Rocky and the Rollers

Come back to a time when rock ‘n roll was king, American Bandstand ruled and groups from Brooklyn or Jersey or Philly could be the next big thing. Gerry (Rocky) Seader, drummer and founder of Rocky and the Rollers started the group in the 1980s, after 20 years touring with the best rock ‘n rollers around. A native of Philadelphia, Seader began playing the drums when he was 10 and was soon playing big band music from the 1940s in his grandfather Chet DeLorenzo’s band. He was all of 13. When he was 16, Seader began playing rock ‘n roll with a variety of bands in the Philly-South Jersey area. He met up with the popular group, Danny & the Juniors, and his drumming impressed them so much that he became first their drummer and eventually their music director. He spent 10 years with Danny & the Juniors and it shaped the rest of his musical life. “Those were some of the best times of my life,” he said. “Joe Terry and Frank Maffie really showed me the ropes.” Seader also got to play with many of the recording artists from the ‘50s and ‘60s when they went on tour, and noted that “If they had a record in the 1950s or 1960s, I probably played drums for them at one point or another.” As a touring drummer and with the Rollers he worked with Dick Clark, Chuck Berry, Fabian, The Drifters, Bo Diddley, The Shirelles and more. In the early ‘80s, Seader decided to front his own band. He met Jon “Bowzer” Bauman from Sha Na Na and the two quickly became friends. Rocky and the Rollers became the touring band for Bowzer’s Rock and Roll Party and the band toured with Bauman nationally and internationally throughout the year. In addition to Seader, Rocky and the Rollers consists of a bunch of rockin’ musicians including Bruce Wallace on guitar and vocals, Al Layton on keyboard and vocals, Pat Gallo on bass guitar and vocals, Bruce Nardi on sax and vocals, Steve Falkner on trumpet and Rick Abbott on trombone. A Rocky and the Rollers doo wop n’ rock show takes you back to the great sound of the songs that had harmonies and melodies that we danced to and loved. If the music of the 1950s-1970s is the music that you know and cherish, you don’t want to miss this one. You’ll have a rockin’ good time.