Members Biography

  

 

 

Rick Foster – Cornet / Trumpet & Vocals

 

Rick is married, and makes his home in Attleboro, MA. – Early in his musical career, he idolized Louis Armstrong, when all his friends wanted to be the next big thing to replace the Beatles.   Forty years later, "Hello, Dolly" is still his favorite song.  Rick’s career is a perfect fit for the Dixie Diehards.  As a practicing music journalist, and songwriter, he also performs in a blues/gospel duo with his son and guitarist-arranger David -- who also happens to be the bass player for the Boston rock band Final Hour.  Rick also is a member of the Stone Street Strummers.

 

  

Alan Shapiro - Trumpet
Music Director

Alan Shapiro, trumpet, discovered his love for Dixieland jazz playing in his college jazz band, the Dartmouth Indian Chiefs.  The Chiefs went on to achieve some success, playing in Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall (twice), the Steve Allen Tonight Show, Jimmy Ryan’s Tavern on 52nd Street, at numerous New England colleges, and a glorious week at Bermuda’s Elbow Beach Hotel.  Since college, Alan has kept his chops in shape playing in society orchestras, various jazz groups and big bands, and for the last 20 years in his hometown Sharon Community Concert Band and the Roy Scott Big Band.  Alan lives in Sharon with his number 1 fan, his wife Marcia.

 
 

Santo Pullara – Clarinet

 
Santo spent six years in the US Navy during WW ll, and thereafter.  In 1949 he left the Navy band and quit music.  He spent the next 45 years in collegiate education, earning several degrees, and serving as a university professor, 15 years at Syracuse Un. and 30 years at University of Massachusetts in Lowell, and its predecessor institutions. 

In 1994 he formally retired and slowly began getting back into music, first with keyboards and later with reeds (his primary instrument prior to 1949).  Santo excels in his improvisational playing, and has become a natural when it comes to Dixieland music. 

He has attended six years of Jazz Camp and performed on a Jazz Cruise.  He is also the lead reed player with the Stone Street Strummers. 

His personal goal has been achieved, being able to improvise to his heart's content with the Dixie Diehards.

Dale Ellenberg  - Drums

Dale Ellenberg is a practicing physician and educator in the Brockton area.   But he’ll tell you he’s been a musician longer than he’s been a doctor.  Studying drums since the age of  8 his early influences were Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.  His musical taste expanded to rock, fusion, blues and more recently Dixieland jazz.
 
 Dr. Jazz, as we call him, manages to juggle a busy schedule between his blues band, the Dixie Diehards and the hospital.  He lives in Bridgewater, MA with his wife, two kids, five cats and two llamas – that’s right, two llamas! 

 

Bill Kiesewetter - Piano / Webmaster

 

After a couple of years of lessons, while in high school, it was clear that practicing scales, studying notation, and other formalities were an impediment to his progress.  He learned how to play listening to records, watching performers, and playing sing-a-long songs in bars from Boston to Cape Cod.  His influences were Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Floyd Cramer and the Dukes of Dixieland, among others.  Over the years, his playing has covered Folk, Country, Blues, Ragtime and Honky Tonk styles of music.  Today, he enjoys playing a stride piano style with the Dixie Diehards.  He attended Jazz Camp for a number of years with Santo, and also performed on a couple of Jazz Cruises. He is a member, Secretary and webmaster of the Stone Street Strummers band.   Bill is retired from many years in the computer industry and resides in Marion, MA., but winters usually in Florida.  He has played with several Florida bands including the Marco Island Strummers, the Gadabouts, Bonita Village Band and more recently, the Dixielanders, based in Ft. Myers Florida.

 
 

Paul Peterson - Tenor Saxophone

Our tenor sax player started learning the reeds in the 4th grade.  During his formative years on the reeds, he was a member of both All-State and All-New England Championship Bands.  In fact, his musical skills were of a level that he was invited to play in a local college band while still in junior high school.  After graduating high school, Paul joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard, and served in Viet Nam.  He spent 30 years in the Guard, and played in several military bands.  During that time, he added flute, trombone, and trumpet to his expanding musical skills.  For the last 34 years, he has been teaching music in the Bridgewater–Raynham School District.  He has been a member of many bands (too many to list), however he plays regularly with the Downtown Players, a blues band from Bridgewater.  He and his wife Kathy reside in Taunton.  They are parents of a son and a daughter, both young adults.  We are delighted that Paul finds time to add his unique touch to the Dixie Diehards.  His sax solos never fail to put a big charge into an audience.

 

Steve Shaw - Tuba

 

Steve Shaw has recently joined the band as our Tuba / String Bass player.  Steve has been playing an instrument since the 4th grade, and brings a wealth of playing experience to the band.  He was a student of Harvey Phillips and John Coffey.  He has been a member of the South Shore Circus Band since 1966, and the United Brass Band ( South shore area) since 1978.  Since 1995 he as been a member of the Marion Town Concert Band during the summers, and free lances on the string bass with many musical theatre productions throughout New England.   Finally, Steve is a member of  the Peasante Brass, a tuba quartet.

Steve resides in Taunton, and runs his own appliance business, when he's not performing.

 

Bill Dube - Clarinet

 

Bill grew up in Rhode Island where he played sax and clarinet in swing combos and big bands. His primary teachers were Bill Rossi and Attilio Poto. In the 1970’s he played with various rock-and-soul bands, commercial combos, the USMA Jazz and Concert Bands, the 88th Army Band, and Jack Jessie’s Big Band. He took a few years off from music (1980-2002) to pursue research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, where he currently conducts NIH-funded studies of learning and attention problems in intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since his musical re-start, he’s played with several community bands, currently the Sharon Community Concert Band and Roy Scott Big Band. This is Bill’s first outing with a traditional Dixieland jazz band, and he’s having a ball.

