[Wayne] Leavitt said he knew Zappa, a fellow Chaffey College student, circa 1960-'61. So did his longtime friend Doug Rost, who would soon be visiting from Rohnert Park. We met for lunch in Upland.
Rost has been cited in at least two recent Zappa biographies. To quote from Barry Miles' "Zappa," in a passage about the musician's 1961 activities: "Frank also formed a quartet called the Boogie Men, which consisted of Al Surratt on drums, Kenny Burgan on saxophone, Doug Rost on rhythm guitar and Frank playing lead....The Boogie Men never got a bass player and it is not known if they ever played a paying gig."
Rost, now a computer consultant, and Leavitt were classmates at Chaffey College in the late 1950s. Leavitt did some folk singing. Rost learned guitar by hanging out with experienced players. Zappa drifted into their circle. [...]
As for the Boogie Men, "there were five of us," Rost said.
Terry Kirkman, a multi-instrumentalist from Chino and a friend of Zappa's, was also in the band. [...]
The Boogie Men, who specialized in 12-bar blues and rock, didn't get rich, but they did have paying gigs, Rost said. They played at Chaffey High School and Chaffey College dances and at the L.A. County Fair. Earnings for the five men were split six ways, with the extra share for the person who booked the show.
Besides his documented interest in composer Edgard Varese, Zappa liked folk music too. In his Ontario apartment, he played Alan Lomax field recordings for his Boogie Men bandmates.
"He knew a lot of folk songs, sea chanteys," Rost said. "Who would expect a rock band to be listening to A.L. Lloyd and Ewan MacColl sea chanteys? In all things unusual, he had an interest."
The band didn't continue long. Rost was drafted and that was that.
Zappa moved to Cucamonga, taking over a recording studio and eventually becoming ensnared in a sting operation of questionable merit. Shortly after that he left town for good.
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