Andy Boller

ANDY BOLLER - pianobar entertainer, career musician and songwriter

Andy Boller was born in Springfield, Ohio on March 4. 1954. He began playing piano at age 4. Puberty brought on a severe case of rock and roll fever, and he started the first of a long line of bands at age 12. By age 14, he was a regular on the Springfield area teen dance circuit with the Third Half, playing what was then referred to as TOP 40, later in a more "Psychedelic" combo called Crescent Carnival. By 17 he was playing Country music in a C&W bar located in a shopping center..go figure!

In 1980 Boller joined the Urbations in their formative stage, playing keyboards, and singing back up vocals and helping out on arrangements. After the departure of original lead vocalist Dan Mulholland, in 1983, Boller began writing and arranging the bulk of the original material for the band and was the primary lead singer as well as producer of all of their subsequent recordings.

In 1986, Celluloid Recerds released and internationally distributed their "Hot Foot" 12" EP (written, arranged by Boller and produced by Boller and Ben Grosse) Under the guidance of their manager John Sinclair, (known in the 60's for his management of the MC5, leadership of the White Panthers, victim of "10 for 2", author of "Guitar Army", & subject of a John Lennon song) The Urbations (which included future Howling Diablos, Tino and Johnny Evans) spent much of 1985 (before the release of "Hot Foot") and 1986, and on into 1987, touring the US in support of this release, extending their following to Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Louisville, Lexington, St.Louls, Kansas City, New Orleans, St.Petersburg, Washington DC, Boston, and New York City. (we even did gigs in Wichita and Omaha! uh remember Clinton, Iowa, guys?)
Boller left the Urbations in May, 1987 and in 1988 he began performing with Madcat's "Pressure Cooker", a band which featured internationally known harmonica wizard Peter "Madcat" Ruth. They released an LP "Live at the Pig", and thrilled audiences in the US and Canada.

The Cooker simmered down in December, 1989. From early '90 until he left US to live in Europe in May of 1991, Boller performed as a sideman with the John D. Lamb Band on keyboards and backing vocals.