Brent Freeman: Born To Rock

Introduction

ETA Brent Freeman hosting the Collingwood Elvis Festival competition, July, 2018. Photo Credit: Lori-Anne Crewe, LA Crewe Photography.

Award winning ETA Brent Freeman sent some wonderful photos and clippings for this article that take us on a walk down memory lane and highlight special moments in Brent’s career as a singer, musician, and entertainer. We originally talked about doing a “guess the ETA” such as we did for Tim E Hendry; but, except for a change in hair colour and a trim, Brent pretty well looks like he did in his early twenties. Guessing would have been far to easy. On behalf of SB readers, thank you, Brent, for sharing your treasured memories with us and providing comments for each photo. And a special thank you for the “heard it here first” SB announcement:

On January 26th, 2019, Brent Freeman and the Tiger Sharks will be appearing, along with Little Joe and the Werewolves, in a rare gig at the Cadillac Lounge in Toronto. Save the date…more information will be posted soon.

Memories

An oldy…playing my 1953 Gibson es-295. Just like the one Scotty Moore used in Sun Record days.

Around 1987…A talent show at Conestoga College where I got my Bachelor degree in broadcasting. I came 2nd singing “Blue Suede Shoes”. I was the only Elvis act.

Me in the black shirt with turquoise polka dots. I loved that shirt because it reminded me of Elvis’s RCA signing shirt.

The Tiger Sharks

After researching the Tiger Sharks band, I had some questions for Brent.

Q. Did the Tiger Sharks put out more than one CD?

A. We put out two: “Walk With Me” and “This Is Not a Boating Accident”, which was a Richard Dreyfuss line from the movie “Jaws”. “Walk With Me” was recorded primarily at Sun in Memphis. Obviously it was a huge thrill for us.

Q. Can you tell us more about the experience of recording at Sun Records in Memphis?

A. One of the biggest thrills was just hanging out. When you rent the studio you can do what you please. Our engineer, James Lott, was there when they recorded the soundtrack for "Balls of Fire” with Dennis Quaid. Dennis and Jerry Lee had strippers over while recording…we never did…lol. We had some original Sun guys drop in while we were recording—Malcolm Yelvington and Rufus Thomas. They loved what we were doing and were very nice to us.

Recording with the actual “Great Balls of Fire/Whole Lotta Shakin'“ piano was so cool. It is now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, but it was still at Sun when we recorded. It has an identifiable sound that you can hear in our recordings and on Jerry Lee's.

Our best memory was when we came back to Sun after our first clump of recording to finish up tracks. James (our engineer) came to me shortly after we arrived and said, "Boy, is Gary (Gary Hardy...the owner of Sun at the time) ever glad you guys came back. He wants to sign you guys." Back then they had a small record company that went under the name "Sun Records" (Sam Phillips still owned the original label name). They had Jerry Lee's one daughter, Phoebe, as part of their roster. We were over the moon! However, in the end, the contract they wanted us to sign wanted rights in perpetuity and we were advised by our music lawyer (same one that Alana Myles was with) not to sign it. We didn't.

Q. Did the Tiger Sharks later regret that they didn’t sign with Sun?

A. Only from the stand point of being able to say we were with Sun Records…lol. For us, that was soooo unthinkable, but it may not have resulted in any big career. But it would've been great on a resume…lol.

Q. Had you been performing as Jerry Lee Lewis before you had the awesome experience of playing on and recording with the exact same piano as Jerry Lee?

Brent Freeman as Jerry Lee Lewis at the RHLI show, 2018. Photo Credit: C. MacAthur.

A. We had done a lot of Jerry Lee at gigs. We'd start a set with some piano based songs (Jerry Lee, Fats Domino', Little Richard) then I would switch back to guitar mid set. The only difference between what I was doing then and NOW is a wig and talking with a Louisiana accent. Lol.

Q. What is the origin of the Tiger Sharks band we see today?

A. Rawhide 99 was Dave Fearnley’s band, named after Elvis’s boat in Clambake). I played with Rawhide just a few times when Dave needed me. But working with him in that band was how Dave got into the Tiger Sharks. We were originally a 3 piece (like the Stray Cats). Derek Winkler (bass) and I started the band and have been friends since high school. And Bill Bruder was on percussion.

Newspaper ad announcing our show. I am the one with blonde hair. We made a lot of appearances on Breakfast Television in the 1990s.

Breakfast Television Videos

Brent and Little Joe and the Werewolves

Little Joe and the Werewolves—bluesy, rockabilly stuff. I played guitar with them. Joe is an amazing harmonica player—best I’ve EVER heard. The other guitar player with Little Joe is Gord Lewis, the original and still guitar player for Teenage Head. It was a big thrill for me to play with Gordie. He's Canadian rock and roll royalty. I loved Teenage Head. Frankie (the lead singer) used to come and see us at the Black Bull on Queen in Toronto and it was a HUGE thrill for us. They/he was one of our idols. We opened for them a number of times. (Video below of Little Joe and the Werewolves is from 2011. Brent, on the far right, provides vocals. C.M.)

Video

More Recent Video

Brent Freeman and the Tiger Sharks backing Matt Cage, Brent’s business partner and fellow ETA, at the Woodbridge Cruisers Hwy 27 show on June 17th, 2015. Thank you for entertaining us through the decades, Brent. Friends and fans all agree: You are an awesome person and a great entertainer! C.M.

Further Reading

http://www.nervous.co.uk/tigersharks.html

https://rickyrockabillyarchives.blogspot.com/2017/01/band-n91-tiger-sharks-canada.html

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An Evening with ETAs Pete Paquette and Chris Connor

“A Tribute to Elvis in Concert” featured two well-known ETAs, Pete Paquette from Milton (announced as Toronto) and Chris Connor from the UK.  Since it was my first time seeing either of these ETAs in live performances, I looked forward to an evening of great entertainment based on what I seen on YouTube.

