Blue Ash (band)
Encyclopedia
Blue Ash is a United States
band, formed in Ohio
in the summer of 1969 by bassist Frank Secich
& vocalist Jim Kendzor. Guitarist Bill Yendrek and drummer David Evans were recruited later that summer.
The band debuted at "The Freak Out", a club in Youngstown, OH on October 3, 1969. They gained a loyal following playing an endless stream of one-nighters over that year. In October 1970, Bill Yendrek, was replaced by guitarist/songwriter Bill "Cupid" Bartolin.
Blue Ash continued playing 250-300 dates a year throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia, while the songwriting team Frank Secich
and Bill Bartolin accumulated an enormous amount of original material. In June 1972, Blue Ash signed a production contract with Peppermint Productions of Youngstown and started recording and sending out demos. In late 1972, they were signed to Mercury Records. Their first album "No More, No Less" was released in May, 1973 and received rave reviews in the rock press. It is considered a power pop
classic, and is regarded as highly collectible among fans of that genre (it was finally released on CD on the Collectors' Choice
label in September 2008). Blue Ash toured and opened for such acts as the Stooges, Bob Seger
, Aerosmith
, Ted Nugent and more but for lack of sales they were dropped by Mercury Records
in May, 1974.
Blue Ash continued to play live and record, adding drummer Jeff Rozniata who replaced David Evans in 1974. They were signed to a singles deal with Playboy Records
in 1977. The first single, "Look At You Now" became a regional hit in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Playboy then offered an album deal. The LP "Front Page News" was recorded in Los Angeles in August of 1977 and released in October of that year. It was selling well, but in early 1978 Playboy International pulled the plug on Playboy Records and Blue Ash was once again without a label. They called it quits in 1979.
A few audience-recorded live tapes of the band exist (including one of the original lineup from January 31, 1974 at the Packard Music Hall in Warren, OH) but are of generally poor recording quality. Other tapes recorded by a fan who followed Blue Ash to many of their gigs are rumored to exist, but have yet to surface on the collectors circuit.
In the summer of 2003 original members Frank Secich
, David Evans, Bill Bartolin and Jim Kendzor got together privately in Ohio to play once again and decided to reform the band. On November 8 they played the International Pop Overthrow at the Khyber Club in Philadelphia.
In the late 1990s, renewed interest toward the band was given a boost as a large cache of unreleased Blue Ash recordings fell into circulation amongst collectors. In the summer of 2004 an official release of that material -- a two CD retrospective called "Around Again" -- was released on Not Lame Records. It contains 44 songs of unreleased material spanning their career.
For their "reunion" gigs from 2003-2009, Frank Secich
moved from bass guitar to rhythm guitar, and former members Brian Wingrove (piano) and Jeff Rozniata (drums) completed the band along with Bobby Darke (bass).
On October 3, 2009, guitarist Bill "Cupid" Bartolin died from complications of cancer, thus bringing to a sad end the story of Blue Ash.
Frank Secich
is now a member of Deadbeat Poets, who have released three critically acclaimed CD's "Notes From The Underground" 2007, "Circustown" 2010 & "Youngstown Vortex Sutra" in 2011.
In the late 1990s, Jim Kendzor's nephew, guitarist Leonard Crist, and Bill "Cupid" Bartolin's son, drummer Sean Bartolin, formed Cork, a short-lived band based out of Brookfield, Ohio. Bartolin went on to record Christian rock in the band Namesake, while Crist played in the Youngstown indie rock bands Savage Pastry, Isabella the Brave, You Are The War That I Want and Abortopotamus Rex.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
band, formed in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in the summer of 1969 by bassist Frank Secich
Frank Secich
Frank Secich is an American rock musician, songwriter and producer.He was the bass player and founding member of the group Blue Ash, and guitarist and bassist for the Stiv Bators band from 1979 until 1981. He played in the Cleveland based group Club Wow with Jimmy Zero of the Dead Boys from...
& vocalist Jim Kendzor. Guitarist Bill Yendrek and drummer David Evans were recruited later that summer.
The band debuted at "The Freak Out", a club in Youngstown, OH on October 3, 1969. They gained a loyal following playing an endless stream of one-nighters over that year. In October 1970, Bill Yendrek, was replaced by guitarist/songwriter Bill "Cupid" Bartolin.
