The Metro St. Louis Live Music

Historical Society

 

 

Rush

Gene Edlen Band

The Night Owls

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crew:

Willie Obermiller

Jim Strecker

Harry Wildermueth

Dave Selby

Big Skip

Larry "The Boss" Neu /Manager

RIP Gene Edlen /Guitar, Vocals

RIP Ed Frillman /Bass

Randy Stevens /Drums

Dennis Cavanaugh /Drums

Don Westerholt /Bass

Billy "Rusty" Parker /Drums

Marvin Holman /Vocals

RIP Grant Buxton /Bass

RIP Jimmy Miller /Drums

Lanny Boles /Drums

Tami Milano /Bass

Larry Carlson /Drums

Randy Troast /Bass

RIP Stix Maxwell /Drums

RIP Larry Hunter /Drums

Steve "Leroi" Stage /Bass

Jeff Myers /Drums

RIP Jan Marks /Vocals, Keys

Don Lash /Drums

Craig West /Bass

Michael "Muddy" Smith /Bass

RIP Steve Mirigliano /Vocals

RIP Bob Spitzfadden /Drums

Greg Edick /Bass, Vocals

Mike Mesey /Drums

 

 

 

Listen to Gene Edlen's RUSH:

Lookin' for Love

From KWK Moonshine I

 

 

 

Kiel Opera House 1970

Gene with the Gibson ES 335 given to him by Steve Marriott

 

 

Here's The Gene Edlen Band performing:

Lawyers, Guns and Money

 

More 1970 Kiel Opera House

 

 

 

Here's a Video of The Night Owls live:

 

I Drink Alone

 

 

 

Viva la Revolucion, enjoy an Edlen original LIVE:

I've Been Thinking

 

 

 

 

I got this great note from Jim Strecker:

I go way back with Gene and the Band

 

As I listened to his music from the beginning where "Little Joe's" Dad taught him to play when he grew up

 

Gene was older than me but somewhere our paths crossed and when I saw him in freshmen year in HS Kirkwood... We became friends

 

I use to haul and set up the band gear  1966 -67 onwards until 70's when he went up North.... so put me on the list of Band Members ... Most of them knew me and I am still in touch with Billy (Rusty) Parker....

Every gig from Rainy Daze .... we played and opened with Ted Nugent ... Alice Cooper and a few more big acts... Many things went on back stage ,,,lol... another book

 

We did Castaway Club... Biltmore... to "Secret Hide Outs" Bashes when Army wanted him for AWOL.... We did Wash U during Vietnam war protests and I witnessed the ROTC building burn... At Forest Park Pavilion the cops came to pull the plug on electricity many times.... so I bought a generator

We also did the St Louis Yippie Festival at the bottom of hill of the Pavilion  ... thousands attended... I was on stage that night myself

 

Gene and the gang will always be in my memories... Party hard bunch of friends and great musicians.... 

 

Him and Don and Billy are among the best,,, if not THE best Rock and Roll Band in Saint Louis and if not in the states ... Hell we played with many legendary bands and people well known

 

I look at the many pictures on your web site..... I can tell a story for each one or write a book about the old rock days .... hmm that is why I just do my own songs today .... different style to Gene

 

So long story short,,,, Gene and the band Rush..... Will always be one of the best 60's rock in your face band ever around .... huge big sound for just three players in the band

 

RIP ... all old players

Those still alive should post something here

 

Jim Strecker

 

A familiar sight, Rush at the Forest Park Pavilion...l to r, Ed Frillman, Randy Stevens and Gene Edlen!

 

 

Here's a great Rush memory from Jim Mallios:

In the early 70’s, I dropped out of Washington University in my senior year because I felt the cultural anti-war movement was more important than getting a degree. As one of the Washington University radicals, I was interested in organizing myself and other folks into a new culture involving music, freedom, and art while diminishing the emphasis on money. My nickname back then was “Mad Dog” and I used to write the dope scope for the old St. Louis Outlaw.

Gene Edlen and Rush were the “go to” street band in St. Louis. If there was a hippie festival in Forrest Park or a high school celebration in South St. Louis, they were always available. They lived the life we were trying to create and I remember them with great joy. I don’t have any photos that I recall, but I’ll always remember them jamming to a beat of loud rock ‘n roll. Great Band, Great Sound, Great Heart.

Jim Mallios

 

Don at the Pavillion

Ed Frillman

 

Here's a GREAT story from Ted Hill:

In 1970-71 I was a longhaired lecturer in mathematics at Wash U, recently back from Vietnam, and had scored a 15-room 3-story mansion at 4000 Lindell for $15 a month (the real estate company that had bought it for its location, now a MacDonald's, needed somebody to rent it to keep the insurance rates down). I only used the second floor and the kitchen, so most of the place was empty, and I often let transients crash in sleeping bags in the other empty rooms. One of those happened to be a fellow named Ron, who was band boy for RUSH, and he told me the huge back room on the first floor would be a great place for the band to practice and jam. They were often playing for free in the park, and always short of funds, (but never short on spirit or generosity) and had no money to rent a regular hall.  This place was near one of their main venues, the Forest Park Pavilion, and since the rest of the neighborhood was empty Victorian houses, noise would not be a problem. 

