Ernie Earnshaw

Ernie Earnshaw is a musician and recording artist. He began playing drums with the popular surf-band of the 1960s, the Royale Monarchs at the Bob Eubanks Cinnamon Cinder night clubs in Los Angeles and performed on Sam Riddell's Ninth St. West dance program. Producer Gary Usher signed the new reformed group The Forte' Four to recording contract at Decca Records. Two singles were released without much fanfare, and when The Forte IV broke up, Ernie met and auditioned for Six the Hard Way, a group of 3 singers/3 pieces which went on the road and stayed there all through 1967. When Six the Hard Way broke up, Ernie and Chuck Girard went back to Pasadena where Chuck started writing, and eventually Chuck Girard, Jack Schaeffer, Ernie and a couple of Chuck's friends recorded two demos, "Feel the Love" and "Enchanted Forest." These were the beginnings of what many consider the first Christian Rock group. Earnshaw left this band in the spring of '68, joining BigFoot, which became Bill Medley's band in the summer of 1970.

At the end of that year, the gig with Bill Medley dried up, so Earnshaw loaded his VW Beetle and headed North, where in the spring of 1971, he joined a band in the act of making their debut album. These were The Wackers, a band that had grown out of a songwriting partnership consisting of Bob Segarini and Randy Bishop, late of the band, Roxy. Based in Eureka California, where they'd encountered Michael Stull, with his marvelous baritone voice and Rickenbacker "Double Six," and William "Kootch" Trochim on bass. The Wackers played local clubs and did the occasional live unplugged acoustic shows on various radio stations. In 1972 The Wackers moved to Montreal, Quebec and became very popular by playing many high-school and college dances.

In the Fall of 1973, unrest and reorganization in the record business caused Elektra to drop many acts from their rosters. Earnshaw returned to Humboldt County and played steadily in nightclubs, street fairs, weddings and such. In addition Earnshaw played drums on several local recording projects, including albums and demos.

Earnshaw's most significant moments during this period were with Rolling Bob, featuring the fine vocalist, Larry Lampi, the masterful Doug Marcum on guitars/vocals, and Ken Susan on bass/vocals. Formed in 1976, this band is still playing occasioally. And on July 24, 2011 in Toronto, The Wackers strapped it on again with a 1 hour and 45 minute set, and sources report that the band "......like totally rawked, dude!"