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.
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On
August 2nd, 2009 the South
Dakota Public Broadcasting televised the
Induction Ceremony that was previously taped on May 24th.
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