The South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association has no affiliation with The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

  MUSIC LINKS


  Inductees .....
  
 
Chat/Message Board .....
  
  2012 Photo Gallery .....
  
  Photo Gallery .....
  
  Merchandise for Sale.....
  
  Contact Us.....
  
  Previous Inductees.....


  Board of Directors

  Don Fritz, Chairman (605) 362-1223
 
Terry Tausz, Treasurer (712) 472-3958
 
Doug Lund
 
John Fiksdal
 
John Mogen
 
Mark Aspaas
   Rick Knobe

  Mailing address

  5329 W Pritchard Dr
  Sioux Falls SD 57106

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING ADVERTISERS FOR YOUR 2012 SUPPORT

•  Sioux Merchant Patrol Inc. – Sioux Falls
•  Cornerstone Financial Solutions, Inc. – Huron / Sioux Fall
•  A Tribute to KISD Radio by Ken Mills – Minneapolis, MN
•  Dairy Queen (DQ.com) – 40 locations in South Dakota
•  Nicks Hamburger Shop – Brookings
•  Dakota Vision Center – Sioux Falls
•  Nordstrom’s Under the Hood Show – Garretson
•  Iowa Rock & Roll Music Association – Arnolds Park, IA
•  K & M Music – Sioux Falls
•  Mogen’s Heroes – Sioux Falls
•  Cliff Avenue Upholstery & Restoration – Sioux Falls
•  Sisson Printing – Sioux Falls
•  MES Companies – Sioux Falls
•  Something New Band – Salem
•  KISD 98.7 FM – Pipestone, MN
•  Fireplace Professionals – Sioux Falls
•  Pizza Ranch East 10th St. – Sioux Falls
•  Mathison’s – Sioux Falls
•  Lift Pro Equipment Co. – Sioux Falls
•  Kanesville Used Records – Council Bluffs, IA
•  Ramkota Hotel – Sioux Falls
•  Sioux Falls Music Company – Sioux Falls
•  Sunshine Foods – Rock Rapids, IA
•  Westmore Music Co. – Sioux Falls
•  Christoffels & Company – Sioux Falls
•  Arlie Brende Lawyers – Sioux Falls
•  Spectrum Photography – Lake Preston
•  Hoy Trial Lawyers, Prof. L. L. C. – Sioux Falls
•  Associated Consulting Engineering Inc. – Sioux Falls
•  Tinner’s Event Center – Sioux Falls
•  Rick Burkhardt – Advertising Arts, Inc. – Sioux Falls
•  Pipestone Performing Arts Center – Pipestone, MN
•  Srstka & Srstka Lawyers – Sioux Falls
•  Absolute Productions – Lennox
•  Architecture Incorporated – Sioux Falls
•  Lewis Drug – Sioux Falls / Brandon / Huron / Madison / Brookings

 


  Please visit these great links!

  The Mob (facebook page)
  Myron Lee
  Bobby Vee
  Iowa Rock 'n Roll Music Association
 
The Kansas Music Hall of Fame
  The Texas Musicians Museum
  Travel South Dakota
  Sioux Falls SD
  Washington Pavilion
  Ken Mills Blog
  Lyal's Music Store (facebook page)
  Jay Bee and the Kats (facebook page)
  Torres
  South Dakota Country Music Hall of Fame

Please visit us on Facebook!


 

 

It happened again! Saturday, April 21, a sold out crowd got to take that walk down memory lane one more time. The 4th Annual Induction Concert was again held in the Ramkota Exhibit Hall. Those that were there got to pay tribute to all of the 2012 inductees who in some way had an influence on the music history of rock & roll in SD. Congratulations to all of this year's inductees! You helped us relive some great memories.  

 

 

 

We are now accepting orders for the 2012 SDRRMA Induction/Concert Three DVD set. It was filmed by SD Public Broadcasting and will be of exceptional quality. The DVD set is now available for immediate shipping. Cost is $20 and includes shipping. They may be purchased on our website through PayPal or by sending a check to:

    SDRRMA
    5329 W Pritchard Dr.
    Sioux Falls, SD 57106

 

 

 

 

 

Now Available......

 

 

 

 


 

 

Created by Willie Bertsch
Click to Play
[
Thank you Willie for the video!!]

 

 


 

Welcome to the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association. We are very excited about this project, which became official in October 2008. We had some great input to help us get started, thanks to many different individuals. 

Our goal is to promote and recognize those folks from South Dakota and surrounding areas that have made the music scene in our state what it is. There are a number of musical artists, dance halls, recording studios, DJ’s and others from this area that have made a local contribution to the music scene and some who have gone on, nationally to continue their careers. 

We encourage you to check our website as it grows. We have included a message board that allows you to share comments, and memories
- click here

If you have memorabilia that you would like to donate, make a financial donation, or would like more information about our Music Association - click here

Thank you,
The South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association Board of Directors

 


 

We have received a lot of very nice comments from people who played in bands around our area. 