 

John Zawislak
Trombone

 

Johnny Z, started playing trombone in the 4th grade. His 5th grade his music teacher got John to start playing some Dixieland tunes which he wrote out for them.  Eventually the  "2 Beats Plus 4" Dixieland band played all over New Jersey, even on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in NYC.  John played in Navy bands after HS, and to Berklee College of Music.  John has played every idiom from rock to symphony, big band to Dixieland, and added Bass Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba and Vocals to his musical arsenal.  While still enjoying being a free-lance musician, John is very excited to be a member of the Dixie Diehards...back to the roots, full circle. 

 

  

 
 

Dick Jenkins - Banjo


Dick became interested in the banjo during the mid 60s while employed as a waiter at The Banjo Room in Cambridge. He bought his first banjo from the world renowned Pat Terry, who played at The Banjo Room before heading to Disneyworld, where he ended his career. Dick is now in his 20th year with the Stone Street Strummers. He is a retired science teacher who, with his wife Cindy, divides his time between living in Plymouth, MA and Ft Myers, FL. He recently formed a Dixieland band in Ft Myers called The DixieLanders. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis and golf.
 

 

  

Chris Wadsworth – Tenor Banjo

 

Chris Wadsworth, from Cape Cod, fell in love with the banjo while working a summer job on Squirrel Island, Maine in the 1960’s when he heard Judge MacDonald play with a Dixieland group who “summered” on the island.  After his first night of hearing Dixieland, he headed to the nearest mainland pawnshop and bought a banjo. After learning a few chords, he moved to Buffalo, New York where he joined the Buffalo Banjo Band and played with the Scajaquada Creek Stompers.  During the 90’s, he was one of Jeannie Kelly’s “friends” who played at the Colonial Inn in Concord on Tuesday night’s traditional jazz. Having spent 8 years living in Istanbul, he has returned to his native New England, and is happy to be rejoining the local trad jazz scene.  Chris also performs with the Stone Street Stummers.

 
 

 

Dolly Fruzzetti - Vocals & Piano

Dolly has a long and impressive list of credits as a piano player and singer.  She is well known all over Southeastern Massachusetts.  She and her late husband Bob performed together for 45 years.  They worked as a duo, with Dolly on piano and vocals, and Bob on string bass.  They did a lot of charitable work with this duo, often playing for patients in nursing homes.  Bob was also an accomplished sax and clarinet player, and was leader of the highly regarded big band, Old Kids on the Block. 

Dolly worked with numerous four and five piece groups, and as a soloist.  In 1992, Dolly and Bob started a 22-piece dance band, playing music of the 1940's.  In 1999, they started another dance band of 12 pieces.  Dolly was the singer in both of these bands.  Both bands are still playing and having fun. 

A couple of years ago, before Bob passed away, Dolly recorded a CD of 23 songs because Bob asked her to do this for him.  She plays and sings on this beautiful album, which is truly worth listening to. Dolly says she loves playing with the Diehards, and there's no doubt at all that the feeling is mutual.  The Dixie Diehards are blessed and lucky to have Dolly.

 

 

 

  

Lorri Inglis

Drums

Lorri  has been playing professionally since 1982. She was involved with school bands, and then started her own. She started out playing percussion, then quickly graduated to a full set of drums. She’s played in Rock, Top 40, and Country bands, but right now she says she’s having the time of her life playing with the Dixie Diehards. In her words, “This music is fantastic!”  

Lorri has owned her own drum store and recording studio, and done sound for bands. She now teaches drums and other instruments. She’s a well known DJ, and hosts comedy shows at Monponsett Inn in Halifax. The Diehards are happy to have Lorri on board. Her energy and enthusiasm help keep the band going, and she’s a great help with the band’s audio needs.  

 

 

 

 

 

 
 


Bob Paul  Trombone
( Retired)

  Over the past several years, Bob has been filling in for us on a variety of instruments, including: trombone, tuba, clarinet, sax, drums, and even vocals. His unusual versatility is due to his extensive career in music education. He taught music for many years, and has an extensive background with many diverse musical organizations, from jazz quartets to symphony orchestra’s. Bob has been an active member of Sharon Community Band along with a collection of jazz groups including Avalon, Sam’s Jam and currently the Dixie Diehards. Bob is married and resides in Walpole, MA.

 

 

The Dixie Diehards is fortunate to have a number of highly qualified musicians who are capable of filling in at a moments notice, should the need arise.


Steve Caddick (Banjo )          Tom Fee      ( Banjo )
Dick Leggee     ( Tuba )         Alice Caldwell  ( Tuba )          Don Pine    ( Drums )                     Art Love ( Drums ) 
Paul Poirier      ( Banjo )       

  

Jim Kelleher – Trombone ( Retired )

Jim is a retired English teacher who resides in Taunton, MA.  He has played in the Taunton Festival Orchestra and the Southeastern Massachusetts Wind Symphony, primarily playing classical music. He has also played in the Taunton City Band and various dance bands.  He was a member of the Stone Street Strummers band.   Now he’s turned his attention to Dixieland, his true love, and he's never had so much fun. In addition to Dixie Diehards, he plays regularly with the Cranberry Jam, an oldies / trad jazz band. When not playing music, he's playing with his three grandchildren in Potomac, Maryland.