The Boys In The Band
(Listed in order of the date they joined)
Dick Ray (1964)
Dick holds a Master of Arts in Teaching, a Masters of Education in
Educational Admistration and Supervision, all from the University of New
Hampshire. He is also a retired army reserve colonel and a Vietnam veteran.
He enjoys writing and recording his own songs, golf, crossword puzzles, and
traveling. Dick’s broad musical interests have led him to play bass with two
swing-style big bands and he has sung and played bass in a folk-rock duo.
Additionally, Dick sings bass in
his church choir.
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Bill "Ody" Maniotis (1965)

Bill met the band in early summer of 1965 on Long Island, NY. He plays lead guitar and sings lead and backup vocals. Early in the band’s development, Bill was instrumental in introducing the band to such groups as The Lovin’ Spoonful and The Rascals, two of the band’s early influences. He enjoys playing pool, following Boston sports teams, and anything Star Trek, both the original series and the movies.
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Bruce Hawkins, Sr. (1965)
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Buddy Brown (1966)
Buddy Brown began playing drums at the age of twelve, and in his early teen years he played with local bands - The Night Riders, The Electras, Bobby and the Decades, and The Seventeens. Buddy joined the Spectras in 1966 and has been their main drummer ever since. In the 1970’s Bud played for a while with Clear Blue Sky. Bud is still playing the same set of Rogers drums he has had since 1964!
His unique drumming style was influenced by Buddy Rich, Dino Dinelli of the Rascals, and Carmine Appice of Vanilla Fudge. Buddy is a big fan of the Turtles, Sly and the Family Stone, and the Kinks.
Buddy especially likes watching other drummers and bands that obviously love what they are doing. He enjoys the outdoors, and is the owner of his own landscaping and snow removal business. Bud likes baseball and football, especially the Red Sox and the Patriots. Buddy was actually invited to a Red Sox training camp for a tryout as a pitcher.
Bud is especially thankful for the opportunity his parents gave him and for their continual encouragement in pursuing his lifelong love of playing the drums.
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Bob Lassonde (1967)
Bob began playing piano in first grade in
Dover, NH. As a high school freshman he picked up a trumpet and decided this was
a lot better to play in the St. Thomas Aquinas Band. Try marching with a
piano some time!
Bob joined the Spectras in February of '67. " I can remember the first night we played with the band.
We played only four songs, but the brass section made quite an impact on the
crowd". No other local bands had horns in those days and even some of the
national acts didn't travel with them. Every now and then they would have us
play the horn parts for them just to make them sound more like their own
records. From then on, Dick kept adding more brass tunes.
Bob left the band in '70 to finish a master's degree in music theory and began
teaching for the Hamilton-Wenham (MA) Schools in '71. He was director of bands
there until he retired in 2006. He then rejoined when Dick put the
Spectras back together upon his return from Viet Nam."It was nice to have
the '80's off from playing to be home to watch the girls grow up. And I think
that made it even more fun to get back together and play in the '90's - even
just to prove we could still do it!”
Today Bob and his wife Wendy enjoy traveling, skiing, playing golf, and of
course, the nights out with the band...
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Gary Anderson (1971)
Gary Anderson, an Emmy award winning filmmaker, began his musical career
in his bedroom closet where he hid an entire drum set from his parents. He was
forced out of the closet and into woodwind world where he came of age playing
saxophone and bass in a string of sordid rock bands through high school. He
enrolled in the UNH music program in the ‘60’s and then switched to
photography.
Anderson joined the Spectras in the early ‘70’s. He was responsible for the
band’s one venture into radical leftist politics: recording the music for Mayflowers,
his documentary film about the Chicago 3 at UNH after the Kent State killings.
His career as a filmmaker has often influenced his music. He has worked to raise
public awareness in issues of social responsibility, environment, urban planning
and resource management in the production, filming and editing of hundreds of
films.
Today Anderson lives in central NH where he worships the seasons, makes
films, builds post and beam houses for himself and his neighbors.
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Lee Gardner (1971)
Lee was born and raised in Greenlawn, Long Island, NY. He spent all his summers and vacations in NH. He played the trumpet in his high school bands. Because of his love of the outdoors Lee enrolled at the University of New Hampshire to study Forestry in 1970.
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Paul Cole (2003)
Paul
was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. He was introduced to the trombone at ten
years of age and learned bass guitar when he was fifteen. As a teenager he
spent two years studying at the "Stan Kenton Summer Clinics" and
formally studied music at University of Akron.
During
Paul’s college years he played bass guitar with various rock
groups...including playing with "Showmen". The band’s hi-point
was playing as the opening band for Joe Walsh’s James Gang for 9 months
in Kent, Ohio; The band also was contracted to play at TV's "Hullaballo"
dance clubs in the 60's, from New England to the Mid-west, Ohio State Fair, etc.
Soon
thereafter Paul joined the U.S. Navy which changed his life.He married, had
two children, and put all music on a 20 year hiatus.
By 1999, his wife and children had all grown up and left home, so it was
time to dust off his trombone.
Today
Paul is actively playing trombone with Compaq Big Band (Europe tour 2005) , New
Legacy Swing Band, my own big band "Swing Set" and since 2003 has been
playing that good old rock and roll with The Spectras.
Paul’s
recording credits: (all Cd's)
Compaq Big Band: Bandwidth
The Spectras: 40-04 and Summer Nite
New Legacy Swing Band: The New Legacy Swings
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Bruce Hawkins, Jr. (2008)
Bruce Jr. was born to Bruce Sr. and his mom Patsy in 1966 and within a very few days of his birth was onstage at the Hampton Beach Casino ... his dad cradling him in one arm while playing a mean Hammond B3 with the other. Growing up in a home with The Beatles, Elvis, Simon and Garfunkel (among others) playing constantly, he spent many hours singing with his mom and grew to love finding or adding harmonies in various songs. In 1978, he was introduced to a band by the name of Van Halen by his cousin Chip ... and a guitar player was born.
Bruce Jr. played guitar for personal enjoyment from his teenage years through adulthood and had the opportunity in the early 2000's to sit in with The Spectras on a few occasions when other members couldn't be present. In 2009, an opportunity presented itself and he joined the band officially and in a full time capacity, playing both rhythm and lead guitar and singing both lead and background vocals.
Bruce Jr. can probably beat anyone you know at ping pong, sees WAY too many movies, loves blue cheese but never eats it and has two children Zakary Matthew and Skylar Mackenzie. As a group, they can overcome any video game challenge you might throw their way, tell you just about anything you want to know about New England sports (and many things you might not), make you laugh repeatedly in both clever and exceptionally silly ways. They are also all ninjas, and you'll never see them coming. Not even if you turn around REALLY quickly. They'll already be gone.
Bruce Jr. enjoys all of those things more than you can possibly know.
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Thom Ray (2009)
Thom has been immersed in a world of music his entire life. Early memories include dancing to the sounds of the Spectras as a toddler, and barbershop songs and harmonies from a quintet consisting of his dad, uncles, and grandfather, a tradition at family get-togethers. He began playing saxophone at age ten, and through his teenage years he was involved in school bands playing saxophone as well as tuba. It was during this time he started playing bass guitar, and he also enjoyed singing in concert & jazz choirs. His appreciation and understanding of music eventually led to formal training at the University of New Hampshire.
These days, besides playing bass, Thom enjoys playing guitar and piano. He is also very much into the process of recording music, and has done so in his home, drawing on musical influences such as The Beach Boys and The Beatles, as well as more current bands such as The Smiths, Blur, Radiohead, and Oasis.
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