ETA Pete Paquette. Photo Credit: L. MacArthur.

Pete Paquette opened the show wearing a beautiful rhinestone studded gold jacket.  Pete’s years as a professional ETA were evident in his confident and polished performance on stage.  With his great moves, humour and exceptional vocals, Pete lived up to all expectations.  Backed by the sensational singing trio, “The Tonettes”, and accompanied by a great group of selected musicians that make up the Rockin’ Royals, each song was musical joy. 

Gwen, Connie, Rosemarie, and Cathie. Photo Credit: C. MacArthur.

While Pete was off stage changing costumes, we were entertained with a beautifully orchestrated and slowed down version of Elvis’s “One Night with You”.   Pete returned to the stage ready to rock and roll in his black leather Elvis outfit from the ’68 Comeback Special.  During his performance he mentioned that is was his and his wife, Christina’s, sixth anniversary.  He also took a moment to thank his mother-in-law, Connie, for all she does to further his career.  I had the pleasure of being introduced to Connie by Cathie Korsakas who was at the show with Collingwood Elvis Festival’s Rosemarie Garrity O’Brien, and Cathie’s cousin Gwen.  The three ladies drove all the way from Collingwood to see the show. 

ETA Chris Connor. Photo Credit: L. MacArthur.

After a short intermission, ETA Chris Connor from the UK stepped on stage looking splendid in his light blue jumpsuit with gold detailing, and wearing a gold scarf around his neck.  He looked and sounded exactly as he does in videos—handsome and amazingly talented!  Chris had great rapport with the audience throughout his set, but his story of the Morris Dancers in Great Britain was perhaps the most amusing.  He started out by talking about how country music that is so popular in North America is loathed in the UK, which led to ramblings about the Morris Dancers, which then segwayed into Elvis’s country music songs, and ended with Chris singing “Honky Tonk Angel”.

ETA Chris Connor. Photo Credit: L. MacArthur.

After being encouraged to sing “Suspicious Minds” during a “should I sing this or this” discussion with the audience (it was already on his playlist btw), Chris removed his gold scarf and donned a passel of scarves provided by someone off stage to give out to the group of ladies already assembled in front of the stage—a group that included me.  I never seem to have much luck at being selected to receive scarves during such handout sessions (that is why one of the questions I ask during interviews is, “How do you decide who gets a scarf?”); so as Chris said, “Sorry, I am out of scarves,” and proceeded to shake the hands of the unlucky ladies, I, as the last one in line, kept hold of his hand.  Maybe it was because he kept looking at me while he was holding my hand as he sang, or maybe it was because he made no attempt to remove his hand, but for whatever reason I stood there transfixed in the moment.  I just could not let go of his heavily ringed hand!  Not sure what goes on in the UK during shows, but it is not unusual for ETAs I have met in Ontario to bend down and give a kiss on the cheek to each woman as they shake their hands.  I guess maybe I was waiting for that special moment. 

ETA Chris Connor. Photo Credit: L. MacArthur.

Nearing the end of his song, Chris did get down on one knee (as seen in the photo posted earlier on FB) and gave me a kiss on the cheek.  It is such a strange feeling to be standing at the stage in front of an audience knowing all eyes are peering at the back of your head.  If you read what I wrote about my MDQ experience with ETA Matt Cage, you will know what I mean when I say this was a similar experience.  For a brief moment in time, it is as if you and the ETA are the only two people in the entire theatre.  The band, the singers, the audience all seem to drift away.

Chris ended the evening with “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You”, which was quite fitting seeing that he left many an audience member feeling that way about him.

ETAs Pete Paquette and Chris Connor at the end of their show. Photo Credit: L. MacArthur.

After the show, both Pete and Chris made an appearance for a meet-and-greet.  It was a nice gesture and showed appreciation for the fans who came to see their show.  When it was my turn to speak to Pete and Chris, I blushed when I told Chris that I was frozen in the moment when he held my hand.  He gave me a very warm smile.  I gave him my business card, and if there is a successful follow-up, I will have an interview with him to post in the months to come. 

ETA Pete Paquette, Carolyn MacArthur, Editor, SIDEBURNS, and ETA Chris Connor. Photo Credit: C. Paquette for C.M. .

When I asked Pete and Chris to sign their respective playlist, Pete said, “So that is where my playlist went after my set. We had to get another copy for Chris’s set.” I didn’t know until after the show that on the back of Pete’s playlist was Chris’s playlist. Of course, I apologized, but they just laughed and autographed each sheet. I asked Pete, and Christina, and Pete’s mother-in-law, Connie, about an interview with Pete.  It isn’t always easy to get ETAs to commit to an interview due to their busy schedules; but fingers crossed Pete and Chris will both have time because I know these are two ETA interviews you all would like to read.

Photos

Thank you, L. MacArthur, for the above photos.

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A Great Line-Up of Shows

To remind everyone what a great time they will have at Joanmarie and Ron Provo’s shows, I am posting some photos from past shows at the RHLI. Following the photos, are posters for four upcoming shows from September 30th to November 24th, 2018: Two shows are at the RHLI in Hamilton, ON; the second poster is for a at the Army, Navy and Air Force in Simcoe, ON; and the third poster is for a show at the Royal Canadian Legion in Dunnville.

October 3rd, 2018 Amendment: Please note the changes for the Simcoe show in the poster below. Cathy Carbone, as Connie Francis, Anthony Joseph as Tom Jones, and Derek McCarthy as Johnny Cash have been add to the lineup and will join Ron Provo as Kenny Rogers, and ETA Ed Butski.

We all are thinking of you, Gus, and sending our love.