Ever look back at some of the live performances or music videos of favorite bands from the 1980s and 90s and wondered “what’s up with that one guy?”
You know what I mean. It’s that something extra added to the roster that helps give a band its unique image. In some cases, they might not seem necessary, or they might seem like a just a gimmick, but if you look further they are so much more than that. They are living examples of the American Dream come true, and I’m here for it.
For example, let’s give it up for…
The Dancer in the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Bob Carr was with this Boston ska band from their beginning to the end, and was also kinda of a tour manager as well. He got his rep as their “dancer” when he doing some roadie work. A club they were playing at said you had be be 21 or “in the band” to get in. Well, he wasn’t 21 yet, so they put him in the band dancing his heart out.
The Small and Mighty Rapper with Kid Rock
At 3′ 9″, Joseph Calleja (aka Joe C.) would be the first to tell you, he wasn’t “a f*ckin’ midget” (his words, not mine), but he did suffer from dwarfism due to severe celiac disease. He was only 26 when he died of this condition, but rapper and rocker Kid Rock worked with Calleja to help him hone his own skills as a rapper. His stature might have made him appear to be a novelty rather than a full-fledge member of the band, but Calleja looked like he had a great sense of humor about it. Plus, he go to throw down with Gary Coleman! How boss was that?
The Spiritual Elder in Arrested Development
Arrested Development is one talented group, and when they first formed in the late 80s, they were a positive, love and life affirming answer to gangsta style hip-hop and rap. They celebrated being good to others, their culture and their generation. Yet, it was hard to miss, among the youthful group, one much older man. This was Baba Oje, who actually co-founded the group with lead singer, Speech, when they were both students in Milwaukee. He was 57. Baba Oje was with them until his death at age 86 in 2018. No, he didn’t rap, sing, or perform, but he was always there with the band, earning him an affectionate title “the oldest man in hip-hop.”
Want to know one reason I love this country? Despite all the griping and whining about people not getting opportunities to pursue their own happiness, there are plenty of epic examples in the music world that prove the opposite.
God Bless American music of all kinds, and bless every one of these performers (living and gone) who made a niche for themselves doing what they love best or simply just being what they love.
Of course, you could take it one step further, just for fun. If you try hard enough, you don’t have have to be a sentient being to be a vital and beloved part of a music act. With that thought, I give you the beautiful four-wheeled fourth-band member of ZZ Top in the 80s and 90s, Eliminator. Helping to make nerds hot since 1983: