The BHS Starliners at Free State Mall

As part of the Bowie Blade Pic Project, I've been posting pictures taken by Arnie Miles for the Bowie Blade between 1973 and 1975. Here are a set of pictures taken at the Free State Mall during a performance by the Bowie High School Starliners.

Former five-year band member Bob O'Hara described the Starliners on his blog as follows.

From 1967 through 1977, Bowie (Md.) Senior High School sponsored an extracurricular jazz band called The Starliners. The Starliners was a relatively standard big band, with 5 reeds, 4 trombones, 4 trumpets, piano, bass, guitar, and drums. Often the band was augmented with additional percussion, vibes, French horns, and vocalists. At times, there were as many as 23 of us on stage. The band leader during its entire existence was Lt. Col. Joseph G. Carley (USAF, retired). He was paid a salary of $1 per year by the county Board of Education.

During its life, The Starliners produced four albums, Space Chasin’, In Stereo, 12 by 3, and Bowie Straight Ahead. Sales of these albums, along with gigs 3-4 times per month, paid for the purchase of new charts, as well as for travel to jazz festivals and competitions.

Bob recorded and made available all four albums on his Web site in MP3 format. Click here to see a list of the Starliners' albums with links to the songs. Click here to listen to "Solo Flight" from the Starliners' "Bowie Straight Ahead" album. The performance is fantastic. It's amazing that the band members were all teenagers!

According to Bob O'Hara, the "Bowie Straight Ahead" album was recorded in 1974. It's likely that some of the band members in the pictures below were featured on that album as these pictures were taken sometime between 1973 and 1975.

Lt. Col. Joseph G. Carley passed away in 2005. Click here to read his obituary as published in the Washington Post.

The photos of the Starliners' performance also offer a glimpse of the Free State Mall during the early to mid 70s.

Click each picture to see a larger image.

Lt. Col. Joseph G. Carley directs the Starliners outside the Fashion House in the Free State Mall.

Sax Section (left to right): Ron Pronk (tenor 1), Mike Kakuk (alto2), Jon Kakuk (standing; alto 1), John Patrizio, Danny Burke (baritone)

Trombones (left to right): Bill Gale (face obscured), Tom Warfel (not wearing tux), Chuck Gay, Richard Kassabian, Mark Weaver and Frank Bernstein

Trumpets (left to right): Scott Rich (1st), Chris Kyle (3rd), Rosie Kaplan (4th); not included in this picture is Tim Bartolemeo (2nd)

Sax Section (left to right): Ron Pronk (tenor 1), Mike Kakuk (alto2), Jon Kakuk (alto 1), John Patrizio, Danny Burke (baritone)

left to right: Jim Roberts on guitar, David Black (behind Jim sitting next to the drums), Steve Pronk on bass (behind the cymbals), Robert Miller on drums (face obscured), Laura Colcord on piano and Tim Bartolemeo on trumpet (2nd)

Sax Section (left to right): Ron Pronk (tenor 1), Mike Kakuk (alto2), Jon Kakuk (alto 1), John Patrizio, Danny Burke (baritone)

Trombones (left to right): Bill Gale, Tom Warfel (not visible), Chuck Gay, Richard Kassabian, Mark Weaver and Frank Bernstein

Steve Pronk on bass (top left)

Trumpets (left to right): Tim Bartolemeo (2nd), Scott Rich (1st), Chris Kyle (3rd); not included in this picture is Rosie Kaplan (4th)

left to right: Tim Bartolemeo on trumpet (2nd), Robert Miller on drums, Bill Gale on trombone, Tom Warfel on trombone (not wearing tux) and Chuck Gay on trombone

Mayor Bill Wildman (left), Unknown (right)

A choir performed as well.

left to right: Bowie City Council member Herb Sachs, unknown, Council member Dene Bain, Mayor Bill Wildman, Council member Audrey Scott.

Mayor Bill Wildman (center)

Photos of Bowie Maryland 1973 through 1975 by Arnie Miles is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
License

Starliners posts on Bowie Living

• The BHS Starliners at Freestate Mall
• Starliners Album: Space Chasin' (1967)
• Starliners Album: In Stereo (1970)

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