When he was just 17, Swissvale native Steve Dudas went out on the road with his band Saving Grace. All the scheduled gigs fell through, so the musicians were forced to scramble for work. Dudas found himself auditioning for and earning work as a guitarist in a rock 'n' roll revival show that featured Chuck Berry, The Drifters and the Coasters, among others.
"We traveled across the country in school buses, if you can believe that," says Dudas, a 1969 graduate of Swissvale High School, now part of the Woodland Hills school district. "I didn't play with Bo Diddley, but he was on the bus, and sometimes you'd see Bo cleaning out the bus. Sometimes he'd even drive it."
If that was all Dudas achieved, it would be pretty special. But since then, Dudas, who will be honored with the Pittsburgh Guitar Legends Award at Duquesne University's Guitar & Bass Workshop this week and will perform in a Tuesday concert there, has had the sort of career that most musicians only dream about.
His achievements include:
All this happened because he decided to take a chance and leave Pittsburgh for Los Angeles in 1977.
"That was the biggest step, coming out here where the music was," says Dudas, who played in the band Pyewacket while he lived in the area. "I realized I would always be at the same level if I stayed in Pittsburgh. That's not putting Pittsburgh musicians down; it's just the step I needed to take."
When he arrived in California, Dudas stayed with George Suranovich, a Duquesne native who played drums in Arthur Lee's band, Love. Suranovich, who died in 1990 at the age of 46, told Dudas he could use his couch for three weeks.
Fortunately, Dudas had just finished a long haul with singer Maureen McGovern, and had about a year's worth of unemployment compensation from which he could draw. After he found his own place, Dudas decided to play anywhere and at any time -- for free.
"I made a lot of contacts, and virtually every one paid off," he says.
Especially important was meeting Mark Hudson of the Hudson Brothers band. Dudas would eventually join the Hudson Brothers as a guitarist, and also play with Mark Hudson on Joan Rivers' talk show and in Starr's band.
Through other people Dudas met, he formed the bands ComboNation and The Dig. He worked with Ted Templeman, who notably produced Van Halen's "1984," but while the bands were popular in Los Angeles, they never made much of a national impact.
"You know how it is," he says. "It's just one of those things that didn't happen."
Dudas has no regrets. The highlights of his career are many, and although his versatility paints him as a gun for hire, the things he's been able to do far outweigh the lack of success in a band of his own.
Especially since there are very few people who get to hang out with an ex-Beatle on a regular basis.
"It really is rock 'n' roll royalty," Dudas says. "It doesn't get any better than when Ringo starts telling stories about the old days, and he's such a wonderful man. I really do consider him a friend."
Additional Information:
More info
Guitar & Bass Workshop public eventsWhat : Duquesne University's annual Summer Guitar & Bass Workshop public events
When: 7:30 p.m. today: An Evening of Guitar Music, featuring stars such as Tom Kikta and Diane Ponzio, PNC Recital Hall on the Duquesne University campus, Uptown
7:30 p.m. Tuesday: Awards concert at PNC Recital Hall will honor Steve Dudas and Tony Janflone Jr., among others.
8 p.m. Wednesday: Summertime Blues Concert with Jimmy Bruno leading a pack of players will be held on the lawn by the Student Union.
Admission : Tickets for the first two events are $10; $8 for members of the Pittsburgh Jazz Society, Guitar Society of Fine Art and WDUQ-FM; $6 for students. Admission for the third is $15.
Details : 412-281-1910
