ANGELO CIANFROCCO

KEYBOARDS, HARMONICA & VOCALS

My interest in playing piano started when I was 5 years old.  As a teenager I started playing in local “Rock n Roll” groups in Upstate N.Y. through a booking agent friend of my mothers.  During the 60’s keyboards played a big roll in top 40 music.  I was in groups called, “Stick and Stones”, “The Gas Cap”, and “Cross town Traffic”.  I still have original recordings saved from these groups.  During my college life I started playing with the drummer of “Cross town Traffic” and a blind lead guitarist, Andy Rebscher.  We formed a group called “Shawcross”.  In an A circuit band, we traveled through out the New England states.  (NY, NJ, PA, RI, VT, CT) We played many big functions and shared stages with groups like “Ronnie Dio and the Prophets”, now just known as “Dio”, “The Buoys” who had a hit called “Timothy”.   We had an opportunity for becoming recording artist, but our agent wanted us to change our group name.  Our Lead guitar player got sick and the rest is history.

After leaving the road and entering into family life, I played in a few part time groups with musicians I met in my past.  One group called “Fun Factory” kept very busy during the disco era.  After a summer off during 1977, I was asked to join a 50’s & 60’s show group called “Johnny and the Hot Rods”.  I didn’t realize how popular the oldies would become.  We played every weekend until June 1, 1980.  My family and I moved to Brevard County Florida.  My piano and synthesizer were the last things on and the first things off the moving truck.  After such a popular response to the oldies I tried to organize and play with groups in Brevard doing the same.  I played with “Collector’s Item”,” Windfall”, “Jade”, “Kixx” and “Blues Control”.   I also backed up Joe Davis as “The Drifters” for a short while, jammed with the “Platters”, “Coasters” and “Johnny Thunder”.  Along the way I had put together a “Chubby Checker” routine. I have used the routine in the groups I have more recently been associated with.   

I joined Rick Brensinger and Kevin Ackerson in the early 90’s.  Rick had been calling me to play in a duo.  We were called “Unlimited”, as we started getting requirements for group type gigs, we added bass players and called ourselves “INSIDE OUT”. Rick and I developed a “Blues Brothers” routine wherein I play the part of “Jake”.  

We often add members such as female vocalist, horns, steel drums, or whatever the occasion may require.   The same members of “Inside Out” are also know as “Saturn V” when performing at KennedySpaceCenter functions.  One other project members of the group and myself have been a part of is a group called the “Elkerly Brothers”.  We formed with other members of the Titusville Elks lodge to raise money for Children’s Hospital “Harry Anna” and successfully donated $25,000 in one year as a result of performing at central Florida Elk’s lodges.   I credit my success and the great times I have experienced, to the talented people I have been so fortunate to work with, my friends, and family.

Angelo P. Cianfrocco