Boston’s House Band Part 2

It's nice sid.

I'm going you crazy Boston's News Radio.

Then Winniker Brothers are here and we have just about fifty one minutes of show to go with them. Phone lines are full, but if you want, I'll give you the phone numbers, and as soon as the line becomes available, rapidly dial six one, seven, two, five, fourteen thirty or eight eight, eight nine to nineteen thirty and before I take our next call. Gentlemen, I know your mom's health was not what it could be. Has she improved it all?

Oh? Yep, she's doing better with the help of the Good Lord. She will turn ninety eight years of age on August fourteenth.

It's adorable.

We're excited about that. And she's she's had some issues, but she is tenacious.

Well, she's listening. I would say, you keep getting better and we all love you.

Oh, thank you so much. He is listening to every word.

All right, then let's go to New Hampshire and speak to Jimmy. Jimmy, thank you for calling. You've got the way brothers.

Whenever sky's look great to me, he had trouble begins to do. Whenever the winter winds become too strong, I concentrate on you.

Hi, guys.

Hey Jimmy.

That's Jimmy Page and he is one of our most favorite singers. He's a great singer. And I say to Jimmy every time I see him, We've got to make a CD with you.

Yeah, we have to someday.

Brother.

I'm just happy to talk to you again because being up here in New Hampshire, we get stuck, we get stuck a little. And the one thing that you do is you keep me involved by all of the postings that you put out. So that's really great to see. And I happen to catch this one that you were going to be on tonight, and if this is as closet as I can get to the Winnaker Brothers, that's what's.

Going to be for tonight.

It's so great to hear your voice.

Honestly, I know, brother, that was actually a song I think one of the first songs we ever did at the old skip Jack on a Sunday.

Yeah, well, you know we Bill and I were talking about skip Jacks tonight. When we finished up at the Parker House Hotel about to fourteen years we started playing at skip Jacks and we ended up playing there for twenty six years. Sunday Brunch for twenty six years.

It was great.

Skip Jackson Waltham or in Boston, No, no, Skip Jacks right in Boston, right okay, right behind the Trinity Church. Yeah.

We used to enjoy their their food and you guys on Sunday and it was great. Also, something happened today that was obviously charmatic, if you will, because up on Craig's cell phone came our dinner with a Nette at the lake years ago.

Oh my god, remember that? Yeah, how about that?

He made a he made a chef's dinner out there for Velma and uh and Annette and me and uh before you guys arrived for the weekend. So we had to shuttle off. But we hope she's doing well. That's I heard that comment before.

Yeah, she she's We have dinner together every night here and when we sit around the table and talk about how we're feeling, she's usually feeling better than me or Bill.

I know we're also going to be in a perfect storm to something.

But you know, we have a lot to be thankful for. I mean the fact that we still have our mother. Yeah, but we're gonna.

So nice to get out.

Go ahead.

We'll try to get out and see you at some point that you keep posting it and I'll find my way back into Boston to hear two of the most generous artists that there are in existence to day.

Well, you're very kind and it's great to hear you, but it will be better to see you. So all right here, thank you for the phone call.

Yeah, thank you brother, thanks for putting them on tonight. You have a great night on everybody.

Bye bye, bye bye.

Now all right, let's go to Middleborough and speak to gg GG. You're next here with the Winnakers.

Hey, no gg, double G Yeah, double G. Yeah.

I thought i'd pop in and thank the Winnakers for having me on the gigs this week. I was able to fill in on some gigs, and I will tell you they're not exaggerating when they're telling you how wonderful that supper club is, because it really is. I think a lot of your fans would would love it if they can, if they can actually get reservations. I know it sells out soon, but the family connection that you have, it's a warm It was a warm, very warm gig

For me, I've been here since roughly nineteen. I started radio in nineteen eighteen. I've been with BZ roughly since nineteen ninety five.

Yep, yep.

And Gigi, I want to tell you something like this week. You have no idea how many phone calls I've had to make and shifting times back and forth. Tonight I had a guest who didn't show, and within three minutes I was able to take a guest that I would have had on Wednesday and insert her into tonight and do the best I can and try to make it look seamless. It's a lot of hard work in the doing radio.

Was that your education person that you had on your equational Yes, oh well that's great. Well I'll tell you Bo and Bill, you had a situation that you really needed coverage in, and I'm glad that it got to be me because I like your last color Jimmy. You guys were talking to Jimmy and his story is kind of my story with you with you folks.

Skip Jacks It was Skip.

