David Roe - Musician, Band Leader, Song Writer
David Roe has logged millions of touring miles. DR, as he is known from Singapore to Cape Cod, has played in Rock, Country, Blues, Wedding, Ethnic, Folk, Jazz and Whatever bands that could sustain a musician who really just wanted to play the joyous songs from the American South; Ragtime from the Carolina Piedmont, Memphis Jug Band, Delta Blues and Traditional Jazz from the Big Easy.
He accompanies himself on piano, keyboard rig, his vintage Martin ukulele or the Guild guitar he has carried since 1974. He is also the snare drummer in the New Orleans All Star Brass Band and sits at the drum throne in Bayside Nation, a Washington DC based rock band.
DR was born in Nurenburg Germany in 1957. Christmas 1963, he figured out how to play The First Noel on the piano. By 1968 he was also playing guitar, spurred on by his father’s music collection that ranged from Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Louis Prima, Louis Armstrong and Pearl Bailey to Joan Baez, Dave van Ronk, Dylan, Odetta, Pete Seeger, Leadbelly and Josh White.
His childhood was a mixture of deep-rooted family farm life in upstate New York and a nomadic military life that included stints in Kansas, Virginia and Hawaii.
In the mid 70’s he arrived in New Orleans and began fronting The Halfway to Nowhere Band, formed at the corner of St. Peter and Royal in the French Quarter and forged in an apartment above Tipitinas.
The 80’s found DR crisscrossing the country with Renaissance Faires and Irish Trad Rock bands, Celtic Stone and Napper Tandy.
In the 90’s you could hear him fronting The Royal Rounders traditional jazz band on Royal Street and Jackson Square, and at clubs, music festivals bars and coffeehouses in New Orleans and around the world.
DR was the bandleader for The Rounders, a super group of former Fats Domino, Dr. John and Earl King sidemen and elder statesmen of New Orleans R&B.
DR has a repertoire of about a million tunes from country blues and down home folk to jazz, swing, and even a few popular songs from each decade of the 20th century. Well, maybe not the 80s.
DR has written songs, and acted as music director for The Hanlon-Lees ActionTheater, Renaissance Faires, Conventions, Recordings, Industrials, and when the muse is in the room. With Patti McKenny he wrote songs and sketches for three seasons of Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion.
Royal Rounders AKA The All Star Brass - New Orleans Jazz
Traditional New Orleans Jazz played Untraditionally
Featuring Tim Paco on Tuba and Bass, Robert Harris on Trombone, Gerry (Flipper) Meldrum on Reeds, Oliver Steck on Trumpet, DR on Piano and Snare and former drummers for Spinal Tap on Bass Drum and Trap Set
The Rounders - New Orleans R&B
The Rounders play a raucous mixture of Blues, New Orleans Jazz, R&B, and the odd Tom Waits song, Caribbean dance beat or 60�s pop tune. Whatever the song, no matter how old, they bring it new life.
Like Louis Prima, Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino, they raid the New Orleans songbook and polish off the gems in a high-energy performance that just makes you want to dance, shake and sway all night long.
The Rounders include three New Orleans born and bred legends, Bass Player, Irving �Punchy� Williams, Drum Wizard, Freddie Staehle, and Multi Instrumentalist, Frederick �Shep� Sheppard.
Bandleader and pianist, David (D.R) Roe feels very lucky to be fronting a band with so much talent, energy and history.
D.R. began playing piano in 1963 and the guitar in 1968. He played tympani and xylophone in orchestras, guitar at folk clubs and protests, and sang in churches, sometimes two or three different churches on a Sunday. He was a fixture in Community Theater. In 1976, he dropped out of college and hitchhiked to New Orleans playing on Royal Street and Jackson Square in the French Quarter. �All the music I loved came from, or through, New Orleans. I just knew that if I went there, some of that New Orleans ness would rub off on me.�
Within 2 days of arriving, D.R. was arrested for playing music in The Square. �Two cops walked past me and shut my guitar case. I got indignant and began inciting the crowd to chant something about freedom for capitalism, and that�s when I was arrested.� Released on Lundi Gras, D.R. gathered his things and on Mardi Gras Day hitched south to Buras Louisiana and went to work on the oilrigs in the Gulf.
