Count's 77

Last updated

Count's 77 is a hard rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. It was formed by legendary Danny "The Count" Koker, titular star of Counting Cars , the History Channel spinoff of Pawn Stars . [1] The band focuses on the rock genre of the 1970s and has been playing and performing since well before Koker's rise in the public eye. "The Count," who heads the band with lead vocals, is joined by John Zito (guitar), Stoney Curtis (guitar), Barry Barnes (bass) and Paul Disibio (drums) and the recently added Tommy Paris (keyboard). [2] They are currently signed to Shrapnel Records. [3] The number "77" in the band's name is a reference to the 1970s, the decade whose music is an inspiration to the band.

Contents

History

Founding

Contrary to the belief of many fans, Count's 77 was formed before Danny Koker's role in Counting Cars was established. The Count's father (also named Danny Koker), who was the baritone vocalist and keyboardist for the Cathedral Quartet, a well-known southern gospel group, influenced his son from a young age to appreciate music. The band came together at a jam night at Koker's Las Vegas rock club, Count's Vamp'd. These weekly sessions were, and still are, headed by Count's 77 guitarist Jony Zito. Koker, as owner of the club, would occasionally come on stage and sing. One night, Koker, Zito, Curtis, Barnes, and Disibio – all current members except Tommy Paris – shared the stage and felt instant chemistry. Koker remembers, "it just felt real. It felt great." [1] After deciding to all rehearse together again, the new group continued to perform at Vamp'd, eventually drawing a crowd of spectators and listeners. "Lucky for us, Koker said, "we turned out to be all like-minded people... lovin the same type of music." [4]

Counting Cars (2012)

Counting Cars debuted in August 2012 and has completed its eighth season. The reality TV show chronicles the daily happenings at Count's Kustoms, a Las Vegas automobile restoration and customization company owned and operated by Koker. While the Count's new television prominence did not lead to the band's forming, it gives Count's 77 a wide-reaching platform and allows the band to reach millions of viewers across the world when they are featured on the show. [5] Koker, who has made several appearances on Pawn Stars as well as having his own show, thus has a large following of viewers and fans. Cast members of the TV show, most notably Kustoms airbrush artist Horny Mike, have made appearances at Count's 77 performances, with Koker's show and band symbiotically co-promoting one another. [6] In addition, fans are pleased to find that Koker is "exactly the same in person as he is on television." [6] Koker films episodes of the show during weekdays, then often flies to concert venues around the country on weekends to perform. [7] They released the follow-up Soul Transfusion in 2017. Also on Shrapnel Records.

Shrapnel (2014)

Stoney Curtis, one of the band's two guitar leads, had been signed to Shrapnel Records since 2004. This relationship proved beneficial when Mike Varney, founder and owner of Shrapnel, attended a Count's 77 show and liked what he saw. The band signed a record deal with Shrapnel soon after. Varney brought keyboardist Tommy Paris to a meeting with Count's 77 to introduce him to the band. The existing members liked his work and felt a good deal of musical chemistry with Paris, who then became a permanent member of the group. [1] In August 2014, Count's 77 and Shrapnel Records released the band's debut album, a 13-track release self-titled "Count's 77." The band also gave several performances around the county, including New York City's Hard Rock Cafe, to promote the album. [8] They performed at the Les Paul 100th anniversary in a Times Square in 2015 released their follow-up sophomore release Soul Transfusion in 2017 also on Shrapnel

Members

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Ness</span> American musician (born 1962)

Michael James Ness is an American musician who is the lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the punk rock band Social Distortion, which was formed in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Britny Fox</span> American glam metal band

Britny Fox was an American glam metal band from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, initially active from 1985 to 1992 then subsequently reforming from 2000 to 2003, again in 2006 to 2008 and final time reforming in 2015 to 2016. They are best known for their music video for "Girlschool" and their minor hit "Long Way to Love". Bassist Billy Childs has been the only band member to be a part of each of the band's many lineups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KVCW</span> CW/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Las Vegas

