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About Steve Acker-Rockin' the Valley

Live performance videos June 29, 2009 through the present

steveacker.com

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tunesmith3000

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Jan 22, 2012

Date Joined

Dec 15, 2006

About this user

STEVE ACKER BIO

From the 1950s through the late 1970s few areas of the country boasted a more dynamic or more exciting popular music scene than N.E. Ohio and West. Pennsylvania. The entire Steel Valley between Cleveland and Pittsburgh teemed with brilliant talent, great bands, and hundreds of clubs and concert venues for music fans of all ages. Many of the rock eras most celebrated musicians spent their formative years in this area.
And no wonder! With dozens of teen clubs to play every weekend--and virtually every night in summer--young musicians like LAW, Phil Keaggy, Myron Grombacher (later to join Pat Benatar) Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), Donnie Iris (The Jaggerz), Wild Cherry, and countless other world-class and world-famous musical artists, had unprecedented opportunities to learn their craft...and make money too!

One of most popular area bands throughout the 70s was Youngstown, Ohios LAW. Formed in February 1971 by Steve Lawrence, Steve Acker and Mickey Williamson, the name was derived from their initials. From the bands first rehearsals it was clear that LAW had a special chemistry and magic which very quickly garnered them a regional reputation as an exciting and original club and concert attraction. At the outset the band was determined to perform original material with the goal of securing a record contract. Even the cover songs they did were performed in their own original style. LAW was known as a boogie band. A three piece power trio, they were similar to Z.Z. Top in performing blues-based hard driving rock, although they did not know it at the time. Within a year of their formation LAW was opening for national acts like Bob Segar and Alice Cooper. One legendary performance: outdoors at Lake Milton, Ohio before 5,000 fans. LAW not only opened the star-studded program, but also later performed as Chuck Berrys backup band.

LAW had an almost magical stage presence and powerful energy that attracted the attention of record company executives almost from its inception, not to mention record crowds. It was literally impossible not to dance at a LAW show. Their music was a unique blend of funky soul and power chord guitar rock. Few bands in America were quite like LAW.

In 1975 LAW signed with Atlantas GRC Records and recorded its first album at the labels studio. Produced by Miamis famed Albert Brothers, the album was sweetened by the Memphis Horns and contained several fine tracks. One song—Ronnie Lees show opener Wake Up--caught the attention of the Whos Roger Daltrey. Daltrey and his manager Bill Curbishly signed LAW to their production company, put the band on tour with the Who, and in turn signed the band to MCA Records. At that point, former James Gang singer Roy Kenner joined the band and LAW then evolved into a tight, powerful, 5-piece rock and soul unit that, for the next three years, opened for many of the eras major acts, from Boston to Jethro Tull to Earth, Wind and Fire to Kiss and Genesis, all across the country. The band also developed several areas of strong regional popularity of its own, including Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Detroit, and New York City.

LAW broke up in 1978 after the release of its third album. Many people in the Steel Valley still fondly remember LAW as an important part of their youth in a different era, when great regional rock bands reigned and their shows were regarded as Events.

After leaving the band Steve moved to Jackson, Mississippi to join his family there, where he began producing records and writing an entertainment column for a local weekly paper. In 1980 he wrote and produced a regional hit record for Mississippi State University titled Bulldog Blitz, his eulogy for John Lennon was personally selected by Yoko Ono to appear in a Spirit Foundation Tribute to John Lennon, he entered college for the first time, and he landed a job with Mississippi's largest ad agency as a copywriter and broadcast producer. For the next 25 years he worked as a creative force in the Mississippi and Nashville, Tennessee advertising industries, writing and producing numerous national commercials and jingles.

In September 2007 he was discovered by a prominent New York City producer and re-entered the music business full time as a staff writer and producer for The Studios @ SST in New York. He composes songs for other recording artists and for films.

Now Steve has returned to the Northwest Ohio/East Pennsylvania/West Virginia Panhandle area and to the stage as a solo guitarist and singer. He performs his own brand of high energy funk, blues, rock and soul, as well as beautiful acoustic ballads. Mixing popular hits, rock and blues classics, and his own amazing originals, Steve delivers the same type of exciting show and good time that made LAW so popular.
Playing and singing live to his own pre-recorded backing tracks, he is a one-man band and a one-man show. You can now book him for your club, concert, or special event. Call him at 740-768-2352.