Western Swing,
Bluegrass
& Country Fiddle
Hollywood Rodeo Band
We are proud to announce the release of the
Hollywood Rodeo Band CD,
"Cowboy-Bluegrass Honky-tonk Dancehall Music"
This recording is the best of four albums that were recorded in the 1980s and has been remastered by David Glasser at Airshow in Boulder Colorado
If you would like to purchase any recordings on CD, please contact Clarke via email.
The Hollywood Rodeo Band (HRB) was a popular regional Honky-Tonk dance band based out of Denver, Colorado. Founding members were EP Davis, Clarke Wright, Hagan Day and Ernie Martinez. G. Fred Swanson was the next to join the group in 1977 and Ernie went on to pursue other opportunities. Through the years the core of the Band would remain EP, Clarke and Fred. Other Musicians who worked with the group were, Matt Clayton, Rich Moore, Matt Pulizzi, David Rodriguez, Jim Grigg and Mark Rosenberg. J.R. Rozack spent some time as manager, Billy Day briefly was sound engineer and Steve Crabb often worked security and record sales.
The HRB featured original songs, mostly written by Clayton and Swanson, as well as many covers of classic Country and Rock-a-Billy dance tunes.
HRB was originally named Silverball for a brief period in the late 70s, but soon rebranded as Hollywood Rodeo Band after a short hiatus.
Often featured on radio stations KBRQ, KLZ and KLAK as well as TV appearances, the HRB had a strong Colorado and regional following. The band recorded extensively during the 80s, mostly 'studio live' as engineer Kevin Clock mixed the songs directly to stereo without overdubs or 'fixes'.
In 1986 they were voted one of the top ten country bands in the United States by Willie Nelson and the Wrangler Country Music invitational at Willie Nelson’s nightclub in Austin, TX, as well as voted best Denver Country Band by Westward Magazine. They were the ‘go-to back-up band for many visiting Nashville artists including Johnny Rodriguez, David Frizzell, Ferlin Husky, Johnny Wright & Peggy Sue, Johnny Paycheck, as well as opening for many other national touring acts.
The Hollywood Rodeo Band was house band at the famed Four Seasons night club in Aurora, CO, until it was destroyed by fire on April 1, 1986.
In 1989 HRB enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. They were recruited by the Armed Forces Professional Entertainment Office. The Boys toured extensively for the USO/DOD in over 60 countries and were awarded the Civilian Service Medal by The Department of Defense for service during Desert Storm.
HRB recordings:
Mexico/Togary Mountain 45 rpm single 1981
I Haven’t Learned a Thing LP record 1983
On the Western Trail Cassette Tape 1986
Saddle Up! Cassette Tape 1986
Fading Romance Cassette Tape 1987
Fading Romance/Like the First Time 45 rpm single 1987
Born Ready Cassette Tape 1987
Lookin’ At the World Cassette Tape (Compilation) 1990
and
Cowboy-Bluegrass Honky-Tonk Dancehall Music CD Compilation) 2014
In the late 1990s EP, Clarke and G. Fred returned to their roots, discarding the drums and electric instruments to form the trio “High, Wide and Handsome”.
Silverball Country Band
Silverball had it’s beginnings in the basement of David Ferretta’s music store. In the middle 70s the Bluegrass scene in Colorado waned and saw the closing of The Global Village, The Denver Folklore Center (later to reopen in the 90s) and eventually even Ferretta Music Service.
David took to playing poker professionally and EP and Clarke took advantage of the rising popularity of country music in Colorado. EP took up the steel guitar and Clarke the fiddle. They joined with Ernie Martinez, G. Fred Swanson, Hagan Day on drums with sound-man Billy Day to form Silverball, which would later become The Hollywood Rodeo Band. Silverball worked the nightclubs in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, and New Mexico.
