Fire Service holding the rank of District Chief. They have 2 sons and 5 grand kids all back in Ohio and Pennsylvania. He and his wife relocated to Arizona where he started a second career with the State of Arizona. He still plays locally his two guitars, one electric and one acoustic. Butch attended Youngstown State University and retired from an auto assembly plant after 30 years. He is an award winning photographer and is owner of Alexander Photography in Newton Falls Ohio. He still has his Fender Strat. Jimmy was drafted and served in Viet Nam and when discharged he worked in water sales as a regional representative. He found Jesus and has excelled in Gospel singing appearances. Bill went into supervision in a local manufacturing plant and has retired. Haven't been in touch with him for years. Bruce also served in Viet Nam and when discharged he started playing with a local band called the Frisco Mint. When they needed a new lead guitar, he contacted Butch and they played together again until the band split. Haven't seen or heard from him in years.    Information contributed by T J Rink trink2@cox.net

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