Jock's and I don't know how I managed to sit in with you, but you both looked at each other and you just weren't sure. I'm not sure because we hadn't known each other, and you had this look of relief once I started It's singing. Well, the relief that was brought to your faces.

I sat.

I went there with my husband.

It was a.

Brunch and I sang a Billie Holiday arrangement, and I'm so glad I got to do that with you over the weekend. And I hope that your situation smooths out.

And then.

I hope so too. But I want to tell you you did an incredibly fantastic job, really, and you're a great person and have a glowmote of talent. I'll tell you thank.

You so much. I really appreciate the compliments. And like I said, it was an honor you had played forty years ago at my friend's wedding, and I was just it just made it more. I even wore the bracelet she passed away, but I wore the bracelet she gave me to the gigs, So that's.

What I did.

You're really very welcome.

I'll be talking to you soon. I can assure you bybebye.

There goes Gg and Jim and Boxford will be next after these messages here on night Side, heard only on WBC News Radio ten thirty with a time is eleven seventeen. Temperature has been holding all night long. It's seventy five degrees.

Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World night Sight Studios on WBZ News Radio.

A lot of people have called in tonight. That's why when I have the winnakers on, I usually slot them for a two hour commitment, and I have one line available. Anyone who wants to dial six one, seven, two, five four ten thirty or eight eight, eight, nine to nine, ten thirty, there is a line waiting for you. Let's go to Boxford and speak to Jim. Jim, welcome aboard.

Hey Morgan, how are you.

I'm fine, loud and clear.

Jim, great, this is the first for me. Actually, I'm from Lynn. I'm in Boxford now, but I'm from Lynn, and I just wanted to say I knew I became middle aged when I could sit and watch on television a Red Sox game and started to listen to talk radio. I know I'm now old because I'm calling in for the first time ever, so I just want to make that introductories and so.

What are you twenty three, twenty four years old?

I'm being funny, give or take fifty years or so years, you know, but I want to say hello to Bo, because Bo and Bill, I'm not sure I ever met you, but I met your father, because I don't know if you remember Gil Fishman Bow and the jazz Boat and the concert cruise.

Oh, we worked with Bill on the boat. We worked with Gil and Fenton Holland for a number of years and fantastic.

Yes, yeah, and that's I worked those two cruises for the summer of seventy six and seventy seven while I was going to law school, and that's where I met you. And so impressed was I and my girlfriend at the time with you guys that you actually played at a wedding in nineteen eighty one at the Oakley Country Clubs.

Okay, yeah, Oakley Country Cup.

Yes, yeah, but you guys were fabulous, You were terrific. It was great to be able to listen to you and have you come entertain us. And I just wanted to call in that say thank you.

Well, will you do us a huge favor and someday come out to Nioli and reintroduce yourself to us so that we can, you know, reconnoiter our friendship.

Yeah, and that's Westwood, you said.

West in Westwood, mass Yep, it's too. Eighty two Washington Street, Naroli an E ro o l I. And you want to ask for the Supper Club when you do come with their one Thursday night a month. The next night is September nineteenth, six pm, eight pm in the supper Yeah. So I'd love to love to see you. You sound so great. And are you still practicing law?

Oh god, sadly yes. You know what they say about old lawyers ever retired, they just lose their appeal.

I wish I had a room shot for that.

Well, Jill could have. You know, I always think of this, but if you have a job that you love, you never work a day in your life. And I know Bill and I we've sort of found the fountain of youth by being able to play music. And I just want to see this that we owe our father a tremendous debt of gratitude for sharing his love of music with us. I haven't said that yet, but I want

Wife, and kudos to you guys. And I'm sorry, well, what was your dad's name again? Because he truly was a gentleman and a wonderful musician.

Yeah, uh, ed ed Winaker, that was my father. And you know those jazz boat cruises, we played them and they were so exciting, you know, that was such a great time for us. We of course, we played on the Provincetown boat for five summers and we were doing those jazz cruises and we were working awfully hard back then and we're still working awfully hard, but we're having a lot of fun.

So thank you. Ahead good. No, it's not work if you love it right, it's exactly and Fenton were great guys to work with you, so.

They absolutely were. But thank you for taking the time to reach out to us tonight. It really touches us steeply.

Thank you, Jim, first time ever. Thank you guys, and let's take James from Midford. James, thank you for calling. Welcome to Night Side. How are you. I'm finding you.

I'm doing well. You know, I've never called one of these shows before, but when you talk about the Winnakers, it resonates in me because I know we have the hipoprivacy and all that. But the mother I used to take care of for her for treatments for ophthalmology.

