Elmer Hadlow

My first guitar came from the dump, the landfill. It was sitting on a pile and I thought it would look good hanging on my bedroom wall. After a couple weeks I decided to get some strings for it, so I went down to see my friend, Lee Pelkey who played guitar. He put the strings on it, showed me how to tune it, a couple chords and I was off and running. I forgot to mention that the headstock was broken and the previous owner had put a brace on the back with wood screws. One of the screws protruded through the fret board. Each time I played an "E" chord, the screw stuck in my finger. Why didn't I file it down ?

I was too busy learning ! It also taught me not to squeeze the neck and to play lighter on the strings!  My next guitar came from Farris' store that sold appliances as well as a Harmony archtop acoustic guitar my mom bought. Cost was $39.95 and no screws !

My first band was with Henry McCollum, Pete Sweeny and Lee Pelkey.. Lee left for a reason I don't remember and then Cal Clark. Our first gig was at, Quack Regan's on Sunday afternoon's. I think we were there about 3 weeks before Quack got tired of the extra business and racket !

My next gig was with the Thunderbird's, with Joe Spereno (sax and vocals), Jim Dillabaugh (bass), Duane Wilson (rhythm and vocals), Frank Souky (drums). I had moved up town !

My gig with the Thunderbird's didn't last long as I was moving to New York City. I was 17 years old and would be on my own, of course I brought my guitar with me ! After a couple years Uncle Sam said here I am, give me that guitar, take this rifle. So, I did 3 years in the military...

I've had the pleasure of playing with many, many great musicians both near and far.... Thanx y'all, it's been a blast !

2016 ROCK GROUP AWARD WINNER

About Rockin' HiLows

Rock ’n’ roll was the kick in the mid-1950’s and all the hip cats wanted to rattle.

At the same time Freddy Greco and Terry  Fistick, both of Fulton, Dave Rebeor and Ed Powers, of Minetto, and  Dave Buske, of Oswego, were five young turks still in high school, ready  to blast.

In 1957, at that intersection of progressive new music and hotdogger ambition, Oswego County’s famous Rockin’ Hi-Lows was born:
 

Freddy Greco:  lead vocals, sax
 

Dave Rebeor:     lead guitar
 

Ed Powers:         piano, backup vocals
 

Terry Fistick:       drums
 

Dave Buske:        bass

The music

The music was boogie-woogie style like that of Chuck Berry and Chubby  Checkers: heavy on sax and double-string electric guitar talk-back, with  energetic drumming and plenty of flourishes and fills. Piano chords  were hammered out fast and furious. Song lyrics were ripe with fast  cars, fast women, and heartbreak. The groove was fun, and the beat was  easy to dance the jitterbug and the twist.

Venues

The band jammed entertainment venues and high energy dance halls like  Three Rivers Inn, in Seneca Knolls, The Fish Net, in Sylvan Beach, and  Central High School, in Syracuse.

Getting on The Charts

In that era, the only way to break through to the big scene was with a hit record. In a wild trip to New York in early 1958, Rockin’ Hi-Lows recorded their only 45.

The A-side was a cover of The Sputnik’s “Hey Mary Ann”.
 

The B-side was the group’s original tune, a local crowd pleaser, “I Need Your Love”, written by Greco and Powers.

The disc received heavy local radio rotation. Musician’s lore is that “I  Need Your Love” reached 101 on the music charts – just one hair outside  Billboard’s Top 100 and a rocket boost to fame.

After Hi-Lows

The rock-n-roll scene evolved quickly and by 1959 the freshly minted rockers had each moved to new projects. 

Greco formed and fronted The Kingsmen with Powers.

At about the same time Bill Cook reorganized his Billy and the Barons  lineup. Original members Jack Henderson, on drums, and Gary  Illingworth, on piano, stayed with the group. The new ticket saw Rebeor  in for Buddy Murray, on lead guitar, Ray Smith in for Frank Rowe, on  bass, and the addition of Kenny Germain on sax.

Fistick dropped out of the scene for a while, then resurfaced in Yello-Bric Road with Pat Hillman and Jimmy Dillabough.

Through the decades all these men would find each other again and again  as Oswego County’s progressive music scene evolved, grew, and  entertained us all.

Where are they now?

The everlasting jam session in the sky inducted Buske, Rebeor, and Fistick.

Greco lives in Mexico, NY, with his wife Noreen.

Now in his 70s, Powers took the stage during the 2017 Oswego Musicians Hall of Fame Induction ceremony and kicked off the rust to play one more time with The Eddie Goodness Quartet.

With a bass strapped on his shoulder, one hand moved smoothly along its  neck while the other plucked and strummed it, intimate and familiar.
 

Steeped in decades of charm and charisma, and as if no time had passed,  he sang a few songs to the delight and applause of the crowd.

 https://rebeor.blogspot.com/2017/10/oswego-music-hall-of-fame-2016-rock.html