I was lucky when I started playing drums in 1979. Back then a lot of young people played music instruments—guitar, bass, drums, piano, organ, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, flute and many others. Musicians were common then because there were far less hobby options than there are today. For example, there were only three major TV networks and a handful of celestial radio stations. Video games hadn’t caught on en masse yet either. Listening to music and playing a musical instrument was still an attractive and desirable skill to millions of youth.
Unlike today, nearly all popular music in that era was created with the same instruments—real instruments—that us millions of kids were learning to play. Synthesizers were rare, as were drum machines, loops, digital samples and DJ’s. There was no such thing as a laptop computer. Finding musicians to form a band was fairly easy.
In fact, forming a band was just about the easiest, best part-time activity anyone could do to have fun and make extra money. Tens of millions of baby boomers were getting married during those years and the only entertainment option was the ruffle-shirted, tuxedo-clad, heavily-haired, often-mustachioed Wedding Band.
Yes, old school weddings bands are often the brunt of jokes and parodies. They are viewed as a curiously charming relic from the past. Like an original Ford Model T. But I am here to provide a different and more flattering view of this often maligned group of weekend warrior, wannabe musicians because for many, many, MANY years I was one of them.
I was lucky to be in the wedding band circuit when the Baby Boomer generation was coming of age. These baby boomer brides, grooms and friends wanted to hear their music—rock & roll, R&B, soul and Motown. At the same wedding reception, their parents and grandparents from the World War I and World War II era wanted to hear their music—big band, swing, and a variety of ethnic specialties like the polka, waltz, Oberek, rumba, cha-cha and the ever popular tango. Wedding bands were required to play a wide range of musical styles that allowed each generation to enjoy both kinds of dancing—the kind where people dance next to each other and the kind where people dance with each other.
Some bands were great and some (actually many) just plain sucked. I played in my share of both. Even so, the opportunity to get paid to learn was rare and, in my case, appreciated. I was fortunate to be a part of this wonderful age of live music. In the course of my wedding band career I became a versatile musician. Had I not been exposed to the wedding band circuit, I would have never learned to play such a wide variety of music styles.
Bands weren’t the only entities that thrived in the golden age of the wedding world. There was a plethora of banquet halls, photographers, florists, printing shops, dress shops and tuxedo rental stores to satisfy any size wedding and any price range. My father and mother ran a catering business for years in a Knight’s of Columbus hall. They raised a family of six kids and did well for themselves. There were dozens of “mega-banquet halls” that could be subdivided into as many as seven or eight separate halls, each with its own wedding party and band.
I recall many nights when playing in those venues that I saw a dozen musician friends playing with their bands in adjacent rooms. One would think such environments would be uncomfortably competitive but they were always friendly because there was enough work for every band to book as many gigs as they’d like. In many cases the bands were figuratively and literally a case of musical chairs. It was common for musicians to fill-in for each other and/or move into and out of different bands. While seemingly incestuous, the fluidity of movement made it even easier to broaden one’s network and better not only one’s musicianship but the money making potential as well. [As a side note: I made enough money as a musician to pay my way through four years of college.] In a word, it was magical.
Alas, as is often the case with things magical, it was also fleeting. As the baby boomers aged and the World War generations died out, the traditional wedding band slowly became extinct. They’ve been replaced by DJ’s or expensive, high end bands.
On the up side, DJ’s provide a variety of music that surpasses most of the old wedding bands in terms of repertoire and quality. To bolster their comparatively diminutive stage presence, DJ’s often have large sound systems and elaborate lighting displays which adds pizzazz to a wedding. Even so, in my opinion, DJ music falls short of the energy and excitement that a live band creates. I’ve seen firsthand in hundreds of wedding celebrations when people are among family and friends with drinks flowing freely that even the worst wedding band can be electrifying, fun and memorable.
While wedding bands still exist today, there are far fewer of them and all are exponentially more expensive. It’s rare to find a wedding band thrown together with four or five musician friends who grew up in the same neighborhood. The bands nowadays resemble nationally touring road shows replete with concert sound systems, light shows, dance routines, costume changes, multiple lead vocalists, horn sections and oftentimes, yes, a DJ. Given the digital nature of today’s popular music, a band must provide these features to compete in the high end wedding world. The music and overall entertainment quality is top notch and so is the price. A good wedding band costs as much as an entire wedding did 30 years ago but they sure make a great impression on a party.
In writing this piece, I am not advocating, hoping for, nor expecting a resurgence of the old fashioned and affordable 4- or 5-piece wedding band. Modern weddings should feature music of today, which requires synthesizers, drum machines, loops, digital samples, DJ’s and the ever present laptop computer. That’s how it should be. Each generation has their own unique music, culture, behavior and expectations. I’ll just always be grateful I had mine.
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