Right Direction
Henry "Sonny" Bardwell Jr. – guitar
Gary Bardwell – bass guitar
Roy Bardwell – keyboards, vocals, trumpet
Keith Bardwell – drums, vocals
Bruce Bardwell – sax, vocals
Tommy Glass – rhythm guitar, vocals
Ralph Koetzle – percussion, vocals
Michael "Mickey" Bardwell – trombone
By the time Right Direction was formed, its core players had been working together since their early childhood. The six brothers from the Bardwell family were a tight and telepathic musical unit long before formally assembling a band, and each had cut their teeth individually in the thick of the Chicago soul establishment. Sonny Bardwell, the oldest, had the most experience, starting in his early teens with the Mighty Marvelows and later the legendary Dells. They all spent the early 1970s gigging steadily, including Tommy Glass from down the block and Ralph Koetzle, their classmate at Eisenhower High.
In 1975, most of the Bardwells had slowed down, losing interest in the club circuit. They still loved to play and were easily persuaded to put together a one-shot performance for Roy Bardwell’s wedding that year. They had so much fun they decided to take it a little more seriously. The started under the name Midnight Rhythm, which also became their signature cut. Eschewing the club scene, a lifestyle which had long lost its luster for the members, they primarily played banquets, picnics, and proms to keep their chops sharp. They saved money from the gigs to go into the studio to commit their original tracks to wax. The sessions that yielded “Midnight Rhythm” took almost two years to complete, between 1977 and 1979. Before the 45 was pressed, another band emerged named Midnight Rhythm with a major label disco release, so they were forced to change their name to Right Direction.
The small demo pressing of “Midnight Rhythm” failed to court label interest, and the band slowly began to peter out. Only in hindsight is it clear that this band had all the creativity and magic of their peers that made it large, but their recordings never found the support to get them there. A chance to rewrite history is long past
Henry "Sonny" Bardwell Jr. – guitar
Gary Bardwell – bass guitar
Roy Bardwell – keyboards, vocals, trumpet
Keith Bardwell – drums, vocals
Bruce Bardwell – sax, vocals
Tommy Glass – rhythm guitar, vocals
Ralph Koetzle – percussion, vocals
Michael "Mickey" Bardwell – trombone
By the time Right Direction was formed, its core players had been working together since their early childhood. The six brothers from the Bardwell family were a tight and telepathic musical unit long before formally assembling a band, and each had cut their teeth individually in the thick of the Chicago soul establishment. Sonny Bardwell, the oldest, had the most experience, starting in his early teens with the Mighty Marvelows and later the legendary Dells. They all spent the early 1970s gigging steadily, including Tommy Glass from down the block and Ralph Koetzle, their classmate at Eisenhower High.
In 1975, most of the Bardwells had slowed down, losing interest in the club circuit. They still loved to play and were easily persuaded to put together a one-shot performance for Roy Bardwell’s wedding that year. They had so much fun they decided to take it a little more seriously. The started under the name Midnight Rhythm, which also became their signature cut. Eschewing the club scene, a lifestyle which had long lost its luster for the members, they primarily played banquets, picnics, and proms to keep their chops sharp. They saved money from the gigs to go into the studio to commit their original tracks to wax. The sessions that yielded “Midnight Rhythm” took almost two years to complete, between 1977 and 1979. Before the 45 was pressed, another band emerged named Midnight Rhythm with a major label disco release, so they were forced to change their name to Right Direction.
The small demo pressing of “Midnight Rhythm” failed to court label interest, and the band slowly began to peter out. Only in hindsight is it clear that this band had all the creativity and magic of their peers that made it large, but their recordings never found the support to get them there. A chance to rewrite history is long past
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