Their hair is a little greyer around the edges and shorter than back in the days that brought them all together through a love for music, but the River City Horns (RCH) are still entertaining local crowds.
The band will play again at Midland Commons on Friday night, October 24, from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm. If you are into the music of Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago, and Tower of Power, this show will be right up your alley. Those powerhouse bands provided the catalyst for many of the River City Horns’ musical selections, and the band has attracted generations of fans for years.
Beginnings
In the 1960s, Sly and the Family Stone, the Rolling Stones, and the Beatles started a music revolution. They influenced kids interested in music, including a group of Richards Junior High students.
Sam Ruffner, Andy McGee, Sid Woolfolk, Bob Berry, and Bobby Walton were the original members of the Total Rex. They were a full-fledged band which included vocals, rhythm and bass guitars, trumpet and drums. There were probably some fans who wanted to hold their hand.
“When I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, Ringo Starr mesmerized me. He was so happy and smiled all the time while playing. I knew then that I wanted to be a drummer,” said Berry.
That experience inspired him to mow neighborhood yards and save enough money to buy a Ludwig drum set from Colaianni Music Company.
Berry and other members of the Total Rex later attended Hardaway High School. Dr. George Corradino was the band director then and supervised the Music Department for the Muscogee County School District for more than 20 years.
“George Corradino gave me a love for music, and the band we formed in those high school years gave me a reason to practice,” said trumpeter Donny Kent.
That band was the Soul Proprietors, created by vocalist Jimmy Price and Joe Chambers on lead guitar. They were joined by Kent, Ruffner, and Berry, Steve Lott on trumpet, Pete Rodda on bass, John Bush on trombone, and Drew Carden played the organ. Like most bands from that era, they played for college parties and other area gigs. They hit a high note when they won the National Battle of the Bands competition in 1972.
Popular vocalist Jimmy Price was influenced by the King himself, Elvis Presley.
“When I was four or five years old, my parents entered me in talent shows singing Elvis hits. Heartbreak Hotel was a favorite,” said Price.
Through the years, Price’s vocal performances shifted to reflect Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, and Chicago lead singers, including Robert Lamm and Terry Kath.
One person who won’t be joining them is Joe Chambers. He had already left the band to start his writing career in Nashville, although he still came into town to perform with them occasionally. Price and other members consider him the most successful musician to come out of the band.
Chambers wrote songs for Randy Travis, Ricky Van Shelton, B.J. Thomas and others on Music Row. In 2006, he opened the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
When singer-songwriter Neil Young visited, he said, “If you want to see the hood ornaments on the car, go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. If you want to see the engine, to see what makes it run, go to The Musicians Hall of Fame.”
Sadly, Chambers passed away in 2022.
The next chapter: River City Horns
After performing at a Hardaway High School reunion, Sam Ruffner reflected the words of the Blues Brothers, “Let’s get the band back together.” That was in 2010.
Ruffner loves a good horn section and many of the band’s former and present members provide that element.
Between going off to college, finding replacements, raising families, and starting businesses, members may come and go, but the River City Horns keep performing. Many of the original musicians come back year after year.
Ruffner has been credited by his bandmates, past and present, as keeping the band alive and the music going. He is referred to as the “Band Daddy”.
The River City Horns played in Lagrange recently for the Lagrange College homecoming, at several Uptown Concert Series in Columbus, and other venues across the southeast. Why meet for rehearsals when the band members live across the southeast, why lug the mic stands, speakers, and equipment? Because they all love music.
There are a few representations of the band’s influences for the lineup at the upcoming concert on Friday at Midland Commons. Nowhere Man, So Very Hard to Go, 25 or 6 to 4, Maggie May, Sweet Caroline, Vehicle, and Mustang Sally will be in the mix.
“There’s a chemistry with the River City Horns, it feels like making magic,” said Jimmy Price.
Don’t miss the opportunity for great music and magic at Midland Commons. In the words of one of their main influences, Tower of Power, We Came to Play because the River City Horns come to play for you, and it’s FREE. You can follow them here.
If you are hungry while enjoying the entertainment, Midland Commons has a host of great eateries, including Tommy G’s, B. Merrell’s, Mabella’s, Culver’s, and food truck options. Yes, pets are welcome. Music also soothes the savage beast.
