Carl's Scrapbook: The 70s: Matanzas

Matanzas

In late 1970, Ron Whitney decided to start playing the Rustic Lounge in Winter Haven and after about a year or so he was offered the opportunity by Ric Furnari to move the band to "Dante's Blue Room", an upscale Italian restaurant and lounge in southeast Winter Haven. Ron cut the act down to a trio and along with Ronnie Skinner on guitar and Allen Keefer on Drums the band, then using the name Ron and Matanzas, started packing the crowds in.

After Raintree County broke up, Jesse and I didn't play for several months, but eventually (probably late 1972) we had started going over to the Blue Room and jammin' with the guys on Saturday nights. After a few weeks Furnari liked what he was hearing and the place was packing out on the week-ends, so we were hired to play Friday and Saturday nights with the band. Business was so good, Furnari soon moved the club into a vacated Polynesian restaurant (The Volcano) in downtown Winter Haven that had large twin Tiki-hut style buildings separated by a garden area complete with rattan bridges and fountains. He dubbed his new venture, Dante's Roma and Inferno Lounge. In the beginning, the restaurant was in one building and the lounge was in the other and the band played five nights (Jesse and I worked 3 nights, I think!) a week. It was also during this time that I made my ill fated attempt to play the banjo (?) as part of the "showtime" portion of the week-end shows.

    Matanzas "Live at Dante's Roma" 1973
NOTE: Recorded in front of a live band. Vocal distortion is from the original P.A. speakers.

    Special impromptu rendition of "A Change is Gonna Come"
Featuring Ron Whitney and guest singer Willie Metts

Eventually, expenses and time took their toll and the whole establishment was moved into a single building. Ron grew weary of the weekly grind and a plan was devised that had Jesse and I and our new group "Dizzy Rambler" playing three nights a week and Ron & Matanzas getting another night off each week. I believe it was Saturday nights when both bands would play. Best I remember, we played that way until the establishment finally closed it's doors in 1975.

Ron continued to work Matanzas in several other area lounges for a couple of years, but the load of working two full time jobs eventually wore him down and Ron retired from music for almost two decades . He would not sing again until in the early 90s when the Starfires would reunite for a couple of class reunion jobs.