Name The Band...

Hey, did you ever wonder how some of the local groups picked up their names? In the course of researching the blog and some other projects, Google has given us some answers:

The Del Vikings: There are several stories behind their name. One claims that the group members were fans of the tales of the old-time marauding Vikings; another says that they were fond of the paperback books published by the Viking press that so many servicemen read to pass the off-duty time, and another believes the name was taken from a Brooklyn club/basketball team called the Vikings that Clarence Quick belonged to, and that’s the more likely tale of the three.

The Mellows - Four Dots - Four Troys: The late Fletcher Williams & The Four Dots started out as the Mellows in 1950, about as generic a group name as one could imagine. They were eventually represented by Don DeCarlo, who suggested that they change their name to the Four Dots, piggybacking on the hot-selling and eminently bookable Ink Spots.The Four Dots played the area hops & club circuit while releasing a couple of singles on the Bullseye label

In 1959, just about at the end of their career, the group inked a deal with Freedom Records, who already had a California-based Four Dots as part of their roster. Because of that, the Four Dots released their last wax as the Four Troys (no one remembers how that name was chosen). Did that end the confusion? Nah. The West Coast Four Dots released “Pleading For Your Love,” a ‘Burgh favorite. The local Four Dots hit the oldies circuit, and guess what their top request was? “Pleading” became part of their play list.

The Houserockers: Many remember Joe Grushecky’s Brick Alley Band, named after a McKeesport red light district, taking off as the Iron City Houserockers, a name given to them by Pittsburgh native and Cleveland International Records head Steve Popovich. Cleveland International was of course based in Ohio and Popovich had the band tour the midwest to support their records. But the Pittsburgh-Cleveland rivalry extended beyond football. Their name caused some problems when touring outside their hometown, and when they played Cleveland their van tires were slashed. So they switched in the early eighties to the region-neutral Houserockers brand.

Lugee Becomes Lou: Born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco, the stage name of Lou Christie wasn’t Sacco’s choice; it was more or less foisted on him. When “The Gypsy Cried” was released in 1962 on the local Co&Ce label, the record was credited to “Lou Christie” without Sacco's knowledge or permission. Sacco had been working on his own list of stage names, and said "I was pissed off about it for 20 years. I wanted to keep my name and be a one-named performer, just 'Lugee'." We’re glad he’s finally over it.

The Marcels: When the Oliver High gang first formed and was rehearsing, the group was coined "The Marcels" by Fred Johnson's little sister Priscilla. She was inspired by a popular hair style of the day, the marcel wave, sported by lead singer Cornelius Harp.  

The Skyliners: They collectively came up with their name after the 1958 Capitol Studios "Since I Don't Have You" recording session when the master came back without an artist credit. The singers were a mixture of the South Hills Crescents and El Rios groups, and manager Joe Rock, with their input, christened them “The Skyliners” after the 1945 Charlie Barnet hit song according to their official history, although we're told by Ed Salamon that they were named for the car per Jackie Taylor.


The Vogues: Originally known as The Val-Aires (a combination, we’ve been told, of the names of the two high school groups the members had first sang with), the Vogues got their name from manager Elmer Willett’s nightspot and studio, East McKeesport’s Vogue Terrace. The group didn't have a vote; when "You're The One" was released, it was credited to the Vogues by the Co&Ce label. At least one member, Hugh Geyer, didn't find out about the name until he heard the song on the radio.

not just another joe

Joe Grushecky
Guitarist and singer Joe Grushecky first stepped on stage in the late seventies as the frontman for the Brick Alley Band, named after a famous (or maybe infamous) McKeesport red light district. In short order, the group become the Iron City Houserockers, a bar band with a jolt of punk.

Their first album Love's So Tough was released in 1979. Its’ production standards left a bit to be desired, but "Dance With Me" and "I Can't Take It" were strong cuts. Filled with harmonica and piano riffs, the music was driven.

Rolling Stone Magazine featured the album as its showcase review under the headline "New American Classic" and called it the "debut record of the year."

The band's follow-up album Have A Good Time (But Get Out Alive) is considered a classic for its’ raw energy. The tracks "Old Man Bar" and "Junior's Bar" were its’ highlights. Production was credited to Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson, but much of the album was produced by Steven Van Zandt, who didn’t make the credits.

The Iron City Houserockers were being compared to groups like the Clash and they looked like they would become an unstoppable rock force.

