From the Heart, and for the Soul, of Chicago Music—Joseph Pytel’s Video Tributes to The MOB

Supplement to The MOB (4)—From Chicago, IL to Sioux Falls, SD in 30 years or less: Andantino

A Video Gallery of Music of The MOB, beloved Chicago horn-rock-R&B-soul band created for the Love of the Music crafted by Joseph L. Pytel, Jr.

Formula for Success—Add these four elements, and what do you get?

(1) Music by The MOB;

(2) Current-day reunion photography by Alan Schrank, plus his collection of vintage photos;

(3) Personal photos from the Mike Sistak Collection; and,

(4) Internet Ingenuity and Graphic Arts Wizardry by ”Chicago Joe” (aka JayJay331) Pytel

RESULTS: A video collective like no other, in tribute to The MOB, a favorite Chicago horn-rock band, revered and beloved for over 40 years by many across the United States and Canada.

See the accompanying story for more on the master of Chicagoland music montages. Here’s a sample of some of Pytel’s most creative videos set to music (found on YouTube) by The MOB:

All I Need (Holvay/Beisbier)

Back on the Road Again (Holvay/Beisbier)

Disappear (Holvay/Beisbier) [Arranged by Gary Beisiber]

Everyday People/Love Power (Sylvester “Sly” Stone)/(Warwick/Bacharach/Sager)

For a Little While (Holvay/Beisbier)

Goodtime Baby (Holvay/Beisbier)

I Dig Everything About You (Holvay/Beisbier)

I Feel the Earth Move (Carole King)

I Wish You Would Leave Me Alone (Holvay/Beisbier)

Love Has Got a Hold on Me (Holvay/Beisbier)

Make Me Yours (Bettye Swan)

Maybe I’ll Find a Way (Holvay/Beisbier)

Money (That’s What I Want) (Janie Bradford/Berry Gordy, Jr.)

Once a Man, Twice a Child (Holvay/Beisbier)

One Way Ticket to Nowhere (The MOB)

Savin' My Love for You (The MOB)

Tear the House Down (Beisbier/Holvay)

The Worst That Could Happen (Jimmy Webb)

Try A Little Tenderness (H. Woods/J. Campbell/R. Connelly) [Arranged by Holvay/Beisbier]

Two and Two Together (Holvay/Beisbier)

Where You Lead (Toni Stern/Carole King)

Who’s Shaking Your Jelly Roll (The MOB)

Looking ahead:

In Part 5 of this series, you’ll meet Alan Schrank, a dedicated, talented Sioux City (Iowa) photographer, who has maintained treasured photographs and music memories of The MOB for safekeeping over 40 years. When called upon to help, Schrank answered in a flash with camera and on Facebook. His onsite coverage of The MOB’s reunion week is included in the next installment.

The MOB—From Chicago, IL to Sioux Falls, SD in 30 years or less: Overture

Second in a series of “How The MOB (one of Chicago’s first horn bands) landed in the South Dakota Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” in April 2011.

Overture

What’s in a name? In music, it’s not everything. Sometimes it’s the only thing. In music, fans and friends remember your name and associate with that name who they believe you to be, individually and collectively. Presently, there are four different ‘bands’ known as “The MOB”. So, when you hear that The MOB was recently inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association Hall of Fame, did you know which one it was? The MOB, yes, but which one?

No, it’s not:

(1) the latest version of The M. O. B., with Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Steven Tyler and Jonny Lang (just some rock superstars, collectively for a single recording). The collaboration reportedly occurred so these four could record “Sharp-Dressed Man” for a ZZ Top Tribute Album (ZZ Top: A Tribute from Friends”, set for release October 11th)

(2) Then, there’s the Orlando, Florida-based band calling themselves “The MOB” (themobband.com), who play classic 60s, 70s, and 80s (3 guitars and drums, no horns). Since the recognition to the ‘real’ The MOB, the Floridians might best be thinking up a new name.

(3) Add in The M.O.B. from Rice University (as in Marching Owl Band, the ultraclever academic set who creates musical and media havoc every fall football season, (http://mob.rice.edu). By the way, they don’t march “ever”. They’re not going to change their names, but they’re too funny to watch to ask them to find a new name. No confusion when it’s a band with a (great) attitude for poking fun at their competition compared to a band with a great attitude having fun playing music.

