Rodeo’s Favorite Band returns to Stardust

Thursday, Dec. 3, 1998 | 3:48 a.m.

Proclaimed by popular demand as the professional rodeo's favorite show band, Original Coors Rodeo returns for the sixth consecutive year as the presenting sponsor of Ricky & The Redstreaks, the bodacious rock 'n' roll show band that draws raucous standing-room-only crowds wherever they perform.

The Redstreaks' annual command performance is a two-week stint during the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. The 25,000-square foot convention area at the Stardust Hotel is packed each night as the popular group plays from 11 p.m. to the early hours each night of the NFR.

"But," as band leader Ricky Zucchini said, "not on the tables."

"Original Coors distributors have worked with Ricky & the Redstreaks since 1980, and the interest level has risen so dramatically that the Coors Brewing Company assumed a more complete contract with the group in 1992," Bob Haimes, brand director for Original Coors, said.

"There are very few groups in the entertainment industry that bring a greater sustaining audience response than this group. For the Original Coors Rodeo program, sponsoring Ricky & The Redstreaks is the icing on the cake of the most extensive and high-profile marketing program we have at the Brewery. The loyalty factor among their fans rivals NASCAR racing."

Six talented musicians and vocalists from Northern California combine their high-energy ability with off-the-wall comedy to excite and entertain audiences across the country. But, it is on the professional rodeo circuit that the group has earned its place as a show band for the ages.

"If you haven't seen us, it's hard to imagine what our drawing card is," group founder John Jackman (aka Ricky Zucchini) said. "Sometimes it even amazes us, and we've been doing this for nearly 30 years."

Originally formed in 1968 as "The Train" by Jackman and his long-time friend Ray Brown (aka Daddy-O) in Placerville, Calif., the group became the Redstreaks in 1971. The group's musical repertoire ranges from the '50s to about 1970. The theme of each performance is fun and nostalgia.

Jackman and the other Redstreaks take pride in the fact that they don't just stand on stage and play music.

"We put on a show with lots of comedy as well as music," he said. "We do skits and parodies of some singers, such as Connie Francis and The Blues Brothers. We don't do country, yet the cowboys just love us. Other groups draw crowds, we draw friends."

The show starts with Ricky making a 'surprise' entrance as the other band members crank up "Wild Thing."