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The boys are born and
raised, most of them in Central Texas. Pre-Reunion players John,
Clinton, Tommy and Paul began gigging during the psychedelic era, above;
in 1971 Reunion cranked up at McCallum High School in North Central
Austin. Below are photos from the McCallum 1972 yearbook.
They show trumpeter Sam in his Band Beau portrait (he was also band president),
saxophonist Jim as the school's soccer star, and trombonist Kelly
working the mic at a school assembly doing George Carlin and Jackie
Vernon comic monologues.
 Sam
and Kelly in the McCallum Jazz Band in 1971, left. It should be noted
that
Paul was in the same class with Sam, Jim and Kelly...but his
picture is absent from the 1972 McCallum yearbook. He was probably
gigging with John, right.
More: The boys first play together on a fateful Austin day: Aug. 1,
1966.
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Several bands are formed or forming from
Austin McCallum High School. Among them Bittersweet, one
 of
McCallum's top rock ensembles. The band included future Reunion
members John and Paul, left, Tommy, behind the drums, and Clinton,
right. The group Harriet Court, named
for Kelly's home address, included Sam (whose trumpet talents shined
from the start) and Kelly (who played the most horrendous trombone solo
in recorded history). Thankfully, Harriet Court never played a gig.
Find more historic photos
-- and lame business card slogans --
here.
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A new band brings together Mac Band brass
Sam and Kelly with rhythm experts Paul and Jim. While at dinner as
Austin's nostalgic 2-J restaurant,
the guys mull over names for their yet-untested ensemble. For some
reason, there's
a poster of Oregon on the wall. The band selects Oregon Reunion for
its name. But no one is from Oregon -- or had ever been there.
Besides, there's already a jazz group named for the state. Oregon
fades, but Reunion stays. With
their new name, the guys -- with a line-up which will soon evolve --
rehearse at Bob Wilson's dance studio, below, on Medical Parkway in
Central Austin.
Quote of the Year: "Fa love
pa." -- Ridiculous line, voiced by a sea mammal in the 1973
feature film 'Day of the Dolphin', which was repeated ad
infinitum by the band's first keyboardist. |
The first gig! Amazingly, the photo
above is from that first-ever live performance. It took place at
the ALA Club south of what today is Lake Lady Bird. The band
included, from left above, Jim, Paul, Alvin Grant, Mark Evans, Kelly,
Sam, Mike Swinney, and Clinton Barnes.
Quote of the Year: "We had to
make p.a. payments." -- Band manager explaining a paltry
paycheck.
Apparently the band was making so little money in the
early '70s that Kelly -- playing in San Marcos and pictured in the
campus newspaper -- could afford neither shirt nor barber.
One of the band's first publicity photos that was taken not after a
beer-soaked gig but 'professionally' in a studio. Front row:
Sam, Alvin Grant, Kelly. Back row: Tommy, Paul, Rick Gabler, John,
Bob Doershuck. |
The American political campaign pits
Richard Nixon against George McGovern. Reunion, split politically
but united musically, performs for a McGovern campaign appearance at the
old Austin airport.
Quote of the Decade: "I'm not a crook." -- Election victor R.M. Nixon |
Following a gig in the Waco area, the band
returns in the wee hours of the morning to play a dance marathon at UT's
Gregory Gym, above. The gig included the
popular band Vince Vance and The Valiants, the first time Reunion
would share the stage with a "known" band. 
Later the Doobie Brothers, including Pat Simmons, left, shown with
Reunion guitarist Paul Gillia in 2007, would perform in the same space.
Quote of the Year: "You guys look
like you just came in off the Back 40." -- Reunion's famed agent,
Charlie Hatchett, after observing his young band's most casual on-stage
dress. (Reunion, shown below at a 21st century wedding, cleaned up its
act over time.)