Oh that's what radio does. It's a small world.

It reconnects, it does, you know.

And she told me about the Winnakers. She told me everything about the band, you know what I mean, And honestly I knew nothing about it, and it made me look up, you know, and start to do research on it because she told me about the history of it.

You know, guys.

Yes, it's so great of you the call. We appreciate that so much. I'll tell you my mother has been the first and that's been able to share all the stories about our family for all these years, you know, Bill and I sixty two years we've been doing this, and my mother's the gatekeeper. She knows all the stories. She knows of going down in New pomp Rhode Island and playing for the Vanderbilts, and playing for mister and

Well you let her know that I worked with doctor Song. I was her assistant for years and that's how we met.

My mother still goes every six weeks to get that shot for macular degeneration, so she's still.

That's amazing.

So boy, it's so great to hear from you, and boy, this was very touching that you would take the time to call.

You know, I'm driving, I'm just listening, you know, I like listening to the talk shows. But honestly, God, this is the first time I've ever called.

Well, I'm glad we got you to reach for the phone.

I've never called any radio show in my life unless I'm trying to win something.

Okay, Well, don't be such a stranger. You can do it again and again after that.

Honestly, you know I won't because it felt really good to talk about this. You know, it's such a big you know, her legacy, which is still going on, is so amazing that it's something that needs to be talked about on a regular beat.

James, Well, we thank you for that very kind statement.

You're welcome, and I appreciate everything that your family has done in the music industry.

Thank you. I hope we hope our past will cross one day.

I hope so too.

I really do, Okay, I hope, I hope.

You You're welcome.

I hope you guys have a great night enjoying good luck with your mother and family.

Thank you, Jan Thank you so much.

Have a great night, guys.

We will bye bye.

Now we're so close to a break, I'm not going to take the next call. But Diane, I've got a couple of commercials. I've also got the news hit. So we'll get to you roughly about three minutes or so. I promise you'll be right after that. Anyone else wants to jump on six one, seven, five, four, ten thirty eight, eight, eight, nine to nine, ten thirty. I am speaking with music legends Bo and Bill Winnaker. They've been entertaining people in the New England area beyond the New England area for

It's night Side with Dan Ray Boston's News Radio.

I am very fortunate to have Bill Winnaker his brother Bo Winnaker, entertainers in this area for decades. And let's go to fair Haven and speak with Diane. Diane, you've got the Winnakers here for me.

Hello, Hello, Hello, this is Diane calling Saint Laurent. And I couldn't let's me even go by without tossing my hat in the ring bow. And Bill, especially Bo played with my father for many, many years. My father was a pianist, and Dave Bo was a household and Ed was a household name around our house, and so I feel like they are somewhat part of the family, and so I just wanted to say, Hi, Oh you guys doing tonight.

We're doing really well. We're having a fun time. This has just been a very exciting evening hearing from so many people, and especially you. I want to talk about your your dear departed father, Bill, Saint Laurent. He was a member of my band for many years. He was

And you know, yes, Gary Burton, Yeah, Gary Burton, he had, he did. He gave a statement. He wasn't able to be at my father's funeral, but he passed along at statements that I read live. I mean, it was. It was one of the most touching statements I think I've heard, because you know, that's a part of my father's life. I didn't really know anything.

About you know.

However, when I was at Berkeley, he knew who I was and just opened right up to me about my father. So it's been very touching over the years to meet people who have known him.

Yeah, well, let's not let's not forget your mother either. She was a brilliant teacher, pianist and teacher, and so absolutely.

Oh yes, yes, that's how they met. Yep, my parents met. I got a lot of music in me, Yep, I do. And I'm very grateful for having had both my parents. My mother just recently passed away, but I just had to say thank you so much for being part of a joyous part of my father's life. He just adored you, absolutely adored you.

We had a great relationship and Bill had a twinkle in his eye. You know, there was just something about Bill. He was just such a lovely gentleman. Yeah, Brian musician really honestly, he you know, he worked in Norwood at the high school and he was a great conductor of the chorus and everything. But he could play great jazz and he had just do it all he could range.

I do like to I have to take the blame for that high school job because he was he was digging quite a bit over the years and heavily, and he was getting his masters at be Boston Conservatory when I was born, and so this forced him to take the quote unquote day job. But it turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of his life. You know, he's the choir director.

Yeah.

The students loved him, they did.

Yeah, they really did.

You know, the whole all the students that that we're lucky to say be in the courses.

He led those courses.

Year after year.

He they adored your.

