Nicole Brenny
Contributing Journalist

Crowd-pleasing 1950s and 1960s doo-wop and rock ‘n’ roll show group, the Whitesidewalls are coming to the Chippewa County Fair this August. In advance of the show, Swanee, one of the earliest members of the group, offered a rare glimpse into the history of the band from his perspective, which interestingly enough, started out with a fib.

The year was 1972 and Swanee, just a fledgling musician at the time, was visiting Vavro’s music store in St. Paul, a store he would later own, when the owner dropped him a hint that there was a band looking for musicians. “You should try out,” he told Swanee. “They’re good.” Without hesitation, Swanee showed up for the audition. He knew the group was looking for someone who could play the guitar and sing. Swanee could sing, but he knew nothing about playing guitar so he brought his saxophone instead. After he finished playing, the leader asked Swanee to show them something on the guitar, telling him that he could play theirs. Searching for an excuse, Swanee said, “I’d rather play my own.” He made arrangements to come back and audition “with his own guitar” a week later.

He immediately went back to Vavro’s, bought a guitar and locked himself in a room for a week straight, listening to 45s and teaching himself everything he could about the instrument. The leader of the group had told him, “If you can play the solo to ‘Rock Around the Clock’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode,’ you have a job.” Needless to say, that week of hard work paid off. “I auditioned a week later and I’ve been working with the Whitesidewalls ever since and it’s a really good job,” Swanee says.

A really good job that has had him and the four other talented members of the group playing in front of crowds that number in the thousands, with crowds of 1,500 to 3,500 people being average, though they’ve often performed in front of much larger crowds. “Can you imagine playing in front of 10,000 people? There’s a lot of eyeballs looking at you.” And as it turns out, those eyeballs are actually a part of what makes this job really good. Swanee stated, “What everyone [in the group] enjoys the most is making people happy. We absolutely love our fans. There’s no better feeling in the world than to see the smiles. I’m not exaggerating one iota. We love the people that come to see us. I can speak for everybody on that.”

Despite being around for over 52 years, playing hits from the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll, the Whitesidewalls still engage younger audiences. “We don’t have to cater to a younger audience,” Swanee stated matter of factly. “It’s amazing how many young folks say, ‘Wow, this is really good!’”

That crowd appeal isn’t by chance. “Every show is different and if we get an inspiration we’ll just go with it and it turns out good just about every time,” Swanee said, continuing, “Every show depends on the crowd and the venues. There are some songs we play on a regular basis so we just look at the crowd and go, ‘this would be a good set list for this crowd.’”

The band members are multi-talented, often switching instruments mid-set. The current lineup features Rocky Beaumont who is mainly on drums; Bobby Maestro, a keyboard player who also plays guitar and bass; Captain Peter who acts as frontman and plays keys, bass and guitar; and Rusty Renault a bass player who also plays “a very fine guitar,” according to Swanee. When asked about his own role, he stated, “I play sax, lead guitar, bass and keys. I sing lead and do backup vocals.” He also owns the company, does the booking for the group and produces their records.

And Swanee has quite the stories when it comes to producing albums with the group. One in particular that stands out features a musician that has reached legendary status here in Minnesota – Prince. Prince was a regular at Vavro’s music store once it was under the ownership of Swanee. He recalls, “When [Prince] got his record contract he came into my store and was all happy he got the contract.” According to Swanee, soon after that he was asked by Prince to record an album of the group in front of a live audience at Paisley Park. They were getting ready to master the album when Swanee asked what he owed Prince. According to Swanee, Prince replied, “Nothing. You’ve done so much for me. Enjoy.”

This type of opportunity would easily cost $10,000-$15,000 at that time. According to Swanee, in the end, Prince said, “I tell you what, if you want to give me some money, just pay the janitors really, really well because they worked hard cleaning up after you guys. Other than that, thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“He’s a wonderful man,” Swanee stated with fondness.

And Prince is not the only superstar that the doo-wop singing group has shared the stage with. Carl Perkins, Bobby Vee, Del Shannon, Tommy Roe, and popular radio DJ Wolfman Jack were listed amongst the most memorable to date. Swanee shared the particularly theatrical moment that he met Wolfman Jack during a memorial concert in Clear Lake, Iowa. “We’re in the dressing room and it’s like 30 below zero on Feb. 3. There’s a great big sign outside of the door that says, ‘Don’t open the door to outside.’ All of a sudden the door opens and as soon as the hot air to the dressing room collides with the cold air from outside, there’s immediate steam in the dressing room and in through the steam comes Wolfman Jack just like he’s walking through the fog… it was unbelievable.”

Swanee is wildly aware of just how far out and fantastical his journey with music has been. “I’ve had a wonderful life,” he stated during the interview, which is a strong statement coming from a man who also detailed having died and come back three times – once by lightning strike during a concert!

Lightning struck or starstruck, this singing group of five is sure to entertain and bring on the dancing vibes at the 2024 Chippewa County Fair, with a set list customized to fit the crowd! Fairgoers can see the group perform for free on Aug. 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Chippewa County Fairgrounds. For those who want to enjoy the group’s stylings from home, they have CDs available for purchase online including “Live at the Park,” the album recorded at Paisley Park. You can also catch them weekly on their radio show on KSCR-FM 93.5 in Benson, Minnesota, from 10 a.m. to noon CT on Saturdays.

For an immersive rock ‘n’ roll experience of this story, check out this Whitesidewalls inspired playlist curated by our staff, featuring artists that have shared the stage with the group. Follow the QR code that accompanies this article for the playlist.