SHEM CREEK BOOGIE BAND BIO
The Shem Creek Boogie Band began playing weekly Thursday night gigs in 1991 at the legendary Trawler Restaurant, situated along Shem Creek in Mt. Pleasant. Thus the name.
The band’s current lineup is: John Vislocky sings lead vocals, plays percussion and trumpet, Herb Stokes plays guitar and sings backing vocals, John Sullivan plays the bass, Bruce Szego plays drums and sings lead and backing vocals, and Allan Friedberg plays the keyboards and sings backing vocals.
John S and Herb are longtime veterans of the Lowcountry music scene. They’ve recorded, performed, and composed music together in various bands over the years, including Second Wind and Barnacle Bob. Their broad repertoire of classic rock, blues, soul, country, and pop standards reflects their vast experience as pro musicians. Sullivan acts as the Shem Creek band’s booking manager as well.
Frontman John Vislocky knows how to light up the crowd. Based in John’s Island, he is a fairly recent Charleston transplant, with most of his playing time centered around Northern New Jersey playing at weddings and corporate functions. John’s amazing tenor voice was also featured as lead vocalist in Jersey Transit Authority, a great Chicago tribute band.
John Sullivan
Bruce Szego is a longtime musician in the Lowcountry band scene (with Cruis-o-matic and other acts), Szego can handle the drum kit, a battery of hand percussion instruments, piano, and keys — and he sings very well, too!
Herb Stoke
Allan Friedberg, another Northeast transplant, plays keyboards. He has had extensive experience playing the Metropolitan NYC area “club date scene” with thousands of weddings and corporate events under his belt. In the last 5 years since coming to Charleston, he’s played with many great local bands. He is mostly self taught, but was trained in orchestration and music performance at the prestigious Aaron Copland School of Music in New York City.
In recent years, the SCBB lineup has featured vocalist extraordinaire Jennifer Proveaux, vocalist/trumpet player Michael Quincy Beard, amazing bassist Paul Gainey, drummer Frank Cothran, guitarist/saxophonist Christopher Cisneros, keyboardist Larry “Sugarbritches” Williams, and T. Ballard Lesemann on drums/vocals among other special guests.
Currently, as a tight-knit quintet, the Shem Creek band provides a full entertainment experience at shows and events.
When the band takes a break, we can offer pre-recorded music, or stream whatever style fits your party best!
We can also offer music for cocktail hours, ceremonies or somber occasions.
Just let us know your preferences and we’ll make sure your party is everything you always dreamed of!
