Rock n Soul

ABOVE: Every night, Tuesday-Saturday, the band Rock n Soul would wow audiences at the Orchid Garden at Church Street Station. The first show of the night was the 50’s show. Lead singer, Clark Barrios, donned his 50s garb and paused in front of the Wurlitzer for fans to grab this photo.

The Orchid Garden Ballroom went through several musical genre’s before settling on rock-n-roll. The house band changed several times before what my family and friends feel was the best house band ever to grace Central Florida – Rock-n-Soul. Rock n Soul’s band members changed slightly over the years, but when “old timers” remember the heydays, we remember this roster: Phil May-guitar, Big Daddy Dave Williams-sax, keys, vocals, Tim Campbell-base, keys, and vocals, Mike Bunch-drums, Donna Lamoureaux-vocals and sax, and Clark Barrios-vocals, sax and rhythm guitar. Rock n Soul’s versatility was on display every night in the Orchid Garden as they relived the rock n roll and street corner singing of the 50’s, Motown of the 60’s, 70’s disco and great songs from all decades.

In 1999, Church Street Station was sold for the umpteenth time and the new owner slashed budgets and entertainers – one from each band at Church Street Station. Shortly before one of the band members was let go, we were asked to record the band one last time for posterity. That night, guitar was played by Jeff DeHollander who joined the band several years prior when Phil May left the group. The songs linked to this post, are from that night.

ABOVE: Doona Haskell and her family live in England, but they were frequent visitors to Orlando, in great part due to the house band at the Orchid Garden Ballroom at Church Street Station in Orlando. This photo is from 1997. The band members are from Back Row L-R: Phil May, Clark Barrios, Tim Campbell, Big Daddy Dave Williams, Mike Bunch. In front is Donna’s daughter Lyndsey and Donna Lamoureaux.

Rock-n-Soul performed four shows on the weekends – the first featuring the sights and sounds of the 1950s and 1960s. The lead singers, Clark Barrios and Donna Lamoureaux each had songs in which they would involve people in the audience. The band members donned 1950s attire – Clark Barrios wearing an outfit that would make the Fonz proud and Donna Lamoureaux had outfits that bobby soxers would die for! I mean, who doesn’t love poodle skirts!

ABOVE: Oliver Peters trying to portray the Postman of the song “Mr. Postman” fame. Big Daddy Dave Williams can be seen on the left, Mike Bunch on drums in the center, and Clark Barrios on the right.

50s Medley

Chantilly Lace

Rock Around The Clock

Halloween at Church Street Station was something to behold. There was a street party with a huge costume contest. Our favorite band was Rock-n-Soul, the house band at the Orchid Garden Ballroom. The members of the band were talented and fun, as evidenced by the fact that they dressed up each year to celebrate the holiday. This particular Halloween is the one that the Rock-n-Roll Cheerleaders made an appearance and performed a dance routine to the tune “Boy From New York City.”  Left to right Jeff DeHollander, Dave Williams, Tim Campbell, (fan in red), Donna Lamoureaux, Clark Barrios, Mike Bunch.

Motown Medley

ABOVE: Donna Lamoureaux and Clark Barrios

Mac The Knife
This is an excerpt of Clark Barrios – lead male singer with the group Rock n Soul – performing the Bobby Darin standard “Mac the Knife” live at the Orchid Garden at Church Street Station in 1996

ABOVE: Halloween at Church Street Station meant costumes, contests, street parties, friends and fun. Clark Barrios, lead singer of the band Rock n Soul was a former member of the Vegas style show band called Clutch out of Panama City Beach, Florida. One of their old routines featured male members of the band dressed as high school cheerleaders from Rock N Roll High doing their rendition of Boy From New York City among others complete with choreography. After attending a Clutch reunion in Panama City that summer, my friend Paula and I decided mothers and daughters would have to surprise Clark with our version of the Rock n Roll High Cheerleaders on Halloween. We made our costumes and learned the dance routine and pre-arranged with the lead female vocalist, Donna Lamoureaux, to perform the Boy From New York City. We all wore coats covering our costumes so as not to tip off Clark on what was going on and disappeared behind the stage shortly before the number started. On cue, we entered from behind the stage, performed our dance and returned to our seats. It was scary – but oh so much fun. Here we are posing with a poster of a Kitty before heading to the Orchid Garden at Church Street Station.

ABOVE: Halloween night at the Orchid Garden Ballroom at Church Street Station. I am dressed as Kitty, a character from the Vegas style show band Clutch from Panama City Beach, Florida. My son is one of the Blues Brothers.

ABOVE: Renowned Russian playwright, historian and author Edvard Radzinsky visited Orlando in October 1988 to speak at UCF and give a talk at the Orlando Public Library. We invited Edvard to our home on Halloween night to see the Trick or Treaters and go Trick or Treating with our little children. We wanted him to experience this truly American holiday and see how it was done at Church Street Station. This is our group in costume and Edvard in an eclectic array of items we threw together before leaving the house. Left to right: Finley Taylor, Edvard Radzinsky, Chris, Ashley, Kim Peters. The costumes the kids and I are wearing earned us a spot as finalists at the Walt Disney World Village annual Halloween Contest at Lake Buena Vista. The photo was taken at the back of the Orchid Garden at Church Street Station in front of the iconic statue of Marilyn Monroe. The statue was acquired by Church Street Station when the wax museum on International Drive closed.

