| Rick Lee & The Barons: Bakersfield's First Rock & Roll Band |
Bakersfield, California: 1958. Elvis was the King of rock and roll and cool was a '56 or '57 Chevy. This was also the year that a multi-talented young man that I first knew as Richard Hoqan, later as Ricardo Alan Holguin (Ohel Ge neen), who I finally re-named "Rick," along with five other unique, super musicians, brought the "Devil's Music" to Bakersfield. Can I sing or play? Nope—but I have a talent for promotion, as you will see.
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| Rick Lee & The Barons, 1957 |
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Larry Oliver and Randy Cierley-Sterling Recall Rick Lee & The Barons
In 1958 there was not a true rock and roll band in Bakersfield. However, just for the history books, there was a country-rock-a-billy band called Jolly Jody and The GoDaddys with a lead singer named Al. FYI: Rock 101 says learning to sing 'Rock Around The Clock' doesn't make you a rock and roll band. You would usually find Al and this band playing at one of the rowdy (fist fightin', gun and knife carrying) country bars like The Blackboard, Trouts, The Lucky Club, etc. (see footnotes).
Flash Back! Rick was 13 or 14 the summer before his freshman year at East Bakersfield High (1952) and I was going into my Class of '56 senior year. I had a car so Rick occasionally got a ride from me, to and from roller skating as we lived about a mile apart. I met his large family of brothers and sisters and his mother at the family home on Bernard Street. His Father, who had worked for the railroad, was deceased and his mother worked at Woolworth's. She did not speak English and Rick claimed he did not speak Spanish (that definitely was not true). I asked Rick what his mother always said whenever I came to his house; after some months he finally told me she said, "Here comes that ugly boy again." She was a great lady—hardworking, loving to her many children and was always ready to cook at a moments notice for Rick and me or any of her children.
Rick or some family member had an old standard guitar and I soon learned that Rick could sing and play. When I asked him to teach me, it turned out he did not know the names of the chords, and could not read music, but knew the natural progressions, bridges, etc. He could hear a song one time and could play all the chords. Oh yeah...he could also sing—not just a weak, pale cover of a song but he had a gift to imitate the original singer with all the little signature vocal changeups, from Little Richard to the soulful ballads or R&B, doo-wop or the deep rich black sounds of the gutsy blues singers.
Fast forward to late 1958. I had just finished my two years in the armed services and Rick had dropped out of his junior year of high school. While I was gone Rich met Randy Cierley, who was to be a major influence in both Rick's and my life.
Randy Cierley-Sterling Picks Up The Story...
In early spring 1957, a friend at East Bakersfield High School, said, "You play guitar, don’t you?" I said yeah, but I am still learning. Learning, yes, but I had dedicated myself to learning most of the major and minor guitar chords. Additionally, God, in his wisdom, blessed me with the gift of understanding musical rhythm. Some have it, and some don't. My friend suggested that I "should meet this guy named Rick, because he really plays great guitar." He told me that Rick also went to East High but had been kicked out. I got Rick's phone number and called him that night. We met at Jefferson Park about halfway between our houses (walking distance). That meeting was a major turning point in my life (how much so will boggle your mind). At the park Rick showed me rock, r&b and the bues chord patterns and how they went with certain top 40 songs.
I was shocked to learn that Rick had no idea what the chords names were and played by ear, but he certainly knew patterns that would create complex music. I began by teaching him the names of the chords; next the concept of how chords related to musical keys. Then Rick opened the heavens wide and played and showed me the opening guitar licks to Bill Doggett's song, 'Honky Tonk.' I had never played modern rock rhythm patterns or a lead run in my life. Suddenly I went from wanting to play the guitar to having to play the guitar.
We got along famously and were soon meeting at every opportunity. In the background, separate from me, Larry was home in Bakersfield every weekend as he was stationed at Edwards Air Force Base. During one of those weekends Larry suggested to Rick that we--meaning Rick and him--should start a band. At that point Larry did not know of Rick and my friendship. Larry had the idea that a band needed to be formed around Rick as the lead singer and lead guitarist. His idea was that he would put up the money, manage and book us for open, public dances. This was around the same time that (the band) was only Rick and Me. We practiced at my grandmother's home. Larry began to attend the practices and encouraged us to find some talented band members.
At one of these meetings, Rick said that he knew a great drummer named Freddy Terry but Freddy didn’t have a set of drums. Freddie Terry was a bit of a flake but a wild showman on the drums. Fred managed to con one of his North High classmates, Mike Woods, who was in the school's band as a drummer but was also learning the guitar, to loan his drums to Freddy and if Mike would let him use his drums Mike could join the band as a rhythm guitar player. Thus was born the core of Rick Lee and The Barons.
