Photo by Gorge Skene
DIZZY RAMBLER AT DANTE'S
... Greg Towle, Stanley Chambers, Larry Colvin, Gerald Chambers,
Carl Chambers, left to right.

Dizzy Rambler Makes Good Music

By LYNNE O'MALLEY
Ledger Lifestyle Editor

You might say Dizzy Rambler at Dante's in Winter Haven is a family affair. You also might say the group members know what they're talking about when they speak of making music.

Don't let the five members' looks fool you. They're older than you think and Gerald Chambers and his cousin, Carl Chambers, have been in the music business for 12 to 14 years. They were members of Ron and the Starfires. Stan Chambers, Gerald's brother and rhythm guitar player for the group, Greg Towle, piano, and Larry Colvin, drummer, aren't newcomers to the business, either.

Dante's is now divided into a lounge area and a discotheque. Dizzy Rambler and the group Matanzas play continuously on Friday and Saturday nights. Dizzy Rambler performs solo on Wednesdays while Matanzas picks up the other nights.

According to Gerald Chambers, Dizzy Rambler is not really a lounge group, meaning they don't concentrate on "danceable" music. The group is more interested in performing in junior colleges and colleges in the area but is at Dante's during the summer months. Their ultimate goal is to produce their own songs and go into more concert situations.

Dizzy Rambler, as you see the group now, has been together since July 4 when it opened at Dante's. The group was formed in November of 1974 with seven members, but after much reorganization has finally settled down to the present five. The members all are from the Lakeland-Auburndale area.

Dizzy Rambler describes its music as "Southern Boogie" which is a bit hard to explain. The songs they perform tend toward "The South's Gonna Do It Again," "Magnolia," and a few of the Top 40 such as "Chevy Van" and "How Long" as well as their originals, "I Don't Know," and "40 Miles to Macon."

To have been together for such a short time, Dizzy Rambler has a unified sound. The group seems to work well together with much interaction between Gerald and Colvin to keep the bass coordinated. In fact, you couldn't ask to hear any better sounding music.

The singing, however, comes secondary to the music making. Carl and Stanley do most of the singing, which is sometimes drowned out by the instruments. Willy Metts, a Lakelander who once was associated with the Canadian Rogues, joins the group on occasion and his singing is more easily understood than the other two. Gerald says the group is proud of its three-part harmony and rightly so, when it is heard, that is.

On a recent Wednesday night, the lounge was practically empty, which must always be discouraging to the group on stage. Dizzy Rambler used the opportunity to experiment with some of their songs, and contribute more of their own music. The group took the song "Solitary Man" and turned it into about a 10 minute concert. Most of the patrons seemed lost in their own conversations but the music was worth listening to, closely.

Dizzy Rambler performs on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday evenings at Dante' s. There is a $1 cover charge on the weekends. In addition to performing alone, the group joins Matanzas on the weekend for an 11-piece sound.