The Back Porch Band - AZ
This is a live concert recording at a festival held on an Ostrich Farm west of Phoenix, AZ.
Enjoy! It was just plain fun. These guys were always professional, and they also stretched
me musically. Being with these guys is one of my many favorite memories. The band consisted
of Billy Parker, Bruno Bruzzese, Ken Clemmer, and me. So many great memories. To meet the band,
Ken Clemmer - When I moved to Phoenix, AZ, I met Ken Clemmer at the Encanto Park Music Festival. He had a dynamic personality and was a sought-after professional corporate photographer. He knew so many songs. He was and still is a great songwriter. Most of all, he was the man who organized and put together The Back Porch Band, which later became The Back Porch Bandits. He did the tough work of bookings, equipment, arrangements, and so much more. If I may say so, this was the best band experience of my life. Thanks Ken!!
Billy Parker - Billy tagged himself as “Mandobilly” and is recognized as a superbly talented musician. Billy has 40+ years of experience under his belt. His reputation as a studio-level musician has connected him to performances with Bill Monroe, Faron Young, Nils Lofgren, and Howard Alden, to name a few. As a session musician, he has over 30 releases throughout his career. He was a member of the famous bluegrass band Lost Highway, as well as several other bands within the Celtic, Western Swing, Jazz, and Americana scenes. He has traveled extensively, playing festivals throughout the United States. Bill was and is a good friend. In a movie I produced on this website, Appalachian Instruments At Home, he demonstrates the various sizes and forms of the mandolin family. What a guy!
Bruno Bruzzese - Bruno’s family came from the mountain people of Southern Italy. He was a part of the family circle when tables and chairs were pushed to the walls, and everybody danced to the organetto and tambourine. The energy he plays with comes from that family tradition of celebrating good times and good people with music. He started with the banjo in high school and, since then, has played all over the world. He has played and recorded Bluegrass, Old Time, Country Honky Tonk, Old Time, Jazz and Swing, Texas Swing and spent 6 years playing at Trad Jazz festivals with a band called Igor’s Jazz Cowboys. Still, when he plays, he is truly representative of the genera he’s playing. That, my friends, takes an incredible skill set. Bruno also appears elsewhere on this website in a movie I produced titled, Appalachian Instruments At Home, where he demonstrates the fiddle.