Johnny Rines
DOB: May 12, 1919 (Webster, MA)
DOD: March 24, 1977 (Worcester, MA)
Instrument: Guitar
Education: Webster Public Schools, Schillinger House of Music
Playing experience: Gene Broadman Band, Dol Brissette Orchestra, Dick
Bellerose, Tony Lada, Sr., Gretchen Morrow, Emil Haddad and the
Noteables, Johnny Mason, Ken Barrett and Bermuda Triangle
Touring and other highlights: Performed in the U.S. Navy Band in bases
around the country, featured regularly on WTAG Radio AM 580
Discography: No known official recordings
He was born John P. Rynkowski, but he was called Johnny Rines, one of the
area's unsung heroes of the guitar.
Originally from Webster, Rines first performed locally in bands led by
boyhood friends like Tony Lada, Sr. and Dick Bellerose in long lost
clubs from town. He also worked in a territory band led by Gene Broadman
that barnstormed throughout Southern Massachusetts region.
During WWII, Rines served in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to a Navy
band, backing many name acts that entertained service men around the
country.
After the war, the guitarist enrolled in the Schillinger House, which
later became Berklee College of Music. He also continued his gigging
schedule locally, including with the Worcester-based Dol Brissette
Studio Orchestra, a band that was featured regularly on WTAG â€" AM 580,
including a nationally syndicated show that broadcast by NBC.
Rines is probably best known for his 22-year stint with Emil Haddad and
the Noteables, a group formed in 1950 that also featured accordion
player Johnny Mason, trumpeter Emil Haddad, bassist Eddie Defino, and
drummer Eddie “Sham� Shamgochian. At one point in its career, the group
played six and seven nights a week for more than a decade without a
vacation.
After leaving the band in the early 1970s, Rines worked with Defino for
a couple of years and later formed a trio with Ken Barrett called, the
Bermuda Triangle. He also taught guitar at Clemente Studios in
Worcester.
Rines died in Worcester on March 24, 1977. He was 57. He is buried in
St. Joseph's Cemetery, Old Worcester Road, Webster.
