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PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR
A very intelligent entertainer once said to Gary, “When you’re dreaming about your life and future, shoot for the moon… because even if you miss, you’ll still be up there somewhere with the stars.” That’s how Gary has lived his life from day one. He was born in the San Francisco bay area, the son of a Chevron Oil Company machinist and homemaker wife. Gary, at a very early age, wanted to play music. Watching TV variety shows like “The Ed Sullivan Show” inspired him. It took three years of begging his parent before they signed him up for lessons. Within one year he was performing shows for PTA meetings and local events all over his home town with his two brothers. Hearing the applause and getting that kind of attention became an addiction that would turn out to be life-long. Gary, a good student, started his first band at age 12. By 14 he was the youngest member of “The Vandells”, a popular bay area rock & roll band, which lasted through high school. One month after graduation, Gary was working Harrah’s Reno & Lake Tahoe with many of the popular show bands of the time. Starting his own band was first and foremost in his mind. He teamed up with Sandy Selby in 1973 to form one of the hottest groups in Nevada, touring throughout the 80’s & 90’s. With four albums and a CD under his belt, (Gary produced three of them), shooting videos, television and radio shows, performing concerts and shows all across the USA, Canada, Europe and the Orient, branching out was the next step. In 1992, Gary and his wife, Jeanene, became entrepreneurs with Gary's invention and creation, Slam Grand Piano Company. The concept was to come up with a piano that was light weight, easily cared for, and would never go out of tune. Sounds impossible? The company is in its thirteenth year and has received piano orders from Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, LeAnn Rimes, REO Speedwagon, Michael McDonald, Alicia Keys, Journey, Engelbert Humperdinck, Counting Crows, John Tesh, Wayne Newton, Disneyworld, the 1996 Summer and 2002 Winter Olympics (for Celine Dion, David Foster, Little Richard, and Stevie Wonder & Harry Connick, Jr.). |
Gary (who bears a striking
resemblance to Benny Andersson from ABBA), always enjoyed the
music of ABBA, even learning three of their songs during the
“Gary & Sandy” show years. He had the opportunity to see the
band in September of 1979, and remains a true fan of their
sound. How do you put together a tribute/concert to one of the
greatest rock bands in the history of music? You start by
recruiting your team to help you. Gary had two vocal surgeries
which did not allow him to sing all the parts himself, so he
called on his 30 year partner, Sandy Selby, to share in the
vocal undertaking. ABBA used unique recording techniques to
record vocals, and all those parts had to be dissected,
cataloged, arranged, and organized. This task would take 6
months, up to 10 hours a day.
Every musical note would have to be transcribed and replayed into a computer. Gary called on Fred Sampson whose knowledge in midi computer music would facilitate this part of the operation. Gary would listen to the song of the day on the 45 minute drive to Fred’s studio, replay all the parts starting with the drums and bass, and working through piano, strings, horns, vibes, bells, and whatever else ABBA used. This one month job turned into a 5 month perfectionist’s nightmare. No part was too small. Gary then had to supervise: (1) The combining of three different formats into one; (2) Re-record and perfect parts; (3) Compare that to the original recordings for audio authenticity; and finally, make it all “user friendly.” Certainly not the least important… Who rounds out the team? Gary’s wife, Jeanene, and their children, Ben, Casady, and Garrett, of course, who were blessed with the patience and the eyes to see the vision of their husband/father’s dream, and allow him the freedom to passionately go for that dream. You merge that with the vocal and instrumental rehearsals. Put together a collection of the best singers, musicians, choreographers and technicians to assemble the package into a working show program that includes audio, visual, live TV, lighting, and effects….and you now have the beginnings of a masterpiece show. So sit back, take a sip off your beverage, and get ready to reminisce with your past to some of the greatest music ever written, and performed so authentically, that we hope you never forget this experience
The Cast Sandra Selby Agnetha Christine Shelton Frida Fred Sampson Bjorn Gary Raffanelli Benny Cindy White Voices Jeanene Raffanelli Voices John Esler Utility Kent Gochnour Drums Joe McKenna Bass Aaron Anderson Audio Pyro (Garrett Raffanelli) Actor
adbacadabra is sponsored by Slam Grand Piano Co. & Pearl Drums.
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"I sometimes think I got into show business so that I could travel and meet new people!" says Fred Sampson - adbacadabra's Bjorn Ulvaeus. And travel he has. The son of a US diplomat, Fred was born in Buenos Aires. With his brother and sister, they lived in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia. Before he was 10 years old, he had crossed the equator 5 times and been on 10 different air and cruise ship lines. At the tender age of 13, Fred started his first garage band, "THE WALFLOWER COMPLEXTION" in Bogota, Columbia. Heavily influenced by the 'British Invasion' sound, the band quickly became popular and soon had their first record deal. The band cut 2 (now very collectable) LPs and did lots of club work and parties, as well as numerous radio and television performances. The show biz 'hook' was set! |
Returning to the US, Fred started a series of bands in high school and got to see many of his guitar idols in concert - including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. After high school, Fred again hit the road and traveled on his own all over Morocco, Spain, France, Switzerland, and the British Isles. During this time he supported himself by 'buskin' or performing as a street musician on boardwalks and in subways. He eventually settled in San Francisco and became part of the thriving Bay Area music scene. He also got a degree in audio engineering that has served him well in his career. He soon was playing with 'The Shakers', a pop/reggae band signed to Asylum Records. Numerous bands followed. Along the way, Fred had the thrill of performing with many of his rock and roll heroes, including: Chuck Berry, The Shirrells, The Drifters, The Coasters, Mitch Ryder, Little Anthony, Len Barry, and Brian Highland. Always a songwriter, his biggest song writing credit to date has been a co/write with Tom Scholz of the multi-platinum single "I Need Your Love", on Boston's 1994 "WALK ON" CD. Fred also found time to develop and license a guitar design to Chandler Guitars - USA, that's called the "555" series. It's the red one he plays on-stage in the adbacadabra show.
Moving to the Virginia City Highlands outside of Reno, Nevada gave Fred the opportunity of meeting Gary Raffanelli. "When Gary asked me to join the cast, I was blown away for a number of reasons. First off, the rest of the cast members are simply the best at what they do. And also, it's a rare opportunity to work with someone like Gary, who's got so much drive and vision. We had a blast working on the music for this show, and we're having an even better time performing it on stage. You see, I missed out on ABBA the first time around and so they're still very fresh to me. Discovering and exploring their amazing and diverse musical legacy has been very exciting journey for me. I feel like a teenager again with a new favorite band! "
