Pat Wallace

Pat Wallace & the Rock'n Ravens from the Magic Music Machine
Hey, this is another quick blast from the past. It came about after John Papi, leader and B-3 player for several local bands and Route 51 club owner (Panther Room, Garage, Haunted House, Vegas Showbar) and Old Mon had a little Facebook chat about back-in-the-day Pittsburgh rockabilly bands.

Anyway, Papi recalled Pat Wallace gigging at the Panther Room around 1968, and JP said that Pat introduced the club's soul/jazz players to Rockabilly...and good.

Pat Wallace released several records throughout the mid-70's and early 80's, and with the Rock'n Ravens issued two albums and several singles of 50's rock on their own Rumble label. They cut several slabs of wax for Jay Davis' Asterik label and Ray Bishop.

He went to Baldwin High School and his day job was working at Southland Record Shop, in the Southland Shopping Center on Route 51 in Pleasant Hills. It was operated then by St. Clair label owner Jules Kruspir (aka J. J. Jules), who had been the manager of The Marcels.

Wallace had formed a band called the Shadows when he was in high school and it stayed together several years after graduation. He got another 45 cut compliments of his boss, Kruspir, who released "Hole In Your Soul" in 1965 on St. Clair.

It gave them some local cred, and they played area clubs and the I-80 circuit, hitting towns like DuBois and Clearfield. They quickly evolved from a garage band to a mainly rockabilly outfit.

It took Wallace nearly a decade to cut another record, when KQV's Jay Davis (Jay the Jock, who passed away in 1992) signed him for his Asterik label in 1974. Wallace and his band Sunshine churned out another trio of rockabilly/garage tunes.

Again, the vinyl added to their local luster - they even got some overseas play; the Brits took over the American airwaves and American R&B and rockabilly guys took off in Europe - but after 1976, the studio time disappeared, as far as we could tell.

But Ray Bishop had a taste for rockabilly (Buddy Sharpe was on his label), and Wallace, with his Rock'n Ravens, were back on wax briefly in 1980-81 on the local Bishop label.

After that, the trail runs cold. Wallace now lives in Spencer, Massachusetts, about 60 miles west of Boston, and has been there since the late nineties. But he did leave behind in Pittsburgh a decent discography:

Pat Wallace:
"(I'm Gonna) Fill The Hole In Your Soul" b/w "C'mon And Work" (St. Clair 7 - 1965)
"Life" b/w "Starship From Above" (Patlyn 263 - 1974)
"One Night Man" b/w "Makin' Love" (Asterik 116 - 1976)

Pat Wallace and the Rock'n Ravens:
“Boppin’ The Blues” b/w “Rock This Joint” (Rumble 7901 - 1978)
“Hot Snatch” b/w “Return Of The Red Headed Flea” (Rumble 7902 - 1979)
“Dance To The Rock And Roll” b/w “Rock And Roll Skate” (Rumble 7903 - 1979)
"Angel Baby" b/w "Make You Mine" (Bishop 1004 - 1980)
"Switch Blade" b/w "Get Hip" (Bishop 1009 - 1981)
"New Rockin' Party Doll" b/w "Goin' Cattin'" (Bishop 1011 - 1981)
"Geez A Ma Neez" b/w "Tennessee Boogie" B-Side performed by Tennessee Slim (Bishop 1015 - 1981)

Pat Wallace and Sunshine:
"Tell Me" b/w "Tomorrow" (Asterik 107 - 1974)
"Drinking Wine Spo-Dee O-Dee" b/w "Special Kind of Lover" (Asterik 109 - 1975)

He was also credited with "Cold Hearted Blues" and "Find Me A New Love," but Old Mon can't find the labels or years for those tunes and ditto for the Rumble albums. His wax isn't even on eBay; they're out of issue and probably worth something to the collector crowd.

