Rockabilly band formed in 1954 at the Woodlawn Teen Center. The Jay Rockers Trio may have been the first rock and roll band in Baltimore.
Original members were Jimmy Staggs (guitar, vocals), Joey Welz (piano), and Sam Cataldie (drums). Pete Cruger was added on stand-up bass and was later replaced with Richard Flirbie. Additional members included Bill Frantz (lead guitar), Mickey Mezzanotte (sax), Charlie Shriner (guitar), and Ross Cook (vocals).
The Jay Rockers were Buddy Deane’s main band, playing many teen dances. They opened for many of the visiting stars who appeared on the Buddy Deane Show including Carl Perkins, and Bill Haley & His Comets at the Dixie Ballroom. Welz became friends with members of the Comets and worked for them as a roadie whenever they played in the Baltimore area.
In 1955 the group began recording at Dave Smith’s garage studio in Liberty Heights and at Berman Studios on Lombard Street. They recorded “Jitterbug Rock,” “You’re the One (I’m Lonesome),” and “Blue Rock.” Radio DJ Hot Rod played their song “Blue Rock” and the group was featured on a special WWIN radio interview.
Welz and Shriner went on to form the Rockabillies. Mezzanotte went on to the Swingtones, Crystals, Originals…
The Jay Rockers original recordings were reissued in the ‘80s on German import label LP’s “Bison Bop – Vol. 32” (LP 2038), “Joey Welz – Rockabilly Years” (Hydra 7713), and “Joey Welz – Top Ten Radio Hits of the 50s” (Canadian-American 1950).
