The Southsider Voice
Visit us at these places!
  • Home
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • Sports
    • Car Nutz
    • Stilley Goes Trackside
    • Southside Deaths
    • Personal Recollections
    • Reminiscing
  • About the Voice
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • Newspaper Archive
  • Classifieds

Hogeye Navvy’s tunes still sound great after 50 years 

6/25/2014

1 Comment

 
PicturePHOTO COURTESY OF TERRY BELLNER Jamming at the 40th annual Eagle Creek Folk Festival on June 8 are (from left) Terry Bellner, who plays a small accordion; Deb Shebish, fiddle; Johnandrew Bellner, tenor banjo, mandolin and guitar; Erik Peterson, mandolin, tenor banjo, cittern, guitar; Linda “Mac” Bellner, guitar; Garry Farren, frame drum and other percussion.
By B. Scott Mohr
Associate editor

A die-hard musician for as long as he can remember, Terry Bellner formed the first of his three bands, Hogeye Navvy, in 1962. The group, known for its upbeat Irish, Scottish, American and English shanties, featured his family members in the early years (and it does again today) before undergoing many changes and being disbanded when Bellner was deployed to serve in the Vietnam War in 1967.

His four-year stint as a medic proved tragic when he was injured by friendly fire. As a result, he is disabled and has undergone 12 surgeries, including two knee replacements and having his back rebuilt. He won several medals of commendation but insists that he is no hero. “I did what any other person would have done,” he said.

“Despite what you read in the paper or hear about the Veterans Administration Hospital, it has been great to me,” emphasized Bellner, 68, who was born in Maumee, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo and near Lake Erie.

“I was out in a boat on the lake when I was 3 months old, and I had two uncles who served in the Navy and Coast Guard during World War II. I was always going fishing and always on the water. I guess that’s why I like the Navy work songs so much.”

And his band’s name reflects that fondness. While “hogeye” is a made-up word, Bellner said its origin stems from the hog farm that his uncle operated; eye was thrown in because sailors are known to squint in the sun. A navvy is any laborer who works in navigation and in the sun. “That’s pretty much how the name came about,” he laughed.

Bellner, who plays a small accordion, was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida during the war. After his stint in the military he quickly revived his band in the Sunshine State. But he couldn’t find a job so he borrowed money from his father to open an Ace Hardware store in Frankfort, Ind., where in no time at all another version of Hogeye Navvy was jamming again. While there he performed in a program that featured Will Greer, who old-timers will remember as Grandpa in the 1970s TV series “The Waltons.”

 “I moved to Indiana because of its rich music heritage, said Bellner. He also lived near Monrovia and moved to Beech Grove 12 years ago.

He and his wife, Linda “Mac,” a minister who has played guitar in the band since before they were married in 1975, temporarily shied away from the group’s traditional songs when she joined the ensemble. “My wife came from a background of traditional gospel music, so we recorded some of it and some folk and pop music, including Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel and James Taylor.

And while he only performs Scottish and Irish music, he prefers to listen to classic and pop rock. 
Since 1986 the band has featured the Bellners, their son Johnandrew, a tenor banjoist; Eric Peterson, who plays a bouzouki (resembles a mandolin); and percussionist Gary Farren. Johnandrew’s wife, Debra Shebish, a classically trained violinist who studied at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, often plays with the group, and the Bellners’ other son, Stuart, occasionally joins in as a bassist.

One of only two living charter members of the Central Indiana Folk Music and Mountain Dulcimer Society, which was founded in 1971, Terry Bellner noted that his band has featured some topnotch musicians over the years. “Steve Dawson played for us about 25 years ago before he got his doctorate in music. He’s a teacher now.” Chris Layer plays in Sting’s Broadway musical play, and L.E. McCullough performed on the scores of several of Ken Burns’ series on PBS.

The band used to feature a bagpiper before he quit about six years ago. “Every once in a while we’ll get a piper on stage, and cloggers will perform with us at some festivals.”

The award-winning band has played Saturday nights and every St. Patrick’s Day at Aristocrat Pub & Restaurant, 5212 N. College Ave., for 28 years. The owner, Rick Rising-Moore, was instrumental in starting the Indianapolis 500 Gordon 500 Pipers. 
“We all have a ball, and we all sing,” said Bellner of his group. “It’s a great time; it’s quite a hoot. Our grandkids come out to see us, and the sing-alongs are really popular. We don’t sing anything vulgar, and none of our music is amplified. It’s a fun place to bring the whole family. There’s Irish and locally crafted beer, spiked apple cider, good food and root beer for the kids.”

Seth Jenkins saw the band at the 40th annual Eagle Creek Folk Festival on June 8 and commented, ‘They were awesome. I even got to meet Mac Bellner.”

In discussing the shanties, or work songs as they are known in the Navy, Bellner said they are significant because sailors sing them to keep rhythm to the task at hand, e.g.: When seaman couldn’t hear their crew leader barking out orders over crashing waves as a heavy mast was raised, they joined in song to pull in tempo.

Hogeye Navvy will perform up to five times a week when the weather is nice. “We are popular because no other band does what we do,” he said. The group toured Ireland in 2001 and 2011 and Scotland in 2009. “We opened for some big groups in Ireland, as we have in the United States. But since I’m getting older, we don’t travel as much. I’m in pretty good shape considering everything that’s happened. I’ve got a big garden, and I like working in it.” 

The band, which can be heard from 7:30-8 p.m. every Friday on WITT-FM 91.9, has performed at festivals throughout the Midwest, having played before 10,000 to 15,000 people at the Milwaukee Irish Fest. “It’s one of the biggest in the country. We have played there many times.
“If there’s a local Irish party going on, chances are we will be playing.”