Soon after Mike joined the group, Rick and I taught him the rock chord patterns and rhythm runs and Mike was hooked. Mike had two school bandmates that played sax. David Pearson played Tenor sax and Jim Burress played Baritone sax (think 'Night Train' and 'All Night Long'). Next, Mike convinced his buddy Jack Hicks, who played piano at North High, to join the group. So, we now had a seven piece band with three guitars, drums, piano, and two saxophone players. We worked up some tunes and yet...there was still something missing.
One night several of us went to see Chuck Rio and The Champs, who had just had the big hit 'Tequila.' When they took the stage I saw and heard a Fender electric bass for the first time in person. I had seen pictures of them but I was blown away by the depth and sound and how it both drove and held the music together. The next Monday I went to Parlier’s Music Store in East Bakersfield and traded in a guitar for a Fender Precision Bass and a Baseman amplifier. Although I had never touched one before, when I got my hands on it I realized instinctively that I knew how to play it.
I showed up at the next band rehearsal on Thursday and played all our songs as if I had been playing bass all my life. I remember someone asking me how long I had been playing bass. I said, "Since Monday." Needless to say that from that moment on we were a REAL band, and sounded like one. (Elvis, The Champs and Chuck Berry...watch out!).
Over the next months we usually practiced at Mike Wood's home and now had about 160 songs in our playlist--about two and 1/2 hours worth of music. (The list was to grow to over four hours of non-stop rock and roll). The only problem was...we were all dressed up and had no place to go.
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| Larry Oliver and Rick Lee, 1959 |
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An Interview With Larry Oliver
Manager of Rick Lee & The Barons
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first become interested in music?
Larry Oliver (LO): I’ve always liked music, but very selectively. In junior high (1952/1953), I noticed a couple of songs that were charted that I liked but that did not fit my limited musical knowledge. It was R&B. These songs were broadcast from a radio station in Taft, California (call name unknown) and if I remember correctly the show was only on once or twice a week. Not too long after that, Bakersfield radio station KAFY became the anchor station for rock and roll for our city. A guy named Tony Anthony was the station manager and also the most popular deejay. From 1953-1956 through my high school years at East Bakersfield High, rock and roll, R&B and Doo-Wop became my passion and with three of my friends, we purchased almost every 45 and 33 speed record that came out, as a community collection in order for our friend Chuck to deejay sox hops at Garces High School. We went with him to the dances as his assistants and met some amazing young girls that way. Chuck tells me some of the 45 records left the music store hidden down one of our friends Levi’s. Who knew?
60s: Do you have any formal musical training?
LO: Not unless you count Rick Lee teaching me the basic guitar cords, then yes; if not, then no.
60s: Were you ever in a band yourself?
LO: No. I simply did not have the God-given gift. After 50 years I am about an average guitar player and have a limited vocal range. However, my gift is...that when working with singers or bands, I can always hear the mistakes in pitch or harmonies that are off. So that helped me manage and guide the truly talented. Also, all four of my sons were taught to play the guitar, thanks to Rick's original instructions (never lose the beat!). Two play very well and one of them can sing and is also the best guitarist. His daughter, my grand-daughter at age seven, has the gift and can be seen and heard singing Celine Dion's song 'My Heart Will Go On' from Titanic.
60s: What inspired you to become a band manager?
LO: I'm a very competitive person by nature. I am driven to win, and was born to think outside the box (I have a big ego also). Organizing and creating "what if” situations and the ability to function as an articulate, much older person with adults was a plus. But the core was and is simple: I always wanted to win and I am a control freak. And—oh yeah—the talent of Rick!
60s: When did you first become associated with Rick? Did he have The Barons at the time, or did you/he form the band later?
LO: When I originally met Rick, he introduced himself as Richard Hogan. I was 16 going into my senior year and he was 14 just starting high school. Since we only lived about a mile apart I often gave Rick a ride home or picked him up to go roller skating. When I first met his mother, who did not speak English, I noticed she called him Ricardo and found out his true name was Ricardo Alano Holguin, pronounced "Ole gee-neen." Over a period of time I discovered that he could play an old cracked guitar that usually rested in the corner of the dining room. Rick did not know the names of many of the chords he played, but always knew the chords and the progression of chords of any song, usually after hearing it only once. The most amazing thing was Rick's gift to sing—and not just sing, but do a great imitation/cover of the original singer, from the driving sounds of Chuck Berry and Little Richard…to the all the great R&B singers. He could also add the husky sound of the black blues artists, all while also playing lead guitar.
Eventually Rick, who played by ear, learned the chord names so that he was able to show the band all the chord changes in new songs. Everyone in the band read music, except Rick, but it was surely Rick and sometimes Randy Cierley that figured out a song and when necessary changed the key to one the was a better fit for Rick. Randy was by far the most knowledgeable musician in the group, period! Also, I think Randy was the strongest personality as he and I often butted heads—about what I truly don't remember, but probably some ego thing. And Rick was the most temperamental.
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