Hello, my name is Gene Thorpe.
I sing and play Guitar and Keyboards among other instruments.
I was born in New York City and began my trail toward the music profession
as soon as I was old enough to get up to the piano. While this was happening
my environment was Brooklyn New York. Even then it had it’s own
rhythm. Cars, Trucks and all the sounds of the city. We lived on Stillwell
Avenue near Coney Island. My family made Kewpie Dolls the Carneys gave
out as prizes to the carnival customers. Many weekends were spent in the
exciting world of the carnival.
As early as I can remember I loved to sit at the
piano, some of my first possessions were a Xylophone and a record player.
My family always had a wire or tape recorder around.
In 1953 my family moved to Stockton California. My grandfather , Gene
Greene had gotten a job as the manager of a West Coast Tractor Company
called Harris Manufacturing.
We had a family friend who had his own country music TV show his professional
name was Singing Cherokee, I spent a lot of time watching his band as
they played live in the area. They played a lot of Hank Williams, Web
Pierce and Ernest Tub.
In the mid `50's, to early 60’s my family was in the service station
business and while working at the station I would observe the older teenagers,
the cars, the dances and the clothes, it was a blast. Working with the
public in those days was a great experience and I learned a great deal
about music, style and people.
I remember when my family stopped at the Nut Tree Restaurant and gift
shop in Vacaville. It was around 1957. At that gift shop I got my first
Honner Harmonica. It was freedom you could do music as you moved about.
I spent many hours and late nights playing the harmonica. Later the guitar
and drums were added to my list of instruments as I spent much of my time
listening and enjoying the old time Rock & Roll and country music
that radio brought to us in those early years of pop music.Roy Orbison,
Bill Haley and the Comets and the young Elvis Presley were the kings of
the airwaves.
When I saw my first live Rock-N-Roll band Live, that was all it took to
hook me on music as a full time passion. I knew that would be my life.
Something about how the electric guitars, and the drums sound live swept
me away.
In the early "60's I met some fellows that shared my love of music.
We hung out and started jamming around the neighborhood and it didn't
take long before I was playing with a good many other guys and jam sessions.
Most of my gigs were out of the Sacramento area because the musicians
that I played with lived out of town. I wanted to sing without playing
the drums (I started as a drummer) and to play locally.
We soon of organized our own group, "The Persuaders", we played
in the 1965 California State Fair Battle of the bands. From there we went
on to play many parties and dances. We picked tomatoes as a band and bought
guitars, amps and a Army Surplus P A System. A lot of work and a lot of
fun. The Persuaders dissolved in 1966.
Then came the band Yellow Submarine, This group
was a trio that featured Frank Sorci on keyboards. I still love to play
with Frankie. Frankie and I would love to hear from our drummer at the
time. Bill are you out there somewhere?
Then came a band called The Concern, This group
featured Gary Powell, Verlen Thom and Laura Flowers. We had a lot of fun
in that band. Gary really inspired me with his great playing and singing.
I started working at the Vox Room Guitar Center
and I joined a young band called "The Yukon Daily" and we rehursed
like machines. Night after night, song after song. We were steeped in
the blues and early rock styles. I can still play a whole night on the
songs I learned from that peroid of my life. Those were great times, and
we were just paying our dues. Music was the core of our lives.
There were these guys who went to Sac State that
put on music shows. Rick Schultze and George Gosling. Now these guys really
had rock and roll in their harts. We all became great friends. These guys
had a great light show and were called Simultaineous Avalanche. They began
using The Yukon Daily as an opening band at thier concerts and for the
next few years it was a wild time.
Later came a short lived band named Pann and lots
and many more hours of jam sessions and wood-shedding.
In 1971, while still at The Vox Room, in Sacramento,
We started the band "Simultaneous Avalanche". This group decided
to see the world. During those years we toured twenty nine states including,
Alaska, Hawaii and Canada. We had a straight-ahead rock, blues and pop
style.
"Avalanche" came off the road in 1976, 1 came back to Sacramento
and returned to the music store. I also found a job with the Sacramento
Valley Entertainment Guide and Directory, but my musical career and the
band were always my first priority. When the magazine started my monthly
column we were covering only 20 clubs and later we built 'it up to coverage
of over 100 clubs and events each month.
In 1980 the music
scene was quickly changing in Sacramento. I left the Vox Room to start
a new talent agency called "GTA". The headquarters for the talent
agency was Skip's Music, one of the largest and more progressive music
stores in the United States.
1981 was a busy year, I started the band "Powerglide" and that
year we won the Shire Road Battle of the Bands. We went on to play many
of the top Northern California nightclubs, and also became on of the more
popular corporate bands on the Sacramento music scene.
1984 Was the year I got into the real estate business. I did this to regroup
and it was my intention to back away from the music business. That didn't
happen because the fellow I sold my talent agency to, (Stephen Grace),
kept right on booking me with a group of great guys, Scott Davis, Loren
Hass, Glade Rassmussen and Brian Clark. What a line up. We still called
it Powerglide and it was a lot of fun. I
also met a fellow Realtor (who loved music) that year named Ron Barringer
and that was a good meeting.
1985 Coldwell Banker Real Estate in Roseville
1987 Project Manager for Rancho Ganadaro (Later
to become Lincoln Crossing)
1989 Terrico Development Jan Warshuis Development
madness.
1990 Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce President.
1991 Gulf War starts Real Estate goes in the dumper
Band starts playing a lot.
1995 Start playing Gold Country and Placer fairs
2000 Played New Years at Del Paso Country Club
2001 Met and started playing with Vel Selven
2003 Drew Sallee
2004 Ernie Apodaca
2006 Brian Earl Warrensford, Richard Dart, Jeff
Jambor added to the DeVille's
|
