Jeffrey Frederick

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Jeffrey Sutton Frederick (1950 - 1996) was charismatic, charming and had the sexiest grin you ever laid eyes on, even with a Camel straight, a 'hump' to him, hanging out of the corner of his mouth. When he climbed on stage and started to sing you just had to dance, his music penetrated the soul. Jeffrey oozed talent. To quote Dave Reisch, "Jeff could take something as mundane as a pencil and make a song out of it." Jeff's middle name could have been humour, but it wasn't, he was Jeffrey Sutton Frederick and according to him he could do "any f........ thing he wanted" and he did!

He started his musical career at the age of 14 with the Renegrades. In the late 60's Jeffrey, Jill Gross, Morgan Huber, John Raskin, and Robert Nickson (Froggy) joined forces in Vermont and became the first Clamtones. In the early 70's Jeffrey made some changes and Automatic Slim & the Fatboys were in business. In addition to Jeff, they consisted of Michael Hurley, vocals, guitar, banjo and delightfulness; Doug Southworth, piano, guitar; and Melting Snow (Tom Hayes) on guitar.

Jeffrey moved to Portland, Oregon, in '75 at the urging of Robin Remaily. Jill joined him later that year and together they started the Clamtones on the West Coast. The band in hand was the Clamtones when Jeff was the frontman and the Holy Modal Rounders when Steve Weber was frontman... and these "two bands in one" often shared the same stage. They soon became the best-damned bar dance band in Portland and points north, south and in between. In '76 they took off on a 9,000 mile tour of the perimeter of the States, which involved being arrested in Texas, (Jeff & Wayne) and run out of Alabama, for singing "Let Me Down".

For stories of their road trip check out the Freak Mountain Rambler's web site ( [1] )and read Dave Reisch's "A Piece of Work". During the tour Jeffrey recorded "Have Moicy!" (best album of the year. Village Voice) with Jill, Michael Hurley, Peter Stampfel, Paul Presti, Dave Reisch, Robin Remaily, Wax Iwaskiewicz and Robert Nickson.

"Spiders in the Moonlight" was recorded in '77 after the completion of the tour and a live radio show in Vancouver B.C. at Rohan's Road House, (the source of "Clamtones B.C."). Steve Weber took a furlough, Robin Remaily left the band, Jeff and Jill went back to Boston for a short break... Then Jeff came back alone and Les Clams was formed. The lineup was Jeff, Dave Reisch, Roger North, Bruce Sweetman or Lex Browning (depending on who was around) and Michael Shade.

Les Clams rocked the area until Jeffrey felt the call of the desert...or the shove of a strong hand... and moved to Silver City, Nevada. There he gathered the cream of the crop of Northern Nevada's musicians and ooh la la! the Jeffrey Frederick Band was in motion. Morgan Huber / bass, mandolin, piano, guitar / Willis Allen , keyboard / Sport Arnold , drums & vocals / Darius, clarinet, sax, guitar/ Johnny Fingers, hot shit lead guitar / BB Morse , bass & vocals / Tommy Ward, lap steele / The Horn Brothers, Dolph and Rookie Fischer on trumpet & trombone. The guys had them dancing at the infamous saloons of Virginia City, the clubs of Reno and Lake Tahoe, and the bars of Dayton, Yerrington and Fallon.

Jeffrey's music was zany, hilarious and soulful. He wrote about the people loved and tried to hate, "Stolen Guitar," he wrote about broken hearts and criminal activity, "Robbin' Banks," he wrote about life and death "What Made My hamburger Disappear" in a way that made us laugh and feel good.

To Jeffrey it wasn't a successful show unless he "made 'em dance" and he always had us dancing.

Kathryn Frederick [2]

[edit] Partial Discography

Have Moicy Rounder (1976); Spiders In The Moonlight Rounder (1977) out of print but an expanded version will be reissued during 2006; I Make A Wish For A Potato ("Holy Modal Rounders and Friends") Rounder 2003; Jeffrey Frederick Band, Live At The Icehouse Frederic Productions (2003); Oooh La La… Les Clams Frederick Productions (2004); Jeffrey Frederick, Clamtones B.C. Frederick Productions (2005)