Monday, January 03, 2005
Shorty Kaye keeps rambling on
From The Asbury Park Press
In the 1950s, hundreds crammed Rac's Hut, a Jackson tavern-restaurant, to hear country-western music stars: Patsy Cline, George Jones, Ernest Tubb, Ferlin Husky and Little Jimmy Dickens.
Later, in the 1960s, Shorty Kaye, whose real name is Milton Kovacofsky, would "go around (performing) and somebody'd come up and say, 'You still around?' " said Kovacofsky's current wife, Ginny, 74.
Imagine what these folks would say now, realizing Shorty Kaye has been musically rambling along all these years. And, at 78, the Lakewood resident, says he has no retirement plans.
Today, Kovacofsky on accordion fronts the Shorty Kaye Kombo, with Andy Stapinski of Little Egg Harbor on saxophone and clarinet and Vinnie Mazza of Little Egg Harbor and Bayonne on drums. All three sing, too The Shorty Kaye Kombo plays mainly for senior citizen functions.
Shorty Kaye and the Jersey Ramblers -- Big Bashful Bill Kubeck on guitar, Morris "Pee Wee" McConnell on bass fiddle, Emil Arias on the fiddle and later Eddie "Corn Cob" Connors on mandolin, Jimmy Starr on guitar and Walker "Buddy" Farmer as the square-dance caller -- were in the right place at the right time.
Country-western stars, generally living in the South, would travel to New York City to record. George Rac, the tavern-restaurant's enterprising owner, "got them between recording sessions," Kovacofsky said.
The country-western stars arrived at Rac's Hut alone or with one of their regular accompanying musicians, in need of a band to back them.
"We fell right in, no rehearsal or nothing," Kovacofsky said.
Read the article
Asbury Park Press
In the 1950s, hundreds crammed Rac's Hut, a Jackson tavern-restaurant, to hear country-western music stars: Patsy Cline, George Jones, Ernest Tubb, Ferlin Husky and Little Jimmy Dickens.
Later, in the 1960s, Shorty Kaye, whose real name is Milton Kovacofsky, would "go around (performing) and somebody'd come up and say, 'You still around?' " said Kovacofsky's current wife, Ginny, 74.
Imagine what these folks would say now, realizing Shorty Kaye has been musically rambling along all these years. And, at 78, the Lakewood resident, says he has no retirement plans.
Today, Kovacofsky on accordion fronts the Shorty Kaye Kombo, with Andy Stapinski of Little Egg Harbor on saxophone and clarinet and Vinnie Mazza of Little Egg Harbor and Bayonne on drums. All three sing, too The Shorty Kaye Kombo plays mainly for senior citizen functions.
Shorty Kaye and the Jersey Ramblers -- Big Bashful Bill Kubeck on guitar, Morris "Pee Wee" McConnell on bass fiddle, Emil Arias on the fiddle and later Eddie "Corn Cob" Connors on mandolin, Jimmy Starr on guitar and Walker "Buddy" Farmer as the square-dance caller -- were in the right place at the right time.
Country-western stars, generally living in the South, would travel to New York City to record. George Rac, the tavern-restaurant's enterprising owner, "got them between recording sessions," Kovacofsky said.
The country-western stars arrived at Rac's Hut alone or with one of their regular accompanying musicians, in need of a band to back them.
"We fell right in, no rehearsal or nothing," Kovacofsky said.
Read the article
Asbury Park Press
# posted by Dave Sichak @ 8:54 PM 