And as an aside:

Pat and the Satellites (these guys are often confused with a Pat Wallace band, but were actually New York based):
"Jupiter-C" b/w "Oh Oh Darling" (Atco 6130 - 1958)

This band was from Oleans, NY, and the lead singer & guitarist was Pat Piccirillo, not Wallace. Wayne Lips, originally from Pittsburgh, was the drummer for the Satellites (Otts Antonelli was the third member, on guitar). After nearly two decades in New York, Lips returned home, and one of his local gigs was with the Rock'n Ravens. As his wife Nancy (thanks!) told us, Wayne worked with two bands fronted by a Pat and that's  probably how the groups became associated. Other sidebars to "Jupiter C" - the song charted at #81 in February, 1959; the sax was blown by King Curtis and the writing credits went to Antonelli, who conceived the song; Oleans-based saxman Clyde Dickerson, who got it on paper, & Dick Biondi, who was a DJ at WKBW ( Buffalo, NY).


If any of you know more about Pat Wallace, give us a yell; his career deserves more than the few words we posted here.


Hole In Your Soul and C'mon And Work - Pat Wallace 1965

Ward Darby And Willie Ward

Ward Darby and The Rocks (Darby is on the far right)
We recently did a post on Buddy Sharpe, Pittsburgh's rock-a-billy legend. The City's old R&R fans remembered him well, and a couple asked, now that they caught up to Buddy, whatever happened to Willie Ward, his compadre in the field.

We dug a bit, and here's the Willie Ward story:

He was born Ward Darby in War, West Virginia, near Bluefield, in 1939. He starting strumming at age 11, with his heroes being Chet Atkins, Bob Wills and Merle Travis. By the time he was 16, Darby had already made a name for himself locally, playing country guitar.

In 1954, he appeared on a Saturday morning 30-minute C&W program aired over radio station WELC in Welch. Darby could pick the strings, and helped by Porter Waggoner's fiddler, Mac Magaha, who took him under his wing, he was on local TV and a studio musician within a couple of years.

Darby started performing with Mel Street, a country up-and-comer that sadly passed away early. He then caught on with the West Virginia Mountain Boys.

They played for the Rural Farm District Jamboree shown on Channel 6 in Bluefield. It was a popular two-hour Saturday night TV show. The band performed with acts like Bill Monroe, Flat and Scruggs, and The Goins Brothers.

But like many other southern boys of the era, Darby was bitten by the R&R bug, and formed a group called The Rocks. The original members were Darby on lead guitar, Jimmy Robinette, Freddy Riffe, and Bill Rotenberry on rhythm guitar, with Jim Eanes on the drums.

The Rocks got to open for many of the RFDJ acts, and the exposure helped launch them. Once the country segment of the program was completed, The Rocks would take the stage and rock the joint with tunes recorded by Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent and others early rock artists.

Ray Bowling, a musician and salesman for Pittsburgh's King Records, would sit in with the Rocks in impromptu jams. The group was impressed enough that they included him in several of their television appearances.

Bowling urged the Rocks to move to Pittsburgh because because of the media exposure its radio jocks could bring them. The band had some successful gigs there, and decided to make the move.

But several of the group decided to stay in West Virginia. The new edition of The Rocks was now a trio. Bowling did the vocals and played keyboard, Eanes played drums, and Darby played guitar.

There were other changes afoot, too. Bowling changed labels, moving to ABC Paramount Records. Darby took his spot with King Records through 1960. And Eanes didn't take to the big city; often the band had a fill-in drummer at the kit.

At any rate, Bowling felt the trio was ready to cut a record and contacted Bill Porter, who owned a small indy label. He had written two songs and they were taped at Porter's recording studio in Portsmouth, Ohio. The songs waxed were “Satellite” b/w “Arrow In My Heart.”

The two sides were released as Porter #10098 in November 1957 and the record sold well in the region. But that was it for the Rocks; they disbanded affably, all having different career goals.

Darby went to see Pittsburgh promoter numero uno, Joe Averbach of Fee Bee Records, introduced himself, and wrangled a recording contract from him. Averbach lined up a recording session to be held in Cincinnati.

Reuniting with Ward, for this session only, were Robinette, who played rhythm guitar, and drummer Eanes. They cut two sides reminiscent of the early Everly Brothers. In the summer of 1958, “Come Walk With Me” b/w “Emotions” (Star #227) was released (Star was a Fee Bee subsidiary) by the “Guitar Twins.” The record moved some wax in the Pittsburgh area.

