Coupe de Ville of Eugene,
Oregon
began in 1995 as an off-shoot of another Eugene band, Happy Daze, which
was formatted as a 50’s rock & roll band. The original
members
of Coupe de Ville are: Steve Whaley, bass guitar and vocals, Bob
Heilman,
keys and vocals, Rick Smith, guitar, harmonica & vocals, Steve
Lopez,
lead guitar & vocals, Eric Barber, Sax, and the late Phil Thomas on
drums, percussion, & vocals. Coupe had the knack of
drawing
and holding large local crowds whenever they played, whether it was a
small
club or a large county fairgrounds arena setting. Coupe remains
alive
today, in this era of DJ’s and Karaoke, delivering the same quality of
music and show they have always done.
Coupe’s music started out based
mostly
on the 50’s-60’s songs the former Happy Daze band was doing, but as the
musicians tastes in music were recognized and were brought in (still
rock
and roll based), the texture and character of the bands music changed
along
with it and it became a powerhouse of a bigger and more solid sound,
much
to the approval of their fans. This format was adapted throughout
its long run and continues to this day, as it was a formula for success.
The
lineup changed in early 1996 when Tim Loder replaced Eric Barber on
Sax,
because of Eric’s move to the east coast. Tim’s addition also
added
vocals and percussions to the mix as well. Tim would be with
Coupe
until 2008, even through a triple by-pass heart surgery in 2003 which
didn’t
seem to phase him much. His replacement, added in 2010 was Teresa
Cunningham, who would bring a new exciting brand of pizzazz to
the
show, playing not only tenor and alto sax, celtic flutes, &
clarinet,
but also adding her sparkling personality to the show and connecting
with
the fans on the dance floor.
Coupe has had just four
dedicated
drummers in its entire run. When Phil Thomas decided to take a
position
he was offered with a touring band, he suggested Roy Eggleston as his
replacement.
That was a good move, as Roy was every bit the drummer Phil was, and he
was available. A couple years later after the touring job Phil
took
was finished, it turned out that Roy had to leave to pursue a personal
direction away from the band, so Phil was asked to come back and he
did.
About 3 years later Phil took a day job in Texas and so Roy was
contacted
about re-joining to replace Phil...again... and to everyone’s relief,
he
jumped at the chance to return. Roy was with Coupe until late
2005
when he left to pursue business demands, and he suggested Doug Byrd to
replace him. Doug auditioned and was accepted and he then joined
Coupe as the drummer. Doug left in 2009 to pursue a drummer
position
in another friends local band, and Kevin Stacey replaced Doug and
played
with Coupe until he formed his own group Beautiful Wrecks in
2010.
Earl “The Pearl” Hugill then joined as Coupe’s drummer and he remains
there
at the present time (January 2014). All of these guys had the
right
stuff in the rhythm section department to lock down the back beat
and the foundation of Coupe’s great music.
Rick Smith came to Coupe because we
originally
needed a guy with a PA and who could run sound....and we found out he
had
a great voice...and could play rhythm guitar and harmonica. We
also
needed another lead vocalist to share the songs with so as not to
overburden
one or two guys with all the songs. He was hired after a short
audition.
Rick was a natural fit and a very talented showman to boot. And
he
DID have a PA and lights too, which was a big plus. Rick’s tenor
voice was hugely popular with our fans, and his part in 3 part
harmonies
were always spot on. He was a joy to be in the same band
with.
Rick left in 2008 to devote time to pursue personal goals outside the
band.
He was replaced by Dick Bennink, who also sang, played rhythm guitar
and
some lead guitar, harmonica, and opted to be the PA guy as well.
I took over running the band lighting when Rick left. Dick left
in
2012 and it was decided amongst the rest of the band that the position
of rhythm guitar would not be replaced, which made it a 5 piece band
instead
of 6.
The lead guitarist postion is the one
that
has changed the most in Coupe. First let me say all of the
players
in that position are, to this day, top drawer caliber musicians
that
we all enjoyed playing behind. First there was Steve Lopez who
was
the original guitarist for Coupe. Steve was with Coupe until 1998
when he left for spiritual pursuits. His replacement was Mike Davis who
was a gifted guitarist and vocalist with the band until 2000 when he
left
to pursue his teaching career full time. Mike was replaced by
Paul
Hobbs who came from country, rock, & blues background and brought
his
great interpretation of those influences to the band. Paul left in the
fall of 2001 to do independent work with other musicians and was
replaced
by his friend Chris Ward who was attending Berklee school of music
pursuing
a degree and who was a killer guitarist...and still is. Chris
left
in 2002, favoring freelancing to structure, and recommend we get Dave
Clark,
who was an older guy with great talent and great guitar licks with some
jazz background as well as country too....and, as it turned out, Dave
mentored
both Chris and Paul on guitar. Small world! Dave stayed
until
2005 and Roc Dosland stepped into the lead guitarist role. Roc brought
a distinctive hard edge rocker feel to the band, which was really a
breath
of fresh air...because he was so good at it! He had the right
guitar
and amp and effects, had a great voice to go along with it which
blended
well with the other vocalists, and...he just looked the part too.
Roc brought the 80’s rock into the mix with great success and grand
style.
Roc left due to health reasons in 2007, and was replaced by Gary Eyman,
an ecclectic rocker guitarist whose tastes in music range from
Bernstein
to Frank Zappa to the Beatles to Mozart. He avoids mainstream
music,
but he plays cover tunes extremely well and is gifted at putting his
own
spin on Coupes tunes. Gary is a gifted guitarist and vocalist with a
great
rocker voice who actually prefers piano as a main instrument.
Gary
is the current lead guitarist for Coupe.
Bob Heilman, one of the original
founding
members of Coupe, plays Keyboards and sings, and is the unofficial
spokesperson
and self appointed comedian for the group. His wacky sense of
humor,
timing, and delivery is one of the gems our fans get to experience each
and every time Coupe performs. Bobs swarray into “never land”
will
occasionally appear on stage as his alter ego, much to the delight of
those
who are among the un-expecting. Bobs talents as a musician and as an
entertainer
are apparent when you see this guy at work...which you should.
I (Steve Whaley) am one of the
original
founders of Coupe de Ville and I have played bass and sang leads
in Coupe since it began in 1995. I like to think of myself as the
quarter back of the rhythm section, locking it down with the
drummer.
I actually began my musical adventure/career with another band in high
school in 1960 called the Strato-tones and the later evolution of it
called
The
Reveleers.. In those bands I played lead guitar.
I began playing bass in 1967 when a
rock
band on the Navy base I was stationed at needed a bass player and I
needed
a band to play music with , so I took up bass at that point, and its
been
bass guitar ever since for me. I retired from Coupe in March 2003
and my successor Gene Douma had serious health problems and I sat in
for
him more than I was sitting outside the band, so Gene suggested I
rejoin
the band to keep the continuity intact, and after asking the rest of
the
guys about it and getting their approval first, I rejoined Coupe and
performed
with them until December 2012, when I retired yet once again to pursue
other hobbies I have been back-burner-ing forever and to put together
another
musical group, focusing more on the giving back of the blessings God
has
bestowed on me, in the form of musical talent and human connectivity,
and
to just make people happy for a moment in their lives.
I wanted to give credit where credit
is
due with this great and compassionate group of individuals who so
freely
give (and gave) of their talents in order to make the sum of the parts
this wonderful entertaining gang known as Coupe de Ville.
Steve Whaley, January 2014