�I hitched all over the U.S., playing in folk clubs, bars, and coffeehouses, and on the street. Each year I would stay in New Orleans longer and longer.�
In 1980, he moved in with Franko �Washboard� Jackson, Trombonist Dave Davies, Washtub Bass player Jim Sherpa, and a number of other jug band musicians. At first, they stayed on Kerlerec Street but were evicted and moved Uptown to an apartment above Tipitinas. �Because we lived upstairs, we were the de facto opening act or fill in musicians for the shows.� WWOZ radio was two doors down, directly over the stage. Local and touring musicians occupied the other apartments, and D.R. spent a lot of time listening to the pianists down stairs at the bar and hanging around and playing with everyone and anyone.
In 1979, D.R. had begun performing at Renaissance Festivals, and in 1981, he became assistant Entertainment Director for Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie Texas.
Through the 80�s, D.R. performed at Folk, Renaissance, Dickens, Wild West, and Irish Festivals, craft shows, promotional events, private parties and corporate gatherings.
While playing piano in a Vaudeville Show, D.R. took up stilt dancing and learned to juggle and play the ukulele twelve feet in the air.
He also designed tights and other Spandex clothing and sold them nationwide under the name �Real Tights.�
D.R. maintained a home in Austin Texas and in New Orleans, while traveling as an entertainer and clothing manufacturer, and performed and recorded with Celtic Stone, an Irish Rock band based out of Texas.
In the early 90�s, D.R. moved to Chicago and played with Napper Tandy in Irish bars and festivals all over the Mid West. He wrote songs and skits for Garrison Keillor�s American Radio Company and Prairie Home Companion with Doug Frew and Patti McKenny, and was music director for The King Richard�s Faire in Boston.
He and his very shiny piano on wheels have been featured in T.V. shows worldwide.
He has a repertoire of about a million tunes from folk to jazz, Celtic to swing, Renaissance to rock, and just about any popular song from the 20's to the 2000's and a lot of really silly crap that he wonders how he knows.
He has played as far away as Singapore and Taiwan but prefers the cozy confines of The Lower French Quarter and Marigny.
D.R. also does voiceovers.
Irving �Punchy� Williams was born in New Orleans on July 21st 1941 around 4th and Galvez. He recalls that around age 12, he and a neighbor, Little Freddie Eaglin (Now known as Snooks) snuck in to Club Little Harlem, where they heard Louis Jordan. Both boys immediately learned to play guitar, but when Punchy heard George Davis, he switched to electric bass.
Being one of the first in town to own a bass and amp led him to gigs playing with Bob French, Earl King and Ernie K Doe, Irving Charles (a guitarist until he figured out how much more work Punchy was finding as a bass player than as a guitarist- a trend that continues today), Tommy Ridgley, Smiley Lewis, Dave Bartholomew. �Back then, New Orleans musicians was one big family.�
When he joined The Sugar Lumps with Rufus Goines on Sax, Big Boy Myles on Trombone, and Eugene Jones on drums, Punchy was publicly chided for his lack of knowledge of Music Theory and Notation, a lack he quickly woodshedded away. He recalls the tune in question was Poinciana. �I was on the bandstand and they put this paper in front of me. I had no idea what to do and they all just laughed and scolded me for my ignorance.�
In 1960, Punchy graduated from Walter L Coin High School and joined Wilson Turbinton & The Seminoles. Soon, he married Mickey Conway, and joined the legion of New Orleans musicians heading for L.A.
There, he worked on The TV show Shindig, playing alongside keyboard wizard, Billy Preston. �We did a soundtrack for a movie with Natalie Wood and Robert Culp, Robert Somebody� Anyway I never saw the movie� Can�t remember the name.� �Out there, me and Billy recorded Gotta Be Mellow with Leon Haywood�
Punchy�s life and love in LA fell apart and he headed home around 1969, finding plenty of work backing Tommy Ridgley, Fats Domino, Ernie K-Doe and Irma Thomas in local clubs like Rosy�s. �K-Doe would just grab the mike and start making songs up.�
Through the 70�s and 80�s Punchy played clubs and festivals world wide always returning home to his beloved Coralie. When she died in 1994, Punchy stopped playing music. �All the joy in my life was gone.� Then, in 2000, Rebecca Barry sought him out and brought him back to the stage.
In 2001, He met Clay and D.R while playing in The French Market and soon after joined The Rounders.
Punchy says, �Bass player has got to push, got to drive.� And �I�m hard on drummers, I really am.�
Fortunately, Freddie Staehle is a drummer that can take it.
