That’s not to say most of the original group won’t be there. Stiver, Richard Schoonover and Ric Hacker will all take the stage with seven others.
Only Jeff Stiver, one of the originals, won’t be there. “He had kids come along a little earlier than the rest of us,” Randy said. “He had other commitments and it started to get a little time consuming.” Those original four are now in their late 50s and early 60s but with the addition of new band members, they range right down to near 20 years old.
Gerald Emerick plays bass; Don Frame is on drums; Bill Emerick and Brandon Schoonover play guitar; Steven Cross plays keyboard; and Julie Stiver plays saxophone.
The main singers are Randy Stiver, Richard Schoonover and Ric Hacker. Ashley Stiver also helps with vocals. The genre? Clearly “doo-wop” and other 50s and 60s favorites.
If you can believe it, the original group formed during choir practice in the sanctuary of Wesley’s United Methodist Church in Germantown.
Randy remembers sitting in the tenor section with his brother, Jeff, Schoonover, and Hacker, and “goofing off.” They’d usually work on perfecting their doo-wop sound.
The choir director — who happened to be Jeanine Stiver, mother to two of the boys — wasn’t happy. On the other hand, she realized they were pretty good.
Gary Gross and the Greasers were born. When they found a real Gary Gross who lived in the area, they dropped the name and became simply The Greasers, named for their slicked back hair.
Was it scary to perform on stage in 1976 for the first time?
“If you know the four of us,” said Randy, there’s just enough ham in us that it didn’t bother us a bit.”
While the group performed for many years, they disbanded in 1999.
Now back together again after a decade, they’ve got new blood, new talent and new drive.
At the Pretzel Festival, they’re scheduled to play Saturday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. but Randy said their two-hour set of music means they’d like to start as early as 3 p.m.
Expect Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Barry, Buddy Holly, Bobby Darin. They’ll also tackle the Supremes, the Rolling Stones, Ricky Nelson among plenty more.
The 30th annual Germantown Pretzel Festival runs Saturday, Sept. 26 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 27 from noon until 6 p.m. It’s held at Veterans Memorial Park on Walnut Street.
Contact this columnist at (937) 696-2080 or williamgschmidt@ verizon.net.
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