The Monroes (San Diego band)
Encyclopedia
The Monroes were a New Wave
pop band from San Diego active throughout most of the 1980s.
They are best known for their single "What Do All the People Know."
Eric Denton, forming the Monroes fulfilled his early fantasies of becoming a rock star. Born in Lansing
, Michigan, Denton moved to Ventura
, California with his family at a young age, at which point he began immersing himself in piano
studies. By the late 1970s, Denton had already performed at several high school dances, when his family moved to San Diego. In addition to his musical talents, by this point, he had also become very savvy on the business and organizational aspects of the music world, an attribute that would serve him well during the Monroes years. Before long, he was playing in the band Peter Rabbitt. However, after touring with this band for a while, Denton returned to San Diego, where he bought a recording studio with the goal of creating a group that played all original material.
While working in the recording studio (Accusound), Denton had brushes with other budding musicians, one of whom was bassist Bob Davis (a.k.a. "Bob Monroe"), with whom he was especially impressed. Before long the two had joined together, forming the nucleus of what would become The Monroes. Another musician who regularly visited the studio was guitarist Rusty Jones, who had previously played with Davis in the Ken Dixon Band (an all-covers band), and he became the next to join this fledgling group http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/10/18/entertainment/music/14_15_0010_18_06.txt. Denton's former Peter Rabbitt bandmate, drummer Jonnie Gilstrap came on board, and the search was then on for a lead singer. The band ultimately decided on Jesus Ortiz
(a.k.a. "Tony Monroe"), who Denton described as having the ability to "make any song, good or bad, sound great," to fill this capacity http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/feb/24/jim-mcinnes-the-last-dj-busted-at-boomers-plus-the/ .
area. They soon recruited John Deverian as their manager, who signed them to a small Japan
ese label, Alfa Records
. Before long, the band was recording what would become their debut EP
at Chateau Studios. One of the most recent songs they had written was called "What Do All the People Know?", for which Bob Monroe had come up with the basic melody.
"What Do All the People Know?" generated a local buzz around the San Diego area, and it was selected as the first single released from the group's self-titled EP
, completed in 1982
. They then toured with the likes of Toto
, Greg Kihn
, and Rick Springfield
while their single climbed the charts. With this rapidly developing success, the band seemed destined for rock superstardom. However, as the band was pondering ideas for their first music video, they found out that their Japan
-based record label Alfa
was abandoning its U.S.
market. Without the backing of a label, they were left with no promotion, and the band's single and mini-album quickly fell off the charts.
, but any new musical projects were shelved. Individual band members gradually quit the group over the next several years. The remaining members would continue until the band eventually broke up in 1988.
Keyboardist
Eric Denton currently owns Guitar Trader in San Diego, California. Guitarist
Rusty Jones returned from a long musical hiatus in 2005, and began writing and performing again. Drummer
Jonnie Gilstrap returned to San Diego in 2006 and is currently studying tribal fusion and Middle East
ern drumming. In 2007, lead singer Jesus Ortiz
returned to California
after a long absence, where he reconnected with Jones. The two have since performed live and have not ruled out the possibility of a complete Monroes reunion. Jesus Ortiz
later moved to Minnesota
and has continued performing on his own.
Although the band separated years ago, all members in one fashion or another are still involved in their passion for music. Three of the original five band members met in June 2009. Band members included Jonnie Gilstrap, Tony Ortiz and Eric Denton, who is also the co-founder of BidOnSound, an exclusive music related online shopping and auction community. The three musicians discussed seriously the possibility of reuniting and doing a USA tour.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
pop band from San Diego active throughout most of the 1980s.
They are best known for their single "What Do All the People Know."
Beginnings
For KeyboardistKeyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Eric Denton, forming the Monroes fulfilled his early fantasies of becoming a rock star. Born in Lansing
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
, Michigan, Denton moved to Ventura
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...
, California with his family at a young age, at which point he began immersing himself in piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
studies. By the late 1970s, Denton had already performed at several high school dances, when his family moved to San Diego. In addition to his musical talents, by this point, he had also become very savvy on the business and organizational aspects of the music world, an attribute that would serve him well during the Monroes years. Before long, he was playing in the band Peter Rabbitt. However, after touring with this band for a while, Denton returned to San Diego, where he bought a recording studio with the goal of creating a group that played all original material.
