Paul Chelsey and his Kings of Rhythm

MEMORIES OF THE BAND YEARS
My father, Paul Chelstowski, had a lifelong passion for music, at times playing
Chopin on our piano or changing genre to what we now call Swing Music. In the
early forties, he led a ten-piece band , PAUL CHELSEY AND HIS KINGS OF RHYTHM .
The band rehearsed in our living room, which soon was transformed with music
stands, a lot of smoke, and general revelry among the band members. They
would talk about the latest gig and relive how the wheels of the Model 48 Ford
were stuck in the mud, and the effort to disengage from the mire or how the
music sheets got lost along the way, again. My Uncle Chet, who was a teenager at
the time, was paid 25 cents for loading the cars for the gigs and was held
responsible for the time the bass fiddle slid down an icy hill. I was allowed to stay
up late (how could anyone sleep?) and would �dress up�, sit on the stairs, and
peer through the balusters intent on being a part of that scene, even from afar.
After rehearsal, a poker game would break out. My mother, who had prepared
sandwiches for everyone, would then leave the kitchen and escort me to bed. I
hated to leave all the excitement behind because I loved those rehearsals!
     Joan Chelstowski Bauer