The Rockerz were an American rock band

Rock Band

Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...

 originally from Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, that experienced popularity in the Southeastern United States during the 1990s-2000s. The band released two albums on the Castle Records label, "If You came Here For The Party..." and "Sand In My Shoes" with modest success and performed hundreds of shows throughout the Southeastern United States during their career, spanning two decades.

Career

Formed in 1995, The Rockerz were a group of experienced studio and live musicians who performed with such artists as Marshall Tucker, Molly Hatchet

Molly Hatchet

Molly Hatchet is an American southern rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1975. They are widely known for their hit song "Flirtin' with Disaster" from the album of the same title. The band, founded by Dave Hlubek and Steve Holland, took its name from a prostitute who allegedly mutilated...

, Classic Rock AllStars, Southern Rock AllStars, David Allan Coe

David Allan Coe

David Allan Coe is an American outlaw country music singer who achieved popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. He has written and performed over 280 original songs throughout his career...

, Dennnis Yost & the Classics IV

Classics IV

The Classics IV were a band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, in 1965, given credit for beginning the "soft southern rock" sound...

, The Tams

The Tams

The Tams, sometimes later billed as 'The Joe Pope Tams' are an American vocal group from Atlanta, Georgia, who enjoyed their greatest chart success in the 1960s, and the 1970s, and most improbably in the 1980s. Two separate versions of the group continue to perform and record. One version features...

, The Drifters

The Drifters

The Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...

, and Archie Bell & the Drells

Archie Bell & the Drells

Archie Bell & the Drells was a R&B vocal group from Houston, Texas, and one of the main acts on Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records...

.
The original lineup of the The Rockerz included Steve Guettler on vocals

Lead vocalist

The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...

 and rhythm guitar

Rhythm guitar

Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...

, Jeff Strickler on bass guitar

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

, Steve Farrell on lead guitar

Lead guitar

Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...

, Wes Armstrong on drum

Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

s, and in 1997 the addition of Mike Wilson on keyboard

Keyboard instrument

A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

s.

Early rehearsals were held at Castle Studios in the Lawrenceville suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, beginning in 1995. The Rockerz first performed live together at the 1996 Summer Olympics

1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

 in Atlanta, Georgia, then toured as back-up band to Dennnis Yost & the Classics IV

Classics IV

The Classics IV were a band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, in 1965, given credit for beginning the "soft southern rock" sound...

 and Archie Bell & the Drells

Archie Bell & the Drells

Archie Bell & the Drells was a R&B vocal group from Houston, Texas, and one of the main acts on Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records...

 during the 1990s. The band released two albums on the Castle Records label, "If You Came Here For The Party..." and "Sand In My Shoes" and toured extensively throughout the 1990s-2000s.

Members

Original lineup

• Steve "Stevie G." Guettler (vocals & guitar)
• Jeff "JT" Strickler (bass)
• Steve Farrell (guitar)
• Wes Armstrong (drums)
• Mike Wilson (keyboards)

Later members

• Bob "Machinegun" Micelli (keyboards)
• Chance Bush (guitar)
• Ray "Animal" Thackston (drums)
• Brad Slipiec (keyboards)
• James Coker (drums)
• Frankie Aster (bass)
• Bill Whitley (drums)
• Will DeBouver (drums)

Studio albums

• "If You Came Here For The Party..." (1996/Castle Records)
• "Sand In My Shoes" (2006/Castle Records)

Studio singles

• "If You Came here For The Party..." (1996/Castle Records)
• "When I See You Smile" (2006/Castle Records)
• "Hit The Door" (2006/Castle Records)

External links

• Official Website
• The Rockerz on Facebook
  Facebook
  Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
  
  
• The Rockerz on CD Baby
  CD Baby
  CD Baby is an online music store specializing in the sale of CDs and digital music downloads from independent musicians to consumers. The company is also a digital aggregator of independent music recordings, distributing content to several online digital music retailers.CD Baby has achieved recent...