Blue Ash continued playing 250-300 dates a year throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia, while the songwriting team Frank Secich
Frank Secich
Frank Secich is an American rock musician, songwriter and producer.He was the bass player and founding member of the group Blue Ash, and guitarist and bassist for the Stiv Bators band from 1979 until 1981. He played in the Cleveland based group Club Wow with Jimmy Zero of the Dead Boys from...
and Bill Bartolin accumulated an enormous amount of original material. In June 1972, Blue Ash signed a production contract with Peppermint Productions of Youngstown and started recording and sending out demos. In late 1972, they were signed to Mercury Records. Their first album "No More, No Less" was released in May, 1973 and received rave reviews in the rock press. It is considered a power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
classic, and is regarded as highly collectible among fans of that genre (it was finally released on CD on the Collectors' Choice
Collectors' Choice Music
Collectors' Choice Music is a company primarily in two businesses. They are best known for re-issuing albums originally recorded in LP record form as compact discs...
label in September 2008). Blue Ash toured and opened for such acts as the Stooges, Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Ted Nugent and more but for lack of sales they were dropped by Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
in May, 1974.
Blue Ash continued to play live and record, adding drummer Jeff Rozniata who replaced David Evans in 1974. They were signed to a singles deal with Playboy Records
Playboy Records
Playboy Records was a record label in Los Angeles, California, and a unit of Playboy Enterprises. Artists recording for the label included Barbi Benton, Blue Ash, Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers, Brenda Patterson, Jeanne French , Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, Ivory, Wynn Stewart, Mickey Gilley...
in 1977. The first single, "Look At You Now" became a regional hit in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Playboy then offered an album deal. The LP "Front Page News" was recorded in Los Angeles in August of 1977 and released in October of that year. It was selling well, but in early 1978 Playboy International pulled the plug on Playboy Records and Blue Ash was once again without a label. They called it quits in 1979.
A few audience-recorded live tapes of the band exist (including one of the original lineup from January 31, 1974 at the Packard Music Hall in Warren, OH) but are of generally poor recording quality. Other tapes recorded by a fan who followed Blue Ash to many of their gigs are rumored to exist, but have yet to surface on the collectors circuit.
In the summer of 2003 original members Frank Secich
Frank Secich
Frank Secich is an American rock musician, songwriter and producer.He was the bass player and founding member of the group Blue Ash, and guitarist and bassist for the Stiv Bators band from 1979 until 1981. He played in the Cleveland based group Club Wow with Jimmy Zero of the Dead Boys from...
, David Evans, Bill Bartolin and Jim Kendzor got together privately in Ohio to play once again and decided to reform the band. On November 8 they played the International Pop Overthrow at the Khyber Club in Philadelphia.
In the late 1990s, renewed interest toward the band was given a boost as a large cache of unreleased Blue Ash recordings fell into circulation amongst collectors. In the summer of 2004 an official release of that material -- a two CD retrospective called "Around Again" -- was released on Not Lame Records. It contains 44 songs of unreleased material spanning their career.
For their "reunion" gigs from 2003-2009, Frank Secich
Frank Secich
Frank Secich is an American rock musician, songwriter and producer.He was the bass player and founding member of the group Blue Ash, and guitarist and bassist for the Stiv Bators band from 1979 until 1981. He played in the Cleveland based group Club Wow with Jimmy Zero of the Dead Boys from...
moved from bass guitar to rhythm guitar, and former members Brian Wingrove (piano) and Jeff Rozniata (drums) completed the band along with Bobby Darke (bass).
On October 3, 2009, guitarist Bill "Cupid" Bartolin died from complications of cancer, thus bringing to a sad end the story of Blue Ash.
Frank Secich
Frank Secich
Frank Secich is an American rock musician, songwriter and producer.He was the bass player and founding member of the group Blue Ash, and guitarist and bassist for the Stiv Bators band from 1979 until 1981. He played in the Cleveland based group Club Wow with Jimmy Zero of the Dead Boys from...
is now a member of Deadbeat Poets, who have released three critically acclaimed CD's "Notes From The Underground" 2007, "Circustown" 2010 & "Youngstown Vortex Sutra" in 2011.
In the late 1990s, Jim Kendzor's nephew, guitarist Leonard Crist, and Bill "Cupid" Bartolin's son, drummer Sean Bartolin, formed Cork, a short-lived band based out of Brookfield, Ohio. Bartolin went on to record Christian rock in the band Namesake, while Crist played in the Youngstown indie rock bands Savage Pastry, Isabella the Brave, You Are The War That I Want and Abortopotamus Rex.