ROOSTER back in the day!

[DiezelDale]

In the Denver music scene, during the 80's music scene, Rooster was a local guitar hero! Super nice to everyone who met him and always amazing to watch play live. Oh the glory days of Hair!

 

[hunter]

Ok looks like the beginning of a great story, but it seems unfinished.

1. Where are the clips?
2. What happened to him afterwards?
3. What does he do today and what does he look like?
4. What gear did he play back in the day - and what is he playing today?

We. Want. More.

 

[King Guitar]

Ok looks like the beginning of a great story, but it seems unfinished.

1. Where are the clips?
2. What happened to him afterwards?
3. What does he do today and what does he look like?
4. What gear did he play back in the day - and what is he playing today?

We. Want. More.

http://www.trailertrashpedalboards.com/

 

[hunter]

Ahhhhhh. Now I feel stupid

 

[Rooster2k]

More Rooster Facts -
Well after the 80's passed, Rooster moved to Austin Tx for awhile to get the Tx Blues & Swing in the blood, then went on to Nashville where he lived for 13 years. He played guitar for Mark Chesnutt (MCA) 3.5 years - Chely Wright (MCA) 5.5 years- Ty Herndon (Sony) - Chris Cummings (Warner Bros. Canada) - Jon Rich (solo on BNA) before Big & Rich - many artists..... he even picked w/ Vince Gill.
Finally in 2006 Rooster was asked by Wolf Hoffman (Accept - German Metal Band) to play on a (Wolf) solo recording project. During this time he also got a call from Dwight Yoakum to come out and audition, Rooster - Audley Freed - and the guy from the Mavericks who got the job...
This was a real bummer for Rooster to not get the Dwight gig so he packed his guitars and moved to Denver to get married..... he still plays live and does a bunch of sessions in the Denver area. He is always looking for more picking work so let him know if you're looking for a player )
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Here is Rooster's current guitar/amp collection:

2007 Nash Blk 63 Telcaster w/ Bigsby
2003 Gibson SG Gary Rossington Brazilian Murphy Aged
2004 Gibson '59 Historic Les Paul Iced Tea AAA Flame Top
1998 Tom Anderson Hollow Tele (swamp ash) w/ B-Bender
2004 Tom Anderson Hollow Strat (alder) OHSC (Guitar of the Week March 28th, 2004)
2004 Tom Anderson Classic Strat scalloped neck (alder) OHSC
2007 Duesenberg Ice Pearl
Fender 1975 Telecaster Sunburst OHSC sunburst 7.0lbs
Fender 1974 Stratocaster (swamp ash) OHSC see through blonde - w/ orig receipt bought from orig owner - super clean 6.9lbs
2008 Fender '59 Reissue Jazzmaster -Curtis Novak PU's - Mastery Bridge –
Gretsch 2005 Duo-Jet Bigsby w/B-Bender OHSC TV Jones PU's
PRS 1995 Gold Top McCarty OHSC have this tuned to C and use it for a Baritone, wicked tone - 12-58's
2001 Hollow 2 PRS McCarty 10 Top OHSC Gold - birds Blk Cherry all top appointments)
Silvertone 1949 Fralin rewound the PU - wicked slide guitar w/ the olive wood fretboard - huge neck.....
Jay Turser Resonator Guitar records great, bluegrass - blues, strung w/ 12- 58 tuned to D
Bourgioues acoustic guitar (rosewood)
Early 80's Sho-Bud S-10 Pedal Steel Guitar OHSC
Fender Squier Bass SoftCase for studio crap
Amps:
1964 Fender Vibrolux w/Tone Tubbys super low serial # - prod # 2
1965 Fender Pro Reverb W/Tone Tubbys
1962 Fender Bassman had 9 of them, kept this one..... its super sweet !
1962 Fender Bandmaster
1996 Naylor Duel 60 Custom Purple
1950's Silvertone
2008 Fractal Audio Ax-Fx Ultra
VHT 2502 Power amp
2009 20th Annv. Bogner Shiva w/2x12 Cab
4x10 Avatar cabinet w/Celestions
2x12 Naylor cabinet W/Orig speakers - currently loaded w/ EV12L's (wicked speakers) Purple-(Eastpointe) had for a decade....
Oh ya, and a couple of Trailer Trash Pedalboards with too much crap on them….. )

