Eddie Rivers and the Wurlitzer Kings
If you don’t happen to have a vintage jukebox with flashing, multicolored lights and a playlist that ranges from Eddie Cochrane to Buddy Holly to Hank Williams, Sr., you could always go see Eddie Rivers and the Wurlitzer Kings.
With archival country and classic rock ’n’ roll, this four-piece combo cuts a clean sound reminiscent of the 1950s, when country and rock were sometimes the same thing. Powered by steel guitar virtuoso Eddie Rivers, the band plays a style that’s hard to find – that is, unless you have a Wurlitzer of your own loaded with 45s from the ’50s!
The Band
Eddie Rivers, steel guitar
Tim “Beezer” Ferguson, guitar
Mark Hembree, bass
Andy Pagel, drums
Eddie Rivers
Eddie Rivers has appeared on more than 40 commercial music releases and toured all over the world as the longest-tentured steel guitarist in the storied history of Grammy award-winning band Asleep at the Wheel. The multitalented Rivers also sings and plays saxophone, but in the art of “straight” steel guitar – no pedals – Eddie has no peer, as evidenced in his many recordings with the Wheel and his solo album “Plain Talkin’ Man,” which enjoys nothing but five-star reviews on Amazon.
Tim “Beezer” Ferguson
Blazing solos and a rock-solid beat are driven by veteran guitarist Tim “Beezer” Ferguson, long-known to Wisconsin fans since bands such as Radio Flyer and Ida Red, and more recently with Les Martin and the country rock band Twang.
Mark Hembree
Mark Hembree recorded and toured with Bill Monroe (“Father of Bluegrass Music”), the Nashville Bluegrass Band (“O Brother Where Art Thou?” soundtrack), the Dreadful Snakes (produced by Béla Fleck and Jerry Douglas), the Nashville Bluegrass Band, and can be heard in recordings with Peter Rowan, David Grisman, Tony Trischka, Roy Bookbinder, Randy Travis, and Neil Young, and many others. Grammy-nominated albums include the Nashville Bluegrass Band’s “To Be His Child” and Peter Rowan’s “Blue Moon Rising,” not to mention a recording credit on Randy Travis’ platinum-selling “Storms of Life.”
Andy Pagel
Andy Pagel’s drumming has powered several Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) award-winning bands. Pagel’s resumé stretches from punk and psychobilly in New York City to Milwaukee’s Liam Ford, Western Box Turtles, Johnny on Washday, and the Who tribute band Substitute. He also can be heard on Eddie Rivers’ album “Plain Talkin’ Man.”