LINDEN — The year was 1971. Students at the Linden school, which then housed grades 7 through 9 and was known as McManus Junior High School, were getting ready for their ninth-grade spring dance and needed a live band.
The instrumental music teacher at the time, Brooke Ostrander, offered up his band, which played original songs and some contemporary rock hits of the time from such bands as the Moody Blues, the Rolling Stones, and Jethro Tull. Ostrander, who had just started his career at McManus in January 1969, played keyboards and flute for the band, known as Wicked Lester.
While those names may sound unfamiliar, the names of two of Ostrander’s bandmates from that night may ring a bell: Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley — founding members of the legendary rock band KISS.
KISS made its debut in 1974 and went on to be one of the biggest rock bands of the ’70s, known for songs such as “Rock and Roll All Nite.” KISS sold out stadiums to fans drawn by its ground-shaking sound, glam-rock costumes, and, of course, one-of-a-kind makeup, which kept the members’ faces hidden from the public for years.
But in 1971, Simmons and Stanley were in a small New York-based band that was known first as Rainbow and then Wicked Lester, playing small gigs at an armory, a college campus and a youth convention.
And at least one in Linden, according to multiple sources, with a keyboard and flute player whose full-time job was as a band teacher at McManus.
News of the McManus show resurfaced this year when Mark Kohut, art teacher at School No. 8 and School No. 9, was reading “KISS: Behind the Mask – Official Authorized Biography” by David Leaf and Ken Sharp, which was published by Grand Central Publishing in 2008. The book talked about the band’s early days, including Ostrander’s contributions to Rainbow and Wicked Lester.
Matt Porter
Jody Havenot
Rocker Gene Simmons has settled a lawsuit brought by a broadcaster who alleged Simmons made unwarranted sexual advances during an on-camera interview at the San Manuel Casino near Highland.
Jody Havenot
The couple brought George, one of their 4 rescue dogs with them. Shannon Simmons said “I think adopting dogs is good for people’s health. It’s good for the dogs and good for people and not just adopting 1 but adopt at least 2 because then they have a herd so they can be together. So you don’t feel guilty when you go to work. My daughter and I rescued 10 dogs, and we now have 4 with us and my daughter has 2. We have to put 2 down last year because they were too old. One was 19 and another one was 20 and we adopted them since they were 2 years old so it was really hard to let them go. They got cancer and went blind and many other problems.”