The Houserockers' third album, Blood On The Bricks, was more mature and more professionally produced, and Grushecky's ballads measured up to his garage band wailers. Its’ producer was soul legend Steve Cropper. The 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide called it the band's best album, and gave high marks to all three releases.

The band changed its' name to The Houserockers after that, in an effort to shed their image as just a regional Pittsburgh act and hopefully boost national sales of its' records. The subsequent album, Cracking Under Pressure, again drew critical accolades, but didn't sell many records, either. None of them did.

All the albums received rave reviews from Billboard, Creem, The Village Voice and other industry publications. Grushecky was at his pinnacle. "We were this close to making the big, big time," he told CNN, holding up two fingers an inch apart.

But the band never did make a dent in the national scene. "The sales never matched the reviews, ever," he said. "It really took the wind out of our sails," Grushecky recalled.

He tried to explain it. "I don't know if the record company didn't know how to market us, or maybe we didn't have all cylinders firing at the same time." MCA dropped the group, deciding to focus on Meatloaf instead, and the band broke up. Meatloaf???

He did win over one fan, though. He met Bruce Springsteen in New York City in 1980, and "to this day, we're close friends," said Grushecky. They were introduced by Steve Van Zandt. And they still collaborate, sharing a stage whenever they're in the same town.

Springsteen produced Grushecky's 1995 American Babylon CD, played on four of its' tracks, and toured live with the band in support of it for eight days. Grushecky helped cowrite The Boss’ 2005 Grammy winning hit “Code of Silence.”

Grushecky told National Public Radio of his relationship with Springsteen: "He casts a big shadow. You know, it's like playing baseball with Mickey Mantle or Roberto Clemente or playing football with Joe Montana. You work with one of the best and I think that says something about your talent also."

The current lineup goes by the name of Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, and has released several more CD's. Four were Grushecky solo acts, and seven others were with the Houserockers.

The band lost its’ punk image and starting pumping out blues, roots rock, hard rock, pop, and even some crossover country. They are still one helluva good bar band. You couldn’t get within a block of the old Decade in Oakland when they were playing.

The Houserockers still fill nightclubs of all shapes and sizes in the East. They've also toured overseas a few times in venues teeming with appreciative audiences with an ear for good ol’ American rock and roll.

They’ve packed houses like the Tradewinds NJ, The Stone Pony, and Fat City. Grushecky has shared the stage with Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny, along with many other bands. The Houserockers could easily make their living in Asbury Park if Grushecky and the boys weren’t such yinzers at heart.

Grushecky has a devoted fan base, which he describes as "a pretty loyal bunch. I like to think they're a little more intelligent than the average rock fan. It takes a little bit more effort to be a Grushecky fan," he said with a laugh.

He and his band are almost famous rock and rollers. But music is just an avocation now. Holding a special ed degree and a gaggle of postgraduate credits (his dad, a coal miner, told him to get an education in case the music gig didn't pay the bills), Grushecky’s real job is teaching special needs kids. It’s a high stress, high burnout career, and he's been doing it for more than 25 years.

"He's the patron saint of causes," says Larry Kuzmanko, director of special events for Allegheny County's Parks. And a pretty good humanitarian, too. He puts his money where his mouth is.

Grushecky recruited Springsteen for "Flood Aid," a benefit concert that helped locals who were beat up by the worst inland flooding in a century, after Hurricane Ivan raised cain with Pittsburgh’s three rivers in 2004.

He and The House Rockers recently headlined a show to raise money for the Sto-Rox High arts program. Grushecky's son, Johnny, jammed with his group, Dirty Sunshine. He even holds "guitar school" for the kids there. And Grushecky and the band still play the community halls and clubs to stay in touch with the people that have supported him over the years.

Grushecky is married to Lee Ann, and they have a son, Johnny, and a daughter, Desiree. He’s also the star of a newly released DVD, “A Good Life: The Joe Grushecky Story,” taking the name of his CD; in 2016, he issued his ninth post-Houserockers album, “It’s in My Song.”

But don’t worry about Grushecky's music turning into too much of a hobby or him becoming a homebody or movie star. He has a lot of rock and roll left in him. "I'm gonna keep on till I can't do it anymore," he says. And he can still do it; he was voted a 2016 Pittsburgh Rock ’N Roll Legends Award.

His music is more mature now, as befitting a man that's been around the block and figured out what's important in life as the years roll by. Grushecky can't wait to find out what's gonna happen next. As he sings on "True Companion," "I'm only in my fifties. I got a long, long way to go."

East Carson Street

(You can track Joe's action on Joe Grushecky.com )