Best Oldies Rock Performer
40.24% Spike & The Bulldogs*
Others with Votes (more than one):
* On the ballot |
Think of oldies and Spike and the Bulldogs come to mind. They came to mind for the third time among whatzup readers as the good-time band won the Whammy for Best Oldies. Spike (Val Asay) and Bulldogs Carl Snider, Pete van Bibber, Wayne Neukom and Bernie Stone play pop music recorded between 1955 and 1966, the golden age of rock n’ roll, according the Asay. “You can ask for 70s or 80s music, but you won’t get it,” Asay said. “I think we are the only truly, to me at least, oldies rock n’ roll band. That’s why we stick out in that particular category.” Asay, a native of Utah, moved to Fort Wayne in 1979 with his wife, a Fort Wayne native. Asay had played in bands from the time he was 16 in high school, so it only seemed right to keep on playing. He and Snider met in 1980 and formed a band that played a wide variety of music. Around 1986 or ‘87, they decided to do just 50s and 60s rock, and Spike and the Bulldogs were born. “We started doing it as a shtick,” Asay said. “We’d do a set as Spike and the Bulldogs, and it turns out that’s what people wanted to hear. That’s what we’ll do until the phone stops ringing. If I had two bands, I could probably keep them both busy.” That may be awhile. Asay’s phone rings frequently. The band does some 130 gigs a year, including an annual cruise that for 13 years has combined luxury liners, the Caribbean and lots of fun for thousand of Spike fans. The most recent cruise included a chartered flight from Fort Wayne to San Juan, Puerto Rico for 240 people. “That was fun,” Asay said. “The whole plane was our group.” While a fan of most early rock n’ roll, Buddy Holly has Asay’s heart. “I’m a real Buddy Holly fan. He sometimes doesn’t get the credit he deserves, but a lot of people have redone his songs. He died too young.” In addition to Holly, Spike et al play a wide sample of early rock, but probably not as much Motown and they should, Asay said. But there’s plenty of time to expand the playlist. As for the Whammy wins, Asay said the award is important because of who votes. “It’s the people who come to see you play,” he said. “It’s not the media or the club owners, it’s the fans. I think that’s really cool. That means more.” (Mark Hunter) |
Copyright 2005 Ad Media Inc.
