Chuck Reinard
There's always a receptive audience for any band or musician. It doesn't
matter if you play rock, classical, rap, folk, punk, blues or even polka.
You will always find a select group of people who will remember your name
and who will follow your career for as long as you have one. For Sunbury
based musician Chuck Reinard, he's been rediscovering his audience again.
Reinard started playing guitar around the age of sixteen. He learned how to
play "country guitar" from a man named Paul Lyons, who lived two miles
outside of Reno, Nevada. Reinard joined a number of rock/garage bands of
the day, but, he never forgot his country roots, which were planted in his
influences, artists such as Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Glenn Miller and
Gilbert & Sullivan.
As he got older, Reinard was influenced by artists such as Arlo Guthrie,
Cat Stevens, Jim Croce and Bob Dylan. So, it came as no suprise when, after
graduating from art school, Reinard joined Stone Society as their bass
player. He played a few select shows with this Selingsgrove based rock
band. The highlight of this unit was coming in third in a battle of the
bands contest that was held in Milville. Reinard describes Stone Society
as, "your average rock/cover band." They played songs by artists such as
Grand Funk Railroad, C.C.R., The Steve Miller Band, Led Zepplin and The
Beatles, playing the entire "Abby Road" album. After that, Reinard joined a
number of other bands, most of which didn't go anywhere and, as the 70's
were coming to a close, Reinard decided to go solo. One guy, one guitar,
playing a little bit of country and folk music, all the while, not taking
it too seriously, at least in terms of having a lasting career. A few
Holiday Inn's and a few local bars later, Reinard put his guitar up against
the wall and that's where it remained for the next eighteen years while he
spent more time with his wife, Rita, and their children.
In 1996, he was invited to jam at Salem Manor in Snyder County and, after
accepting the invitation, his self imposed hiatus was replaced by an urge
to perform once again. With his children nearly grown, Reinard talked to
his wife about putting his old act on the road again. "It was perfect
timing," Reinard stated, "I found out that my old material was in
demand...they called it classic 70's!"
Not only did Reinard catch the bug to perfom again, he also began writing
original material. Over 25 songs were written that were added to his set
list. Soon after, a decision was made to put the tracks on tape for the
sole purpose of getting his material copywritten. It was a suggestion by
good friend and Sunday Train bass player, Bill Gheen, that took Reinard to
Green Valley Recording in Hughesville, which is the home of one of
Pennsylvania's most well loved groups, The Alison Wonderband. After an
appointment was made, with guitar in hand, Reinard entered the studio and
laid down thirteen tracks for what would eventually be a release called
"Somethin' Special." The variation on this album comes from not being
completely focused during the songwriting focus. "What happens is, I get
these tunes in my head," Reinard explains, "I'll start out with a tune, it
could be a ballad, could be 50's rock, could be pure country. I work out a
few chords and I find lyrics that fit." Six months later, twelve more songs
were recorded and another release, "Midnite Train," became a reality.
Suprisingly, these tapes were not meant for public consumption. But,
through a strange twist of fate, they began selling and Reinard saw a
demand for them , the demos that were originally intended to be used for
copyright reasons became full blown releases, which Reinard now sells at
shows. I believe these releases were eventually put on CD. The releases
that would follow would be my introduction to Reinard's music on CD. "Jus'
Clownin' Around," "With All My Heart" and "Homegrown Tones" were the
releases that I would start to seriously promote. While his original music
is a combination of traditional and modern country music, the release that
really stood out for me was "Jus' Clowin' Around." This 13 song release is
a comedy album, with original music and a parody or two. Tunes like "Little
Old Lady Who," "Cat That Chewed Your New Shoes," "I Am The Rock (WWF)" and
"Beer" will put a smile on your face for sure. At one time, this release
featured a parody of a Kenny Rogers tune, which Reinard titled "She
Believes In Cheese." As soon as this song hit the street, it started to
create a buzz. It became one of Reinard's best loved songs. But, a letter
soon arrived from the Kenny Rogers camp asking that the song be removed
from the album and removed it was. However, if you happen to catch a show,
Reinard still performs the song live.
While Reinard now takes his musical career more seriously, he's not one to
put too much faith into chasing the dream. If it happens, he'll accept it
with open arms. If it doesn't, he'll still find pleasure in entertaining
area crowds. "My dream is...I don't have to have a guitar shaped swimming
pool like Conway Twitty had. I just want to make a living at it. If I can't
continue to record my own original material, I'd like to at least sell a
few songs. My ultimate goal is to perform at The Grand Ole' Opry." Maybe
we'll see you there someday. But, for now, Pennsylvania's the only place to
catch him live.
Contact & Booking Information
Chuck Reinard
405 N. 2nd Street.
Sunbury, PA 17801
Froggie501@aol.com