The Corn-Bred Story

…and so it began -- by Jerome Lazore

As a teenager I enjoyed playing the guitar. In the early 60’s I played in a band called the Renegade’s, which played mostly Beatles tunes. Soon after I was forced to put my music hobby on the back burned in order to raise a family. After about 30 years I retired as an Iron Worker and picked up playing again. It took no time at all before Howdy Edwards and I formed Corn-Bred in 1999. We recruited John “J.B.” Buck to play Bass guitar, Rick Edwards to play Harmonica, and Lenny Printup to play drums.

We began practicing on a regular basis in my basement for a good year before we got our first gig at Molly’s place in Syracuse, New York. We had such a large Native American following that Molly’s was filled beyond capacity, as well as their expectations. The owner of Molly’s quickly booked us again and were sure to provide extra bouncers and parking facilities. Word got out…

We hired a promoter for a short time, in order to get the kind of recognition that a new band needed. Shortly thereafter, Howdy and Rick left the band and were replaced by seasoned Musicians: Curtis Waterman and Morris Tarbell. Jerome, Lenny, Curtis, and J.B. hail from the Onondaga Nation, and Morris from the Mohawk Nation which makes Corn-Bred Central New York’s only all Native American Blues Band.

Curtis brings with him a fan base from his days playing with the likes of The Westcott Jugsuckers, The Jane Zell Band, The Miss E. Band, and The Gonstermachers. Not to be outdone, Morris brings much experience to the band by playing with such acts as Morris and the Hepcats, Built for Comfort, and Tom Townsley and the Backsliders. The groups popularity has extended beyond the boundaries of New York State. This has in turn led to some pretty amazing gigs.

Some of the places where Corn-Bred has played: New York State Casinos, The President’s Inaugural Ball, The National Museum of the American Indian, The Harley Davidson 100th Anniversary, Iron Workers Union Local 60 100th Anniversary, The Budweiser New York State Blues Festival, The Taste of Syracuse, and the Syracuse Area music awards ceremony. We have also opened for such national recording artists as The Beach Boys, Diamond Rio, Jana, Martha Redbone, and Los Lobos.

Thanks