THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 28, 1995 TAG: 9509270154
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
A QUARTER OF a century with the same band probably is close to a record in the risky business of show business.
The Voltage Brothers band was organized in 1969. A year later, Bruce Pitts - drumsticks in hand - joined the brassy Rochester, N.Y., jazz group.
He and his friends will bring their music and energy to the 1995 Franklin Fall Festival Friday night, performing for the Block Party from 8 p.m. to midnight.
At 9:45, the band's musical fireworks will be interrupted by 20 minutes of fireworks, then it's back to the versatility of the middle-aged musicians.
``Everybody in the band is jazz-oriented,'' Pitts said in an interview from Atlanta, where the Brothers are headquartered, ``but we do everything.''
That includes swing, oldies, Beach stuff, rhythm and blues, contemporary hits, pop and rock classics, gospel, country, funk, dance music, originals and audience participation.
Pitts says the latter is a must. ``We make `em a part of the songs, get them involved any way we can.''
He was involved with The Voltage Brothers before there was a Voltage Brothers - when the group, Destination, was organized in Rochester.
``In the 1970s, music was funky, heavy,'' Pitts said, ``so then we called ourselves Funky Heavy.''
The next name change matched their musical mood - High Voltage.
``We liked that name, but it was being used by another group. Rather than be sued, as the other group promised, Pitts and pals became The Voltage Brothers.
Their biggest break came in 1978, when the second of their three albums was released.
The right people heard them and invited them to join the prestigious Kool Jazz Festival, touring with such important folk as Gladys Knight and the Pips, Ashford and Simpson, Kool and the Gang, the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
They played Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Diego, Savannah, the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum and the Houston Astrodome.
It was a good promotional tour for their album on the MTM label.
``Now, we're working on another deal with another company,'' Pitts said. ``Our first album did exceptionally well - always in the top-10, but after that we didn't do as well. We were little kids dealing with high-powered executives.''
The story is that Tommy West, their producer and friend, owned some unreleased masters of Jim Croce records.
``CBS told Tommy they'd sign the five groups he managed for their Lifesong label if they could get the Croce releases,'' Pitts said. ``They got the stuff and they did record everybody, but we got lost with the distribution and marketing. We had a five-year contract, so we couldn't sign with anyone else during that time.''
The Voltage Brothers continued touring, in the United States and overseas.
``We were in L.A. in 1979,'' Pitts said. ``No one wanted to go back to Rochester, so we took a vote - Houston or Atlanta. Atlanta won out.''
Six years earlier, when he and his friends started hitting the road, ``we ranged in age from 13 to 17, so our parents consented to guardianship,'' Pitts said. ``Jerry Griffin, our manager, got the job.''
Pitts and some of the other Voltage Brothers now have their own families.
Pitts and his wife, Cynthia, have two children.
``Cynthia's been through the wars with me,'' he said. ``Anymore wars - she'll go through with me - I hope.''
Island Boy will perform from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. There will be food and beverage concessions. ILLUSTRATION: The Voltage Brothers, a jazz group, will perform from 8 p.m. to
midnight Friday night.
by CNB