The Iron City Houserockers were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 gui ...

from

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, led by the singer and guitarist Joe Grushecky, from 1976 to 1984.

History

Started in 1976 as the Brick Alley Band by Grushecky, a high school

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

teacher in Pittsburgh, the band was a fairly typical bar band. It was distinguished by Grushecky's taut, focused songs about life in the heartland and a distinctive, harmonica-and-guitar-driven sound owing much to the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

and the

J. Geils Band ''J. The Jewish News of Northern California'', formerly known as ''Jweekly'', is a weekly print newspaper in Northern California, with its online edition updated daily. It is owned and operated by San Francisco Jewish Community Publications In ...

, but which also seemed to borrow the thrashing fury of punk rock. Most of the members of the Iron City Houserockers came from a genuine blue-collar background: Art Nardini was the son of a mechanic and a part-time college student, Joe Grushecky was a coal miner's son, and Gil Snyder's father was a construction worker.Liner notes from ''Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best of the Iron City Houserockers'' In 1977 they signed with Cleveland International Records, headed by former

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical m ...

A&R chief and Pittsburgh native

Steve Popovich Steve Popovich (July 6, 1942 – June 8, 2011) was an American record company executive. As the founder of Cleveland International Records, he launched and guided the careers of many famous artists through his work with the CBS label family, includi ...

. Popovich christened them the Iron City Houserockers, but this caused some problems when touring outside their native Pittsburgh—when they played Cleveland their tires were slashed. The band's debut album, '' Love's So Tough'', was released in April 1979. With dense, no-frills production by Popovich and Marty Mooney (“The Slimmer Twins”), the album successfully captured the band's live sound. "Hideaway" (the first single) and "Dance With Me" were viewed as standout cuts. The band's follow-up album, '' Have a Good Time but Get Out Alive!'', was featured in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine as its showcase review, with the headline "New American Classic", and ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'' called it "the strongest album an American band has made this year." The tandem tavern-set tracks "Old Man Bar" and "Junior's Bar" were especially praised. Production was credited to the Slimmer Twins and

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...

, with arrangements by Ian Hunter and

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandoli ...

. According to the liner notes within '' Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best of the Iron City Houserockers'', Van Zandt left after producing five songs, because of musical differences between him, Hunter and Ronson. The Houserockers' third album, '' Blood on the Bricks'', was produced by

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

. The 1983 edition of ''

Rolling Stone Record Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' praised it as the band's best album, although it had good marks for all of them. The band then changed its name to simply the Houserockers to avoid the geographic limitation the "Iron City" moniker had put them in. It also shed the harmonica player Marc Reisman. Ned Rankin quit and was replaced by Ron "Byrd" Foster (from the recently disbanded Silencers, previously with Sweet Lightning and Roy Buchanan's band), and Gil Snyder added synthesizers to his trademark piano and organ. The subsequent album, ''

Cracking Under Pressure ''Cracking Under Pressure'' is a 1983 studio album by the Iron City Houserockers. ''Cracking Under Pressure'' was the Iron City Houserockers' fourth and final album under the moniker (changed slightly) and also their final album released under MC ...

'', like all the band's previous efforts, drew critical raves but did not sell well. The band was dropped from

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

, shortly after the album's release, and broke up a few months later. Joe Grushecky went on to a modestly successful career on his own, often under the name Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers. He has co-written several songs with another heartland rocker,

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

, and made a number of appearances on stage with him. The Iron City Houserockers' first two albums, ''Love's So Tough'' and ''Have a Good Time but Get Out Alive!'' were released on compact disc in 1999. ''Blood on the Bricks'' and ''Cracking Under Pressure'' are still unreleased on CD, but cuts from both albums are included on ''Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best of the Iron City Houserockers''. Ron "Byrd" Foster died at the age of 61 on June 30, 2011, in

Deltona, Florida Deltona is a city in central Florida and the most populous city in Volusia County. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Monroe along the St. Johns River in central Florida. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 93,692. The cit ...

, from

liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...

Lineup

* Joe Grushecky, rhythm guitar, vocals * Gary Scalese, lead guitar (first album) * Eddie Britt, lead guitar (second, third and fourth albums) * Art Nardini, bass * Gil Snyder, keyboards, accordion * Ned Rankin, drums (first three albums, ''Rock & Real'') * Ron "Byrd" Foster, drums (''Cracking Under Pressure'') * Clay "Marty" Moore, guitar (live performances only, 1984) * Marc Reisman, harmonica (first three albums, ''True Companion'') * Joffo Simmons, drums, percussion (after the fourth album) * Bill Toms, guitars (after fourth album) * Joe Pelesky, keyboards (after fifth album) * Bob Boyer, soundman (first four albums) * Jay Flory, road manager, lights * Johnny Grushecky, acoustic guitar (''A Good Life'' and ''East Carson Street'') * Danny Gochnour, lead guitar (joined 2006; "East Carson Street", "Not Dead Yet") * John Farr, stage manager, guitar tech * Bob Matso, keyboards, vocal (Stand Up/Victory)Green Dolphin record 1985 * Jeff "Swizz" Sinicki, guitar and drums tech

Discography

Albums

* 1979: '' Love's So Tough'' * 1980: '' Have a Good Time but Get Out Alive!'' * 1981: '' Blood on the Bricks'' * 1983: ''

'' (as "The Houserockers")

Compilation albums

* 1992: '' Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best of the Iron City Houserockers''

Singles

* 1979: "Hideaway" * 1980: "Hypnotized" * 1980: "Junior's Bar" * 1980: "We're Not Dead Yet" * 1981: "Friday Night"

References

External links

*
Rock's So Tough - Iron City Houserockers

Interview with Joe Grushecky on A Good Life and East Carson Street
{{Authority control Rock music groups from Pennsylvania Musical groups from Pittsburgh