1 Comment

1960s rockers will jam at The Suds

6/25/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RYELLS Pictured at The Suds at last year’s performance (from left) Steve Phlaum, Bill Schultz, Jack Fazio, Charlie Streff and Bill Flosi.
PicturePHOTO COURTESY OF THE RYELLS The Ryells seen in their youth are (front, from left) Bill Flosi, Bill Schultz; (back) Jack Fazio, Charlie Streff and Steve Phlaum.
By B. Scott Mohr
Associate editor

Known as one of Chicago’s top high school garage bands of the mid-1960s, The Ryells continue to play classic rock ’n’ roll once or a twice a year and will do so Saturday at 6 p.m. as part of a Fourth of July celebration hosted by The Suds drive-in restaurant in Greenwood. 


Founded in 1963, the band soon became a hot commodity for sock hops, homecoming dances, proms and numerous graduation and college parties. 


“We were really in demand,” said Jack Fazio, who plays guitar for The Ryells, a name given to the group by one of its managers. “We were playing at least two nights a week and had to beg our manager to get a weekend night off. We were making good money, but it was a lot of work.
”


The Ryells won the semifinals of the Talented Teens Search – a battle of the bands contest – and were awarded a recording contract with Orlyn Records, which resulted in airplay for some of their songs.
However, a career under the bright lights wasn’t in store for the band as its members broke up after graduating from St. George High School in Evanston, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.


“We had played so much through high school that I wasn’t disappointed when we stopped playing after graduating. We were burnt-out,” Fazio emphasized. The guys went their separate ways, got married and were raising families when approached about performing at their 25-year high school reunion in 1992.


Fazio had laid off playing because he and his wife, Barb, were raising two children, Nick and Jenny. “I didn’t think about it for years, but playing music is truly like riding a bicycle. We practiced the night before, and we sounded pretty good. That was a great experience,” he said. “Music is my first love.”


Another great experience for him was about five years ago when the band celebrated the 60th birthday of Charlie Streff, the group’s guitarist. As the group that had been hired to play took a break, The Ryells got on stage and performed about five songs. “We realized that we still had it,” said Fazio. 


It was then that the guys agreed to get back together for a couple of gigs each year. “We’re renewing friendships and getting really tight,” said Fazio,” who has four grandchildren. “There is no greater time machine than music.”
Streff started playing guitar with a few of his buddies in 1963, and when he heard The Ryells in 1964, he joined them soon thereafter. He and his wife, Joyce, were high school sweethearts who have three children and four grandchildren. He was in the automotive repair business for 25 years and is a retired detective with the Chicago Police Department.


The band, which plays classic rock from the 1960s and ’70s, also features Dr. Steve Phlaum, Bill Flosi and Bill Schultz.


Phlaum, lead guitarist, posts on the band’s website: “I can’t believe that I’m now in the “30 twice” age bracket. I still feel like a 15-year-old Ryell.” 


A psychotherapist in St. Louis before moving to Destin, Fla., to practice cardiology, Phlaum is married to the former Sherry Londe. They have two daughters, an actress and a dancer. “For fun I mountain bike, catch sharks and wrestle ’gators,” he laughingly posted. 


Fazio said Phlaum loves the reunions and calls them “fantasy camps.”
Flosi, the band’s lead singer and keyboardist, got his first taste of music when taking organ and piano lessons as a 10-year-old in 1960. He later learned how to drum and play the guitar. Flosi graduated from Northeastern Illinois University in 1973 with a teaching degree in music and music theory. He has two children and five grandchildren and since 1985 has been with Northwestern University as a voice and data telecommunications technician.


Schultz started playing drums when he was 10. He is a retired sanitation engineer who resides in Mackenzie, Ill., with his wife, Sue. The couple have two boys. “Being back with The Ryells is a dream come true,” he recalled saying after the birthday party.


That music will come to life again at The Suds, 350 Market Plaza, and Fazio advises to get there early for a good seat (bring a chair). Even though the weather was iffy last year, nearly 400 people were estimated to have attended. A beautiful evening could easily double that amount. The band will probably take two breaks and play until the city’s fireworks show starts around 10:15 p.m.


The band’s extensive play list always ensures a good show, and Fazio said he is particularly impressed with the way the group sings “Nowhere Man,” by The Beatles. “We really take pride in our harmony of that song.”
Another song The Ryells like to perform is “Time Won’t Let Me,” by The Outsiders. “We kick butt on that one,” Fazio boasted. Other favorites include “Do Wa Diddy,” “Louie Louie” and “Roll Over Beethoven.”


Fazio said a few songs may be a little rough at the beginning and ending, but in between it’s musical bliss.
Doug Wilson, who says The Ryells sound great, is quite confident that if all the members lived in Indianapolis, they would be jamming all the time.


Fazio, the only Hoosier resident, among the band, resides in Greenwood and is a retired general sales manager for AT&T Yellow Pages in Indiana. He also is a member of Playing in Traffic and So They Say, both which play classic and contemporary rock.


In addition to the music, an array of classic cars will descend upon The Suds, a known hot spot for cruisers since 1957. The restaurant, which has been ranked as No. 6 top cruising spot in America by “Car Craft Magazine,” is also known for its mouthwatering burgers and root beer floats.

1 Comment
<<Previous

    Archives

    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    Arts & Entertainment
    Lead Story
    Sports: 500
    Sports: Basketball
    Sports: Track

    RSS Feed

 DROP OFF: The Toy Drop 6025 Madison Ave., Suite D
Indianapolis, IN  46227  |  317-781-0023
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 17187, Indianapolis, IN 46217

[email protected] | [email protected]
Website by IndyTeleData, Inc.