His older brother, Paul was a child prodigy who studied with Cozy Cole and Gene Krupa. Paul was the drummer for Mac Rebbenack and Charlie Miller in the Ponchartrain Beach House Band and at Saturday Night Redemptorist Dances and St. Anthony�s on Sundays.
Freddie was 6 years younger than Paul. (Freddie was born October 2, 1944, the second of 5 children.) Freddie hung out with the band and acted as go-for and roadie, picking up tips from his big brother. One night Mac, Roland Stone, Earl Stanley and Paul left Freddie alone for 15 minutes playing a drum solo on stage while they took a little smoke break out back. He was terrified at first, but the huge applause when he stopped left him knowing there was only one way to make a living and this was it.
Freddie entered a talent contest and won, alongside Nick LaRocca Jr. and Richard Ladner, a chance to play The Parisian Room with Tony Americo. The three boys were then put together in a child version of The Parisian Room House Band.
When he was 8, his parents put him on a train to visit his brother in New York City, where he got to sit in with Johnny Gordon at The Star Club.
Early gigs with Herman Gilmore and The Sequins at The Roof in Slidell and with Johnny Pennino & The Emperors and The Matadors with Jerry Jumonville kept Freddie busy. Playing High School dances and clubs and hanging out at Cosimo Matassa�s studio, sometimes playing cowbell or tambourine on recordings, was more fun than hanging out at High School, so that�s what Freddie did.
Freddie moved to Morgan City to play with Dean Scott and Joey Long in Maurice�s Lounge. He then went to Texas and played with Jerry Jumonville and Eddie Zip in The Down Beats. They returned to New Orleans and played between stripper shows at El Maraca on Bourbon Street.
In �64, Al Hirt came down the street, walked in to the club and hired Freddie right off the bandstand. Freddie stayed with Al Hirt through 1970.
During those years, he opened for The Beatles at Shea Stadium, played The Mike Douglas Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, recorded albums and singles, appeared in the movie �#1� with Charlton Heston in a band that at times included Ellis Marsalis and Pee Wee Spolera.
Steve Allen offered him the drum chair in his band. He turned Steve down.
Buddy Rich offered to trade him drum lessons for a date with his girlfriend. He turned Buddy down.
He backed Ginger Rogers on The Merv Griffin Show. �She looked right at me and I just blew it. Al and Pee Wee were cracking up. The producer was angry. They had to stop the whole show and begin taping again.�
He left Al Hirt in 70-71 and played Las Vegas with Dean Scott before receiving word from Mac Rebbenack to come out to L.A. He was immediately whisked off to Europe, where they recorded The Sun Moon & Herbs with Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton amongst others. They toured Europe and the U.S. before getting back to L.A. to record Gumbo, the first truly Dr. John album. �At the time Jerry Wexler had three projects going; Buffalo Springfield, Sonny & Cher and Mac.�
In �73 Mac brought Freddie and Jerry Jumonville up to San Francisco to help save the sessions that became the seminal Triumvirate album with Mike Bloomfield, and John Hammond.
He then joined the house band at Caesar�s Palace in Las Vegas.
Mac recorded the album Right Place, Wrong Time with the Meters, but they balked at touring to promote the album on a package that included Alice Cooper. �Mac got me and a snake dancer in his show. It was the battle of the boas.� �I had to wear red glitter on my face the whole tour. I still don�t know why.�
In 1978, Freddie got a call from Mac, in Texas. � It seems [James] Booker had tried to get in bed with James Black and James Black had quit. So, I flew to Texas and finished the tour.�
He recorded Tango Palace with Steve Gadd and Mac, performed with Toto, played on the soundtrack for �Blaze� and played a steady gig at the Fireside Inn in L.A. with Arnold Rosenthal, The Jewish Cowboy.
A call in 1986 to help Mac gat back on his feet after rehab led to The Grammy Award winning album Goin Back To New Orleans and the breakthrough album Television.
In �94, Freddie returned to New Orleans, playing with The Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra featuring Harry Connick Sr. and in the house band at Andrew Jaeger�s House Of Seafood backing many pianists including Eddie Zip, Al Farrell, and Jeff Naideau, with whom he recorded Love On A Half Shell.
He also found time to record New Orleans Trumpet with Kevin Clarke, Lucky Dog Blues with Big Al Carson, Mantis with Al Arthur and Tony Dagradi, and Funk Horn with Charlie Miller.
