My cousin Rodney isn’t my cousin at all, in fact, we’re only related by marriage. His grandmother and my grandfather married in their sixties, so we aren’t really blood relatives. But we always thought of each other as cousins.

Rodney was a couple of years older than I was, and had considerable musical talent, and an interest in performance. When I was still in high school he fronted the biggest dance band in Tampa, the Mystics. Although a drummer, his voice and good looks quickly made him bandleader and vocalist. You have to keep in mind this was pre-Beatle. The Mystics did rock, R&B, standards, and performed in pastel tuxedoes. They were the headliners at the biggest venue in Tampa, the Palladium Ballroom.

Rodney’s career took off. He adopted the stage name “Rod Starr: (Remember, this was pre-Beatle, pre-Ringo) And he wound up playing for several big bands, doing session work and touring with The Atlanta Rhythm Section, Roy Orbison (he was one of The Candymen), BJ Thomas and Roy Buchanan. He couldn’t quite make it into the A-list as a solo or lead artist, but he walked with giants..

Eventually, reality set in, and he needed a day job. He had a wife and kid, and music is a tough business. Rodney gave up the stage, got a job with a liquor distributor, and became a successful businessman. He kept his hand in the music biz, but at a local, small-time level. And while doing well in business, continued perfecting his craft.

I lost track of Rodney, but one day I googled his name and got a hit from a Tampa blogger who ran a newsletter about the early-sixties music scene in Tampa town. He knew Rodney, and I got his contact info, and we corresponded.

Rodney was retiring from his day job, and he had assembled a hot band, specializing in Classic, 1965-75 hard rock. He’s in his 70s now, but the man can still definitely rock and roll. He now also plays lead guitar and is in Coocoocachoo, the house band for the Skipperdome at Skipper’s Smokehouse, a notorious N Tampa biker hangout, seafood restaurant and rock venue that frequently hosts some big name acts. It has an outdoor stage under a huge Florida live oak: one of the last great hippy bars.

I went down a few years ago to catch up, and catch his act. Marty Balin of the old Airplane, who lives in N Tampa, was also on the playbill. The boys are awright, if you’re ever in the area, check ‘em out. Tampa may have gotten a rep as the Death Metal capital of the US, but there are still enough old freaks around USF to support a legit rock scene.

http://www.coocoocachooband.com