Suspicious Minds

Pretty Woman

ABOVE: Fans of the band Rock-n-Soul often interacted with the band – bringing them sweets and gifts and celebrating their birthdays! Lead male singer, Clark Barrios, got a big surprise on his birthday in 1996 when everyone sang Happy Birthday to him, so he turned the mic on the audience. You can see Big Daddy Dave Williams on keys in the background.

When A Man Loves A Woman

Brown Eyed Girl
Brown Eyed Girl was one of the band’s songs that bought lead singer Clark Barrios out in the audience to choose a young lady to help him on stage. Clark would always ask the father, spouse, or boyfriend of the young lady if he might borrow her for a moment and escort the young lady back to the stage where he hoped she would dance with him and sing along. Regardless, she would receive a complementary signature drink of Church Street Station – the Flaming Hurricane Special with the souvenir glass.

Walking In Memphis
Rock n Soul performed four sets each night beginning at 8 p.m. and ending at 1 around 2 a.m. The first set was the 50’s, second the 60’s, third and fourth were a mixture of 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. By the last set, the crowds would thin out and the fans who has long ago become their friends usually made up a good part of the remaining audience. The band could have cut corners, played and sang some mediocre tunes to end the night, but they always seemed to have a special musical gift for those of us who closed the place. Anyone who remembers them singing Seven Bridges Road or Walking in Memphis knows what I mean. I’ve never heard either of these songs done better and I doubt I ever will. Rock n Soul was Dave Williams, Clark Barrios, Donna Lamoureaux, Tim Campbell, Phil May, Jeff DeHollander, Mike Bunch.

Disco Medley

ABOVE:  During the height of the Swing Dancing craze in the 1990s, the Orchid Garden pushed back the tables and chairs, the band donned their 40’s attire, added horns and had Swing Night Saturday Nights complete with dance contests and the best of new and old Swing music. This is a photo of Clark Barrios, lead male singer with the group Rock n Soul, singing in front of the beautiful marble bar in the Orchid Garden.

ABOVE: The Orchid Garden’s house band, Rock-n-Soul, recorded a cassette of Christmas music in 1996 titled “Old Fashioned Holidays”. Phil May, Donna Lamoureaux, and Clark Barrios in period garb and the beautiful Orchid Garden Ballroom decorated magnificently for the Christmas season are featured on the cover with the Christmas tree on the dance floor above the band stage. Additional images from the Orchid Garden during the Christmas holidays below.

ABOVE: The beautiful stained glass window on the dance floor above the band stage with the beautiful saying: Rise up my heart in lofty flight.

ABOVE: Decorated for the holidays this photo from November 21, 1997 shows the entrance doors below the right side of the stairs to the left of the Marilyn Monroe wax statue with the fan blowing under her skirt to recreate the famous movie scene. You can see the balcony above where the sound and lightening technicians worked and the fountain below the stairway landing.

ABOVE: Adam Smith, Ashley Peters, Aubrey Smith visiting Church Street Station during the 1996 Christmas Holidays. The trio are behind the Orchid Garden in the open air patio that joined the seafood restaurant, the Orchid Garden and the events center.

Regular visitors at the Orchid Garden became friends with the bartenders and waitresses, too.

ABOVE: Donna H. Clark Barrios’ self-proclaimed #1 fan, is from England and visited Orlando often because they loved Church Street Station and the music of Rock n Soul in the Orchid Garden. Two of their favorite waiters were Matt (on the left) and Ian (on the right) who posed for a photo with their son Christopher.

ABOVE: The Haskell family from England visited Orlando regularly because they loved Church Street Station! This photo is from November 1995. Donna Haskell is the photographer and her husband and children Lyndsey and Christopher are standing in the middle of Church Street. Looking west, on the left you can see the Buffalo Trading Company with the Orchid Garden and Cheyenne Saloon. On the right is Phineas Phogg’s Balloon Works, Lili Marleens, Apple Annies and Rosie O’Grady’s Good Time Emporium.

Watch Clark Barrios Elvis Tribute that Rock n Soul did in August 1997. Rock-n-Soul was the house band at the Orchid Garden Ballroom and consisted of Clark Barrios, Donna Lamoureaux, Phil May, Tim Campbell, Big Daddy Dave Williams, Mike Bunch.

Clark Barrios was lead male singer with the group Rock-n-Soul at the Orchid Garden at Church Street Station. In 1997 Clark created a tribute to Elvis on the Anniversary of his death. We got wind of it and decided to participate, giving red roses to ladies in the audience to give to “Elvis” and throwing under garments at the appropriate moments. The wait staff decided to join in on the fun. Be sure to watch all three clips especially number three.

VIEW Part 1        VIEW Part 2       VIEW Part 3

READ Church Street Station – One Family Remembers

Church Street Station became an Orlando entertainment destination when Rosie O’Grady’s Good Time Emporium opened it’s doors in July 1974. Central Floridians and people from around the world enjoyed the music, laughter, food and fun that made CSS the stuff of memories. In July 2004, the 30th anniversary of the opening of Rosie’s, an exhibit created by a Central Florida resident entitled “Church Street Station … One Family Remembers,” toured the Orange County Library System.

The exhibit was featured in a two page color story in the Orlando Sentinel entitled: “When the party’s over; Back in the day, Church Street Station was the place to be. Memories of its good times are on display at the Orlando Public Library.” August 5, 2004, pg. H1. This is the flyer that accompanied the exhibit.

Check out photos, audios, links, documents and images from CSS.