So far, that’s three, and it’s still not THE “The MOB,” who took Sioux Falls, South Dakota by storm in April as they received an honor some 30 years in the waiting. Don’t even go trying to sort out the choices of their band on YouTube (without a guide where to search). Confused? Not if you know who you’re looking for: no, no, the real The MOB and their music. A beloved band of Chicago natives, formed in 1966, bringing together members from more than three professional bands. The group played for 14 years, toured as faithful road warriors, and amassed a large fan base who, seemingly, forgot all about them after the music ended. Or so they thought. Members of The (Real) MOB from Chicago (see photo and hear one of their classic songs in a tribute video, attached) and their stage names by which they introduced and identified themselves:

Mike Sistak (Mike Paris)

James Holvay (Jimmy Soul)

Jimmy Franz (Jimmy Ford)

Gary Beisbier (Gary Stevens)

Bobby Ruffino (Bobby Cheese)

Tony Nedza (Tony Roman)

Arturo Herrera (Little Artie)

Al Herrera (Big Brother Al)

For fans of the horn band that was created in Chicago in late 1966, you’d be hard pressed to forget their best work. Now you know their names, and CORRECT identity of which version of “The MOB” was celebrated this past April, in Sioux Falls, SD, with more than 2000 people had the privilege of hearing The MOB in person, in their first reunion in 35 years.

Check out Part III of “The MOB—From Chicago to Sioux Falls, SD in 30 years or less”. And remember the words of Alan Schrank, “The party’s not quite over.”

The MOB--From Chicago to Sioux Falls, SD in 35 years or less: Prelude

The following is the first in a series of “How The MOB (Chicago’s first horn band) landed in the South Dakota Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” in April 2011, and how one woman’s spark of ingenuity brought four strangers together in a single goal. Their mission? To give the gift of remembrance to 7 men who likely thought they’d long been forgotten, overlooked, disregarded and worse yet, cemented into obscurity.

Lord, Bonafede, Pytel, and Shrank—Ever heard of them? Probably not. No, they’re not a Michigan Avenue law firm, but they’re a powerhouse group nonetheless. They are behind-the-scenes movers and shakers who made their acquaintances two years ago, via Facebook, not in person, and managed to make some pretty exciting things happen for musicians who had not been together, much less seen each other, in 35 long years.

No, there was no acrimony that had broken up one of Chicago’s first-ever horn bands better known as “The MOB”. It was just that the music business had moved along without them, despite multiple attempts to harness the attention and support of national labels. As a fall-out to lack of results measured in vinyl sales, the young men, some newly married, had to face their futures square on. They could either remain traveling troubadours living in the world of “the band”, while playing at having a real life, or they could get off the road, find ‘real’ day jobs, and delight their families by settling down, once and for all, and getting perfectly serious about their futures.

‘Real’ life wasn’t such a bad alternative, but a choice was necessary—one or the other. You really can’t keep one foot in one world, and one in the other. When you’re on the road 250-300 nights a year, your home life can easily implode, as some members of the band known as The MOB would come to realize. The final trumpet sound was heard on New Year’s Eve, 1980, at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. And with that sound, ended an era for a beloved band of Chicago natives, formed in 1966.

The group that had been the amalgam of three professional band entities had sought fame and fortune and toured as faithful road warriors for 14 years, many sacrificing personal lives to do so, and amassed a large fan base who, seemingly, forgot all about them after the music ended. Or so they thought.

Not the case. Memories of The MOB, their music, their songs, their countless 45s demos and singles, some LP albums, continuous club-booking and attendance records, in fact did not die, not completely. It’s possibly still unknown, by even some of the band members, how the 35-year musical drought ended and how their ‘old’ life came back to life one more time and culminated in one unforgettable night in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Those responsible ‘movers and the shakers’ are not names known throughout the music business, not really. But it’s often those outside the key lights who make big things happen. Their secret? Passion. Because they are passionate about their subject, these ‘kingmakers’ invested hours of hard work, for days, weeks, months, and even years, overlooking obstacles and frustration, to reach their goal. It’s a story worth sharing.

How ‘this’ version of The MOB came to find itself in Sioux Falls, South Dakota the third week in April, 2011 is also a poignant tale. Four separate independent variables intersected to revive the enthusiasm and the memories, for a groundbreaking reunion attended by over 2,000 people. And the kicker is that only one of the four kingmakers actually got to attend the awards evening they’d made possible. The best news is that the one who ‘did’ make it is a first-class photographer and graphic artist, so the pictures made up for the others missing the show. And there’s a DVD to talk about as well.

This, then, is the series on a superb Chicago horn band that waited politely for some 35 years to be heralded formally by a group of appreciative music afficionados, not in their own home town of Chicago, but in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The next story introduces The MOB, its members, and helps clear up some of the present-day confusion of “Who really is a (real) MOB member?” or “Who can truly call themselves a music MOBster?” To quote Alan Schrank, “The party’s not quite over”. Check out Part II of The MOB--From Chicago to Sioux Falls, SD in 35 years or less“.