Father they did, and they actually there's a number of them that attribute their careers to him, you know, most of them you can read on Facebook, you know, as opposed to I don't see them, but I do catch comments that they've made on Facebook about him, and and had talked to him at his funeral as well, that they attribute their own careers to him. So it's it's

Yeah.

Yeah, he was a gentleman in every sense of the word. Yeah. Yeah, you're so so nice and thoughtful to call in tonight.

Well, I don't have as much to say as some of your other people, but this is your life film Bo and a Girl, wonderful wonderful to him.

Your call is spoken volumes. Believe me, you sent all the right things tonight and we appreciate it.

I owe a deep gratitude to you. I really do. Yeah, I know we've spoken on the phone. Now, we've spoken since my mother's passing, which was seven months ago. But prior to that, when I was growing up, we used to speak on the phone. I was like a little secretary, you know. And yeah, so it was. And it was joyful here and practicing for his gigs and then loading up the car like a one man band heading off to play with the winn Grows. So I thank you.

We had a lot of fun and we made a lot of great music. The music was always was exceptional when Bill was playing that piano.

On higher level. It really is.

Yeah, I want to say thank you for taking the time to call us.

Oh, you're very welcome. Thank you for having me on.

You're very welcome.

And good night. We'll talk soon. Love you both very very much.

By now, before I take my last break of the hour, there was a woman when I came to see you, what three or four years ago at Brothers. There was a young woman's singer and I cannot remember her name. Is she still performing?

Well, she she's moved to California. She went off with her boyfriend to California. I believe she's still doing some singing out West, but she's been gone now for a couple of years. What was her name, Zoe? Yes, that's it, yep, lovely young woman.

Well she's out in California, and you and I both know that's a very rich place for a performer to be.

Yeah, I want to interrupt for a second. She's actually in Las Vegas, so you.

Might run into her in Vegas.

Moved, she moved to Las Vegas, and I don't know exactly where she is, but she's there, and you love Las Vegas. You're going to run into her, I think.

Well, I would love to if she is performing in Vegas. I would love to sit in the audience and just watch her singing entertain.

Well, we'll keep you posted when we get more information, all right.

Because I I just got to feel this kid's got it and she's going to make it one day.

Well, we put our heart and soul into working with her.

We worked with her for a couple of years.

Yeah, we would get together with her every week, and you know, As Bill and I have told you before, we've mentored over two hundred musical musicians over the years, and that's the throw for us. We love it.

Name a couple of people that quote unquote have done well. They've stepped up, so to speak, just right for a couple of.

Grace Kelly, she is a young woman who has traveled the world over. She's a saxophone player and singer. And I worked with her for two years. She would come over to my house and we would work and she is a brilliant musician. She's very famous. Grace Kelly. I mean you listen as they know her, okay. And Tony du Bois. He's a blind autistic pianist living in the Midwest right now.

Me.

Yeah, Well, Tony is a genius. They have made a movie about his life and they have written a book about his life. That happened to happen to the Winnakers yet, but that's happened to Tony de Blois and Tony. Yeah. So those are two people that are pretty famous that have traveled the world over. And then we have a number of musicians. One of our trumpet players who worked with us for years was the lead trumpet player with Frank Sinatra. And he was in my band at.

The Parker House and when he graduated college, after playing with me for a few years, he got the job as lead trumpet player with Frank Sinatra. And he always calls us and writes to us and tells us he owes it all.

To us well to learn the swing like that.

Yeah.

No, As I said, we have mentored over two hundred musicians from Berkeley College and Music Wing the Conservatory, Boston University. And you know, it's just something that we loved doing it. It was giving back. That's why we did that. They rehearsed at our house. I don't know if I've told this story to you before, but they would. We lived right in Coolidge Corner. Yeah, very very close to the Trader Joe. It's very close to Trader Joe's. That's where

Anyways, did you guys play Zitos in Boston?

No, we didn't know. We played at Grub.

Remember I played there too. I did trivia that.

My god, you know what we were doing there. This was before we worked at the Parker House Hotel. This was our stop. We played about a year there on Thursday nights, and we were doing the Gong Show of all things at the end of the Yeah, well yeah, we were playing swing music there. We had our six p swing band playing there. But then we would do the Gong Show and we had The place was packed.

But did you do jumping into the woodside for the dancing machine?

Oh yeah, let me take my last.

Break, get it out the way and just chat with you, guys. That's the magic of Bill and Bow. I'm gonna throw it to rob By saying time and temperature eleven forty seven seventy five degrees.

Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.