When Freddie�s son, Jordan died December 1st, 1999, he stopped playing and spent all his time with his other children until the need to feed the household got him out again. In 2001, Freddie played a party with D.R. on Bourbon Street and he jumped right in to the drum throne with The Rounders.
Freddie lives in Bucktown with his 7 children. He fronts a trio at The Max in Metairie on Friday nights.
Frederick �Shep� Shepard won�t say exactly when he was born or where. We do know he graduated from Booker T Washington High School and joined the Army. He has played Flute, Tenor and Soprano Sax on stages and recorded songs since the early 60�s with: (and this list is far from complete)
Fats Domino
Dave Bartholomew
Allen Toussaint
Ray Charles
The Hawkettes
Otis Redding
Ernie K-Doe
Dr. John
Irma Thomas
Treme Brass Band
Rebirth Brass Band
Olympia Brass Band
Mitch Woods
Aaron Neville
Cyril Neville
Willy West
Mem Shannon
Eddie Bo
Eddie Bo Parrish
Tuba Fats
What else is there to say?
Bayside Nation - Rocking Little Trio
Joe Dicey, Nick Newlin and David Roe are Bayside Nation.
Blues, Rock, Jams, and Down at the Shore Shufflin Fun.
For more info go to www.nicolowhimsey.com
Celtic Knot - Songs of The Islands
Not Just For saint Patrick's Day Anymore
David Roe plays a full repertoire of Irish Ballads, old and new, and is available with or without Fiddle, Drums, and Flute.
A Song List
/Blues Evil Hearted Me E
Blues Jug Band Tune D
Blues Key to the Highway G
Blues Lay Around The ShantyG
Blues Richland Woman/
Creole Girl C
Broadway Dream a Little Dream G
Broadway Hit the Road Jack am
Broadway I was doin all right G
Broadway Lady is a Tramp C
Broadway Mack the Knife C
Broadway My Funny Valentine Am
Broadway Paper Moon G
Broadway Sheik of Araby C
Broadway Somewhere C
Broadway Where or When F
Country City of New Orleans C
Country Dance Hall Girls G
Country Friend of the Devil G
Country How Can I Miss You G
Country If I Had My Way G
Country Friends In Low Places
Country Jambalaya C Country Rider in the Rain C
CountryStandin on a Rock G
CountrySummer Wages C
Dylan I'll Be Your Baby TonightE
Dylan It ain't me Babe G
Dylan Knockin on Heaven's DoorG
Dylan Simple Twist of Fate D
Dylan The Weight G
Dylan Walkin down the Line G
Dylan Wallflower G
Dylan You Ain't Goin Nowhere G
Lennon Don't Let me Down D/E
Lennon Iv'e Just seen a Face C
Pop/Rock Aiko Aiko G
Pop/Rock Blueberry Hill C
Pop/Rock Bring it on Home C/G
Pop/Rock Dixie Chicken G
Pop/Rock Rising Sun Em
Pop/Rock Members Only G
Pop/Rock Sea of Love G
Pop/RockSpanish Pipe Dream G
Pop/Rock Up on the Roof D
Pop/RockWalk & Don't Look Back G
Pop/RockWalkin to New OrleansC
Pop/RockHelp from my FriendsE
Pop/RockWith or Without You G
Pop/RockWonderful World F
Oldies If Ever I Cease to Love G
Oldies Rivers of Babylon D
Oldies RR Johnson Brown C
Oldies San Francisco Bay C
OldiesShores of PonchartrainD
Oldies Irish Guys are Driving C
Scott Boy's Lament-I was in Love D
Scott Jubilee Fm
Scott Miss Judy's Lament- you don't G
Scott Spirit of Change/Turbo Jet Gm/G
Scott Regan Surprising thingC
Swing Adam & Eve G
Swing Ain't Misbehavin' G
Swing Alabama Jubilee C
Swing All of Me C
Swing Amazing Grace/SaintsG
SwingAs Time Goes By C
Swing Basin Street C
Swing Bill Bailey C
Swing Bye Bye BlackbirdF
Swing Bye Bye Blues C
Swing Do you know what it means C
Swing Don't Mean a thingEm
Swing Downtown Strutters Ball Bflat
Swing Fever Am
Swing Fishin Blues C
Swing Glory of Love G
Swing God Bless the ChildC
SwingHard Hearted Hannah Eb
Swing Hello Dolly F
Swing Honeysuckle Rose F
Swing How High the MoonG
Swing I like to Sleep LateG
Swing Beale Street C
Swing sit right down and writeC
Swing Is you is or is you ain' tEm
Swing Ive got you under my skin flat
Swing Jug Band MusicG
