Community Blog

21st Annual Rockabilly Holiday featuring:
Alan Leatherwood
David Loy & the Ramrods
Johnny Fay & the Bel-Aires

$8 ADV / $10 DOS

December 21, 8pm

The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern
15711 Waterloo Rd, Cleveland, Ohio 44110

Alan Leatherwood
Rockabilly Cleveland OH

Although it doesn't seem that long, Alan Leatherwood has actually been knocking around the music business and on its fringes since 1962, when he recorded his first record ("Hickory Dickory Dock" as "Lane Cassaro") for the Mahalo label out of Honolulu, Hawaii. During the mid Sixties, he recorded a single for OLD TOWN RECORDS ("Make Believe" and "Pretty Girl You're Lying") under his real name of "Alan Cassaro", although it was misspelled on the label as "Alan Cassero"). Both of the early singles were in the Tex-Mex Buddy Holly style, because rockabilly music was Alan's favorite music to sing at the time. However, during the 60s and 70s he had a folk/rock duo called "Leatherwood and Lisa. They were the "house act" at the old Faragher's Folk Club in Cleveland, as well as frequent performers at the old La Cave. As much as Alan loves to sing and play, he has always considered himself to be a songwriter first, and a singer second. Al studied all the popular writers and musical styles - Country, Rock, Pop, Folk, Tex-Mex, and Rockabilly. His goal was to become a good writer in all these genres, and over the years he has written and produced several hundred tunes, either by himself, with his groups, or with other performers. Alan also has a scholarly knowledge regarding the history and sociology of roots music, and at one time, he was the primary consultant for a college course on rock and roll that was taught at Case/Western Reserve in Cleveland by Professor John Goldman, who had taken over the class after Bill Randle decided to give up teaching. (Bill Randle was the popular Fifties disc jockey who first introduced Elvis Presley to the national television audience on the old Tommy Dorsey show in 1956, as well as the same person who produced the classic hit record "LITTLE DARLING" by the Diamonds.)

Alan believes that it is important for an artist to be in control of his own music. He has his own publishing company, House of Leatherwood BMI. Some of Alan's songs have been included in a movie ("COUNTRY MUSIC", starring Marty Robbins) and albums (including the hit album by the HUMAN BEINZ, "NOBODY BUT ME"). During the Seventies, Alan had songs published by companies in Nashville owned by various artists, such as Charlie Rich (where Alan also resided as a staff writer), Marty Robbins, and Waylon Jennings. He performed at the The old Ryman Grande Ole Opry for a segment that was included in the motion picture "Country Music Story" starring Marty Robbins. Several of his songs have received awards from Billboard Magazine.

During the last six years, Alan has released 6 CDs, mostly with a strong nod to roots rock and roll, Tex- Mex, Rockabilly, Folk and Pop. Three of the albums consisted of new performances and songs, and three of them were compilations of his earlier recordings. Those albums are all available at www.cdbaby.com/cd/alanleatherwood. This fan page has been created in order to upload some rare songs and performances by Alan that are not available on his albums, and possibly a place to have some more interaction with fans of his music.

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David Loy and The Ramrods
Rock Cleveland OH

David Loy started his musical career in 1981, doing guest vocals with legendary Cleveland band, The Generators (inspiration for the Joan Jett/Michael J. Fox movie “Light of Day”). David’s first band, The Tomcats (1982), was primarily a rockabilly band performing both originals and covers. When the band’s guitarist left The Tomcats to pursue other opportunities, David took over at guitar and vocals, and the band’s name was changed to David Loy and The Ramrods. By the end of the ‘80’s, David’s song writing began to borrow from influences outside of rockabilly, including ‘60’s soul, R&B, and pop. To reflect these changes, the band’s name was changed to The David Loy Band in the early ‘90’s. During his career, David has toured regionally, as well as nationally, and opened for The Romantics, Joe “King” Carrasco, Blackfoot, Maggie’s Dream, Jason and the Scorchers, and Bill Kirchen. He has performed on local radio and television, and MTV’s “Amuck in America”. In addition to his own projects, David has played guitar on many of Alan Leatherwood’s recordings (Ohio Moon Records).
Getting back to his rockabilly and Americana roots, David brought back The Ramrods with his longtime bass player, Steve Bennett, and veteran Cleveland drummer JD Hades. David Loy and The Ramrods recently opened for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Wanda Jackson.
David Loy and The Ramrods can also be seen backing folk/rockabilly legend, Alan Leatherwood in his live performances. When not playing with The Ramrods, David can be seen backing Cleveland’s own Johnny Fay. David is currently in the studio, working on an album of new rockabilly material with the Ramrods, with an album of ‘60s inspired originals to follow. Regardless of the genre, David has received positive reviews throughout his career.

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Johnny Fay & The Bel-Aires
Rock & Roll Bedford OH

Johnny Fay and The Blazers is a name known internationally to fans and collectors of early rock & roll, though the true story is that of Bedford, Ohio native John Furino and his teenage band the Bel-Aires. John and friends formed the band while students at Bedford High School in the late 1950s, after witnessing a Cleveland Arena concert by Elvis, Scotty & Bill (with D.J. Fontana on drums). Johnny and The Bel-Aires played local dances and record hops, and after graduating in 1961, John kept the group together with various members.

In 1962 The Bel-Aires were approached by the newly formed Dani Records, a venture started by two Cleveland businessmen. A single was recorded pairing two Bel-Aires originals, "Cindy" and "Sweet Linda Brown". These highly charged rockers were released under the name Johnny Fay and The Blazers, an identity concocted by the Dani label owners, which John hated. The record never had a chance as the fledgling record company soon ground to a halt amid a dispute between the two owners.

John didn't think much more about the music business, relocating to Kent, Ohio in 1968. He and a partner opened a barber shop where John occasionally coiffed the locks of KSU students and future Devo masterminds the Mothersbaugh and Casale brothers!

Recently brought John's attention was a youtube video featuring a modern rockabilly group from France, The Megatons, playing a live version of "Sweet Linda Brown". John wrote to the group to compliment their version and was promptly invited to Paris for a month of festival performances and recording with the Megatons in May 2012. John has assembled a new group of Blazers for local Cleveland appearances- Tom Fallon (Alarm Clocks), Marianne Friend (Rainy Day Saints, Adults), Brent Ferguson (Living Stereo), and John's nephew, Tony Furino on drums.