While working in the recording studio (Accusound), Denton had brushes with other budding musicians, one of whom was bassist Bob Davis (a.k.a. "Bob Monroe"), with whom he was especially impressed. Before long the two had joined together, forming the nucleus of what would become The Monroes. Another musician who regularly visited the studio was guitarist Rusty Jones, who had previously played with Davis in the Ken Dixon Band (an all-covers band), and he became the next to join this fledgling group http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/10/18/entertainment/music/14_15_0010_18_06.txt. Denton's former Peter Rabbitt bandmate, drummer Jonnie Gilstrap came on board, and the search was then on for a lead singer. The band ultimately decided on Jesus Ortiz
Jesús Ortíz
Jesús Ortíz is a Cuban fencer. He competed in the individual and team sabre events at the 1980 Summer Olympics.-References:...
(a.k.a. "Tony Monroe"), who Denton described as having the ability to "make any song, good or bad, sound great," to fill this capacity http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/feb/24/jim-mcinnes-the-last-dj-busted-at-boomers-plus-the/ .
Getting signed/success
The band began recording demos of early tracks at Accusound, and they began shopping them around the Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area. They soon recruited John Deverian as their manager, who signed them to a small Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese label, Alfa Records
Alfa Records
, originally Alfa Music, was established in 1969 by composer and record producer Kunihiko Murai. It was formed into an independent record label known as Alfa Records in 1977.- History :The company faced much hardship in the 1990s...
. Before long, the band was recording what would become their debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
at Chateau Studios. One of the most recent songs they had written was called "What Do All the People Know?", for which Bob Monroe had come up with the basic melody.
"What Do All the People Know?" generated a local buzz around the San Diego area, and it was selected as the first single released from the group's self-titled EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, completed in 1982
1982 in music
This is a list of notable events in music from 1982. 1982 was a big year in music with Madonna making her debut as well as the year that Michael Jackson released Thriller which became the world's best selling album and it still holds that title today....
. They then toured with the likes of Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
, Greg Kihn
Greg Kihn
Greg Kihn is an American rock musician, radio personality and novelist.-Music:Kihn is the front man for The Greg Kihn Band, which released several singles and albums that made the charts in the early 1980s...
, and Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
while their single climbed the charts. With this rapidly developing success, the band seemed destined for rock superstardom. However, as the band was pondering ideas for their first music video, they found out that their Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
-based record label Alfa
Alfa Records
, originally Alfa Music, was established in 1969 by composer and record producer Kunihiko Murai. It was formed into an independent record label known as Alfa Records in 1977.- History :The company faced much hardship in the 1990s...
was abandoning its U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market. Without the backing of a label, they were left with no promotion, and the band's single and mini-album quickly fell off the charts.
Aftermath
The band attempted to continue, signing with CBSCBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
, but any new musical projects were shelved. Individual band members gradually quit the group over the next several years. The remaining members would continue until the band eventually broke up in 1988.
Keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Eric Denton currently owns Guitar Trader in San Diego, California. Guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Rusty Jones returned from a long musical hiatus in 2005, and began writing and performing again. Drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Jonnie Gilstrap returned to San Diego in 2006 and is currently studying tribal fusion and Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern drumming. In 2007, lead singer Jesus Ortiz
Jesús Ortíz
Jesús Ortíz is a Cuban fencer. He competed in the individual and team sabre events at the 1980 Summer Olympics.-References:...
returned to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
after a long absence, where he reconnected with Jones. The two have since performed live and have not ruled out the possibility of a complete Monroes reunion. Jesus Ortiz
Jesús Ortíz
Jesús Ortíz is a Cuban fencer. He competed in the individual and team sabre events at the 1980 Summer Olympics.-References:...
later moved to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and has continued performing on his own.
Although the band separated years ago, all members in one fashion or another are still involved in their passion for music. Three of the original five band members met in June 2009. Band members included Jonnie Gilstrap, Tony Ortiz and Eric Denton, who is also the co-founder of BidOnSound, an exclusive music related online shopping and auction community. The three musicians discussed seriously the possibility of reuniting and doing a USA tour.
External links
- [ The Monroes] on Allmusic
- More Extensive Bio/Eric Denton Update (Sanford, Jay Allen (2007). "Remember the Monroes??")
- Band Photo
- Rusty Jones update (includes more extensive Monroes information)
- Article about Ortiz and Jones' recent activities
- The Monroes Founding Member Website - Eric Denton Keyboardist
- Rusty Jones' MySpace Page
- Jonnie Gilstrap's MySpace Page
- BidOnSound, (Exclusive Music related Online Action)- Eric Denton, Co-founder