The Very Short History of Bobby Brant and The Rhythm Rockers
The history of Bobby Brant and The Rhythm Rockers is very short for the simple reason that the band only existed for a few months in 1958 and 1959. Only one single was released by the band, which was "Piano Nellie", a rousing piano rocker, backed with "I Found A New Love", a romantic ballad. Amazingly - after over 66 years - "Piano Nellie" is now featured in the smash hit series "Fallout" on Amazon Prime Video.
The band was comprised of three members of Bobby Poe and The Poe Kats and you can read more about them and Bobby Poe down the page. The members of Bobby Poe and The Poe Kats that became members of Bobby Brant and The Rhythm Rockers were Bobby Poe on lead vocals, Big Al Downing on piano and Vernon Sandusky on lead guitar. The Poe Kats' drummer Joe Brawley had tired of life on the road and moved back to North Carolina to work for his family's trucking company.
With the departure of Joe Brawley, the rest of The Poe Kats decided a name change might improve the band's fortunes. The new drummer of Bobby Brant and The Rhythm Rockers was Mitch Corday. Alas, a name change didn't improve the band's fortunes and Bobby Poe also decided he would call it a day as a musician. However, Bobby Poe firmly believed Big Al Downing and Vernon Sandusky were exceptional talents and sold his bandmates on the idea of focusing the band around Big Al Downing, with Bobby Poe becoming their manager. And that's how Bobby Brant and The Rhythm Rockers evolved into Big Al Downing and The Rhythm Rockers. Johnny Dubas was then added on bass.
Above is a Mini-Video of "I Found A New Love" by Bobby Brant and The Rhythm Rockers. It's a scene from the film "Garden State", starring Natalie Portman and Zach Braff. Natalie and Zach seem to be having a "moment" while "I Found A New Love" plays.
And here is the full version of "I Found A New Love" by Bobby Brant and The Rhythm Rockers. Originally released in 1958 as the B-side of the band's one and only single, "I Found A New Love" has been newly remastered and released to all streaming services by Kansoma Records.
The only known picture of Bobby Brant and The Rhythm Rockers. (L-R) Big Al Downing; Vernon Sandusky; Mitch Corday; and Bobby Poe.