Chicago Radio Memories Told with Wit and Wisdom -- Fast Read, Must-Have

The history of Chicago popular radio hasn't really been completely described unless you include Art Hellyer's book "The Hellyer Say." As witty as the title leads you to believe, Art Hellyer's one-to-one interesting, intelligent writing style, combined with his dead-on wit, will have you laughing out loud and drawing stares from people around you.

To list `all' the radio stations where Art worked would exceed the length of a review. Suffice it to say that he worked on `all' of them, literally at one time. He came to shine among luminaries in Chicago radio with the assistance of two wonderful people in his life, the first being his late wife, always described as "the lovely Elaine" and his brilliant radio engineer, the late Leonard Kratoska (Lenny Kaye), the faithful Dr. K-TT as nicknamed by Hellyer, who did more things with sound effects, dropped appropriately and timely that any recordings of broadcasts would be played repeatedly for sheer entertainment value.

The book - at first blush - begins as a love story about Art and Elaine's early years together, building a life while Hellyer looked convention in the face and worked literally 24/6.5 to stay in the radio business. The charm with which he describes their courtship and the regard in which he holds her is enough of a reason to fall for the book, lock, stock and barrel. And yet, there's plenty of radio biz history, sterling stories and insider gossip to make it a must-read if you love Chicago radio, or radio in general.

Of appeal beyond Chicago, though, is that for those whippersnappers who think that radio shock jocks didn't show up until the 90s, Hellyer was likely the first in line to throw audiences for a loop.

In fact, his spoofs, pranks, and failure to follow station protocol was the vexation of virtually every program director he worked for, and the love of every listener who tuned in, faithfully, to hear what Art and Dr. K-TT would do next.

Irreverence, done properly, is brilliant radio, and Art Hellyer was the first master of disaster when it came to torturing the sanctity of "you can't do that on radio" but with a specifically gentlemanly and G-rated approach. Among the things that found him at odds with the brass upstairs: he decided to rag on sponsors of his show for problems with their products. A specific story regarding Hellyer's commentary on a certain Cadillac auto sponsor had the station's top dogs near cardiac arrest, but quick thinking and some fast talking found the Cadillac folks one of Hellyer's biggest fans.

Forever to the dismay of his bosses (and there were many), every time one of the top cats would send Hellyer a crisply typed, sternly worded memo along the lines of "you can't say that" or "you can't do that", Hellyer's classic response was to read the memo on-air, get the listeners stirred up sufficiently to call in and wreck the phone lines and occasionally throw the phone system into total havoc to the point of having the phone company call and tell Hellyer's bosses to stop whatever he was doing. Their systems couldn't handle Hellyer, or his pranks. But the audiences, faithful, sure, and forever growing in number, couldn't get enough.

Wherever Art Hellyer was on-air, listeners followed. There's sufficient stories of great stars starting out. Hellyer's sheer delight at the opportunities afforded to meet and greet them are entertaining as well. Patti Page, Perry Como, and more - considered the landed gentry of 60s entertainment - about which Hellyer provides undiscovered insight into the gems and jewels of superb singers who personally introduced their first records.

Truly a chronicle of the good old days of music radio, talk radio, and radio in general, this is a must-have book among all the others in your library. Hellyer's wit is as keen as ever, and the handbook for hilarity in the best of megawatt broadcasting is Chicago's finest gift to national audiences.

Even if you've never heard of him before now, Art Hellyer's "The Hellyer Say" will have you hooked, the way Steve King and Johnnie Putman were when he was their guest on WGN Radio along with Top Rock Girly Jock, Connie Szerszen, one overnight morning when I was fortunate enough to tune in. Read the book, and give one to someone who loves radio as much as you do. "The Hellyer Say" is a must-read.

This review also appeared in Keep Rockin' Magazine, December, 2010 issue, page 45 and shared on amazon.com

Definitely Not a Diva—Texas A&M Dean is Music’s Evening Star, Yet Shines by Day

It’s hard for some of us to imagine having two careers and keeping them separate without one interrupting the other. For song stylist Karan Chavis, you won’t hear her even humming in the hallways of the Texas A&M Health Science Center where she works.

An award-winning former Executive Director for Administrative Services at Texas A&M through last year, Aggie grad Chavis this year took on a new role as Assistant Dean of Planning and Evaluation for the TAMU Health Science Center. Daylight hours, she’s a no-nonsense but kind team leader in the fast-expanding outreach of TAMU’s health programs.