Averbach sent Darby to the Bell Sound Recording Facility in New York City. The result was two Bowling tunes, “Iggy Joe” b/w “Be Mine” (Star #229). Chuck Jackson and the Five Playboys provided the background vocals.

The record was credited to Willie Ward. The name play was a common promotional gimmick used by Averbach, who tried to provide his acts with a catchy nom d' platter.

In August of 1958, “Iggy Joe” was being aired by Chuck Dougherty at KQV, Jay Michaels of WCAE, and Porky Chadwick of WAMO. The Platter Pushin' Poppa took Ward (we'll switch from Darby to Ward here), to his record hops and was a great aid in Ward's early career.

Ward changed directions for a few months, performing as Ward Darby and the Moore Brothers - who all happened to be black, and were actually brothers. They were managed by Bill Powell, a WILY DJ. They were a class act, with a floor routine and decked out in black tuxes, quite a sea change from rock-a-billy.

But while they were performing, Ward was also doing session work for Averbach as a guitarist, arranger and writer.

Ward, returning to his roots, recorded at Bell again . They cut “Ooo Wee Baby” b/w “I'm A Madman” (Fee Bee #233), released in October 1958. The same personnel from the “Iggy Joe” sessions were on this one as well, except that Averbach credited the Five Playboys as the Warblers. It was another local smash, but didn't have legs outside the Tri-State.

In fall of 1958, he put together a combo, Ward Darby and the Raves. Ward played lead guitar and sang, Leo Watkowitz pounded the drums, Ray Bowling was on electric piano, Jim Mendys honked on the sax, and Dave Baltos played rhythm guitar. The band was mainly instrumental; Ward decided to show off his guitar licks instead of his voice.

Averbach liked the sound, and taped the group at Universal International Recording Studio in Chicago. They cut their four tracks, and released “Safari” b/w “WHAM-O,” which would be issued on Averbach's Petite label (#509) in May of 1959. “Safari” was an instant hit, charting on the local charts of KDKA, WEEP, and WKQV.

Averbach released the sides to Dot Records for national distribution. “Safari” b/w “WHAM-O” was reissued as Dot #45-15942. The record broke open in the southern part of the country, especially in Texas & California. It nudged into the national charts.

But that was the first and last hurrah for the Raves. They had a steady gig at Bobby Star's Lounge in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh and did a lot of one-night stands and concerts.

In 1962, Ward went to Baltimore, where he ran into a dude named Charlie Daniels. Together they formed a group called Charlie Daniels and the Jaguars. The band toured heavily, and shared stages with Bruce Channel, Buddy Knox, and Roy Clark.

Ward remained with the Jaguars until 1965 when he and Daniels split to pursue individual careers. Daniels, of course, went on the form the Charlie Daniels Band.

Ward went to Memphis and did some concerts with Charlie Rich. He also served a short stint with the Bill Black Combo, playing in the “Shower of Stars” tour with Gene Pitney, Bobby Goldsboro, Brian Hyland, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, the Crystals, The Reflections, and Dobie Gray. Hey, they even performed at the Syria Mosque.

He settled in Lexington, Kentucky. He remained there until 1980, when he moved to Florida. Ward is in Branson, Missouri, now, where he moved to in 1996. He's retired after many years of Nashville tapings, writing songs, touring and playing clubs; he's returned to his original love, C&W. He has 5 children and 7 grandchildren, and has recently remarried. As he says, he's "enjoying life."

As well he should. And now he can be just Ward Darby again, after years of being Willie Ward, the Rocks, the Guitar Twins, the Raves, et al. It's good to finally be yourself.


Willie Ward - Iggy Joe, 1958

Buddy Sharpe and the Shakers

Buddy Sharpe from the Rockabilly Hall of Fame collection.
Hey, everyone remembers Pittsburgh for its jazz, evolving eventually into a huge doo-wop and soul scene. But the roots of rock 'n' roll go back to the south, when the white guys started putting their spin on the blues.

And the Steel City, while never really embracing rockabilly, still had its' champions. Joe Averbach, promoter extraordinaire and the man behind Fee Bee records, might have been best known for managing groups like the Del Vikings and El Capris, but he hedged his bets, too.

