JOE GRUSHECKY AND THE HOUSEROCKERS
''ROCK AND REAL''
1989
45:54
1 /Rock and Real
Joe Grushecky/5:04
2 /Memphis Queen
Joe Grushecky/3:57
3 /Unsafe at Any Speed
Joe Grushecky / Bill Toms/4:30
4 /The Biddle Mine
Joe Grushecky/3:40
5 /How Long
Joe Grushecky/5:05
6 /Freedom's Hall
Joe Grushecky/3:47
7 /Out of My Head
Joe Grushecky / Bill Toms/4:35
8 /Little Marie
Chuck Berry / Joe Grushecky/4:15
9 /Ain't Goin' Down
Joe Grushecky/4:55
10 /Rebel Music
Joe Grushecky / Art Nardini / Joffo Simmons / Bill Toms/4:20
11 /Daddy's Little Angel
Joe Grushecky/1:46
Joe Grushecky /Guitar, Harmonica, Mandolin, Vocals
Bernie Herr /Percussion
Art Nardini /Bass
Joe Pelesky /Vocals
Ned E. Rankin /Drums
Jeff Simmons /Drums
Jeffrey Simons /Drums
Bill Toms /Guitar, Vocals
Biography
by Erik Hage
Much like Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band or Southside Johnny & the Asbury Dukes, Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers have been making American blue-collar bar rock that draws on classic R&B from the 1970s on. Unlike his New Jersey counterparts, however, Grushecky calls the Iron City of Pittsburgh home. He has also never received the accolades or attention of his New Jersey counterparts. The group, which first emerged as the Iron City Houserockers, released their debut, Love's So Tough, on MCA Records in 1979. A spate of albums followed in the 1980s. However, despite critical accolades from the likes of Rolling Stone and Billboard, among others, the band never achieved commercial success or became a household name. The group's major-label record deal collapsed after four albums that featured production by Steve Cropper and the team of Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson. In 1989, a retooled version of the group resurfaced as Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers with the album Rock & Real.
Landing a deal with the record label Razor & Tie in the early '90s, Grushecky was able to quit his teaching job. Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers experienced somewhat of a renaissance in the mid-'90s (and a media blitz) when Grushecky's old friend Bruce Springsteen produced, co-wrote, played, and sang on the group's American Babylon album. The Boss even joined the band on guitar for a six-night live stand. On the back of the Springsteen connection, the group was seen on CNN, Entertainment Tonight, and MTV and toured Europe several times. The follow-up, 1997's Coming Home, featured four Springsteen co-writes and a gritty mixture of heartland rock and Dylanesque ballads. Grushecky returned to teaching in the late '90s and a live album followed in 1999. Grushecky released a solo album, Fingerprints, in 2002 and another, True Companion, in 2004. Outtakes and Demos 1975-2003, Five Alive in Spain, and the Good Life arrived in 2006.
OFFICIAL SITE
''ROCK AND REAL''
1989
45:54
1 /Rock and Real
Joe Grushecky/5:04
2 /Memphis Queen
Joe Grushecky/3:57
3 /Unsafe at Any Speed
Joe Grushecky / Bill Toms/4:30
4 /The Biddle Mine
Joe Grushecky/3:40
5 /How Long
Joe Grushecky/5:05
6 /Freedom's Hall
Joe Grushecky/3:47
7 /Out of My Head
Joe Grushecky / Bill Toms/4:35
8 /Little Marie
Chuck Berry / Joe Grushecky/4:15
9 /Ain't Goin' Down
Joe Grushecky/4:55
10 /Rebel Music
Joe Grushecky / Art Nardini / Joffo Simmons / Bill Toms/4:20
11 /Daddy's Little Angel
Joe Grushecky/1:46
Joe Grushecky /Guitar, Harmonica, Mandolin, Vocals
Bernie Herr /Percussion
Art Nardini /Bass
Joe Pelesky /Vocals
Ned E. Rankin /Drums
Jeff Simmons /Drums
Jeffrey Simons /Drums
Bill Toms /Guitar, Vocals
Biography
by Erik Hage
Much like Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band or Southside Johnny & the Asbury Dukes, Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers have been making American blue-collar bar rock that draws on classic R&B from the 1970s on. Unlike his New Jersey counterparts, however, Grushecky calls the Iron City of Pittsburgh home. He has also never received the accolades or attention of his New Jersey counterparts. The group, which first emerged as the Iron City Houserockers, released their debut, Love's So Tough, on MCA Records in 1979. A spate of albums followed in the 1980s. However, despite critical accolades from the likes of Rolling Stone and Billboard, among others, the band never achieved commercial success or became a household name. The group's major-label record deal collapsed after four albums that featured production by Steve Cropper and the team of Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson. In 1989, a retooled version of the group resurfaced as Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers with the album Rock & Real.
Landing a deal with the record label Razor & Tie in the early '90s, Grushecky was able to quit his teaching job. Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers experienced somewhat of a renaissance in the mid-'90s (and a media blitz) when Grushecky's old friend Bruce Springsteen produced, co-wrote, played, and sang on the group's American Babylon album. The Boss even joined the band on guitar for a six-night live stand. On the back of the Springsteen connection, the group was seen on CNN, Entertainment Tonight, and MTV and toured Europe several times. The follow-up, 1997's Coming Home, featured four Springsteen co-writes and a gritty mixture of heartland rock and Dylanesque ballads. Grushecky returned to teaching in the late '90s and a live album followed in 1999. Grushecky released a solo album, Fingerprints, in 2002 and another, True Companion, in 2004. Outtakes and Demos 1975-2003, Five Alive in Spain, and the Good Life arrived in 2006.
OFFICIAL SITE