Thanks all for the fun posts - I haven't seen that poster for many years.....
Here is what I look like today, playing a Duesenberg Outlaw - Blackface Fender and a Trailer Trash Pedalboard...... Will turn 47 in Oct !! A little less hair, but a ton of new licks..... )
Thanks and happy pickin )
James 'Rooster' Olson
303-650-2529
http://www.trailertrashpedalboards.com

 

[DiezelDale]

If you would like the poster, will bring it up to Denver for you! I was a student of yours for a short time back in the 80's, still have the lessons too! Now I know where those crazy finger pickin exercises came from, LoL

More Rooster Facts -
Well after the 80's passed, Rooster moved to Austin Tx for awhile to get the Tx Blues & Swing in the blood, then went on to Nashville where he lived for 13 years. He played guitar for Mark Chesnutt (MCA) 3.5 years - Chely Wright (MCA) 5.5 years- Ty Herndon (Sony) - Chris Cummings (Warner Bros. Canada) - Jon Rich (solo on BNA) before Big & Rich - many artists..... he even picked w/ Vince Gill.
Finally in 2006 Rooster was asked by Wolf Hoffman (Accept - German Metal Band) to play on a (Wolf) solo recording project. During this time he also got a call from Dwight Yoakum to come out and audition, Rooster - Audley Freed - and the guy from the Mavericks who got the job...
This was a real bummer for Rooster to not get the Dwight gig so he packed his guitars and moved to Denver to get married..... he still plays live and does a bunch of sessions in the Denver area. He is always looking for more picking work so let him know if you're looking for a player )
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Here is Rooster's current guitar/amp collection:

2007 Nash Blk 63 Telcaster w/ Bigsby
2003 Gibson SG Gary Rossington Brazilian Murphy Aged
2004 Gibson '59 Historic Les Paul Iced Tea AAA Flame Top
1998 Tom Anderson Hollow Tele (swamp ash) w/ B-Bender
2004 Tom Anderson Hollow Strat (alder) OHSC (Guitar of the Week March 28th, 2004)
2004 Tom Anderson Classic Strat scalloped neck (alder) OHSC
2007 Duesenberg Ice Pearl
Fender 1975 Telecaster Sunburst OHSC sunburst 7.0lbs
Fender 1974 Stratocaster (swamp ash) OHSC see through blonde - w/ orig receipt bought from orig owner - super clean 6.9lbs
2008 Fender '59 Reissue Jazzmaster -Curtis Novak PU's - Mastery Bridge –
Gretsch 2005 Duo-Jet Bigsby w/B-Bender OHSC TV Jones PU's
PRS 1995 Gold Top McCarty OHSC have this tuned to C and use it for a Baritone, wicked tone - 12-58's
2001 Hollow 2 PRS McCarty 10 Top OHSC Gold - birds Blk Cherry all top appointments)
Silvertone 1949 Fralin rewound the PU - wicked slide guitar w/ the olive wood fretboard - huge neck.....
Jay Turser Resonator Guitar records great, bluegrass - blues, strung w/ 12- 58 tuned to D
Bourgioues acoustic guitar (rosewood)
Early 80's Sho-Bud S-10 Pedal Steel Guitar OHSC
Fender Squier Bass SoftCase for studio crap
Amps:
1964 Fender Vibrolux w/Tone Tubbys super low serial # - prod # 2
1965 Fender Pro Reverb W/Tone Tubbys
1962 Fender Bassman had 9 of them, kept this one..... its super sweet !
1962 Fender Bandmaster
1996 Naylor Duel 60 Custom Purple
1950's Silvertone
2008 Fractal Audio Ax-Fx Ultra
VHT 2502 Power amp
2009 20th Annv. Bogner Shiva w/2x12 Cab
4x10 Avatar cabinet w/Celestions
2x12 Naylor cabinet W/Orig speakers - currently loaded w/ EV12L's (wicked speakers) Purple-(Eastpointe) had for a decade....
Oh ya, and a couple of Trailer Trash Pedalboards with too much crap on them….. )

