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Band officially formed: June 1999 Members: Robbie G. - Vocals, Timbales John - Drums Alex Duarte - Guitar Leigh Koltun - Keyboards Rick Salcedo - Bass Big R - Guitar Releases: NONE Soundbytes: NONE History: This band had it's roots in two different areas. Robbie (formerly with the Smith Brothers) and John (who played with Robbie in another popular local band) were looking to put together a "supergroup" of San Antonio blues musicians. Robbie met Alex at a jam session, and was blown away with his style. Rick, Leigh and I were playing in a more modern cover group. Robbie heard Rick play at one of the San Antonio Blues Society Jams, and invited him to sign on. When Rick bailed out of our group, he asked to get Leigh and I on board. Robbie heard us, and decided to give it a go.  |
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The music selection was heavily blues based, with a smattering of originals from Robbie's days with the Smith Brothers, and some that we worked up. The band turned out to be one of the baddest bands in the South Texas area. Since Robbie had a great reputation in the S.A. area, getting people to the gigs was remarkably easy. We had the BEST fans down there! Having two guitarists is usually a chore, and egos sometimes get in the way. It was not the case here. Alex and I got along great, and our styles were so different that we really stood out in our own way. We learned from each other, and had a great time playing together. I broke in my Gibson EDS-1275 and brought out my old Twin Reverb with this band. Alex is still tripping on my minty '63 Vibrolux! He used it for some practices, and a couple of gigs while his Peavey was down. Damn, that amp sounded great.  |
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Just as the band was really hitting its stride, internal problems arose between John and the rest of the band. Since John knew Robbie, he had his ear. Needless to say, I was fired for no good reason. John wanted to get one of his "boys" in to the guitar slot. Ask Rick about the guy they eventually hired. Duck when he throws a punch at you.  |
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I was pretty upset about the whole deal, but I have since made peace with the entire band (except John, don't really care there). We actually got together and jammed a couple of times before Pauline and I left San Antonio. The band soldiered on until late 2000, when Robbie's ailing health forced the group to disband.  |
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Here are some of our promotional materials I just found:   |
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Where are they now? Robbie passed away recently. God Bless him, he is in a better place now. Rick is doing computer programming in Dallas, Alex is taking it easy, still jamming in San Antonio, Leigh is working as a bank manager in San Antonio, and me, well, I'm around. |