John Reno and the Half-Fast Creekers

Who is John Reno, you might ask? John is a singer/songwriter from Fairhope, Alabama. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, John knew at an early age that music was his passion.
John is not your typical acoustic guitar playing singer songwriter. John’s musical style can be defined as trop rock – a mixture of rock-n-roll and country music with an island theme, and lyrics depicting a laid back lifestyle. John not only defines this musical genre – he lives it!
After getting a degree in accounting from Loyola University and doing a stint as an accountant in Boston, one day John never returned to work after lunch. At lunch, he bought a guitar and by the end of the week, John Reno was born. Within a short time, John Reno was playing at the local clubs and at colleges in the Providence/Boston area. Being a Louisiana boy, and longing for “short-pant” weather, John returned to the Gulf coast area.
John settled in Fairhope, Alabama. Fairhope is the perfect town in the perfect location. Located on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay and only two and one half hours from New Orleans, John is at home!
He has, however, done his share of traveling. John has performed from Maine to Mexico and was one of the feature performers on an around the world cruise. Currently, John is touring to promote his new CD – Magic Chair . John is accompanied on this CD by many talented musicians. Magic Chair is the audio definition of trop rock.
John’s band, the Half-Fast Creekers, consist of a unique combination of instruments and personalities. Dennis Gray, a retired young salt, is the tuba player. (Yes, the band does have a tuba!). Kurt Schneider, a semi-retired architect, plays harmonica and percussion, and Chip Collins, hits the bongo, conga, drums and percussion. John Reno and the Half-Fast Creekers have a diversified song list. In addition to performing the songs written by John, the band’s repertoire has been described as Hoagy Carmichael meets Toby Keith in Margaritaville.
Magic Chair is John’s fourth CD. Magic Chair contains ten tracks that flow nicely from one song to another and demonstrates the magic tone of John’s voice. Each song tells its own story. One song, "Heartaches and Hangovers," was co-written by football legend, Kenny “Snake” Stabler. The title track, "Magic Chair," puts you right there. This is a song that everyone who listens to it will identify with. Always having a sense of humor, John has included a cover of a song he considers a classic, "I Lobster but Never Flounder." To showcase his sense of style, Magic Chair also features an instrumental piece, "Mortise and Tenon," as well as a haunting rendition of "Drunken Sailor."
John spent ten years touring colleges and universities performing a Caribbean inspired show called “Pirates, Parrots and Margaritas.” This show featured a combination of Jimmy Buffett’s greatest hits along with island Caribbean classics. During this time, John was nominated by Campus Activities Today Magazine as “Best Solo Performer”, “Best Unsigned Artist” and “One of America’s Hottest Acts.”
In addition to the island music, John also performs songs that show his “other side.”
These songs are a masterful blend of musical satire and humor and songs that are just plan funny. These are songs that poke fun at the human condition and highlight John’s personality.
Other John Reno compilations include: John Reno and The Half-Fast Creekers: A Bona Fide Social Club; John Reno – Calypso Joe and John Reno: Total Renovation. John also has a single on the trop rock compilation called Thongs in the Key of Life. John’s CD’s are available on CDBABY.com or by visiting John’s website: JohnReno.com .
© 2007 John Reno and the half-fast creekers