Tommy Rock's Life Story

Tommy Rock’s Life Story The Many Lives of Roeck-n-Roll Tommy started his quest at age 2 doing the twist to his half sister Linda's Beatles and Chubby Checker records. At 5 he began singing along with his parents' Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole records. Encouraged by his Mother, he accurately mimicked the popular songs of the era, and began playing guitar at age 8. Tutored by his older half brother Bobby, he learned very quickly, and began rivaling his mentor's skills within a few years. With his Sears cassette recorder and his Silver tone guitar and amp in case always in hand he would practice singing and playing for endless hours, until his parents made him go to bed. While in grammar school, he excelled in the arts. Drawing, painting, creative writing, singing in choir, playing clarinet and saxophone at school functions, he won many awards. At age 15 he began pursuing the guitar with a mad passion. He was influenced at first by John Denver, Jim Croce, and Elton John and then later by bands like Aerosmith, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Rush, and The Stones. With the warm tube tones, and screaming vocals of the 70's at hand, he was star stricken and vowed that music would be his life. His younger brother David was also a gifted student, and made good grades, especially in metal shop and auto-mechanics. In 1977 His Father Robert Roeck, a Veteran of WW2, hailing from Chicago, and a Journeyman Maintenance Machinist of 30 years, with Bethlehem Steel Corporation, retired and moved his family to the resort community of Hot Springs, Arkansas. Because he loved lake living and his wife Mildred's family the Hunter's and the Hamilton's were from nearby Sheridan. Robert worked hard and gave his family everything, while they were living in Buena Park, California. He got a long thirteen week vacation every 5 years as one of his regular perks along with incredible bonus packages. This is when he took his family all over these United States. Exploring, seeing, and doing. Growing up only minutes from Disneyland, the boys had a season pass, and Dad loved to go as much as they did. Roller coasters were their thing, Robert made it a point to take them to everything within driving distance, and then some. He would rent large RV's for the summer and the family would go to parts unknown and stay gone for months. They saw Yellowstone, and all the great national parks in the USA: Florida Everglades, Disney World, Sea World, all the worlds; Busch Gardens, all the shows, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios, Six Flags, Magic Mountain, The California Redwoods (Drove through a tree), Carlsbad Caverns, Dog Patch USA and Silver Dollar City. Anything there was to do they went there, and did that. Robert outfitted the family with nice clothes, shoes, and the boys always had great birthdays and Christmas's He made a great living which would be comparable to nearly $2000 per week today. He brought home the bacon and Mildred fried it up in the pan. She was a stay at home Mom and took great care of her family, and was a cooking machine. She kept her house spotless, hot dinners on the table, three times a day, clean clothes ready to go, She also knitted, sewed, darned and crocheted. A truly idyllic upbringing. The Roeck family had many amazing summers together on Lake Hamilton, Not to mention the wonderful life that Robert given them filled with love and adventure; spelunking, water skiing, fishing, swimming, and a smorgasbord of down home southern cooked delights prepared by Mother Mildred and her Sister Venita. Many relatives came to visit them at their lake house that Robert built, from both sides of the family tree. Much love, laughter, and adoration was had by all. Robert had realized his retirement goals. He loved his family more than himself, and felt content, successful, happy, and proud of his life, wife, boys and grandchildren. He passed away unexpectedly in September of 1980, leaving the love of his life Mildred Louise to carry the load. After much grief, Tommy and his brother David experimented with music and bands. Tommy had been playing guitar and began to sing lead, David began playing bass and singing backing vocals, and yes they harmonized like brothers. Michael Stacey played drums with them most of the time, and Mike Lovelady filled in occasionally on drums as did Dave Harvey on guitar. They began playing small venues such as, The Club Car, Jessieville Summer Music, and competed in several battle of the bands, of which they won three. Two at the Club Car, and one at the soon to be Gator's Bar. There were not many places to play in Hot Springs, so they played a lot of parties. Their Mother was so cool, and loved her sons so much, she just wanted them to be happy. She knew they were missing all their friends in Southern California. And besides she thought they sounded great and were really talented. She allowed them to have jam parties almost every weekend at their home on Rock Creek Road. She knew this would help them make new friends quickly, and have a safe place for them to play from 1981 and into 1982. She supervised all the kids who came, and made sure everyone was safe all the time. She would sway back and forth in her rocking chair to the beat of her boys playing rhythm and blues and rock & roll. while always watching, listening, laughing, talking, smiling and sometimes scolding the kids who came in and out of the parties. And if a fight broke out, you could hear her voice over the thunder of Mike Stacey's drums, John Allen! As he was the self appointed bouncer and the older, stronger half brother. And he would gladly break it up, and kick some butt if he had to! Yes John Knowles was tough! He had to be, growing up in Buena Park, southeast of Los Angeles, right next to Anaheim; constantly fighting with Southern California gangs of the mid 1970's; for his lunch money, and sometimes his life. He later lived his dream and moved to Anchorage Alaska, and lived an Indian fishing village, and has an unknown amount of offspring there, as he contributed vastly to the local gene pool. He passed away in 1999, Horny, Scirostic, and Happy. Mildred's open door policy for the boys went on, until Garland county got wind of things, and required it to cease and desist in late '82. She still let them to rehearse there in Tommy's bedroom, a 22 x 18 space that his Dad had designed to be a game room, when he built the house in 1977. This helped Tommy further develop his ear and musical talent until 1983. With the help and friendship of Mike and Angie Sheets, they lent him a small P.A. system that he used in his early gigs and rehearsals. He had many jam sessions with people like Joe Glaeser, Robert Trimune, Dave Harvey, Robert Howell, Doug Hobby, Laurie Lloyd, Dennis & Rick Goss, Geoff Elaison, Tommy Kemp, Bill & Doug Harper, and Mark Mason to name a few. He then had an opportunity to relocate to Detroit "The Rock City" with his buddies Michael & Richard Stacey. They wanted to reunite with their Father Richard Stacey Sr. whom they had not seen in over ten years because of their Mother's Divorcing him. At age 23 Tommy Roeck left home. Then he, Mike, and Rich made their move to Detroit in October of that year. Brother Dave stayed, no matter how much he might have wanted to go with them. Dave took a job at Jordan Oldsmobile, made top mechanic, got married to Traci, formally adopted Tracie's son Joshua and looked after his Dear Mother, Traci, & Josh. Things were tough at first for the rock and roll brothers in the North, sleeping in cars and the very welcomed couch touring at Richard Seniors and Bob Cibulka's houses, but Tommy was determined to be a success. A friend named Tony "Paquido Man" Genoa got all 3 of them jobs at a restaurant called Shenanigans and that's when the fun began! Tommy began Starving himself, lost over 100 lbs, and became bulimic and thin. Completely determined to make it or die trying. Somewhere along the way Richard junior decided the party was over, and came home to his Mother Diane Williams. While Mike and Tommy stayed in the frigid north, sometimes it could get 60 below and you had to bundle up so you could go out in the dark frozen morning, take off your air cleaner, and spray starting fluid into your carburetor to start your car an hour before you even could leave. This meant that there was plenty of time to warm up in the shower and dry off, and put on two extra pairs of long johns before carefully hustling out to the car without slipping down in some ice. Getting into that warm car made it all worth while. Mike got into a blues band and was playing backyard summer events while Tommy was going to the gym and working out regularly. He investigated all kinds of hot prospects, musically and spiritually. The Out of Hand Band was the first stepping stone on Rock's road to Motor City stardom, with virtuoso youngster Matt Mansour on bass and Dave "Mongo" Lyons on drums they were a formidable force.

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