[Dixielandjazz] Re: Who is Claude Trenier? / The Trenier Family

[Stephen Barbone]

Don Ingle wrote:

> Their biggest single hit was "Ooh, looky there ain't she pretty." Great
> early R&B appoach.
> Caught them in L.A. when I was still a teen and remember them well.

Yes, fabulous musical family. I left out some of their history. Here is a
little more, noteworthy because they were one of the first, if not the first
self-contained ROCK & ROLL groups, drawing on their experiences with Jimmy
Lunceford and later R & B and Jump Blues successes with Louis Prima et al.
More from their bio below.

"Once the smoke had cleared, The Treniers found themselves doing very well on
the Vegas/Atlantic City circuit. Milt had left by then to pursue his own solo
career, cutting some strong sides in a big, brassy baritone, not unlike
Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Nephew Skip, also possessed of a fine set of pipes and
enough good looks to keep the ladies coming back, took Milt's place and
remains with the group to this day.

Rock and Vegas up to that time had been strange bedfellows. Even Elvis
flopped in Vegas his first time out in 1956. But The Treniers came in
anticipating that the patrons not only demanded a show, but the sun, the moon
and the stars as well, and The Treniers were there to give it to them. Louis
Prima had already proven you could rock in Sin City and not starve.

Though his distant cousins in the Rat Pack, (except for Sammy who liked
anything hip) dismissed Rock'n'Roll as a passing fad, Prima had staged his
comeback by incorporating it's rhythms into his act. With charisma and
versatility (they mastered every style of pop imaginable at the time), The
Treniers, along with Prima and his hired gun Sam Butera, were the only
artists to rock Vegas and Atlantic City with class
and without compromise.

When other Rock'n'Soul artists were gaining acceptance by the early 70s, they
had already staked their claim. One such figure was Elvis Presley who met up
with The Treniers and told them how as a kid he had learned "Good Rockin'
Tonight" from their version."

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

Don Ingle wrote:

> Their biggest single hit was "Ooh, looky there ain't she pretty." Great
> early R&B appoach.
> Caught them in L.A. when I was still a teen and remember them well.
> Don Ingle