Amazing band! Al Anderson is one of my singer/songwriter/guitarists ever. Joey’s got a younger brother named Johnny who’s an incredible singer/songwriter and guitar player - he played with the Incredible Casuals up in Cape Cod. NRBQ has one unheard of hit after another.
One of my favorite bands, one that many have never heard.
Let’s remedy that right now. Here’s NRBQ on TV performing their version of the Rockabilly song "I’ve Got A Rocket In My Pocket), recorded by Jimmy Lloyd Logsdon (think he’s from the South?
) in 1958:
https://youtu.be/-d5Hdqyjj5o?si=3iELCJIsqyBfdAJc
By the way, bassist/singer/songwriter Joey Spampinato is Keith Richards’ favorite bassist. He offered him the job of replacing Bill Wyman when Bill quit The Stones, and Joey turned him down! He DID accept the job of playing in the band Keith assembled to back Chuck Berry in the live performance seen in the movie he made about him.
Pianist/singer/songwriter Terry Adams is obviously no "normal" keyboard player. Along with all the Rock ’n’ Roll guys, his influences also include the likes of Sun Ra and Thelonious Monk. A great live peformer!
And here’s the studio recording of the song by one of my favorite singers, Lou Ann Barton:
https://youtu.be/6r0cXbFGi_U?si=AGnz4fVf03y0oRex
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Agree with you on your every point @pdspiegel. But Tom Ardolino was on drums, not bass (that’s Joey’s instrument). I saw the line-up you cite twice live at The Roxy Theater on Sunset Blvd in the 80’s and 90’s, and more recently at a club in Portland Oregon. Though Terry is now the sole remaining member of that line-up (Al Anderson left the band in 1994, moving to Nashville to concentrate on songwriting. Tom died in 2012, and Joey has been receiving treatment for cancer for many years, incapacitating him), they are still great! Apparently Terry is a key element in their sound and style, but the new members more than hold their own. NRBQ made a lot of records (I have 20 on LP, a bunch more on CD), many available used at very low prices. But live performance is where they really come alive. Other peers of the band that love ’em include John Hiatt, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, and Los Lobos.
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NRBQ is the best band "you never heard of." In the 1980s and 1990s I saw them dozens of times. They performed regularly at both The Lone Star Cafe and Bottom Line, in NYC, and extensively in the Northeast. At one show at the Bottom Line, Terry gave the mic to an audience member who spontaneously sang the lyrics to the song, "Here Comes Terry." At one show in Hartford, CT, they played with Carl Perkins (Boppin' the Blues is a great NRBQ/Carl Perkins record, if you can find it). At another, at the same venue, a then unknown band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds was the opening act. Before Al Anderson joined the band, the amazing Steve Ferguson was their lead guitarist and Tom Staley was their lead vocalist. I saw them at a tiny theatre in Rosendale, NY for $3.50, and danced the night away. Ferguson was one of the greatest lead guitarists. His solo on "Flat Foot Flewzy" is incendiary. Eventually, Al Anderson left the band because touring was literally killing him, and was replaced by Joey's brother, Johnny Spampinato, who lives on Cape Cod and still regularly plays with The Value Leaders. The last time I saw NRBQ was in 2021. Terry Adams is the only original member, since he started the band. While they were terrific, I missed the classic line-up. And as a footnote, at that show in the "VIP section" were the musicians, Yo La Tengo, who covered "Magnet." As Terry and the band played the song, he leaned over and gave them a knowing nod. https://youtu.be/mCFSTQ395TI?si=2Vj_NtMm_eV6GwK_
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Been a huge fan since the early 70s, fortunate to live in the same area they called home for many years. Ive seen them live probably 40 x, most recently this past fall. Poor Terry is on his last legs, but the band is still tight and worth seeing. At their best in the 70s with the Whole Wheat Horns. I have a framed autographed show poster from The Joyous Lake in my listening room. One of the best, most original bands of all time IMO, and all were excellent musicians. Big Al still doing a lot of Nashville session work. |
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