By the mid to late sixties, people were finally beginning to take rock & roll music seriously and nationally, groups such as the Beach Boys, Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Ohio Express were selling 45's and LP's by the millions, along with tickets to sold-out concerts and shows across America. In suburban neighborhoods and garages thoughout the United States, bands were forming on every city block that would soon bring the latest rock & roll music to every high school, teen center, ballroom, VFW, and nightclub in the country. Many such bands would soon be forgotten; but in the Midwest, one band stood out from all the rest - and they were known as "The Caretakers".
1966-1967
The Caretakers
Rock & roll did not really become popular
in the Midwest until the late 60's, when a group called "The Caretakers" created a unique blend of California surf music, British rock, Motown rhythm & blues, and San Francisco psychadelic sounds, combining it with snappy choreography and exciting stage costumes. This was the Minnesota band that set the standard for quality entertainment and great rock & roll music for many years to come, originally featuring Twin Cities musicians Steve Kenet on bass, Dick Hiebler guitar, Mark Orlusky on guitar, and Dave Weiking on drums.
As their reputation grew, they added Bob Burtis on the Wurlitzer electric
piano, and later went on to regional fame
and fortune when Lauren McArthur and
Rich Wieser joined Bob in the horn
section as the seven
piece "Caretakers" band who went on to take first place in the
statewide "Battle of the Bands" competition held at the
now infamous "Purple Barn".
1968 The Caretakers
The next year featured another award and trophy for the Caretakers as they took First Place in another "Battle of the Bands" competition, this one sponsored by "Len's Guitar City". Top bands throughout the Twin Cities and the Upper Midwest gave it their best shot, but they were no match for
the hard-edged rock sounds and the sensational seven piece sax-powered R&B energy and soul of "The Caretakers". The first place prize was a state-of-the-art stereo reel-to-reel tape recorder!
Unfortunately, no one knows where the trophy ended up, and
the stereo tape deck was lost forever when an unscrupulous booking agent pawned it off behind our backs. And that was just one of the many lessons these perspiring young musicians would have to learn on their road to rock & roll fame!
1969-1970
The Soul Package
As a white boy growing up in a Twin Cities suburb where the only black kid at Kennedy High School was inevitably a foreign exchange student, you wouldn't expect Bob to have much affinity for the soul music of that era. Nevertheless, the great R&B artists of the day, such as James Brown & the Fabulous Flames, Arthur Conley, Wilson Pickett, Jr. Walker & the All-Stars, and Sam & Dave, were a major influence on his musical career and led him to join some of the Midwest's top R&B groups, including "Lovia Smith & the Soul Sensations" and the legendary "Soul Package". This band featured Rudy Martin on lead vocals, Solomon Hughes on guitar, Mark Aletky on drums, Jay Peterson on trombone, Mark Bratten on sax and flute, Rich Wieser on bass, and Bob Burtis on trumpet, sax, and keyboards.
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