GROUP BIO
"...I only have one word to describe The Shackshakers - FUN! Overwhelmingly fun!"
"...an indescribable electricity that really gets the crowd going"
"...a top class act in all regards. They kept the dance floor full all night"
BEGINNINGS
Many have followed The Shackshakers from their earliest small-town beginnings.
Others are just now discovering this unique group.
In fact, for 20 years, The Shackshakers have kept up a
break-neck pace of entertaining across the nation.
Shawn Nagy formed his first group "The Rock & Roll Express"
in the flat oil and farmlands of Carlyle, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1988.
After graduating high school, he began regularly performing in public with the band
and he has truly, never stopped since.
The earliest version of the band was formed in Brandon, Manitoba,
initially as "Johnny Rebel & The Shackshakers".
Often asked where the name came from, Shawn gives the story:
"At first, our thought was to be "Black Bart & The Fugitives", simply because the
guitar player wore this big funny black cowboy hat to the shows and we were all fans
of the old '60s Fugitive show at the time. We expected the band to be something we did
for fun on the side, so we decided to just go for something funny and memorable.
Our first gig was in Boissevain, Manitoba at Addison's Inn, and we had the place jumping so I cranked up the volume. The bar manager came up and told us to turn it down because we were shaking the walls and all of the glasses above the bar.
Then, we realized that we were playing in a corner stage designed like a shack.
It seemed natural, we were "shakin' the shack"...
that was our standing-room-only venue for a while."
THE 90s
In 1991, Shawn quit his radio broadcasting job in Brandon, MB and took a disbanded rock group on full-time road tours across Western Canada, Northern Ontario & even as far North as the Northwest Territories. Late in '91 they backed up the late legendary rocker Buddy Knox
("Party Doll") on some of his club shows throughout the prairies. Buddy's "Clovis Connection" would bring new opportunities in the future.
Often club marquees had the full name wrong, so the "Johnny Rebel" addendum was dropped.
"People still have a hard time pronouncing the name, but it was worse before. We were billed as Johnny Reb, John Rubble, Johnny & The Shakers and we've always had the Shake Shackers problem. What the heck is a shake shacker!? We didn't have a banner so we used a rebel flag...it did the trick until we realized that across the border, it meant something other than a simple prop. We dropped that idea pretty quick" Shawn explained.
The country scene was booming and they were performing 6 nights a week, 10 weeks at a time with only a few days off per year while sharpening their skills in the top clubs, fairs, and other events. Reviews had always been highly favorable, and after a large festival appearance, the group was offered a recording/management deal with a Canadian label, but declined the offer due to different marketing views with the company.
"They wanted to make us generically commercial. The company told us cowboy hats, and black T-shirts were the fad. The songs we wrote wouldn't be considered, and we'd be recording staff-written songs. I didn't think that the people who supported us from the start, would even recognize us or the music we were playing. They wanted a young bunch of naive boys they could cookie-cut into what was selling at the time" Shawn stated in an interview.
"Some people thought we should have done it, others respected that we didn't sell out
and stuck to being ourselves, and original. Besides, I never looked good in a cowboy hat".
Major label, or not...they quickly gained popularity in the night club scene,
and they appeared on various regional TV shows and in publication articles.
Performing highlights include Canada's "Big Valley Jamboree '92" in Craven, Saskatchewan where they performed in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 11,000. In July of '94 they appeared at the world renowned Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Alberta for a week of the events, performing daily for 8000+ people per day. While in Calgary they performed for a Calgary Flames Special Event (hockey team) , and were then invited to sing the Canadian National Anthem at a hockey game. Later that month they opened for Juno Award Group Of The Year, The Good Brothers.
Touring on the road meant constant member changes, "you meet somebody new, then spend 24/7 with them for the next few months...it's usually a fairly strange and strained relationship, especially with a little attitude, alcohol, and ego thrown in amongst musicians" Shawn explains.
Shawn began looking to the USA for more experienced and long-term performers.
By the Fall of 1995, Shawn began performing mainly in the USA
and shortly after, he set up home base in Duluth, Minnesota.
He finally found a road crew that got along, and stayed together or a good period of time.
Then...
"We all met women. Actually, it's the old story that road work was slowing down and we needed somewhere to stay!" Shawn recalls with a laugh. "The group I had on the road was from Idaho so they moved back there, married, had kids and settled down. I found local Duluth musicians and decided to perform mostly on a local basis".
TIME FOR A CHANGE
By the Fall of '97, country music had lost its popularity and they became a “variety” group, opting for an emphasis on the oldies genre. The Shackshakers had new members, a new look, and new capabilities by adding the dynamic vocals of Darlene Marie to the band.
In January 1998, they received the “Up & Coming Variety Group Of 1998”
award in "Nightlife", a Minnesota Entertainment magazine.
Rockabilly and swing became popular, so Shawn and Darlene hit the road
with two new members for a brief tour of long-distanced, rockabilly/blues shows.
Buddy Knox had suggested that if Shawn was ever near the Clovis, NM area, that he should check out Norman Petty Studios, where Knox, Buddy Holly, The Fireballs, and many others had recorded their biggest hits. The Shackshakers toured the area, and befriended many of the Clovis recording veterans. In the meantime, Buddy passed away, and in June 1999, The Shackshakers were invited to perform at the renowned "Norman & Vi Petty Music Festival" in Clovis, NM.
They paid tribute to Buddy Knox, as well as performing with The Roses, Gary & Ramona Tollett
(both sang backups on Knox & Buddy Holly’s hit recordings), and The Fireballs.
Their performance not only got them a standing ovation,
but the headlining position the 14th Annual Petty Festival in June 2000.