We have very few minutes left with my guests Bill and Bo Winnaker. And if there are people out there listening that would like to maybe learn how to play an instrument, how to approach singing, how to do something musically that you've always wanted to try but never really had the gumption to go through with it, here is your opportunity. Guys, give a phone number where people can reach you.

Sure, they can reach us two ways. They can call six one seven two seven seven six six seven three that's Bill number, or they can call my number, Bose number at six one seven four six nine three four three seven.

And tell everybody about the third week of September and.

Well, on September nineteenth, from six to eight pm, we'll be playing at Niroli. It's a wonderful Italian restaurant. You can get anything there. It's located at two eighty two Washington Street in Westwood. The phone number there because you do need a reservation. It's seven eight one three, seven five two five nine four Thursday September nineteenth from six to eight pm. You need a reservation and make sure you make it in the supper cub, which is in the back of the restaurant. It holds eighty.

People, so you just can't walk in off the street.

Well, you probably they set up a table. One of my friends showed up without a reservation and he said he was a friend of Bo's, and they brought out a table for him and set it right up in there. They had, you know, one extra seat available for him. So no, it's a it's a good idea to have a reservation. But sometimes you can show up and they can sit you at the bar or something like that. So it's worth a try, but i'd recommend a reservation.

So it's like the movie Goods Fellas if if you kind of know somebody, if you get lucky, they'll bring a table out the back and set set it down right up front.

They've done that a few times. They'll just they'll do it because they're very they're very a chroma. That's it. They are really accommodating.

Well they did it for ray Leota and Goodfellas.

They sure did.

Listen.

I know we have a couple of minutes left, but Morgan, we want to thank you. And I know we haven't been on for a number of months. You've called us religiously and asked us to come and we said, you know, we're just not ready now. But I'm so glad we reconnected tonight. This was so much fun. I hope you had as much fun as we did.

Oh, definitely, definitely, And we will do it again. You know that.

Oh, I know that.

I know we will every two, three.

Four months. Your phone rings, It's me and I say, can you do this date at this time?

Yes?

Well, you know we're back now, we're back in the loop.

Now.

We had a little time off. We just had to take care of a few little things. But this was wonderful tonight. It was just a very special evening.

Now, I want you to do me a favor, and this is a personal favor. You did it for me once before at Brothers. I want you to play a little bit of Killer Joe and tell the people that are there and ROLI's that you're playing this for your buddy, Morgan.

Consider it done. Just let us know when you're coming, and we'll we'll take care of it. We'll you know, we'll we'll take it right down the middle for you. We'll swing it out for you.

Well, yeah, I'm there or not. Just knowing that you play it okay all that matters. And I cannot believe that I see the person calling in now with three minutes of show to go, put them on. It's almost I sure bet that she will call with me and minutes of show to go. Rob screen her as quickly as you can and change your light so I'll know she's ready, because this is a woman from Wisconsin. And and Karen, I say this to you all the time. Why do you wait till the end of the show to call in?

Didn't you get the message? No, you're not supposed to chastise me, because all I one does say hello and goodbye.

Well, call earlier to say hello and goodbye.

Well something I couldn't. I couldn't.

And so.

Is Bow and Bill.

There still here?

Go ahead here, Hi, Hi, Morgan and Bow and Bill. And I just want to say hello to both you. I love you both. I missed you, and I'm trying to get out there and and with that, I'll see it at midway and neurally's.

Okay, Okay, sounds good. But we should tell everybody that's listening that Bo came out to Wisconsin and did a big comment start out there and invited you and that was quite a night.

Yeah, sure was. I'll never forget it, I know. Okay, thank you, Okay, good.

Night, good night, Karen. She has a habit of doing that, calling at the very end, but you guys were her incentive to call in. I want to thank you both for coming on. I hope your mother continues to get on the mend and you see all the people that call in who have been touched by your professionalism and the music that you have put forth Winnaker style, and that's that's basically about it.

Well, we appreciate it so much. We appreciate you so much, and I hope you have a great show tomorrow.

Night on Wednesday night.

Wednesday night.

Yeah, Ben Parker will be here tomorrow night.

No, no, I'm talking.

I'm talking about the restaurant gig.

Oh my restaurant gig. Thank you.

Yeah, No, that's what I was referring. I was referring to that.

Okay, Well, thank you for that and now I'll speak to you guys. Next time I speak to you guys. I also want to thank h William Keck who is on Teacher Terry and I'll be here Wednesday night. I want to thank Rob Brooks. I want to thank Terry and Gray and the Dan Ray audience. Thank all of you. By Boston