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Paul brings John, a Bittersweet alum,
shown above in a post-gig pose at the University of Texas-area dive The
Bucket, into the group. Shortly thereafter, the band hires a
young drummer from Bulldog, Tommy Taylor, also pictured below at the
Bucket. He will be hired twice, once while on a miserable road gig with
another band in Colorado. In nine years he'd claim five Grammys
with Christopher Cross.
Quote of the Year: "Turn it down or
turn it off." --Note from South Austin club manager, horrified by the
volume.
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Some of the guys are familiar with a
sizzling singer from Bastrop. Andrew joins the group in Galveston,
wraps himself in a sheet to fend off the sun's rays, and poses as a
sheik. Those just introduced to him wonder what they've gone and done.
After hearing him sing for a set, however, they know why he was brought
on board: he's the best.
Quote of the Year: "Great band, but you
can hear it in Dallas." -- Same South Austin club manager,
still miffed by the volume but amused by the long lines outside the
door.
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"This ain't Woodstock," a roadie was heard
to say during Reunion's only performance at the hallowed Austin music
haunt, the Armadillo World Headquarters. It wasn't (Woodstock, that is),
but it kinda felt like it. After all, the beer-stained stage had
hosted everyone from The Boss to Lynyrd Skynyrd. And Reunion.
A couple of years later the band would appear prominently in a local
agency's brochure, below. Note the band Klick, at right.
Eighty percent of that band would play in Reunion, as well. The
only one who didn't is Blas Coy, far right, who is a fabulous musician,
a dear friend, and Andrew's cousin.
Quote of the Year: "You can't go
there, it's the prom." -- Bastrop police officer, giving direction
to the band (that, of course, was playing said prom). |
After seven years of performing, the guys
are focusing on their professional and personal lives. They play a
gig in Waxahachie and sail into the sunset, thinking the band has had a
good run. Though most focus on their non-music careers and
starting families, Tommy, as drummer of Christopher
Cross, made "Sailing" and "Ride Like the Wind".
Quote of the Year: "So very hard
to go." -- Lyrics in the only slow song Reunion knew (the band
was asked to play something soft following a death at another party
downstairs).
Variety
is no longer an issue (in
 fact it's a strong suit) as guitarist Paul readily switches
among various musical genres and styles.
Below: Short-lived version of the band with Andrew and
Kelly, bottom right. First-call Austin bassist Glenn Fukunaga, bottom
left, played sax.
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Out of the blue, Rick Gabler organizes and John
hosts a Reunion
reunion, complete with a barbecue and a gig for grins on Austin's famed
Sixth Street. It goes well and the band re-forms for a couple of
years, playing such local clubs, below, as the Sheik, Eli's, Mother
Earth, Anchovies and Fat Tuesdays (which it headlines on a particularly
wild Mardi Gras night). The only entity still operating under its
original name? Reunion, of course.
Quote of the Year: "No drugs."
-- Advisory on John's invitation to his Reunion reunion house party. |
Again, families and careers take
precedence for the guys and the band dissolves for a second time
(although Andrew and Kelly put together a hot-but-brief-lived ensemble
with some West Texas musicians). The band managed the goofy photo
below before bidding ciao. Front row: Alvin Grant and
Andrew; middle row, Kelly, John, Paul, Jim, and Sam; top, Tommy.
During the interim, the band members pursued the
following musical and non-musical careers:
Andrew: Corrections Officer
Jim: Civil Engineer
John: Marketing Director
Kelly: Writer
Paul: Physics Teacher
Sam: Corporate Executive
Tommy: Musician |
The third time's a charm. Another
meeting of musical minds puts Paul, John, Tommy, Andrew, Jim, Sam and
Kelly back on the stage. This time the re-formation would stick
through the next millennium (and continues to this day).
As he was in the group's previous
incarnation, Sam, above, is bandleader -- booking the shows and emceeing
events. It's the same role his father had when he led one of Austin's
finest orchestras.
Quote of the Year:
"Do I have time to eat?" -- Paul, after showing up for a
gig with seconds to spare. |
At a gig at Maggie Mae's in Austin, a
third horn mic is added. The spot is filled by teenage trumpeter
Stephen (Sam's son), realizing a legacy left by his grandfather, Ty, and
dad. The Reunion show would never be the same.