Thanks all for the fun posts - I haven't seen that poster for many years.....
Here is what I look like today, playing a Duesenberg Outlaw - Blackface Fender and a Trailer Trash Pedalboard...... Will turn 47 in Oct !! A little less hair, but a ton of new licks..... )
Thanks and happy pickin )
James 'Rooster' Olson
303-650-2529
http://www.trailertrashpedalboards.com

 

[bforce]

Is that Johnny G to the left of James? It was a great experience in the eighties to hear these cats lay it down at DJ's Night Club on 10 cent pitcher night. I was also lucky enough to get a couple lessons from Rooster in Denver. The ladder scale is one of my favorites to this day(heard on the song Midnite Racer). Rooster told me they did some studio work as Autobahn. I'd love to hear the tunes again. Hopefully, the songs are the same as the G-Force band. Great, catchy songs with spectacular guitar work.

On another note, An eighties band in Maryland called Wrathchild America had a cat named Terry "T-bone" Carter. He did the crossover from Metal to Country. catch him on myspace. Great player. And yes, thats Shannon Larkin's first band too.

https://www.myspace.com/tbonecarter

 

[The Hoff]

 

[DiezelDale]

Is that Johnny G to the left of James? It was a great experience in the eighties to hear these cats lay it down at DJ's Night Club on 10 cent pitcher night. I was also lucky enough to get a couple lessons from Rooster in Denver. The ladder scale is one of my favorites to this day(heard on the song Midnite Racer). Rooster told me they did some studio work as Autobahn. I'd love to hear the tunes again. Hopefully, the songs are the same as the G-Force band. Great, catchy songs with spectacular guitar work.

On another note, An eighties band in Maryland called Wrathchild America had a cat named Terry "T-bone" Carter. He did the crossover from Metal to Country. catch him on myspace. Great player. And yes, thats Shannon Larkin's first band too.

https://www.myspace.com/tbonecarter

HA HA, I had a few lessons from james back then, as a matter of fact I still have the hand written TAB from that lesson, his lesson on alternate finger picking is one I stil warm up with when I noodle around on my old strat, thats too funny..I think more than a few musicians made the crossover in the early 90's, when Grunge surged and country started to get a heavier sound, out of the oprey and onto the arena stage for radio following, Just look at others like John 5, that cat can shred the banjo finger pick with the best of them!

 

[bobbylee]

Nice to find some info on Rooster and G Force. my dad auditioned for G Force back in the early 80s to replace Rooster for an upcoming tour when he broke his hand. He got the spot but Rooster recovered in time for the tour so my dad never got to play with them. I do however have a Live G Force CD made off an old cassette my dad still has. Songs like Midnight Racer and Silver Star are forgotten 80s gems. my dad also told me Rooster played a lead on one song for the band Hawk - S/t album. not sure which track though. another interesting fact. Back in the mid 80s Jay the guitarist of Malice came to Reno, Nevada, where i believe G Force was located at the time, and ended up sleeping with Johnny G's girlfriend. interestingly enough i recently heard an Unreleased track by Malice that sounds Extremely similar to a G Force song on the live album i have! odd coincidence? maybe so where can i get this Autobahn album?? what year was it released? was Johnny G the singer?? same band line up as G Force or just Rooster?? please, any more info at all on either band would be most appreciated!! drop me a line if your interested in a copy of my Live G Force album space-ace33@hotmail.com Cheers!

 

[Chris + Dan the Man]

During the mid 1980’s, Denver’s G-Force would travel to Arizona to Rock the big stage at the Tucson Garden Nightclub in Tucson Arizona. They were here about 4 times over about a 1 year period. My brother “Dan the Man” was a locally recognized bassist at the time, and he lived only 2 blocks east of the Nightclub on Lester Street in a small shack on a dirt lot with some bamboo. Johnny-G and Rich Carlson would visit Dan, and on one occasion the whole band including Rooster went over to Dan’s shack and Dan fed them all homemade potato salad and some potato chips. They were hungry. Dan was able to take a few pictures back then at the Nightclub, and one of his favorites with Rooster and Johnny-G he had made into a 20 inches by 26 inches poster that is showing here. If anyone would like a copy of the poster, just let me know. The smoke in the background is real. We were not allowed to puff in the Club, so the smoke was probably from Rooster’s amp. The Tucson Garden is closed and gone now, but not the memories. In the G-Force poster from left to right: John “Johnny-G” Griffith - Vocals, James “Rooster” Olson – Guitar, Todd Skaw – Guitar, Rich Carlson – Drummer, and Eddy Alavaz on Bass. I have spoken to Rooster, and he reports that all of the members of G-Force are still alive and around. Rich and Todd work at Guitars Etc. in Longmont. Rich is an instructor, and Todd is the owner. Johnny-G owns the Blooze Bar in Phoenix and is doing fine at last check. However, a Google search reports that they had a fire in June and that they are repairing the damage and remodeling. As for Rooster, he is doing just fine and plays in the band Reckless Red. Google provides gobs of information about Reckless Red, and they also have several live videos on YouTube right now, so check out Rooster! I hope this post helps with some of the Rooster story. When we find more pictures we will post them below. Cheers – From Chris and Dan the Man. All of my contact information is also available on my company website at http://www.minimintcoin.com

