By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
David Uosikkinen
Being a rock musician who has been playing for decades is similar to a professional athlete who has had a long sports career.
Time takes its toll physically.
The big difference is that pro athletes, for the most part, retire when their bodies tell them to hang it up.
They reach a point where they can no longer perform at the level needed in their profession – and they step down.
Old rockers, on the other hand, just keep rocking.
Body parts fail, diseases strike, memory fails but they just keep rocking.
Two musicians who will be performing in the area this weekend have had serious surgeries multiple times but still have carried on with making live music in the studio and on stage.
These two seasoned rock/blues veterans are David Uosikkinen and Popa Chubby.
Uosikkinen, who most notably has been a member of the Hooters for more than 45 years, is performing at Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com), under the billing, “Three Friends: Bobby Messano, David Uosikkinen, Kenny Aaronson.”
Messano is a legendary guitarist and Blues Hall of Fame artist who has released 11 solo CDs, placed songs in many TV and cable shows and played on over 80 major label and indie albums.
His music has been heard on MTV jingles, movie soundtracks and Benny Mardones’ smash hit, “Into The Night.” The celebrated guitarist recorded with Clarence Clemmons, Franke and The Knockouts, Joe Lynn Turner, and STARZ and his songs are always on Sirius/XM.
His 2015 album, “Love and Money,” was nominated for a Blues Blast Award for “Best Rock-Blues Album” and reached #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart and his “Bad Movie” release debuted at #1 on BB King’s Bluesville.
Messano was Steve Winwood’s 1983 Music Director and has also been tour guitarist for Joe Lynn Turner, Lou Gramm, Glen Burtnick, Rodney Atkins and many others.
He won three World Entertainment Awards, HMMA Award and has received 82 Grammy first round ballots in seven categories.
Aaronson is one of the most well-known bassists in music history. His extensive touring career is beyond comprehension: Billy Idol. Billy Squier, Foghat, Brian Setzer, Hall and Oates, Edgar Winter, John Eddie, a “Who’s Who” of the last 30 years of major artists.
Aaronson was named Rolling Stone Magazine’s 1988 Bassist of the year and has been a member of The Yardbirds since 2015.
Uosikkinen has been the drummer for The Hooters for over four decades. He has also recorded and performed with artists including Alice Cooper, Rod Stewart, Cyndi Lauper, Taj Mahal, and Patty Smyth, along with many emerging acts.
His touring credits span major international stages such as Live Aid, Amnesty International concerts, and Roger Waters’ “The Wall” in Berlin. He is also the founder of the Philadelphia-based project, David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket.
The band for the evening – “Three Friends: Bobby Messano, David Uosikkinen, Kenny Aaronson” – promises to deliver the intensity and musicianship that can only be created by a power trio.
Saturday’s headline act at Jamey’s also sets rock music’s record for “Highest Percentage of Vowels in the Combined Surnames” — 48 per cent.
“I’m glad I was available for this,” said Uosikkinen, during a phone interview Thursday evening from his home in Wayne. “Usually, I’m touring with the Hooters every summer – but we didn’t do the tour this year.
“Bobby called me when I was in Florida. He said – I’m doing a couple solo gigs and I’m going to need a band on one of them. Can you help me.
“This summer, I’ve been working in the studio doing some QDK stuff and I have Saturday nights off. Then, Kenny came on as bassist. I always love playing with Kenny.”
QDK is another of Uosikkinen’s many projects. The powerful trio features guitarist Quentin Jones, Uosikkinen and Aaronson.
“We (QDK) put out an EP a few months ago,” said Uosikkinen. “I just recorded a new In The Pocket song.
“It’s the Spinners’ ‘I’ll Be Around.’ John Faye did a great job on vocals. We’ll debut it live when we play the Ardmore Music Hall on September 26.”
Now celebrating its 15th year, In The Pocket has brought its powerhouse performances to theaters and venues throughout the region. The band is a living, breathing tribute to Philadelphia’s extraordinary musical legacy.
To date, In The Pocket has released 23 studio recordings, all reinterpretations of songs originally recorded in Philadelphia or by Philadelphians. They can be heard at songsinthepocket.org.
The catalog includes classics such as Hall & Oates’ “Fall In Philadelphia”; Todd Rundgren’s “Open My Eyes” and “I Saw The Light”; The Soul Survivors’ “Expressway To Your Heart”; “Punk Rock Girl” by The Dead Milkmen; The Trammps’ “Disco Inferno”; The O’Jays’ “Back Stabbers”; and David Bowie’s “Young Americans.”