If you are a fan or played in a band around the South Dakota area  we want to hear from you! 
- Click Here

 


 

 

 

Feature of the Month 
ROD JERKE: A LIFETIME WELL SPENT IN ROCK N’ ROLL!

Written on 3.2.12

This is the twenty seventh edition of the Feature of the Month for the South Dakota Rock & Roll Music Association. We are rock and roll fans, and looking to write a feature each month, that will not only bring back wonderful memories, but will also remind us all of the history that was made in our great state of South Dakota. We are hoping to write a feature each month selecting one of the many talented Bands, DJ's, Radio Stations, and Dance Halls throughout SD.

 

If one takes the time to sit back with a copy of Billboard Magazine’s “Book of Top 40 Hits” and has the opportunity to look at Rod Jerke’s neatly assembled calendar of his rock n’ roll journey through the decades, and does the math, one discovers that Rod has played guitar or keyboard for over 150 national acts. 

That’s a very impressive number for a guy who started at age 15 in Sioux Falls, SD with a little local band named Jason and the Argonauts. Rod came to the attention of a new group, Scotty Lee and the Stingrays, who were about to explode on the local and regional scene! Once Rod had a taste of opening for major recording artists like the Happenings, who were enjoying a number 1 hit with “See You In September” and “Go Away Little Girl” he was hooked.!

After Scotty Lee and the Stingrays, Rod went on to join the Handy Brothers/Chessmen show. He quickly joined the pulsating Pilgrims and was a member from ‘67-’71. While working with the Pilgrims, Rod attended Augustana College. Towards the end of his junior year however, Rod received a call to join the world famous “Drifters” on a tour of military bases. The two week tour went from California to Georgia with a show every day. A tour with “The Coasters” followed immediately.

The early seventies saw Rod playing clubs across the U.S. with the group “Priceless”. In fact, Rod met his wife Sue while playing at a club in Peoria, IL. When the band returned to Sioux Falls, Priceless played the Pomp Room six nights a week for a year. They then moved to the Fireside Lounge for four months, then back to the Pomp Room.

Rod formed the original version of PowerPlay after Priceless disbanded. The group added horns and were discovered by an agent from Hollywood who represented The Royal Guardsmen. He booked PowerPlay to play the opening of a two million dollar discotheque in San Diego. This led to the agent’s booking them to tour nationally with Little Anthony and the Imperials.

In 1978 Rod returned to Sioux Falls and formed the group “Night People”. Bobby Vee called and asked them to become his touring band. Bobby Vee even recommended Rod to Dick Clark who made him musical director of a Dick Clark produced show called “Dick Clark’s Nifty ‘50’s Revue”. For two years they toured the United States and Canada, topped with playing for 45,000 people at Chicago Fest. Bobby Vee was the headliner, so as his bandleader Rod was asked to play for other acts on the show such as, Del Shannon, Gary U.S. Bonds, Lou Christie, The Crystals and Tommy Roe just to name a few.

In June of 1982, Rod partnered with Kevin King in a new version of Night People. Eventually, the name was changed to “Hot Rod/Chevy Kevy. The stage names lasted for 18 years. Hot Rod/Chevy Kevy toured the U.S, Canada and Europe backing up national acts such as: Chuck Berry, Freddy Cannon, Chubby Checker, Frankie Ford, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, The Platters, Leslie Gore, Johnny Rivers, Bryan Hyland, The Shirelles, Wolfman Jack, Little Eva, Dickey Lee, Danny & The Juniors, Sam Moore, The Shangri-la’s, Len Barry, Tom Jones, The Tokens, Jerry Lee Lewis, Suzy Quattro, The Fireballs, The Animals, Cliff Richards, and Little Richard.

Rod also assembled the Rod Jerke Orchestra to tour with performers Gene Pitney (his first American tour in 18 years), Smokey Robinson and Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Jerry Lewis, Don Rickles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Les Brown and His Band of Renown, and Bobby Rydell..

While traveling with Hot Rod/Chevy Kevy, Rod earned an ASCAP membership for a song he wrote called “Jamaica”. It was used as the theme song for years at a daily television show in Odessa, Texas.

These days, Rod is still going strong with a new version of “PowerPlay”, that features his son Raine on lead vocals and bass guitar. They’ve been voted a “Local Best” for the past five years and are one of the most popular bands in the mid-west. 

Last year, Rod was inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Pilgrims. At this year’s induction, Rod will be reuniting with the band that started it all, “Scotty Lee and the Stingrays“. They will be playing some of the arrangements that Rod used on tour with Little Anthony, Del Shannon and Frankie Ford.

 

 

We are fortunate that the Washington Pavilion in down town Sioux Falls has offered us some space to display our Hall of Fame memorabilia.  

Click on photos to enlarge

 

On August 2nd, 2009 the South Dakota Public Broadcasting televised the Induction Ceremony that was previously taped on May 24th.                                                 »  Click here to visit the SDPB website

 


 

 

 


 

 


 

South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association 2012
The South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association has no affiliation with The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
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