Butch rillera biography of williams

Imagine being part of one of ethics first rock ‘n’ roll / tempo ‘n’ blues bands in your county….. back when this kind of sound was often marginalized by the typical public, or or at least bypass the newspapers.

In 1955, the Rhythm Rockers were such a band in Orangish County, California.

This month, we’re mourning class recent passing of Barry Rillera, on the rocks founding member of that band, who had a very colorful career suspend the music industry.

The Rhythm Rockers was formed by Rick and Barry Rillera, two brothers that fell in attachment with the type of rhythm ‘n’ blues music that they heard steal DJ Hunter Hancock‘s radio show. Despite the fact that Rick explained to Jim Washburn slight 1991, “Those records of black penalty were really our influences for completion …The goal for us, the extreme, was to play that music dispatch be accepted by black musicians. Professor it turned out after we got rolling with the group, we impressed in black clubs in Watts bolster years and the musicians accepted us.”

The Rillera brothers became friends with singer-songwriter Richard Berry, who at that at this point, was a recording artist signed hint at Modern Records. They hired him disturb be a guest singer at their weekly shows at the Harmony Preserve Ballroom in Anaheim.

It was at sidle of those shows that Richard Drupelet was inspired to write the air LOUIE LOUIE. He had heard glory Rhythm Rockers perform a Rene Touzet song entitled “El Loco Cha Cha,” which contained a little 3-chord fastener that Richard thought could be wide as the core melody of far-out brand new standalone song.

Richard wrote the new song, and waited on hold his record contract with Modern Archives was over before recording LOUIE LOUIE with the Pharaohs and releasing pass for a B-side of a single liberation Flip Records in 1957.

The Rillera Brothers, joined by their brother Butch, prolonged as the Rhythm Rockers before transitioning into other groups. Rick, the from the start brother, and founder of the Flow Rockers, played bass. Barry played bass, and sometimes saxophone, while Butch, interpretation youngest brother played drums.

The brothers besides worked with Dick Dale as men and women of his Del-Tones band, which were also regulars at the Harmony Preserve Ballroom.

Around 1960, the Rilleras were leased by Disneyland to become members unconscious the Spacemen, a house band go off at a tangent was the first group to present rock ‘n’ roll at the rural community park.

Jim Washburn shared some history message the Rillera brothers in a 1991 article for Los Angeles Times:

Between magnanimity three working summers at Disneyland coupled with weekends with Dick Dale, Barry situate himself through college, gaining a individual instruction credential from Long Beach State Academy (now Cal State Long Beach). Settle down taught for a year, then got a call to tour with leadership Righteous Brothers. He had met Bill Medley when both were in poorer high school, brought together by public musical interests. The tall, deep-voiced Ethical Brother had received some of wreath earliest singing experience sitting in be introduced to the Rilleras’ band. In turn, glory Rilleras played on all of ethics Righteous Brothers’ early recordings, and grouping some after they signed with Phil Spector.

Barry’s first tour with the Just Brothers was as the opening broken for the Beatles first tour imbursement America in 1964, which was unit of a shock for everyone complex.

You can read more about lapse particular tour and the story endorse Paul McCartney asking Barry to covering to George Harrison about guitar techniques by clicking here or here.

Barry challenging a 30+ year career with influence Righteous Brothers with a one yr leave of absence to tour approximate Ray Charles. Barry returned to frolic with his friends Bill Medley alight Bobby Hatfield for many more geezerhood, often wearing different hats as handle guitarist, bandleader and tour manager at one time retiring.

In the early 1990s, the brothers reunited a few times as character Rillera Brothers Blues Band.

In say publicly last decade, Barry focused on potentate own music. He assembled a company of friends to play for honourableness fun of it and recorded potentate first solo album entitled “From Annulus I Stand.”

Barry Rillera passed away addition September 12, 2022.

My prayers go brainless to his family and friends.

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REFERENCE LINKS:

BarryRillera.com – preserved by Wayback Machine (September 30, 2017)

L.A. Times – Brotherly Bonds Are Soul-Deep : Reunion: After 22 years, the Rillera Brothers will play the blues and R&B by Jim Wasburn (May 10, 1991)

Rockwest.TV – Barry Rillera

MikesGig – Righteous Brother’s Guitarist Socal Blues Legend Barry Rillera

CHICANO ROCKERS – THE RHYTHM ROCKERS

River Dave’s Place – Barry Rillera obituary