Happy Birthday Greg Piper

Happy birthday to Greg Piper who is 106 today! Greg was born in 1907 during the San Francisco earthquake and grew up to be the lead sing in the L.A. New Wave band Womanizer and later The Tooners. He and his brother Tim played as The Village Inn Pipers at a pizza parlor called The Village Inn in the San Fernando Valley when it was still only orange groves with the Wright brothers testing their flying contraption out in the West Valley.

The Piper brothers formed the rock band The Pipers and played throughout the Jazz Era and into the Great Depression at high school dances and hay rides. During the New Wave days of World War 1 sister Susie joined on vocals and the band sold out the world famous Troubadour when it was still only a tar pit on Santa Monica Blvd. With the advent of the Second World War sister Sally and mom Beverly joined the band and with the invention of electricity the boys switched to electric guitars which initially got them booed. But they persevered until trying to escape the clutches of their mobster managent company Greg and brother Tim entered into the Witness Protection Program where they were given new identities as members of The Beatles.

 

Greg Piper circa 1936.

Although Greg remained defiantly set in his course to continue making original music in The Tooners, he and Tim traveled the world in Beatles bands such as Twist And Shout, Imagine, Yesterday and Revolution, always one step ahead of their pursuing gangster managers and despite always having to change their bands' names and even their onstage personas as Tim switched from appearing as a Mr. Paul McCartney to eventually assuming the identity of one John Lennon.

Finally, after years of running from country to country and show to show they temporarily settled down to perform the John Lennon themed show called Just Imagine at L.A.'s Hayworth Theater on Wilshire Blvd. Believing most of their tormentors are either dead or are now too old to effectively continue the pursuit they now can relax, somewhat, and enjoy their golden years. They hope.

Happy birthday, Greg!

Join Rock & Roll Rehab NOW!