The Rockerz were an American

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

originally from

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, that experienced popularity in the Southeastern United States during the 1990s-2000s. The band released three albums on the Castle Records label, "If You came Here for The Party...," "Sand in My Shoes" and "Big News in a Small Town" with modest success and performed hundreds of shows throughout the Southeastern United States during their career, spanning more than two decades.

Career

Formed in 1995, The Rockerz were a group of experienced studio and live musicians who performed with such artists as

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Molly Hatchet Molly Hatchet is an American rock band formed in 1971 by guitarist Dave Hlubek in Jacksonville, Florida. They were a popular band during the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s among the southern rock and hard rock communities. The band released ...

, Classic Rock AllStars, Southern Rock AllStars,

David Allan Coe David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter. Coe took up music after spending much of his early life in reform schools and prisons, and first became notable for busking in Nashville. He initially played mostly i ...

, Dennnis Yost & the Classics IV,

The Tams ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

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, and

Archie Bell & the Drells Archie Bell & the Drells was an American R&B vocal group from Houston, Texas, and one of the main acts on Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records. The band's hits include " Tighten Up", "I Can't Stop Dancing" (both 19 ...

. The original lineup of The Rockerz included Steve Guettler on

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

, Jeff Strickler on

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, Steve Farrell on

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

, Wes Armstrong on

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

s, and in 1997 the addition of Mike Wilson on

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

s. Early rehearsals were held at Castle Studios in the Lawrenceville suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, beginning in 1995. The Rockerz first performed live together at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in Atlanta, Georgia, then toured as back-up band to Dennnis Yost & the Classics IV and

during the 1990s. The band released two albums on the Castle Records label, "If You Came Here for The Party..." and "Sand in My Shoes" and toured extensively throughout the 1990s-2000s. In 2011, The Rockerz released their third album on the Castle Records label, "Big News in a Small Town" recorded at the Sound Kitchen in Nashville and mastered at Real2Real Studios in Atlanta.

Members

Original lineup

* Steve "Stevie G." Guettler (vocals & guitar) * Jeff "JT" Strickler (bass) * Steve Farrell (guitar) * Wes Armstrong (drums) * Mike Wilson (keyboards)

Later members

* Bob "Machinegun" Micelli (keyboards) * Ray "Animal" Thackston (drums) * Brad Slipiec (keyboards) * James Coker (drums) * Frankie Aster (bass) * Bill Whitley (drums) * Will DeBouver (drums)

Discography

Studio albums

* "If You Came Here for The Party..." (1996/Castle Records) * "Sand in My Shoes" (2006/Castle Records) * "Big News in a Small Town" (2011/Castle Records)

Singles discography

Studio singles

* "If You Came Here for The Party..." (1996/Castle Records) * "When I See You Smile" (2006/Castle Records) * "Hit The Door" (2006/Castle Records) * "Big News in a Small Town" (2011/Castle Records) * "Danced in The Rain" (2011/Castle Records)

References

* Sparks, Todd
"The Rockerz"
''GTS Entertainment Group'', Panama City, Florida, June 10, 1998. * Jones, Don
"Media Release"
''The City of Kennesaw'', Kennesaw, Georgia, May 24, 2007. * Thompson, J.C. "The Rockerz Headline July 3 Concert in Kennesaw", ''The Bright Side'', Volume 16, No. 6, Kennesaw, Georgia, June 2007. * Morrison, Chloe
"LaFayette plans July 4 Freedom Festival"
''The Times Free Press'', Chattanooga, Tennessee, June 23, 2008. * McCoy, Kelly
"KZ106 30th Anniversary Party"
''WSKZ-KZ106'', Chattanooga, Tennessee, August 17, 1998. * Stillwell, Don
"LaFayette Freedom Festival"
''The Walker Messenger'', LaFayette, Georgia, June 15, 2009.

External links

Official Website

The Rockerz
on

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on Amazon.com, Amazon {{DEFAULTSORT:Rockerz Musical groups established in 1995 Musical groups from Atlanta