His label had a good mix of early rockabilly acts like Davey "Diddle" Day of "Motorcycle Mike" and "Blue Moon Baby" fame and Willie Ward, who cut “Ooo Wee Baby” and “I'm A Madman”. The biggest roots rock group, though, was Buddy Sharpe and the Shakers.

Born Bernard E. Gareis in Atlasburg PA in 1937 (thanks to reader Ray for the bio info), Buddy Sharpe began playing in Washington County's Burgettstown in 1957, starting off with outdoor shows at the Slovin Drive-In, and made a name for himself within a matter of months. As Sharpe recalls "A man from Youngstown heard us and took us to New York's Bell Studios. We recorded 'Linda Lee,' which I wrote."

Averbach listened to the rocker's demo, and pressed it for his Pittsburgh-based Fee Bee label. "Linda Lee" b/w novelty song "Bald Headed Baby" (Fee Bee 230) was released in late 1958, and became a doubled-sided regional smash that got some national airplay.

They appeared at local sock hops with Porky Chedwick, and performed on Clark Race's "Dance Party". The Shakers shared the stage with Jimmy Beaumont and The Skyliners, The Del-Vikings, The Platters, The Stereos, and The El Capris, back in the day before groups were pigeon-holed by their musical style. They were either good or not.

In fact, Sharpe and the Shakers backed Butch Martin's soul group the Diadems, another Averbach act, during a recording session in 1963. As we said, you could play or you couldn't; there were no stylistic walls back in the day.

Reader T. Rebentine of the blog Thats All Rite Mama noted that Buddy Sharpe recorded "Please Please Please Please" b/w "(You Got Me) Movin' & Groovin'" (Spear 2) in 1961 and "I'm Lonely" b/w "The Shake" (Ramble 13132) in 1964.

They also recorded "Fat Mama' b/w "White House Twist" (FeeBee 901) and a reissue of "Linda Lee" b/w "Git It, Git It" (FeeBee 907) for Averbach in 1964.

Nick wrote in to Old Mon, and added these tunes to Sharpe's discography; "Toothache" b/w "Good Luck To You" (Star 312) and another version of Fee Bee 907, "Git It, Git It" b/w "One More Chance." It wasn't unknown for labels to reissue wax with different sides, and that seems to be the case here.

But that was a watershed year for American bands. Sharpe remembers the day the music died: "I stopped performing after The Beatles came to America with their new music because there was no place left that wanted to hear the original rock and roll."

Besides that, he adds that "Buddy Sharpe didn't make a penny ... everybody made money but me," a common lament of local bands.

Sharpe tried to make a comeback in 1979, when he recorded "Jump Into The River" b/w "Dry Your Eyes" (Bishop 1000) for the Carnegie-based label Bishop ("Dry Your Eyes" is a ballad, but not the Brenda and Tabs tune.)

Nick owns another bit of vinyl Sharpe did for Ray Bishop: a demo "Sleep All Day, Shake All Night" b/w "The Shakers Rockin' At 47." In 1981 he cut "Midnight Love" b/w "Who Likes To Work" (KIP 500) for KIP of Burgettstown, a Bishop subsidiary, the last record of his that we could find.

While those songs didn't exactly make him a household name, it did ignite his desire to make music again. Eventually, he put together a band, and as Sharpe said to the end "I am still playing and singing - mostly outdoor concerts, private parties and Holiday Inns."

Don't feel too sorry for Sharpe; his place in the Rockabilly pantheon is secure. His music lives on in a number of compilation albums (in fact, two cuts Averbach never released, "Rock and Roll Roman" and "Rocking Chair," were included in 1993's "Rock & Roll Fee Bee" album). His 45s are hot items for Euro collectors.

His band got to open for the Beach Boys in 1999 at Burgettstown's Pepsi Road House. And the crowning touch was his certification into Nashville's Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2004, along with artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis.

Buddy Sharpe died Wednesday, October 12th, 2011, in the Washington Hospital at the age of 73. And with him went the area's rockabilly era.

Rockabilly may not have been Pittsburgh's genre of choice, but it sure helped to spawn an explosion of garage bands, and the region was home to one of its great performers - Buddy Sharpe.


"Bald Headed Baby" by Buddy Sharpe (Crypt Records "Sin Alley" promo)