OLD ORCHARD BEACH — In the 1970s, the band Sweet Grease rocked nightclubs in Old Orchard Beach and beyond.

On April 14, fans will get another chance to hear the sounds of the rhythm and blues band at a sold out reunion concert at The Brunswick.

Former Sweet Grease band member Jerry Walls will sing vocals and play blues harp, Michael Morin will play keyboards, Camille “Junior” Guay will play drums, Steven Hill will play bass and Charlie Coulthard will play guitar.

According to promotional material about the band from the 1970s, a group of six young men got together in the winter of 1971 at a place called “Papa Joe’s” in Old Orchard Beach, “to make some music and generally have a good time.” By that summer, the band was playing gigs at area night clubs.

Papa Joe’s, according to Guay and Coulthard, was a residence in Old Orchard Beach they likened to a small commune, which Coulthard said housed about 10 musicians and hippies.

Guay said one of his roommates at Papa Joe’s came up with the name for the band, inspired by a McDonald’s apple pie ”“ sweet and greasy.

The band played original music as well as covers of artists such as Commander Cody, James Cotton, The Kinks, David Bowie, Van Morrison and Lou Reed.

“It was great fun,” said Guay.

Guay said the rhythm and blues band played B-sides and more obscure songs             from albums.

“We played music we actually liked,” he said, instead of playing the standard hits.

The band played “good music that hadn’t broken through,” said Coulthard.

Coulthard was in the band for at least four years, “a good, long stretch,” but left to focus on raising his family. Before he replaced lead guitarist Stanley Lane, he was a big fan of the band himself, spending “a fortune” seeing them play, he said.

The band, he said, had a strong fan base.

“I was thrilled to get the job,” he said.

Old Orchard Beach was the band’s nucleus, but they also connected with a couple of booking agents and performed all over Maine and New England, at clubs, colleges and ski resorts, said Guay, and opened up for nationally known musician Dr. John in Augusta.

Guay and Coulthard said they were full-time musicians, playing five to seven nights a week, and were able to make a decent living.

“We made really good dough for the time,” said Coulthard.

Charlie said Guay had a “good head for music” and taught him a lot.

Musician Michael Lambert, who played in the band Rhythm Agents when Sweet Grease was active, said Sweet Grease was very influential and people still talk about the band today. Lambert, with his band the Wakefield Brothers, will be opening up for Sweet Grease April 14. He originally had an idea to have the Wakefield Brothers do a tribute show to Sweet Grease and play songs they used to play. However, discussions ensued, and the five former members ”“ including Hill, who now lives in New York ”“ agreed to play a reunion concert. A Facebook page helped drum up excitement and connect fans, and all 400 tickets have been sold.

The evening will not only be a Sweet Grease reunion, but a reunion for those who supported the band, said Lambert.

“The enthusiasm is overwhelming,” said Coulthard. “We’re all very touched by it.”

Coulthard said he’s never been able to get music “out of my blood” and currently plays along with fellow former Sweet Grease member Walls in the J.C.W. Experiment.

Guay said individual members have played with others over the years, but the upcoming concert is the first time in more than 30 years they have all played together as a band.

In the 1970s, the local music scene was thriving, said Lambert, and a band could easily play five nights in a row.

“It was an exciting time,” he said.

 “Sweet Grease drew the best crowds and had the best groove,” said Lambert. “They were the coolest band and definitely the leader of the pack.”

Lambert said that in his opinion, the Sweet Grease versions of songs were better than the originals.

“Sweet Grease didn’t go down the same beaten path that everyone else did,”                  said Lambert.

He said Guay “cracked the whip,” was “very masterful of arranging songs,” and made sure the band’s performances were of high quality.

The group cut a 45 record of original songs, with “Crazy Sadie” on one side and “We Want to Know You” on the other. Guay said a DJ at a Biddeford radio station was a fan of the band and arranged or some recording time at a studio in Boston one night when it wasn’t being used ”“ a “midnight special,” joked Guay.

The band members were all in their 20s in the 1970s, and the band stayed together for “a pretty good span” ”“ nearly eight years, said Guay. He didn’t have a concrete answer as to why the brand broke up. It was due, in part he said, because in the late 1970s, when Sweet Grease was playing more than 50 percent original music, most bands were playing covers of top 40 hits and popular songs, and there weren’t a lot of bands playing original music, like there are in Maine today. Also, he said, different band members had different ideas on how they wanted the music to sound and where they wanted to go with it. The band had some changes over the years, including a short stint with vocalist Frank Fowler, who is aware of the reunion but will not be performing. Former members Mike Curran and Stanley Lane passed away.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.