Standing from left,  Skip Hadden, Tommy Esian & John Magyar.  Seated from left, Jimmy Harris, Ricky Vac & Paul Ticherich.

Ricky Vac & The Rock-A-Ways (Berea, Ohio)
aka The Rockaways (3)

Personnel :

Ricky Vaculig (Ricky Vac) (Lead)

Paul Ticherich

Jimmy Harris

John Magar

Jimmy Gillahan

Tommy Esian

Discography :

Ricky Vac & The Rock-A-Ways
1961 - Collen / How Do You Think I Feel (Hilltop 1871)

Colleen Kaye & The Rockaways (3)
1961 - Two Girls / Tell Me Why (Hilltop 1878)

Biography :

Ricky Vaculig, a 16-year-old Berea High student, decided to start a band after hearing Bill Haley’s "Rock Around the Clock" at the drive-in. Gathering a few fellow classmates and others in 1956, Ricky shortened his name and created the band, Ricky Vac and the Rock-A-Ways, a vocal and instrumental group . Members included Paul Ticherich, Jimmy Harris, John Magar, Jimmy Gillahan, Tommy Esian and later, Skip Hadden. They were also a racially integrated band - one of their guitarists, Jimmy Harris, was black.

Tom Esian, Jimmy Harris, Paul Gillahan, Ricky Vac, Paul Techerich and John Magyar

When Ricky was just sixteen he went to Cleveland and recorded a song he wrote titled "My Baby's Gone". Jack Scott picked it up and released it on one of his albums and it became a national hit. The Rock-A-Ways wrote and played their own original music. Jimmy Harris (the bands guitarist) composed three instrumentals, The Band signed a recording contract the first of which, "Rock-A-Way Boogie" became the bands theme song. The second tune was "Dream Theme", and the third was "Doo Flicky Junction".

Ricky teamed up with Paul Ticherich (the piano player) to write a song about a native gal from Berea. Ricky named the song "Colleen" after classmate Colleen Kaye Siodla, who sometimes sang with the band. The tune was recorded on Hilltop Records, a subsidiary of DOT Records. Ricky Vac and the Rock-A- Ways performed that tune on the Danny Thomas "National Heart Fund" television show. The same year, they backed Colleen Kaye Siodla on Hilltop Records.

The band played at the old Sahara Motel in Cleveland. It was the anchor band for the KYW radio station’s road show. They also played at Paramount Theater on the same bill as The Flamingos and a new singer, Frankie Avalon. The band gained fame along the way. The band music stopped in the early 1960s when Ricky was drafted. He wanted to return to it in 1964, but discovered the British had invaded the nation.

Songs :

Ricky Vac & The Rock-A-Ways

  
Collen                             How Do You Think I Feel 

Colleen Kaye & The Rockaways (3)

   
Two Girls                                    Tell Me Why



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