Coupled at some venues with "The Crickets", their tour took them to Lubbock, Texas
where they expected a never-ending supply of venues and good weather. In August 1999,
they made the move and based themselves there for 18 months.
Shawn was noticed by Cactus Theater owner, Don Caldwell, who offered a role and cast him
as Buddy Holly in a theater production. Caldwell also owned a recording studio across the street, where The Shackshakers would record their debut CD.
They signed with Independent label "Daddy-O Records"
and the CD "With Special Guests" was released June 2nd, 2000.
The CD featured guests:
* The Roses - who sang backup vocals on the hits of Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison,
Buddy Knox, and many others at the famed Norman Petty & Sun Studios;
* A duet with Billy Cowsill of '60s group The Cowsills, and later of The Blue Shadows;
* Steve Bloomfield - legendary British guitarist & songwriter with the rockabilly group "Matchbox";
* Joe Terry (Dave Alvin Band / The Skeletons / The Morells);
* plus seasoned West Texas musicians Don Caldwell, Grady Alberts, Todd Caldwell & Alan Crossland.
It received exceptional reviews, and International airplay helped them appear in various music publications such as "Blue Suede News", "Lubbock Magazine", "Minnesota Street-Rod Magazine", "Texas Music Monthly" and "Original Cool". They signed a world-wide distributorship deal with Hepcat Records & Distribution out of California
which released their CD World-Wide in November of 2000.
EVERY song on the CD received airplay somewhere; including the USA, Canada, Norway, Australia, England, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Uruguay & Holland.
Some songs charted Internationally including "The Ballad Of Desiree",
"No Other Love", "Lotta Lovin'", and "Morse Code Of Love".
Radio embraced their CD. The year 2000 ended off with the group being named one of the Top #100 Most Requested Artists on the top country radio station in Canada, a great feat considering the major label competition, and they also entered the European charts with a number of their songs. Not only were country stations playing The Shackshakers, but oldies and college stations.
Local support in West Texas grew, and they embarked on a CD Release Tour. It wound up at the #1 country club in the USA, "The Caravan" in Albuquerque, NM and the next week along with Patty Loveless at The Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen, MN. The musicians pictured in the CD lasted only a few weeks on the road, and then headed back to Texas. Realizing there were more venues and pay was better in the Mid-West, Shawn & Darlene returned to Minnesota as their home base in December 2000. Their calendar filled, and a new league of Shackshaker fans started filling the Minnesota and Wisconsin venues once again.
"R&R" MEANS BUSINESS
In January 2002 they did a 6 night tour with "The Rock & Roll Dance Party".
British promoter, Paul King, called upon the group to perform their own material as well as backing almost everyone who had performed with Buddy Holly including:
Grammy Award winner Tommy Allsup, Carl Bunch, Gary & Ramona Tollett,
The Roses, George Tomsco of The Fireballs, Ernie Valens (Ritchie's nephew),
Alan Clark, and Bobby Vee. The tour ended at the famed Surf Ballroom in
Clear Lake, IA where Buddy, The Big Bopper & Ritchie Valens had performed their final show.
Shawn performs "Peggy Sue" for THE Peggy Sue (Gerron) at the Kato Ballroom (Mankato, MN)
In August of 2002 they were featured, as well as backing all acts in Lubbock, TX for
a DVD documentary release "Legends Of West Texas Rock & Roll".
The filming featured over a dozen artists that recorded at Norman Petty Studios
in Clovis, NM including those who appeared on Buddy Holly's records.
Two years after its release, "The Ballad Of Desiree" was still in the Top 100 Most
Requested Songs on CKLQ Radio in Brandon, Manitoba for the year 2002.
The song was re-released as a single in November 2004 which got more Canadian radio airplay,
as well as a video being filmed and released at the same time.
The video was deemed "too country" by country video station CMT and didn't get airplay.
(go figure!)
Shawn and Darlene toured in Canada for 4 months in early 2005,
(it was the first time The Shackshakers had been there since 1996).
When they returned to Minnesota, drummer Tom Henderson rejoined,
and new bassist Nic Tucci was added.
This current lineup has hardly had a weekend off since.
Their constant involvement in high profile oldies events has increased the
group's demand by promoters, and has seen them do national work in this genre...
not as an oldies showband, but as a group that performs the music authentically.
In October 2006, the group was flown to Edmonton, Alberta to be a part of the
"Alberta Rock & Roll Reunion". The band was featured, as well as backing several
'50s/'60s artists including Dick Damron, Joe Kozak, Jerry Palmer, and others.
The concert took place in Western Canada's largest concert hall,
The Winspear Centre, and was filmed for DVD release.
Edmonton, Alberta - Winspear Centre with George Tomsco of The Fireballs
In February 2007, The Shackshakers returned to the legendary Surf Ballroom
in Clear Lake, Iowa to be part of the "Fifties In February" event.
They were a featured act, and also the backing group for Dale Hawkins ("Susie Q"),
Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs ("Sugar Shack"), and The Cleftones ("Heart & Soul").
A new CD is almost finished, and 2008 is proving to be one of their busiest yet.
A live performance features a wide variety of music
from their huge repertoire of songs (approx. 300 tunes)
from Patsy Cline to Pat Benatar, Buddy Holly to Led Zeppelin, Roger Miller to Poison,
they have an unmatched song list of classic rock, oldies,
and a few country tunes thrown in for good measure.
Now celebrating 20 years of the "Shackshaker" name being used professionally,
the group has managed to maintain their professionalism, versatility, and drawing power.
Their reliable reputation has solidified The Shackshakers as one of the Mid-West's
most in-demand bands, and one of the area's top draws (... so book early!)
They have an original and refreshing style of their own that is guaranteed
to please ANY audience...and their full calendar proves that THEY DO.
Be sure to catch their show in your area soon!
