The OutBack Band
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Laurie Larsen
Bloomfield, Nebraska- Rhythm Guitar, Lead & Harmony Vocals
Laurie’s start on the road was with the all girl band “Patches” in the late 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s. Patches was a finalist in the Country Wrangler Showdown and represented Nebraska in Nashville in 1984. Her favorite music is well rounded from Patsy Cline to Trick Pony to Tricia Yearwood to all the favorite Classic Rock hits. Laurie loves to entertain, enjoys the people and watching them laugh and have fun – it is her passion to keep people tapping their toes, smiling and asking for more.
Eric Tippery
Bloomfield, Nebraska- Rhythm Guitar, Lead & Harmony Vocals
From 1974-1976 Eric played with the Free Wheelin’ Band during his high school years, later he took the stage as a solo act from 1980-1987. It was at this time that Eric says "I learned a lot doing that solo gig" as he entertained acoustically! In 1987 he joined Lonestar out of Washington NE and played with them thru 1988, Wildfire Band in 1989 and found his home with Haywood Wakefield from 1990 to 2018.
Eric has been playing with the DML band out of the Fremont area from August 2017 to present.
Eric and Ruth have been married for 43 years and have 6 children and 6 grandchildren! "That's all my kids have known, is me playing music!"
Eric & Ruth plan to retire in Bloomfield when Eric retires from Border States Electric in Fremont, NE.
His retirement is set for end of March 2024.
Nick (Randy) Leland
From Norfolk, Nebraska well known singer, guitar and bass player from northeast Nebraska.
Nick Leland's performing career began when he started messing around with his brother's bass guitar at the age of fourteen. His brother, who was a little older then Nick, also played the keyboards, and the two of them loved to entertain audiences wherever they might be. A year later, he was playing his first gigs with Shorty Avery and Dennis Volk, playing at local Veteran's Clubs, and at the Shady Inn, a popular nightclub five miles west of Norfolk, Nebraska. Later on in High School, Nick played with the group Fat Chance, a band he formed with his buddies. Leland, a bass player at the time, would jump at any chance to play and loved to get together and jam with fellow musicians Dan Witte, John Markland, the Buetler Boys, Greg Goodman, Mark Lambert, Randee Falter, Jim Casey and others.
Randee Falter
From Pierce, Nebraska.
From Pierce, Nebraska. Well known percussionist from northeast Nebraska.
He's played everything from polkas, country, and blues...to punk rock and good ole rock n roll. Opening shows for the likes of Styx, Ted Nugent, Chicago, 38 Special, Marty Stewart, Michael Martin Murphy, to name a few.
Randee got off the road in the early 80s, coming back to Nebraska and eventually settling in Pierce, Nebraska and running the newspaper there, The Pierce County Leader.
He really had no intention of playing again, but it wasn’t long before he was back at it, playing with whoever needed a drummer.
Randee's played with a long list bands: Hitchcock Road Band, Main Street, Loco, Jim Casey and the Lightning Band, The Smoke Ring, Redeye, Side Step, Outback, and a number of others over the years.
Oh, yes, he also got married...nearly 40 years ago, and he and his wife, Jacque, have 5 kids, all grown and living on their own...and 5 grandkids.
Time flies!
Tim White
Beresford, South Dakota- Lead Guitar,Keyboard,Vocals
Studied music under Fred Baranyai, solo Clarinetist for the St. Louis Symphony, during High School. Graduated (Army, Navy, Marine Corp) School of Music, in Norfolk, Virginia. Served in the 282nd Army Band at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, and 79th Army Band in Panama. Performed in several bands of different genres. Retired now, and lives in this area close to family/grandkids. See ya on the dance floor!
Jan Grimm
Lynch, Nebraska – Bass Guitar and Vocals
Jan started taking lessons from a professional guitarist. So far, “he has not dismissed me,” she says, “so I must be doing something right.”
Music was not her first love, but was always a part of her life. Now Jan enjoys backing some wonderful people who keep her very busy. Her quick humor, friendly smile and contagious laugh are a joy to the crowd.
Howard Grimm
Lynch, Nebraska – Keyboard and Vocals
Elvis Presley and his guitar was a big influence in the mind of this young wannabe musician so the piano was put by the wayside in favor of a string instrument. The sixties Rock ‘n’ Roll scene found Howard performing onstage, much to his enjoyment, but even that came to an end when Uncle Sam invited him into the Vietnam conflict. Marriage, child rearing and ranching put the brakes on Howard’s music career for a while but an invitation to get involved with music once again arose, when he was able to perform with his son in a local Nebraska country dance band 20 years ago. Howard has been playing ever since and the electric keyboard has become his favorite instrument.
Ken Atwood
Ken was a self-taught drummer. He’ll tell you the story of how his drummer friend showed him how to hold the sticks, and that was it. After a solid year of practice, he turned pro at 15. Later, at the age of 38, he taught himself to play Bass guitar.
Ken spent a total of 53 years in the music business as a drummer, bassist and vocalist, and also had three of his own bands over the years. He was in a road band called The Great Impostors from 1987 to 1989 and played all over the US. He left that band in May of 1989 and played around the Sioux Falls area, including many of the surrounding towns as the drummer for several other local bands and later with 3 of his own bands he out together at different times.
In 2005, Ken was contemplating retiring from the business when he got a call from a member of the Outback Band asking if he’d be willing to fill in for two consecutive weekends, as their drummer was on vacation. Two weekends turned into just 3 months shy of a 14 year stretch with Outback. He was always fond of telling the story of how the band “sandbagged” him into a 2-weekend fill-in job and then wouldn’t let him go back home!
After nearly 14 years as the drummer, extra Lead and Harmony vocalist for Outback, Ken retired in December of 2019. As he’ll tell you if you talk with him, 53 years is a long time to do anything, and the music biz is no exception. Ken, Laurie and Gil remain friends to this day.”
Take care!
Ken
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