Tim Eyermann

Tim Eyermann (July 20, 1946 — May 1, 2007) was an American saxophonist from Pittsburgh who fronted the Maryland jazz-rock band East Coast Offering across the 1977–80 albums Unity, Go-Rilla, and Aloha.

Background

Albert Timothy Eyermann was born July 20, 1946, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Green Tree, where he started piano lessons at age six and took up saxophone by age ten. At fourteen, he heard Cannonball Adderley and Strings and chose alto saxophone as his primary horn. 

Eyermann attended St. Margaret School and Canevin High School. At Canevin, he played saxophone in the El Reys, a six-member group formed in 1961 by fellow students. The El Reys worked school dances and teen events around the Chartiers Valley. On June 17, 1964, the El Reys appeared with the Rolling Stones at West View Danceland. They signed with Ideal Records and cut the 1964/65 singles “Rocket of Love” (b/w “Diamonds & Pearls”) and “Angalie” (b/w “Beverly”), both playlisted by WAMO disc jockey Porky Chedwick. 

After Canevin, Eyermann enrolled in the music school at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where he played alto saxophone, flute, and clarinet in the university eleven-member jazz ensemble, co-organized by Dave Streeter. Post-Duquesne, Eyermann enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and joined a NORAD band in Colorado Springs. He played alto saxophone with the Airmen of Note in the 1972–74 Gene Egge lineup. 

By 1974, Eyermann settled in Bowie, Maryland, and formed East Coast Offering with keyboardist Gregg Karukas, drummer Shannon Ford, and bassist Carl Cable. The quartet played parties and weddings, then secured gigs around Washington. Eyermann and Karukas also recorded original woodwind-and-synthesizer accompaniment to Euell Gibbons readings of Henry David Thoreau at a rural Pennsylvania studio. In January 1975, East Coast Offering landed a weekly engagement at the Jolly Ox in Fairfax. Meanwhile, Eyermann established steady work as a studio woodwind player and brought the group into advertising-jingle sessions at Bias, Track Recorders, Sounds Reasonable, and Omega.

In 1977, Eyermann entered DB Sound Studios in Silver Spring and Bias Recording in Falls Church with producer Jules Damian for the sessions that became Unity.

Discography:

• Unity (1977)
• Go-Rilla (1978 • Tim Eyermann & East Coast Offering)
• Aloha (1980 • Tim Eyermann & East Coast Offering)

Sources:

• Washington Post obituary, May 14, 2007 — full name; Pittsburgh and Green Tree background; saxophone at ten; professional high-school activity; Duquesne; Colorado Springs Air Force band; Airmen of Note; Peabody Institute. (The Washington Post)
• Duquesne University archive — Eyermann and Dave Streeter organized the first 11-member jazz ensemble at Duquesne; Eyermann played alto saxophone, flute, and clarinet. (Duquesne University Digital Library)
• Pittsburgh Catholic / Duquesne archive — St. Margaret School, Canevin High School, and Duquesne music school. (Duquesne University Digital Library)
• Old Mon Music, El Reys history — 1961 Canevin formation, lineup, Chartiers Valley dates, Rolling Stones bill, Ideal Records contact, second single, and Porky Chedwick airplay. (Old Mon Music)
• Cash Box, August 8, 1964 — contemporary review of “Rocket of Love” b/w “Diamonds & Pearls,” which establishes the first Ideal single as a 1964 release. (World Radio History)
• Airmen of Note 75th Anniversary history — Eyermann listed on alto saxophone in the Gene Egge-era 1972–74 personnel. (FlipHTML5)
• Gregg Karukas recollection — East Coast Offering formation, Karukas/Ford/Cable lineup, Euell Gibbons–Thoreau session, early jobs, Washington clubs, and studio/jingle work. (Gregg Karukas)
• FM Forecast, January 1975 — contemporary listing for the weekly East Coast Offering engagement at the Jolly Ox in Fairfax. (World Radio History)
• Washington Post, October 9, 1977 — Unity identified as Eyermann first album; DB Sound Studios and Bias Recording; Jules Damian production. (The Washington Post)