SUBJECT: The Dynatones
PLAYERS: Chip ”C.C.” Miller (pictured), lead vocals; Larry Dunn, guitar; Tony Perez-Banuet, saxophone; Parris Bertolucci, keyboards; Randy McDonald, bass; ”Big Walter” Salwitz Jr., drums.
HOME TURF: San Francisco
SOUND: A mix of Southern soul, R&B oldies and danceable original rock.
”American music,” founder-manager-spokesman Rico Tee sums it up.
STAGE STYLE: Lively
PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE: ”Pretty regular American guys”
OFFSTAGE PASSIONS: Playing bingo, collecting vintage records, fishing, golf, and pork chop sandwiches purchased on Chicago`s Maxwell Street.
MUSICAL INFLUENCES: ”Everything American, nothing European.”
FOR THE RECORD: Band released two albums on Rounder Records, ”Tough to Shake” (1985) and ”Live It Up” (1986), followed by a 12-inch single,
”Shout,” on Rhino in 1987. Made major-label album debut with
”Shameless,” released in February, 1988, on Warner Bros.
PAYING DUES: Before heading west to San Francisco, five Dynatones played in bands in their home towns-Miller in Miami, Salwitz in Toledo, Perez-Banuet in Detroit, McDonald in San Diego, Dunn in Casper, Wyo. Bertolucci was already living in San Francisco.
DYNATONE DYNAMICS: After arriving in San Francisco, drummer Salwitz worked for three years with blues harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite as part of a group called the Dynatones. Eventually Salwitz left, taking the name Dynatones with him-with Musselwhite`s blessing-and teamed up with Rico Tee, founder of vintage reissue record label Solid Smoke. Tee and Salwitz decided to assemble a new Dynatones lineup that would concentrate on updating soul sounds from the mid-1960s for contemporary audiences. Salwitz would play in the band; Tee would manage the group. By 1982, they had realized their goal and the new Dynatones were born.
PERFORMING PHILOSOPHY: ”If we want people to move around to our music, we`ve got to move around ourselves. As far as we`re concerned, the whole room`s a party; the spotlights just happen to be on us,” says Tee.
WHERE TO CATCH THEM: Saturday at FitzGerald`s in Berwyn.
