Rolly Rocker and the Hemi heads were formed in 1999 by Lee Martin (aka Rolly Rocker) of Ontario Canada. The idea was to form a tribute band to the incredible music of the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s. The bands original line up consisted of four members. Lee Martin on guitar and vocals, Alan Fiddler on bass and vocals, Steve Morgan on drums and Bill Northmore on keys and vocals. Unfortunately only after a few band practices and a photo shoot Bill left the band for other pursuits. Shortly there after, Ben Apgar became the “killer and no filler” keyboard player for the band. This line up stayed steady through-out the 1999 season. Just after recording their first demo CD at Martin Studios, performances by the band increased.  In the studio you can over dub vocal harmonies and other guitar lines along with percussion fills. The live show seemed to miss this. The 4-part harmony that most 50’s and 60’s songs required wasn't there. So they started to look for a new vocal member.

 
       Jamming in a friends attic on a Thursday night Rolly Rocker and the Hemi Heads found their new vocal, guitar, percussion and backup keys player. Her name is Leeann Sykes. This 5-piece band was now ready for anything except for what was about to happen next! Unexpectedly our drummer Steve Morgan had to leave the band due to personal problems. Steve still plays here and there these days and is now finishing off a 1928 model A Ford coupe with a hemi in it, of course. The band had to start looking for a new drummer. John Meydam from Oshawa Ontario was the sub in drummer for the next little while until Ryan Bell joined the band in 2001. Ryan was found accidentally one day in Lee’s music store buying drumsticks and was asked to try out as the bands new drummer!
Ryan' nick name is Moth

      Throughout the next two years Ben played when possible. Out of necessity Lee found himself learning piano parts like “Great balls of fire” (Jerry Lee Lewis) to “Let it be” (The Beatles). Leeann also learned organ parts like “I’m a believer” (The Monkeys) to “Born to be wild“ (Steppenwolf) For the majority of the bigger gigs Ben was able to play. Sadly, in January 2003 Ben had left the band and Leeann moved to Australia to find a new life.

 
       The band knew Leeann was leaving for some time so they started to look for a replacement. Trying to find a female vocalist that used all the instruments that Leeann played would be pretty tough. Two new members had to be found. Get a load of this! The new singers name is also Lee, Lee McKeown. An old high school friend of Lee’s. Shortly after that Ian Cox was interviewed to join the band as the new keys player, guitar and vocal singer. That brings the band up to date. No matter how many changes the band has been through two members have always been the backbone of the band Lee Martin and Alan Fiddler. As long as these two friends keep playing together Rolly Rocker and the Hemi Heads will go on forever...

 Personal Bio's  

Lee Martin       Lee found a passion for playing the guitar over 15 years ago. Ever since he was six Lee had rummaged through his parents LP’s and found a compilation record that had some of the greatest artists in rock' n roll history: Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Big Bopper, The Beatles, Beach Boys, Little Richard and many more. It was a start to a good thing! Lee has been in many bands over the years and played with various artists such as Little ED and the Imperials, Dennis Gomo, Shirley King, The Sauce Boss Bill Wharton and opened for Teenage Head. Lee's studies include: OAC Music Grad, studied with jazz guitarist David Haffey and now teaches full time in his music store Martin Studios in Georgetown Ontario, Canada. Lee also sings and plays bass guitar, drums, piano and harmonica. To hear Lee play check out the MP3 section of this site or click here!

Alan Fiddler

        Alan started playing bass at the age of 12 when his main musical influences included The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, and The Who.  He has since been involved in a number of musical projects ranging from a triple-gold-standard high school wind ensemble to an original modern rock group, taking time to explore performing in the genres of jazz, blues, and heavy metal along the way.  It seems, however, that he always found his way back to his classic rock roots, whether he was giving a nod to Elvis in a blues performance or playing a David Bowie cover with his original group. 

      When the opportunity arose to be a founding member of Rolly Rocker and the Hemi Heads and combine his love of performing classic rock and roll with his enthusiasm for classic cars the choice was a simple one.  “You see a lot of different cliques among the youth of today”, he says, “You’ve got kids who are into nothing but hip-hop, ones who’ll listen to nothing but new metal, and so on, and there’s a lot of good music in those genres, but we all have to open our eyes to the great artists that have gone before us.  It doesn’t make sense to disregard an awesome song just because it hasn’t been on the charts in 40 years.”  At 21 years old, he stands to reinforce Danny & the Juniors’ proclamation that “Rock n’ Roll is here to stay”, by playing the music with the same energy and enthusiasm as was the intent of the original artists. To hear Alan play check out the MP3 section of this site or click here!

Ryan Bell

Ryan D.J Bell born in Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada on Aug 25 1979. He has been playing drums for nine years. Ryan's influences are, Chad Smith, John Bonham, Keith moon, Dave Weckel, Abe Laboriel Jr, Carter Beauford, Phil Rudd and Buddy Rich.
Listens to: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, D.M.B, The Police, The Buddy Rich Band...

Ian Cox

      Ian’s love of Rock ‘n Roll began in a dusty attic just outside of Liverpool, when he stumbled across his parent’s collection of old 45’s. Sifting through the cluttered, hidden vinyl, he unearthed gems by legendary artists such as The Who, The Kinks, The Stones and The Shadows; but it was a record called Help! With a B-side of Ticket To Ride that stood out above the rest. The raw power of John Lennon’s voice and the driving rhythm of the two guitars caused Ian to become a disciple of The Beatles from that day forward, and a chance meeting with Sir Paul McCartney years later only furthered his enthusiasm for the music.

     Ian moved to Canada in his teens where he took piano lessons at the Royal Conservatory and picked up an old guitar once in a while. He has played with various bands, most notably the Stone’s tribute, Tumbling Dice. Having earned a diploma in audio engineering, Ian now works as a recording and sound reinforcement engineer and owns a studio in St. Catharines with his longtime friend Tim Penney. Ian hopes to rekindle the free, lawless feeling of true rock ‘n roll in those old 45’s while playing with Rolly Rocker and The Hemi Heads and currently enjoys throwing the top down and getting away in his old ’71 MGB which he has affectionately nicknamed Sgt. Pepper.