Member Since: 27/10/2007
Band Members: The CrewsControl band is: Charles Crews (MD, guitar, backing vocals and endless road stories); Mark Kotaska (bass); John Kito, Bob Luna, Scott Hitchings (keyboards); Lamont Sydnor (rock-solid drums and visual entertainment); Lynn "Nellie" Fanelli, Rosemary Butler (a.k.a. the "Trout Donuts", pristine backing vocals); Rich Hoffman, George Pandis, Dean Roubicek, Terry Landry, Don Roberts, John Bolivar, Kerry Loeschen (horns).
Sounds Like:
To identify those below, hover your mouse over the photo . . ...
I've posted some videos below. I'm fortunate to have a very rich and diversified musical history. For years I didn't really keep a record of my experiences, but eventually I started collecting photos and concert videos, and began stuffing them into boxes that ended up under the bed, in the closet, or collecting dust in the garage. Below, you'll find little snippets of some of what I salvaged. Rarely will I post an entire song by anybody, as there's just too much, and we don't want to be here all day. If you look closely, you're likely to find me wandering around in these shots, strapped to the back of my trusty and ancient white Stratocaster.
Below are Deniece Williams and the Manhattans at the Universal Amphitheater. In the video - at the end of "Kiss" - I've edited in an earlier clip from the San Jose Arena. The audience response was so overwhelming that night that Gerald had to step back from the mic and stop singing:
Here is what I refer to as my "Rock Sampler 1". It begins with a brief behind-the-scenes glimpse of a rehearsal with The Three Degrees ("When Will I see You Again"), which transitions into a snippet of our concert performance. Next up is Peter Rivera, drummer and lead singer of the great Rare Earth, from a TV show we did . . . and finally Canadian rock superstar Burton Cummings (Guess Who):
Enjoy below, the Friends of Distinction, the Delfonics and Eddie Holman:
And now for something different . . . Lacy J. Dalton at Giants Stadium. This clip starts with a film we performed in, then I've edited in part of our stadium performance. Lacy was the Academy of Country Music's Best New Artist of that year (I'm not saying which year). Our band, The Dalton Gang, won Best Touring Band. At the same time, I won honors for Best Non-Touring Band, for the Palomino Riders, our house band at the world-famous Palomino Club, N. Hollywood, CA. I was also nominated for Guitarist of the Year. That was a mouthful, so I'm gonna quit while I'm ahead:
Rocker Burton Cummings sings some of his solo hits, along with a couple of classics by the Gazooo's:
Peaches and Herb, Blue Magic and Gene Chandler appear in concert, below. This was my very first gig with Peaches and Herb. Also, I'd not even met Blue Magic before this performance . . . didn't even get a chance to say hello before they walked onto the stage. I'd been writing their arrangements all night, then on the plane. Finally at the arena, I had the band sound check without me, while I sat on the steps at the entrance and finished writing. I didn't have time to write the horn charts, so we went without the section. You can see me in here directing the band as we fly by the seat of our collective pants. I set my little video camera on the stage for these clips. We sold out all 19,000 seats that night:
Below are some clips of Barbara Mason and Billy Paul, including some never before seen "behind the scenes" footage of these two great artists:
In "Esquivel Tony Richie" below, you'll see my mentor and friend, maestro Juan Garcia Esquivel, along with the original Tony Orlando and Dawn (yeah, me too), and country-rock pioneer Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield, Poco, Souther Hillman Furay). I didn't have a video camera back then, so I've edited these stills together:
According to BMI, the ninth most performed song of the 20th Century was "Rhythm of the Rain" by the Cascades. In addition to my other duties, I've been a long-time member of this classic group. Here's a promo we did sometime back. Check out Cascades Promo Part One, and stick around for Part Two (below):
OK, here's Cascades Promo Part Two:
Record Label: CrewsControl
Type of Label: Indie