KVCW is a television station in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, affiliated with The CW and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside NBC affiliate KSNV. Both stations share studios on Foremaster Lane in Las Vegas, while KVCW's transmitter is located on Black Mountain, near Henderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faster Pussycat</span> American hard rock band

Faster Pussycat is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985 by vocalist Taime Downe, guitarists Brent Muscat and Greg Steele and bassist Kelly Nickels. The group has since gone through numerous lineup changes leaving Downe as the only constant member. They broke up in 1993, but reformed in 2001. Faster Pussycat has released four studio albums to date: Faster Pussycat (1987), Wake Me When It's Over (1989), Whipped! (1992) and The Power and the Glory Hole (2006). They were a successful and influential hard rock band during the late 1980s and early 1990s, having sold over two million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richie Kotzen</span> American guitarist and singer

Richard Dale Kotzen Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. As a solo artist, Kotzen has back catalogue of more than 20 album releases. He was a member of glam metal band Poison from 1991 to 1993, Mr. Big from 1999 to 2002, and since 2012, has been the frontman of the band The Winery Dogs. Kotzen was signed to California-based Shrapnel Records from 1988 to 1991, and again from 1995 to 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Thayer</span> American guitarist

Thomas Cunningham Thayer is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist and a vocalist for the hard rock band Kiss. He was also lead guitarist for the band Black 'n Blue.

Black 'N Blue is an American glam metal band from Portland, Oregon. The current members are lead vocalist Jaime St. James, bassist Patrick Young, drummer Pete Holmes, and guitarists Brandon Cook and Doug Rappoport. The band is best known for their song "Hold On to 18" from their eponymous debut studio album, Black 'n Blue, released in August 1984.

The Cathedral Quartet, also known as the Cathedrals, was an American southern gospel quartet who performed from 1964 to December 1999. The group's final lineup consisted of Glen Payne (lead), George Younce (bass), Ernie Haase (tenor), Scott Fowler, and Roger Bennett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speak (Godsmack song)</span> 2006 single by Godsmack

"Speak" is a single by the rock band Godsmack from their fourth album IV. It reached number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and number ten on the Modern Rock chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Duarte (musician)</span> American guitarist, singer, and songwriter

Chris Duarte is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Duarte plays a style of Texas blues-rock that draws on elements of jazz, blues, and rock and roll. In his own words, his musical style is a combination of "rockin' blues" and "punk blues." He is signed to Shrapnel Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jojo Draven</span> Musical artist

Jojo Draven is an Indonesian-born American musician and film score composer. She is a cast member of the Blue Man Group. She has worked as sole touring musician with illusionist Criss Angel. She was also the guitarist for the Shrapnel Records/Geffen Records recording artist all-female heavy metal band Phantom Blue and was the co-founder and original member of the all-female tribute band The Iron Maidens.

Magna-Fi is an American rock band, now a solo project by the band's lead vocalist, Mike Szuter. The band's lineup in the 2000s consisted of Mike on guitar and lead vocals, bass guitarist Rob Kley, drummer Charlie Smaldino, and additional guitarist, Christian Brady, as well as CJ Szuter. They are perhaps best known for performing on the Shadow the Hedgehog video game soundtrack, as well as the single "Where Did We Go Wrong", used for the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The band was active from 1996 until 2010, when they split.

Sin City Sinners is an American rock band who perform self-penned originals and rock and roll covers at key venues throughout Las Vegas, Nevada. The band is composed of a group of core members: Brent Muscat, guitar; Todd Kerns, lead vocals and guitar; and Rob Cournoyer, drums. In addition, Sin City Sinners' performances regularly feature appearances by many notable musicians, comedians, actors, and other entertainers. The group started around 2007, and was spun off from an earlier "Sin City All-Stars" band that featured Brent Muscat and Louie Merlino, amongst others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richie Castellano</span> American musician and engineer

Richie Castellano is an American musician and engineer. He is a current member of the band Blue Öyster Cult.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Hambridge</span> American drummer

Thomas Jay Hambridge is an American rock, country, and blues, producer, songwriter, musician and vocalist. Hambridge has received two Grammy Awards, an ASCAP award, seven Grammy nominations, seven Boston Music Awards, and has been inducted into the Buffalo Hall of Fame. In December 2015, Hambridge was given the key to his hometown of Buffalo, New York with Mayor Byron Brown declaring December 28 "Tom Hambridge Day." Hambridge's songs have been recorded by several notable artists and have been featured in movie productions, commercials and television programs. He has been referred to as "The White Willie Dixon" by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Buddy Guy and Susan Tedeschi's "Secret Weapon".

