Walnut Creek Senior Center Playout

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May 24, 2013

By:  Karen Hefter
Photos by:  Bob Nelson

It was a gorgeous day in Walnut Creek and it was perfectly suited for a fabulous playout at the Walnut Creek Senior Center monthly luncheon.  A big thanks goes to our set up crew, who arrived an hour and a half early to set up.   We all joined the seniors for a luncheon of soup, hot dogs, and sides before our performance.

Jack Convery was our leader for the performance and he started off the show with the “Marines Hymn,” since the performance kicked off Memorial Day weekend.  We played several other patriotic songs, which roused the 65+ member audience and got their toes tapping.  Jack honored veterans from the various armed services.  Then, Jack went up and down the rows of the band and introduced each player individually and asked them to select a song for us to play.  We ended up with a great variety of songs this way and the audience was very appreciative.  They sang along from time to time and there were reports of a woman in a wheelchair dancing on the side.

We had a nice turnout of players for this show, including:  Guy Black, Tom Brunetti, Jack Convery, Bill Dowling, Don Granberg, Karen Hefter, Terry Horner, Ardie Jarrett, Chris Lardge, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Mickey McDonald, Herb Moore, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce, and Sheila Welt.  Terry and Don were featured on their washboards in “Coney Island Washboard,” which was a real crowd pleaser, and Terry even sang!  One of the interesting things about this playout was that it featured so many of our talented singers.  Jack, Terry, Chris, Mickey, Herb, Kit, Bud, and Sheila all sang during the playout.  Loyal club members Jim Abele, Dorothy Cahill, and Bob Nelson were in the audience supporting the performers.

All in all, it was a great playout and it’s hard to tell who had more fun – the band or the audience!

Walnut Creek Senior Center Playout  Herb Singing at the Walnut Creek Senior Center PlayoutBill and Ardie at the Walnut Creek Senior Center Playout

Delta Hawaii Memorial Park Playout

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May 11, 2013

By: Don Granberg
Photos by:  Linda Myers

We got started a little late, but we started out by playing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and “Bill Bailey” to a crowd of 100 to 150 people. We played from 7:40 to 9:10 pm to the enthusiastic crowd. We had dancers from the crowd enjoying themselves doing waltzes, the can-can, and slow social dancing.  The crowd clapped to the songs and sang along to many of their favorites. We had 12 members playing out their hearts.  Garry Kerr, Ardie Jarrett, Sheila Welt, Don Granberg, Dina Melamed, Mickie McDonald, Phil Myers, Linda Myers, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, our leader Betty David, and our dazzling Bass player Guy Black all attended this play out.  Guy was also our main man for set up.  Dina as well as Don entertained with their washboards.

Delta Hawaii Memorial Park PlayoutDiane and Bob at the Delta Hawaii Park Playout

Bill Cooper – In Memoriam

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Bill Cooper

August 26, 1950 to April 4, 2013

The Eastbay Banjo Club lost a large part of its heart and soul when we learned of the sudden passing of Bill Cooper, our dedicated Music Director since 1978. Bill’s passion for the banjo and traditional jazz music inspired many, many others to learn and then promote the joys and happiness the banjo brings to the world. He raised the spirits of countless numbers of people while leading the club on stage and during practice. He accepted and encouraged banjo players of all skill levels to practice and perform the music he and the audiences loved. Bill was not only a highly accomplished banjo player, but arranged all the music for the club. His rich collection of arrangements will be played to the delight of audiences for years to come.