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At the tender age of 17, Rusty Rogers joined up with a local Texas band, bass in hand - enter stage left, at back - and prepped to queue in with a few other talented fellas, all decked out in matching ties. Some went west, some stayed home and played with serious intentions, the legendary Bob Wills at center stage. (Go to Spit Pearls for the video "Texas Steel") Rusty chose his path, settled in California, and died there with a smile on his face March 4, 2009 ... here lies tribute to the man with steel at his fingertips, his brother Bernie playing fiddle by his side.
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Pamela Youngs
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My life = music, writing, art, baseball, friends/family east/west, wildlife encounters of the animal kind, moving along on foot, feet always planted firmly on dusty, dirty ground ~ old west, new zest, my life. Survived the California 'valley-girl' chic craze, on to the East Bay, South Bay, San Francisco, Oakland, surrounded by song, a twang for C,D,E,F,G, major/minor, chords that hit harmony for opportune times, always taking for granted the venue. That's my stepdad Rusty in the Rusty Rogers' band photo, standup bass; played a mean steel in his later years and nice guy on the whole, bought me a great Washburn. The Dad I admired since birth, he's the real thing and a Jersey boy, adoringly put the croon power of a Sinatra song to test at any given moment. And there's Amy, acoustic/vocals, performing on live radio in the '40s with her sisters. It's time to show appreciation for everything music that fell onto my front doorstep at a time when we casually spoke it, sang it, stepped in on it, not to mention had an era tattooed on our brains to live it, yep, totally. ;)py
Tony Costanza
Writer
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Born and raised in Monterey, California, Tony Costanza grew up listening to the radio with his dad. "He always had the radio on," Tony recalls. The father/son duo knew all the lyrics to the songs of the 50's and 60's, taking in the great tunes of Dean Martin and Buddy Holly - his dad being especially fond of the legendary Mario Lanza. Because of their strong bond and love for music, like father like son, Tony also put Lanza at the top of his list. When the 70's and 80's hit, Tony got into country music, never to forget his love for Rock 'n Roll and the Blues. Always on the prowl for good tunes, he is hooked on the radio station KPIG out of Freedom, California. He likes their variety of music and finds them very entertaining. Tony lives in Sacramento, California near his wonderful daughters, Rosy and Maria and their two families.
Alan Sheckter
Photographer/Writer
An avid music photojournalist born and raised near Philadelphia before relocating to Northern California in 1998, Alan Sheckter has photographed and interviewed more than 250 musical acts over the past 20 years, working with artists both large and small on the music circuit at arenas, festivals and night clubs. His 10-year full-time journalism career has included five years as arts editor and photographer at the Chico, California daily newspaper, and overall his work has appeared in more than 20 magazines, books and newspapers. He continues to be a steady contributor to Chico’s alternative newsweekly, the Chico News and Review. He is pleased at having his work aligned with Steel Ties. Alan resides in his Sierra Nevada mountain home with his wife Donna, three cats and a cockatiel. Galleries of Alan's recent photography can be viewed at www.pbase.com/alansheckter.
Dan Garvey
Writer
A native Californian, Dan Garvey was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. “I remember, when I was little, my mother often played 78's from her large collection of big band music, sometimes dancing around the room, holding me in her arms. I was raised with swing music as the soundtrack to my younger years, and I can still hear it pop out in some of my guitar work, I love it!” Dan played in bands throughout the Bay Area during the ‘60s and ‘70s. Though he had a very busy 30-year management career in the Silicon Valley electronics industry, music continued to play a major role his life, all the while “gently but relentlessly” calling him back. He eventually went back to the music business, this time in instrument sales, meeting several movers-and-shakers within the trade. Dan’s second love is photography, some of which has been published. The study and appreciation of history has also played a big part in Dan’s life – he has been and still is an active member in historical re-enactment. Now semi-retired, the musician/actor tells it like it is. “Livin’ with my darlin’ bride Roberta in the great and uniquely beautiful state of Alaska Alaska
Julio Staben
Writer
Julio Staben doesn't mind spending his last hard-earned dime on his favorite artist. He remembers having the opportunity to see a show in the early '60s with a 15 musical guest lineup in one night – Leslie Gore, Bobby Rydell, The Beach Boys, The Who (with former members Keith Moon and John Entwistle), and then some. He saw The Beatles twice. Tickets for the show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco sold for $3.50 in 1964. “I can remember someone offering me $5.50,” he recalls, having declined the offer. He was also at Candlestick Park in 1966 to see The Beatles, a show that made the history books. Other memorable moments include The Fillmore in San Francisco, every week for months, to see Cream, Ike and Tina Turner, Jethro Tull, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Santana, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the list goes on. Since then, music has been a part of his life in some form or another. He picks up his guitar to play on a whim, and continues to attend shows featuring major league players like Prince, Eric Clapton, Santana, as well as local bands who have yet to make it to the larger venue. The Bay Area musician has also written reviews for entertainment publications in the East Bay. His tracks in California cover San Francisco, Fremont, Dublin, Arnold, San Diego, and now Discovery Bay. He has two grown children who live in California. Being the proud dad, he says, “They’re both wonderful.”
Tammy Everitt Agee
Writer
Growing up in Southern California in the early ‘60s is when it began, "My interest in all things Beatles and Rock and Roll,” says Tammy Agee. Putting her Midwest upbringing on the back burner, and lurking on the outskirts of the hippie movement, Tammy became part of the mantra, “Peace, love, and Rock and Roll.” In her early 20s as a Buyer for a music distributor, she would get free tickets to some of the hottest groups of the late ‘60’s, and ’70’s era. Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Traffic, Grateful Dead, to name a few, but sadly never The Beatles. While at a Blues Fest in Sacramento Northern California community where they lived for over 20 years. As avid listeners of the classic rock radio station KZAP, located in Sacramento
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