SALISBURY ń Itís been 2[0xbd] years since the seven members of the Sugarcreek band that rocked the house at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion during the 1980s got together for a reunion concert.
For its fans in the Carolinas and up and down the East Coast, the Sugarcreek drought ends on Saturday, Aug. 27, when the band reunites at the Brick Street Live concert series in the 100 block of North Main Street in downtown Salisbury. The Saturday festival kicks off at 1 in the afternoon, and Sugarcreek will be one of five bands performing. Sugarcreek takes the stage at 9 p.m.
The band that thousands of teen-agers danced to at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion has an extra treat in store for its fans, sometimes known as ěCreek Freaks.î Known for its original songs in the í80s, the band members, now split and performing with other regional bands, were back in the studio this summer, recording two original songs: ěGotta Have Loveî and ěTonight.î The Salisbury reunion will be its first live performance of the two new songs, along with old favorites ěCrazy Kinda Love,î ěSoothsayer,î ěSix Days To Sunday,î ěTogether Again,î ěRock The Night Awayî and their biggest hit, ěWhat A Night.î
ěItís nearly impossible to get us all together,î says Ricky Lee (keyboard). ěEverybody is so committed to other projects. Itís really a treat for us to get together. We enjoy each other and have a lot of respect for what we did.î
Will they be rusty? Lee thinks not. ěUnfortunately, we know each other way too well,î he says. ěWe were together for 250 nights a year for 9 or 10 years.î
For a total of 350 of those nights, they performed as house band at the Magic Attic, which, as part of the Myrtle Beach Pavilion, was recently demolished.
During the í80s, these seven band members recorded five albums and reached semi-finalist status on the television program Star Search.
All seven are still at it. Jerry West, lead guitar, works with Band of Oz out of Raleigh. Tim Clark, lead vocalist and lead dancer, has his own band, The Tim Clark Band, in the Myrtle Beach area. Drummer Lynn Samples works with Band of Gold out of Charlotte. The other three, Steve Long (guitar), Eddie Howie (bass) and Lee work with Too Much Sylvia, which will perform at the last Brick Street Live concert in the 2011 series on Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Castaways restaurant parking lot, 119 N. Link St .
These current bands play parties, festivals and bars, using a lot of cover material, Lee says. What was unique about Sugarcreek was the original material, he says. ěWe do some original stuff today, but certainly not to the extent of Sugarcreek.
ěWe had a wonderful following,î he says, with the original song, ěLovely Little Lady,î taking off in the Piedmont area in 1979. By 1981, they were getting serious about writing, Lee says.
From the summer of 1971 through the fall of 1990, the Charlotte-based band played more than 4,500 dates, spreading their music over a good portion of the United States and Canada. Upstate New York and New England were good fan bases, Lee says.
ěThe í80s were a good time for music,î Lee says. ěIt was all fun stuff. There was humor in the lyrics. We were a clean-cut bunch of guys. We didnít try to trash it out. We respected the stage and tried to look good.î
The band broke up in the early í90s. ěPeopleís lives change,î says Lee, with marriages, children, and other commitments. ěWe grew up in the í80s.î He counts his blessings that he continues to make his living in music.
At the Salisbury street festival, Sugarcreekís Jerry West will also perform with Band of Oz. The Chobey Badgio Band will perform at 3 p.m., followed by Big Sam, Atlanta Groove, Band of Oz, and then SugarCreek. Charlie Brown, host of the syndicated radio show ěOn the Beachî thatís carried on 40-plus radio stations, will emcee.
Miller Davis Productions, co-owner of 3Dudes Productions with Sharp Capital Group LLC, is bringing this first-of-its-kind Salisbury street festival to the downtown area. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the gate. Festival-goers are encouraged to bring chairs.
A limited number of VIP tickets will be available for $50 each, with tent seating, autographed band photo, and after-party wrap-up at Steliaís Restaurant. Platinum tickets, $100 each or $175 for two, include all VIP perks, plus dinner and drinks at Steliaís. Details are at brickstreetlive.com. Order tickets online or call 704.637.5363, ext. 218, and ask for Jessica.
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