Royal Crown Revue

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Royal Crown Revue
Background information
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres Swing
Jazz
Years active 1989–present
Labels BYO Records, Surfdog Records, Warner Bros. Records, RCR Records
Associated acts Youth Brigade
Website http://www.rcr.com/
Members Mark Cally
Mando Dorame
Daniel Glass
Jim Jedeikin
Dave Miller
Eddie Nichols
Jennifer Keith
Past members James Achor
Veikko Lepisto
Adam Stern
Jamie Stern
Mark Stern
Bill Ungerman
Scott Steen

The Royal Crown Revue (RCR) is a band formed in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. They are often credited with starting the Swing Revival movement,[1][2] but while RCR played an important role in the revival of swing, they were but one in a sea of actors, including many crucial predecessors who laid the groundwork for RCR's own success. Live, RCR has been extremely successful: They participated in 1998's Vans Warped Tour, opened for the B-52s and The Pretenders and played at major US Jazz Festivals. The band also filmed an episode of "Gene Simmons Family Jewels", which aired in March 2010.

The band was founded by Mark Stern, Eddie Nichols and Mando Dorame out of their love of Rockabilly, Punk, Jazz, Blues, Soul and other styles of roots music. Two of Stern's siblings, Jamie and Adam rounded out the group (Mark, Adam and another brother Shawn were members of the punk band Youth Brigade).[3]

After releasing their first album on BYO Records, the band signed with Warner Bros. and parted ways with the Stern brothers.[4] Currently, RCR's lineup consists of singer Eddie Nichols, tenor saxophonist/arranger/writer Mando Dorame, and drummer Daniel Glass. The band continues to play to capacity crowds in Australia, Europe and the US.

After filming The Mask, RCR began a residency at the landmark Los Angeles club, The Derby, which gained worldwide recognition [5] due, in large part, to the location's inclusion in the hit film Swingers. Although the band's music was an instrumental part of The Derby's swing scene, a conflict in their Warner Brothers contract prevented Royal Crown Revue from appearing in the movie.

The RCR Horn section backed Bette Midler on her top-grossing 2003-2004 Kiss My Brass tour. Trumpeter Scott Steen was Bette's featured soloist.

RCR made numerous film, television, radio and print appearances, including The Mask, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Viva Variety, The Today Show and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In 1998 the group appeared at the Playboy Jazz Festival, recorded and performed live with Bette Midler at the Billboard Music Awards and composed the original theme for the WB Network's 1999 television season.

Current band members

  • Eddie Nichols - Vocals
  • Jennifer Keith - Vocals
  • Mando Dorame - Tenor sax
  • Daniel Glass - Drums
  • Mark Cally - Guitar
  • Jim Jedeikin - Baritone/Alto sax
  • Dave Miller - Bass
  • Lee Thornburg - Trumpet (alternate)
  • Mark Pinder - Trumpet (alternate)
  • (Jim Honeyman is credited as the Baritone/Alto Sax on the Live at The Corner Hotel Album)

Former band members

  • James Achor - Guitar
  • Enrico Crivellaro - Guitar
  • Greg Erba - Guitar
  • Veikko Lepisto - Bass
  • Adam Stern - Bass
  • Mark Stern - Drums
  • Jamie Stern - Alto Saxophone
  • Bill Ungerman - Alto/baritone saxophone
  • Scott Steen - Trumpet

Discography

  • Kings of Gangster Bop (BYO Records 1991)
  • Mugzy's Move (Warner Bros. Records 1996). Re-released in 1998 adding "Barflies At The Beach"
  • Caught In The Act (Live) (Surfdog Records 1997)
  • The Contender (Warner Bros. Records 1998)
  • Walk On Fire (RCR Records 1999)
  • Passport To Australia (Live) (RCR Records 2000)
  • Greetings From Hollywood (2004)
  • El Toro (2007)
  • Live at The Corner Hotel, Melbourne Australia (Live) (2007)
  • Don't be a Grinch This Year (2010)

Legal controversy

From 1996 through 1998, the Royal Crown Revue was engaged in a lawsuit with the Amazing Royal Crowns after much confusion with promoters. In accordance with a July 1998 settlement, the latter band changed its name to the Amazing Crowns; in exchange, the Revue agreed to drop the lawsuit.[6] The band was also sued by Royal Crown Cola, and won that suit. Oddly, RC Cola later offered to sell RCR's CD through a series of marketing promotions. Royal Crown Revue appeared as a question on the Jeopardy game show with the reference answer being the RC Cola lawsuit.

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Vale, V.; Marian Wallace (1998). Swing! The New Retro Renaissance. V/Search Publications. ISBN 1-889307-02-5. 
  2. ↑ Yanow, Scott (2000). Swing. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. pp. 452–453, 475. ISBN 0-87930-600-9. 
  3. ↑ Youth Brigade bio, retrieved 2010-11-30 
  4. ↑ Let Them Know The Story Of Youth Brigade and BYO Records, Byo records 2009
  5. ↑ Milkowski, Bill (2001). Swing It: An Annotated History of Jive. Bob Nikard, ed., and Alison Hagge, ed. New York, New York: Billboard Books. pp. 245–246. ISBN 0-8230-7671-7. 
  6. ↑ VH1.com : Amazing Crowns : The Amazing Royal Crowns To Change Name - Rhapsody Music Downloads

External links

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