There they were, the four horseman of Toledo rock ‘n’ roll.
It had been a minute since these guys had all been together, but in 1962, you would’ve seen — and heard — them all together at some Toledo ballroom, bar, or club. Today, they’re among the last surviving members of Toledo rock ‘n’ roll stalwarts the Storms and Johnny and the Hurricanes.
These rock ‘n’ roll veterans have reunited to talk about the days when rock ‘n’ roll symbolized freedom, good times, and occasionally courted controversy. Sixty years ago, these cats were some of the coolest people in town.
First, there’s Rodney Pfotenhauer, better known as Mickey Lee. He was the bassist for the Storms, which later turned into the Raging Storms, and the Fabulous Storms. The band set Toledo’s dance floors ablaze in 1962 with their hit “The Dribble (Twist).”
Across the room seated in a folding chair was Storms drummer Sam Tarsha, a tough guy filled with stories about dust ups and fistfights fought in the streets of Toledo. He recorded at RCA studios in Chicago, where Elvis Presley recorded, and also played in Nashville.
Seated on a sofa is Joe Reinhart, the guitarist for the Storms, who can still remember playing with Jerry Lee Lewis at the Peppermint Club during the days The Killer used to hold court at Duane Abbajay’s joint, which was one of the best places to hear rock ‘n’ roll in downtown Toledo.
Pfotenhauer and Reinhart met at the University of Toledo, introduced by mutual friends.
“Ronnie (Lehmann) and Joe asked me to play bass and I had no idea what a bass was. In those days there was nobody to teach you how to play the bass properly,” said Pfotenhauer.
Then there was Donnie Staczek, who wasn’t a member of The Storms or Raging Storms, but rather the original drummer of Johnny and the Hurricanes, Toledo’s biggest rockabilly export, which enjoyed chart success in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s.
Staczek recalls being on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and spending the days hanging out with the Storms and other bands. Back then, all the bands knew each other and hung out with each other.
“This guy is number one because he was with the Hurricanes,” said Tarsha gesturing to Staczek.
“We used to go into T-Bones and listen to the Storms,” said Staczek, naming off other long-gone venues like the Zebra ballroom and the Miracle Mile ballroom.
Everyone can remember the song that made them each fall in love with rock ‘n’ roll music. For Tarsha, it was “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry. For Rhinehart, the magic number was “Be-Bop-A-Lula” by Gene Vincent. And Pfotenhauer recalled an old R&B number called “Dance With Me, Henry” by LaVern Baker
“It wasn’t a very popular song, but I thought ‘Wow, this is a different sound.’ And of course, what it was was rhythm and blues,” said Pfotenhauer.
The Storms played in the Toledo area for the better part of 50 years, despite losing band members over the years.
In 2004 both the surviving members of Johnny and the Hurricanes and the Storms performed at the grand reopening of the Maumee Indoor Theater. Johnny Paris, the leader of the Hurricanes, continued to perform until near his death in 2006. Today, Staczek is the last surviving original member of Johnny and the Hurricanes and he looks back at his place in Toledo rock ‘n’ roll history with great fondness.
“Nobody lasted long in the Hurricanes,” said Staczek. “But it was a fun gig.”
Today, both the Storms and Johnny and the Hurricanes are recalled as two of Toledo’s best bands from the pre-Beatles invasions. Music from both bands can be found on YouTube, introducing a whole new generation to their Glass City rock ‘n’ roll stylings.
“It feels really good to get together like this,” said Tarsha. “So many years have gone by.”
First Published December 30, 2022, 11:00 a.m.