I met Gene and Ed, liked them immediately, and helped them move old mattresses into the cavernous back room, where we set them up against the wall to help cut down reverberations. They jammed there regularly at full volume, and I loved hearing it from my roost upstairs (my favorite was "The shit's comin' down"). Afterward, Ed would come upstairs to trade army stories (it wasn't only Gene that had trouble with the army...).  RUSH had problems with other authorities too, and when a truck rental company once confiscated their equipment - including Gene's prized Marshall speakers - because they couldn't pay their bill, some of us non-musicians helped them bail it out. Went to one of the RUSH concerts in Caveland, the limestone cavern "concert hall" in Festus, and served as bodyguard on one of their "income deals".  

When I left St. Louis (to go study in Germany), there was a huge going-away party at the mansion, with strobe lights and backlights throughout the entire house, and, as broadcast on KSHE radio's Happenings, "FREE LIVE MUSIC BY RUSH".  Even the "undercover" narcs loved it, and arrested nobody. 

 

 

This old Rush poster hangs in Jimmy Gravity's workshop!

 

 

Rush ROCKs Rainy Daze

 

 

 

And here is the Studio version, courtesy Randy Troast:

I've Been Thinking

 

 

A GREAT, poignant photo from Joe Bohnert, Gene's gear packed up just after his death!

 

Gene's gear still shows up for re-sale YEARS after his death!

 

Ed Frillman

Grant Buxton

 

Jimmy Miller RIP

 

 

Here's a note from roadie Randal Cranor:

Howdy,

I knew Gene. Used to be one of his "roadies" back in the day, forest park(69-70). I was at wash. u with gene, when he was arrested and they pointed guns at us in the parking lot. He went to the stockade at fort leonardwood. I remember when he showed up AWOL and went into hiding. WE stayed and played at somebodies hidden place on the Merimac river. I don;t remember how I actually met gene. I remember he had a vw van blown engine, and I had a wrecked karmin ghea, and I put the engine in his van and began to haul his equipment. I lived in Kirkwood at the time, and quit high school. I remember grant bucstan, jimmy cavanaugh, ed frillman, don westerhould, went to school with larry carlson. I remember gene always playin a flying vee. There was a guy that used to play harp, Dave tableson? I would say in those days gene was a young SRV! My favorite would be "Let the GOOD TIMES ROLL" like jimi hendrix. RIP,Gene...Sorry no pics, peace, rc

 

 

 

Gene's band in Minneapolis

 

 

Former Rush drummer Rusty Parker today!

 

Kiel Opera House 1970

 

 

Here's a couple of quick but cool Gene facts from Randy Troast:

P.S. Two other Gene stories – not sure I mentioned this but that 345 Gene is playing in the videos was given to him by Steve Marriot, while Gene was on the road driving semis for Humble Pie (Bob Heil actually).

  The second… the day Gene jammed with Ted Nugent. I was working for Ted at the time, just after turning 18. I had played with Gene for the first several month period earlier that year. Anyway, the house where I lived in Jackson MI was also where Ted and the band rehearsed. In another out-of-the-blue moment there was a knock on the door and when I opened it, I found Gene standing there. He was on his way somewhere for Bob Heil and had gotten my current address from my mom. I ran downstairs and told everyone (they were rehearsing) that “my guitar player” Gene was upstairs. I guess I had mentioned him enough that the first thought was to jam, because Ted called his wife and told her to bring over a guitar. I don’t remember hearing much of what they played because I was too chicken to go down and check it out. I don’t think it went badly but I also don’t think Gene as interested… Ted was always on the lookout for guys to sing (he went through lots of singers). Wouldn’t that have been an insane clash of egos… Gene Edlen and Ted Nugent in the same band!

 

Hip Shaking Mama

 



Here's a Robert Lohr produced original Gene Edelen rocker:

Twin City Ride

 

 

Rush's first roadie, Willie Obermiller

 

Ed Frillman has just painted Scott's 1961 Austin Healey 3000

 

Rush rocks Collinsville Park

Don Westerholt @ Rainy Daze

 

 

 

 

 

Watch Gene Edlen live at Fat Cat's, 1981:

 

Rocky's Roadhouse

 

 

Ed Frillman and Dennis Cavanaugh

 

 

 

If you have any info about, or photos or recordings of this band, PLEASE email me at: greg@dejawho.com

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Video courtesy Robert Lohr                                           

Photos courtesy Don Westerholt,  Joe Bohnert,  Dennis Cavanaugh, Bob Reuter, Greg Edick, John Locus and Bob Shelli           

MP3's courtesy Randy Troast & Joe Bohnert