Annie Rose and the Thrillers (with Kidd Afrika on Tuesday) at Astor Park, Seattle, WA, October 19 - 23, 1982
This poster advertises a performance by two local bands, Annie Rose and the Thrillers and Kidd Afrika, at Seattle’s Astor Park.
After moving to Seattle from Norman, Oklahoma in 1972, Annie Rose De Armas (b. unknown) led the Country-Rock band Rose and the Dirtboys with steel guitar player Chris Middaugh (b. unknown), bassists Rod Talley (b. unknown) and Guy Purdy (b. unknown), and guitarist Bill Gallagher (b. unknown) until 1975. De Armas is an openly gay singer known for performing with her dance band, Annie Rose and the Thrillers, at local venues including the University District’s Rainbow Tavern and throughout the Pacific Northwest from 1978 to 1984. Over the years Thrillers vocalists included Kristen Anderberg (b. unknown), Donna Beck (b. unknown), Susan Johnson (b. unknown), Denise Roselle (b. unknown), Judy Schnepps (b. unknown), and Patti Vincent (b. unknown), also a tenor saxophonist, along with Doug Reid (b. unknown) on alto saxophone. Drummers included Paul Black (b. unknown), Don Kammerer (b. unknown), and Carson Michaels (b. unknown), alongside bassists Dave Liston (b. unknown) and Gary Oldroyd (b. unknown).
Kidd Afrika is a Blues and Rock band formed in the Bay Area in 1967. Following their high school graduation, the band moved to Tacoma in 1970. After performing at the third and final Sky River Rock Festival near Sultan, Washington, they moved to Seattle in 1971, where they remained until their breakup in 1982. The band’s lineup has featured James Lilly (b. unknown) on bass and vocals, Teddy Joe (T.J.) Politzer (b. unknown) on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Donny Morrow (b. unknown) on drums, percussion and vocals, and Peter Moss (b. unknown) on tenor and alto saxophone. Like many Northwest bands, Kidd Afrika did not travel as a group, but often performed with bigger name artists that traveled through the region, including a memorable February 1978 performance with Bo Diddley, also at the Rainbow Tavern.
Billed as a video Rock club, Astor Park was located on 5th and Lenora in Seattle’s Belltown, under the Monorail. The venue opened in 1967 as the Trojan Horse, a Greek restaurant and nightclub where artists like BB King, Ray Charles, Bonnie Guitar, and Lou Rawls played. The Trojan Horse closed due to arson in 1975 and reopened in the early 1980s as Astor Park. Before Grunge really took off, The Heats seemed to be one of Seattle’s biggest bands, but they played their final show at Astor Park on New Year’s Eve, 1983. Internationally recognized bands also played here including a young U2 in 1981, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, after a concert at the Coliseum in July 1981, The Replacements in December 1985, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in February 1986. Other bands including R.E.M., TKO, Billy Rancher and the Unreal Gods, Men Without Hats, and Quarterflash played the venue. Astor Park closed in 1987 and the building was demolished in 1992.