More than a decade later, Andrew, John,
Lorrie and company would return to the iconic Sixth Street club to help
Maggie Mae's celebrate its own long run, below.
Above, the horns hit the floor to dance with patrons
during the rock classic Mustang Sally. |
When guitarist and founder Jim takes his
engineering talents to New Mexico, Paul brings in namesake Paul Gillia,
a Reagan HS rock and country guitarist/singer and a realtor by day.
The band's repertoire expands accordingly. Later that year, the
band makes a roadtrip to the border-area town of McAllen, TX, where
Andrew partied at a wedding with the locals...
The gig in South Texas took place under
endless Texas skies. Indeed, Reunion is at home in courtyards,
lakeside clubs and other outdoor locales; below are ads from two
exterior Austin venues.
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Andrew practicing his gardening skills?
We wish. In fact, this photo, taken in May, depicts Reunion's lead
singer amidst the branches of a windstorm-felled tree at Austin 's Cedar
Street Courtyard. Moments before the band's first downbeat, a
large limb came crashing down, barely missing the vocalist. It
could have be bad. All the flora is absent from Cedar Street now,
which is just as well, we suppose, for a tree in the middle of a stage
presents logistical problems....
Quote of the Year: "The radar
looks ominous." -- Band member shortly before the calamity.
 Reunion
celebrated the dawn of the new millennium with members of The University
of Texas Club in Austin. |
At the Four Seasons, Andrew poses with
Texas Governor Rick Perry at a high-profile gig for governors, senators,
mayors and billionaires. Accomplished guitarist Dave Hazlett,
below, runs sound; soon his considerable guitar and singing chops would
join the band on stage.
From the Four Season to the Dell
Diamond, home of Austin's minor league baseball team, Andrew and Kelly
hang out -- ever so briefly -- with Miss USA before playing a post-game
set.
Quote of the Year: "We'd like to
thank Elton John for opening for us." -- Andrew |
A client makes a special request for a
female vocalist for an upcoming gig. Reunion's search turns up
Lorrie, whose credentials, voice, and effervescent
personality lead her to be hired at the first rehearsal. Reunion
has yet another new look (a good one, for sure!) and sound, which
includes some of the greatest female-sung hits of the dance era.
Quote of the Year: "Some of it was loud, some of it was good." --
West Texas cowboy the morning after attending a dance powered by
Reunion.
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With Sam and Stephen, trombonist Kelly
acts a fool on the Reunion
stage. But with Academy Award winners Robert Duvall, right, and
Michael Caine, Kelly acts for real, making his big screen debut as a
traveling salesman in the delightful family film,
 Secondhand
Lions, top and left. The film, also starring Haley Joel Osment (The
Sixth Sense) and Kyra Sedgwick (TV's The Closer), is the No.
2 grossing film the September week it opens on 2,000-plus U.S. screens.
Meanwhile, the band's boisterous brassmen
remain in constant motion whether playing dazzling horn licks,
examining morsels, or just experiencing a "cryin' shame" in Smooth.
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It happens early on Sunday morning.
And the January air
 is
usually quite crisp, making playing instruments in tune a challenge.
Beginning in 2004 Reunion performs for eight consecutive years (and
 counting)
at the finish line of the annual 3M Austin Half Marathon.
Quotes Over the Years: "Kiplimo Chemirmir, Worku Beyi, Belaynesh
Gebre, Buzunesh Deba, Ridouane Harroufi, Jacquline
 Nyetipei,
Filomeno Apodaca, Zivile Balciunaite, Mergessa Gurmessa, Derese Deniboba,
Sventlana Demidenko." -- Trumpeter, bandleader and 3M Half Marathon
awards ceremony emcee Sam, bravely pronouncing some of the worldly names
of the 3M race winners. |
At the request of a legendary Big League
pitcher, the group strikes out to Shreveport, marking its first
foray across state lines in more than 1000 gigs. Above, Paul
revels in the Mardi Gras spirit before the show. Backstage, the
guys take it easy: Paul, Andrew, Stephen, Tommy, Matt (John's son and
stage technician), Dave and John.