Swing Keep your Hands off Her G
Swing Lazy River F
Swing Makin WhoopeeG
Swing Nightingale sang in
Swing Nobody Knows youC
Swing Old Bill G
Swing Old Cape Cod Eflat
Swing Old Man River
Swing One Meatball Am
Swing Rosetta F
SwingSaint James Infirmary
Swing Sheik of Araby C
Swing Save The Bones F
Swing That’s A Plenty dm
Swing When Your’e Smiling B b
Swing Sin to tell aLie C
Swing Sportin' Life G
Swing Stealin C
Swing Such a Night F
Swing Sweet Georgia Brown
Swing Sweet Sue C
Swing Swing on a StarC
Swing That's Life G
Swing They Can't Take That Away Eflat
Swing Unforgettable G
Swing Viper G
Swing Way Down Yonder F
Swing What'll I Do? C
Swing When I Fall in LoveC
Swing Where or When F
Swing Wild bout my lovinG
Swing Willie the WeeperAm
Swing Witchcraft F
Swing You Don’t Know What Love Is Fm
weatherCome Rain or Come Shine F
weather Here's that Rainy DayG
weather Over the RainbowC
weatherPennies From Heaven C
weatherPurple Rain A
weatherSpring will Be a little late Eflat
weather Stormy WeatherC
weatherSunny Side of he StreetC
Tom Waits All My Friends are Married G
Tom Waits I hope I don't Fall in Love C
Tom Waits I Wish I was in New Orleans C
Tom Waits Jersey Girl D
Tom Waits Ole 55 G
Tom Waits Piano has been Drinking F
Tom Waits San Diego Serenade-never saw G
Tom Waits Sight for Sore EyeC
Tom Waits Tom Traubert's Blues (Matilda)-F
Van And It Stoned Me G
Van Brown Eyed Girl G
Van Moonlight Am
Van Mystic E
Van Tupelo Honey G
Van Warm Love D
Eagles
Beatles
Rolling Stones
Joe Cocker
Moody Blues
Elton John
Billy Joel
Bruce Springsteen
Willy Nelson
Paul Simon
Cat Stevens
The Blues
1000 3 chord hits
David Roe 1/20/05
American Storyteller - Press Release
Chris Chandler
American Storyteller
www.ChrisChandler.org (240) 476-4976
For Immediate Release:
As in his tale of childhood memories, “Crackerjack Cure”, the new 2 disc album, American Storyteller contains many treasures, including 3 short films by Chandler, collages, lyrics, links and a secret crackerjack surprise.
American Storyteller marks Chris Chandler’s coming of age. Years of relentless touring, honing his craft as a writer, performer, musician, collaborator and artist pay off with the release of this collection of prose, poems, and stories, old and new.
The history of the Paterson Silk Strike in 1913 is brought to life in a fourteen minute epic that utilizes the chestnut “John Henry” as the basis for the tale of the IWW and the heroes of the labor movement.
The recording is a departure from his previous output, which reflected the raw enthusiasm of his live performances. Recorded over a month just outside the Beltway in Silver Springs, Maryland, the production boasts a who’s who of DC area talent, including vocal cameos from Nick Annis, disappearfear, Emma’s Revolution and Renaissance Faire vocalists Kathryn Falcone and Stephanie Lichtman Price.
Something’s In The Air/ But Not On The Air Waves is now available as a short film, and can be seen at ChrisVids.org
David Roe’s orchestrations are a lush mixture of the acoustic - Violin, Saxophone, Cello, Cornet, Trumpet, Accordion, Pennywhistle, Clarinet, Jews Harp; and the electric- synthesizers, electric guitars and the latest digital technology
.Henry Cross proves to be as adept as a bass player as an engineer and Mr. Roe provides sweet, simple piano and guitar foundations to create a sonic accompaniment to Chandler’s tales.
Multi media wizard Karen Killroy has buried MP3s, movies, art and links inside American Storyteller so the disks works both as normal CDs with the highest quality DDD recording, mixing and mastering, but also contain CD-ROM information accessible by any computer.
Visit ChrisChandler.org and RoyalRounders.com for downloads, tour dates and the latest information.