Oswego Music Hall of Fame 2016 rock band inductee The Rockin' Hi Lows

The 2016 Oswego Music Hall of Fame Inductees, Rockin’ Hi-Lows, 1958.

From left: Dave Rebeor, Ed Powers, Freddy Greco, Terry Fistick, and Dave Buske

Rock ’n’ roll was the kick in the mid-1950’s and all the hip cats wanted to rattle.

At the same time Freddy Greco and Terry Fistick, both of Fulton, Dave Rebeor and Ed Powers, of Minetto, and Dave Buske, of Oswego, were five young turks still in high school, ready to blast.

In 1957, at that intersection of progressive new music and hotdogger ambition, Oswego County’s famous Rockin’ Hi-Lows was born:

Freddy Greco:  lead vocals, sax

Dave Rebeor:     lead guitar

Ed Powers:         piano, backup vocals

Terry Fistick:       drums

Dave Buske:        bass

The boys autographed the back of their promo shot.

The music

The music was boogie-woogie style like that of Chuck Berry and Chubby Checkers: heavy on sax and double-string electric guitar talk-back, with energetic drumming and plenty of flourishes and fills. Piano chords were hammered out fast and furious. Song lyrics were ripe with fast cars, fast women, and heartbreak. The groove was fun, and the beat was easy to dance the jitterbug and the twist.

Venues

The band jammed entertainment venues and high energy dance halls like Three Rivers Inn, in Seneca Knolls, The Fish Net, in Sylvan Beach, and Central High School, in Syracuse.

Getting on The Charts

In that era, the only way to break through to the big scene was with a hit record. In a wild trip to New York in early 1958, Rockin’ Hi-Lows recorded their only 45.

The A-side was a cover of The Sputnik’s “Hey Mary Ann”.

The B-side was the group’s original tune, a local crowd pleaser, “I Need Your Love”, written by Greco and Powers.

The disc received heavy local radio rotation. Musician’s lore is that “I Need Your Love” reached 101 on the music charts – just one hair outside Billboard’s Top 100 and a rocket boost to fame.

After Hi-Lows

The rock-n-roll scene evolved quickly and by 1959 the freshly minted rockers had each moved to new projects.

Greco formed and fronted The Kingsmen with Powers.

At about the same time Bill Cook reorganized his Billy and the Barons lineup. Original members Jack Henderson, on drums, and Gary Illingworth, on piano, stayed with the group. The new ticket saw Rebeor in for Buddy Murray, on lead guitar, Ray Smith in for Frank Rowe, on bass, and the addition of Kenny Germain on sax.

Fistick dropped out of the scene for a while, then resurfaced in Yello-Bric Road with Pat Hillman and Jimmy Dillabough.

Through the decades all these men would find each other again and again as Oswego County’s progressive music scene evolved, grew, and entertained us all.

Where are they now?

The everlasting jam session in the sky inducted Buske, Rebeor, and Fistick.

Greco lives in Mexico, NY, with his wife Noreen.

Ed Powers

Now in his 70s, Powers took the stage during the 2017 Oswego Musicians Hall of Fame Induction ceremony and kicked off the rust to play one more time with The Eddie Goodness Quartet.

With a bass strapped on his shoulder, one hand moved smoothly along its neck while the other plucked and strummed it, intimate and familiar.

Steeped in decades of charm and charisma, and as if no time had passed, he sang a few songs to the delight and applause of the crowd.