“Pappy told me when I was knee-high to a toad. He said “Son you’re gonna learn a few things, heading down life’s rugged road. You might think you got it all figured out but you’ll catch a snag no doubt and you’ll find you don’t know shit from Shinola”.

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     -From The Shinolas song: “You Don’t Know Shit From Shinola”.

 

With these pearls of wisdom in mind, The Shinolas struck out into the world leaving behind their beloved Pine Box Missouri home on a quest to find their long-lost cousin Clayton Weed (the accountant) who had apparently mysteriously disappeared along with the family’s Shineola Shoe Polish fortune when the company dissolved sometime in the 50’s leaving the siblings destitute and penniless.

 

To earn travel money along the way, the siblings formed a musical ensemble and have since been eking out a living playing saloons, weddings, wakes, funerals, and divorce settlement parties to sustain their hunt for Clayton Weed. Although they have been searching now for more years than they care to admit, they continue to remain confident that one day they shall find retribution and will be restored as the rightful heirs for the Shinola Shoe Polish dynasty.

 

An unexpected side benefit to their long quest has been the unique style of music that has evolved from the unlikely bunch through the years. The Shinolas original material has a highly developed sound that combines elements of Texas Swing, Rock-a-Billy, Rootsy-Blues, Gospel, Cajun Swamp, R&B, Vintage Jazz and Old-time Country. The group’s instrumentation is first rate and their stage performance is compelling and downright fun.

 

 

 

BUT WHO ARE THE SHINOLAS?

 

Shefield Shinola: AKA Bruce Gerrish

Guitar, Uke, Vocals, songwriter

Sheffield Shinola, primary fast talker of the group started his career as the string boy and luggage carrier for the Preservation Hall Jazz band in New Orleans. He listened intently night after night to the old masters and tried to absorb every nuance. After striking out on his own, “Sheff” landed in San Francisco where he played the streets near Union Square and eventually became a member of the Four Roses combo, named after the rot-gut whiskey that they all drank at the time. Through a series of unforeseen mishaps and unexpected turns, he ultimately wound up in Vancouver, Canada where he now resides in relative obscurity. www.brucegerrish.com

 

 

Shubert  Shinola: AKA Pat Covernton

Piano & Vocals

Shubert Shinola was lost during one of the Shinola family's frequent trips to England in a failed attempt to drum up more shoe polish business. Although upset by the loss, Mr. and Mrs. Shinola shrugged their shoulders and eventually returned home admitting to themselves that one less mouth to feed was not necessarily a bad thing. Left penniless and destitute in Trafalgar Square, Shubert soon began to use his god-given musical talents to eke out a living on the streets of London. Armed with only his squeezebox, and his organ grinder monkey, Mortimer, Shubert became a local celebrity, eventually capturing the heart of Queen Elizabeth. He was invited to become the "house "musician at Windsor Castle, where he entertained dignitaries from around the world.  After Mortimer tragically passed on, Shubert all but gave up music, until his long-lost brother Sheffield was able to finally track him down. At last, the brothers were reunited and they eventually returned home to Pine Box, Missouri and Shubert were taken back into the fold as the piano player for the band.

 

 

Shadrack  Shinola: AKA Sam Schoichet

Upright bass & Vocals

 

Shad Shinola, another fast talker and fire-breather of the group, started his career many years ago at the age of 18, but due to an accounting error in the HR dept. of his last band, had to re-enter the musical workforce to pay off his sizable array of debts. Through a series of well-orchestrated mis-haps and pre-planned straight paths, he eventually unraveled in Vancouver’s witness protection plan, where he resides in way-too-much-to-be-safe perspicuity. www.goodjazz.com