<i>Counting Cars</i> American reality television series

Counting Cars is an American reality television series shown on History and produced by Leftfield Pictures. The series, which is the third spinoff of Pawn Stars, is filmed in Las Vegas, where it chronicles the daily activities at Count's Kustoms, an automobile restoration and customization company owned and operated by Danny Koker a.k.a. The Count, who previously appeared as a recurring expert on Pawn Stars. In a format similar to another Pawn Stars spinoff, American Restoration, the series follows Koker and his staff as they restore and modify classic automobiles and motorcycles. Counting Cars debuted on August 13, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Zito</span> Musical artist

Mike Zito is an American guitarist, singer, record producer, and songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri, United States. He is a co-founder of Royal Southern Brotherhood that features Cyril Neville, Devon Allman, Charlie Wooton and Yonrico Scott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Camaro</span> American indie rock band

Black Camaro is an American indie rock band that formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2001. The band's founding members are guitarist and vocalist Brian Garth and keyboardist and vocalist Tom Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foundry (band)</span> American rock band

Foundry is an American hard rock band from Las Vegas. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Kevin Lacerda, guitarist Chris Iorio, bassist Niko Gemini, and drummer Marc Brattin. Their newest singles, “Crocodile Tears” and “30,000 Feet” are released in 2023 and produced by Colin Brittain. While Foundry's roots are in classic rock, in 2021 they achieved success with their 3rd top 40 radio song in mainstream rock. Foundry has performed with notable acts such as Rob Zombie, Godsmack, Staind, Papa Roach, Scorpions, Whitesnake, Tesla, Queensrÿche, Bret Michaels, Night Ranger, Warrant, Skid Row, Saliva, FireHouse, Winger, and others.

James Carpenter is an American electric blues saxophonist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, who won a Blues Music Award in both 2021 and 2022 in the 'Instrumentalist - Horn' category. He has been involved in the music industry over a span of six decades and, since 2008, has released five solo albums. His most recent was The Louisiana Record, issued in 2022 by Gulf Coast Records. His recording credits include work for Billy Iuso, Jimmy Thackery, Tab Benoit, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Eric Lindell, Maria Muldaur, Honey Island Swamp Band, and Mike Zito, among others.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Count's 77: Danny "The Count" Koker Interview – Blues Rock Review". bluesrockreview.com. December 19, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "COUNT'S 77 – Drivin' It Hard and Drivin' It Fast – Screamer Magazine". Screamer Magazine. April 29, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Count's 77". Shrapnel Records Group. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Danny Koker of Count's 77 - We're a band of brothers! - GuitarInternational.com". Guitar International Magazine. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Count's 77". Las Vegas Rock!. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Concert Review – Band – Count's 77 – Venue – Count's Vamp'd – RockOverAmerica.com Magazine". rockoveramerica.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Interview – Danny "Count" Koker (Count's 77)". metal-temple.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Behind The Velvet Rope – Danny Count Koker and Count's 77 Play NYC's Hard Rock Cafe". behindthevelvetrope.tv. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Stoney Curtis Band Website – Psychedelic Blues Guitar Rock – Latest News, Tour Dates, Music, Photos, Videos and More". stoneycurtisband.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Rock of Ageless – Vegas Seven". Vegas Seven. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Count's 77". ReverbNation. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Rocking the Congregation". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Paul DiSibio". counts77.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Britny Fox Has Reunited And Is Back In Studio - Blabbermouth.net". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. April 25, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.