 

[just42dave]

terry carter is a cool as MOFO!!

 

[DiezelDale]

thats cool, brings back some great 80's memories.. thanks

 

[Helixx Guitars]

Hey Rooster. I just found this thread. I took advanced guitar lessons from you in the 80's and played a White BC Rich Warlock. I drove a red jeep. That should tell you who I am. Laura was my room mate. You played at Bangles night club and Dave was the manager. I watched you break a black Gibson Explorer on stage at a Metal Club in Thornton Colo. on the closing night.

 

[charveldan]

They had better hair & makeup than some of the chicks I dated ...

 

[Helixx Guitars]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRk6_uQT ... IEHC3VZF7H

 

[thenine]

this thread kills!

 

[IndyWS6]

They had better hair & makeup than some of the chicks I dated ...

That surprises no one...

 

[bforce]

here's most of the first set of G-force in 86ish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRk6_uQ ... IEHC3VZF7H It's missing Drive Fast and Play Your Music Loud, All Talk, No Action and Crazy Larry. And sadly all the great cover tunes done throughout the evening. But still a great recording. Enjoy!

Here's The Rooster playing country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2hMlLq ... BD8C280601

 

[SuzWin]

During the mid 1980’s, Denver’s G-Force would travel to Arizona to Rock the big stage at the Tucson Garden Nightclub in Tucson Arizona. They were here about 4 times over about a 1 year period. My brother “Dan the Man” was a locally recognized bassist at the time, and he lived only 2 blocks east of the Nightclub on Lester Street in a small shack on a dirt lot with some bamboo. Johnny-G and Rich Carlson would visit Dan, and on one occasion the whole band including Rooster went over to Dan’s shack and Dan fed them all homemade potato salad and some potato chips. They were hungry. Dan was able to take a few pictures back then at the Nightclub, and one of his favorites with Rooster and Johnny-G he had made into a 20 inches by 26 inches poster that is showing here. If anyone would like a copy of the poster, just let me know. The smoke in the background is real. We were not allowed to puff in the Club, so the smoke was probably from Rooster’s amp. The Tucson Garden is closed and gone now, but not the memories. In the G-Force poster from left to right: John “Johnny-G” Griffith - Vocals, James “Rooster” Olson – Guitar, Todd Skaw – Guitar, Rich Carlson – Drummer, and Eddy Alavaz on Bass. I have spoken to Rooster, and he reports that all of the members of G-Force are still alive and around. Rich and Todd work at Guitars Etc. in Longmont. Rich is an instructor, and Todd is the owner. Johnny-G owns the Blooze Bar in Phoenix and is doing fine at last check. However, a Google search reports that they had a fire in June and that they are repairing the damage and remodeling. As for Rooster, he is doing just fine and plays in the band Reckless Red. Google provides gobs of information about Reckless Red, and they also have several live videos on YouTube right now, so check out Rooster! I hope this post helps with some of the Rooster story. When we find more pictures we will post them below. Cheers – From Chris and Dan the Man. All of my contact information is also available on my company website at http://www.minimintcoin.com

OMG. My best friend and I flew to Tucson from Denver to go watch them ! We were their friends, they thought we were groupies ! What a wonderful memory. They were all wonderful guys, truly. We were regulars at "Bangles" in Leetsdale. That era was the best era ever !!! I have pictures and will post over the weekend. This made my night !