Quote of the Year: "Ladies and
gentlemen, Brooks!" -- Emcee at Shreveport gig which featured a
one-song performance by half of Brooks and Dunn.
Brooks, right, got the Green Room; Reunion ate in the kitchen. |
Though the Live Music Capital of the World
-- Austin, TX -- is Reunion's home base, the band has two de facto
second homes: Bastrop, of which Andrew is a native, and John's
adopted home of San Antonio. Both are within an hour's drive of
Austin which makes most gigs across the vast Central Texas landscape
accessible. Among the locations the band would play in 2006
are
the Bastrop rodeo arena and Hyatt Hill Country Resort as well as
several hotels and country clubs in San Antonio. Above, John and
Andrew perform for the dancing pleasure of partiers in the Alamo City.
Quote of the Year: "What do you
mean there's no p.a.?" -- Band members upon arriving at the
Bastrop rodeo
arena.
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In June, the band travels to a wedding in
Colorado Springs, its second trip out-of-state. Posing before the gig at
the exclusive Broadmoor Hotel are, from left, John, Lorrie, Stephen,
Andrew, Kelly, and Sam.
Quote of the Year: "We wanted
an Austin band because they're the best." -- Groom partying
with Reunion at the renowned hotel.
Quote from the Past: "Very danceable..." -- A former
Reunion percussionist encouraging activity on
 the
dance floor. (Note: Reunion's clients don't require that reminder
anymore, thanks to the endless infectious dance beats created by
the band's world-class drummer, Tommy Taylor, above.) |
Yee-ha! It was made famous in John
Travolta's 1980 breakthrough film Urban Cowboy. Then, famed
Gilley's nightclub was in Houston. In the new millennium, Gilley's
moved to Dallas, where Reunion played for a private party. Though
known primarily for its classy soul and pop tunes, Reunion's
repertoire
has expanded to include healthy doses of country, Latin, and big
band classics. In other words, Reunion can don many hats, as Paul
did on the stage of Gilley's, above.
 At
a CenTex wedding, Sam gets the garter toss organized.
Quote of the Year: "Firecracker."
-- Title of a song the band attempts, by special request, one time only
at a gig. It explodes. Fortunately, no one is injured...except the
song -- and the band's psyche. |
Happy New Year! For decades Reunion has
rung in the New Year in style. Here, Lorrie and hubby Brad toast
another calendar flip at a party in Central Texas. Among the
locales the band has found itself on Dec. 31 are Waxahachie, San
Antonio, Seguin, and the University of Texas campus in Austin.
Quote of the Year: "Should old
acquaintance be forgot..." -- Andrew at the strike of many
midnights.
Below, Kelly, Lorrie and Andrew have
fun in a Dallas photo booth...
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California here we come! A top
society gig in Golden Gate Park takes Lorrie and the guys (including
John and Paul in the photo above) to San Francisco. The band plays
amidst millions of dollars of classic art (Van Gogh, Matisse, Monet
etc.). The next day Andrew takes in the famed bridge.
Quote of the Year: "We're
going to San Francisco!" -- Lorrie, announcing the trip she'd
arranged.
Earlier in the year, noted wedding
authority The Knot names Reunion "Best of Weddings," an award voted on
by happy brides.
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Reunion marks 40 years of performing great
music. Join us as we celebrate in 2011 and beyond by attending our
live shows listed here.
2011 and Beyond...
As Reunion enters another decade of
performance, John, foreground, Lorrie and Andrew will continue to do
what they do best -- send brides and grooms off on their grand adventure
in style. From the first dance to the evening's send-off, Reunion
continues to provide an unmatched "Best of Weddings" experience to all
it clients. Go here
to plan your next event. In the meantime, sing a song...
Back to reunionband.com |