If you just knew her professionally, it would be difficult to imagine that her talents as an administrator actually overshadow her gifts as a musical performer and song stylist. On stage, though, her professionalism shines through as though singing were her only vocation. Two talented sides to one very modest person.

Limiting her musical commitments within a calendar year to balance work, home, and family, local audiences were delighted to hear Chavis as a Parisian chanteuse at the American Heart Association gala held in April at Miramont Country Club in Bryan.

No performance in 2010, though, will stand as more memorable, though, than her spectacular turn, saluting the music of jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald for two performances in Austin one recent August evening.

Chavis’ versatility extends beyond work and song. An expert seamstress, she even created her own costume for the annual Texas Reds Festival in downtown Bryan this past June. She’s been called upon to sew costumes for all three of her local backup singers for a special event in less than 24 hours. She does so with the same efficiency and quiet modesty that befits her professional style by day. It’s just her thing. Music. Sewing. Art.

The magnificent, charming setting of Austin’s One World Theatre on Bee Caves Road was the perfect venue for the concert staged by Hart Beat Productions: ‘It’s Ella! A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald’, featuring Pamela Hart, Karan Chavis, and Willie Nicholson. The three singers took turns at recreating many in Fitzgerald’s vast catalog of ‘Ella’ songs. In highlights of the evening, Willie Nicholson almost stole the entire show with her rendition of ‘Black Coffee’. Exhibiting an effervescent but controlled smouldering voice befitting the song’s lyrics, Nicholson drew the audience in with their ears and eyes and imprinted the memory of the song forever with her smooth delivery. Hart’s top-of-the-mark rendition of ‘Someone to Watch over Me’ should be hereafter known as her personal signature tune.

TAMU local audiences always request Chavis sing a signature favorite tune, ‘Satchmo Blues’, in which Chavis displays her extraordinary talent to alternate between the voices of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong in the same song. Poetry to hear and amazing to watch, Chavis makes you forget she’s the one singing and you just hear the true voices of the original artists she is presenting.

Chavis’ a cappella rendition of ‘Miss Otis Regrets’ stayed completely true to Fitzgerald’s rendition. No small feat, but no surprise either. Chavis mentioned Fitzgerald’s major role in influencing her to study music and perform professionally. Legendary singers have that effect on impressionable young talents.

One special young lady, 16-year-old Shanice McKissick, made her public debut during the evening, and received a standing ovation for her rendition of ‘Summertime’. As well she should have. McKissick, a young talent, absorbed the encouragement and confident stylings of Chavis, Nicholson, and Hart in several weeks of rehearsals, with multiple opportunities to watch the masters at work. For a young Karan Chavis, her mentor was Ella Fitzgerald. For young McKissick, she was fortunate to have three Texas-based professionals to emulate in Nicholson, Hart, and Chavis. Chavis resides in College Station, Nicholson in Temple, and Hart (her mentor) in Austin.

The evening’s two performances were presented by The Women in Jazz Association. Backed by the exceptionally talented William Menefield Band (William Menefield, Piano & Musical Director, Michael Stevens, Bass, Kevin Scott, Drums), and Michael Malone on Saxophone, the singers could not have had more professional accompaniment for their arrangements. Solos filled the air, appropriately, and entertained audiences with their seamless transitions for the talented singers.

The One World Theatre was perfect, an intimate seating arrangement with every seat a ‘good one’. Hartt Stearns (Hartt & Soul Productions) has booked a lineup for this hidden treasure that should make people rush out for season tickets. Premier guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, classically trained pop singer Andrew Heller, jazz prodigy Nikki Yanofsky, classic rock singer B. J. Thomas, songwriter Suzanne Vega, jazz drummer Billy Cobham, guitarist legend Earl Klugh and more will appear there this fall.

Two people should be singled out for their mutual labor of love: Kevin and Pamela Hart, of Hart Beat Productions, two of the primary forces behind the nonprofit jazz group. It takes substantial funding to stage such an undertaking. The evening’s emcee, Jabari Warfield, recognized additional sponsors: the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin, IBM, the Austin-American Statesman, The Majestic Design Group, the Mitchie Mitchell Foundation, and a host of volunteers whose contributions are vital to the evening’s success.

The next time you walk down the halls of Texas A&M’s Health Science Center, you still won’t hear Karan Chavis singing, because she’s 100% committed to focusing on her day job. But if you’re very lucky, some evening in Austin, Houston, Dallas, or Bryan-College Station, you can hear this dean sing, with all her heart and soul, and it will be forever a tribute to the memory of an unforgettable song stylist, Miss Ella Fitzgerald.

For more information on future concerts and events, visit www.womeninjazz.org and www.oneworldtheatre.org.