In The Pocket will headline a show at Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, www.ardmoremusic.com) on September 26.
The show on Saturday night at Jamey’s will be very different from that which Uosikkinen serves up with In The Pocket.
“I think the show at Jamey’s is going to be exciting with songs by Jeff Beck and The Meters and some blues songs,” said Uosikkinen. “I’ve been a big fan of Bobby Messano for a long time.
“I saw him playing with Stevie Winwood years ago. I also saw him at the Tower Theater back then when he was playing with Lou Gramm.
“I knew who he was when he was with Franke and The Knockouts back in the early 80s. He’s been doing it for so long. He was part of the Woodstock crew.
“We’re all about the same age. We grew up with the same kind of music.
“When I play with the Hooters, I know exactly what I’m doing. This will be exciting because it’s not known what will happen.
“We have a list of songs – blues and rocking….Traffic, The Meters, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck. We’re a power trio.”
The “Three Friends” will be inspired by the power trio genre – bands with just three members…guitarist, bassist, drummer. The era included bands such as Mountain, James Gang, ZZ Top, Taste and Beck, Bogert & Appice…and the two deities, Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
“We’ll be playing music from the 60s and 70s when power trios were the thing,” said Uosikkinen. “It’s going to be super cool.”
Uosikkinen’s path through surgeries focused on his knees – and it’s hard to be a drummer with inoperable knees.
“I had a complete knee replacement back on November 10,” said Uosikkinen. “It came together pretty quickly.
“My surgeon was Dr. Carl Deirmengian from Limerick. He did a great job. It changed a lot of things in my life. I’m 70 and I feel like I’m 50.”
The show at Jamey’s House of Music on July 18 will start at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $26.50 ($25 plus $1.50 service fee).
Other upcoming shows at Jamey’s are Jackson Taylor Blues Company on July 17 and Philadelphia Blues Society
Fundraiser on July 19 featuring The Philly Blues Kings, The Blues Muthas, Jamey’s Blues union, Gypsy Joe and the Perpetrators and The Girke-Davis Project with Roger Girke and John Colgan-Davis.
While Uosikkinen’s medical problems were serious, they pale in comparison to what Popa Chubby has been experiencing.
Popa Chubby
Popa Chubby, is the stage name of Ted Horowitz, an American singer, composer, and guitarist. He was born on March 31, 1960, and started his professional music career in 1989.
On July 18, Popa Chubby will headline a show at the Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com).
Popa Chubby is 66 years old and has been a touring/recording musician for almost 40 years. He has released more than 30 albums and has toured nationally and internationally virtually non-stop. And, “Chubby” is as much a description as it is a name.
The combination took its toll last year.
“It actually started about two years ago,” said Chubby, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his Hudson Valley home that was shrouded in Canadian smoke.
“Being on the road playing music for 35 years can take a lot out of you. Two years ago, my entire spine went out on me.”
In 2024, Popa Chubby encountered severe health complications from a long-standing degenerative spine disorder, including lumbar spinal stenosis, spinal instability, and multiple disc herniations, which escalated to a life-threatening condition affecting his mobility and professional activities.
This led to an emergency room visit for cellulitis in both legs and ventricular tachycardia, followed by hospitalization at Saint Barnabas Medical Center and transfer to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, New Jersey, for intensive therapy targeting cauda equina syndrome and spinal damage.
“The top of my spine exploded,” said Chubby. “There was a bunch of fractures. I had four spinal surgeries. I needed emergency surgery eight months ago.”
The disintegration of his spine necessitated surgery and prolonged rehabilitation, rendering walking and daily tasks extremely challenging.
“I have spinal myelopathy and it’s a slow recovery,” said Chubby. “I was paralyzed from the nipples down. Slowly but surely, I’m getting functions back. Now, I can move my legs.”
“I’m in a wheelchair – recovering slowly. It’s a long process.”
In May 2025, Chubby announced plans to continue touring despite ongoing physical challenges and treatments. However, complications led to spinal surgery in early August 2025, after which he experienced severe nerve irritation and required further rehabilitation.
He was released from inpatient rehab with a diagnosis of incomplete paraplegia, indicating some return of movement and potential for regaining function through ongoing care.
“I’m in a wheelchair – recovering slowly,” said Chubby. “It’s a long process.
“I can sit in my wheelchair and play. I’m not doing too many shows – especially because I need venues that are ADA compliant.”
ADA compliant means that a building, facility, or website meets the accessibility standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure access for people with disabilities.
“After all the problems with my back, then I broke my wrist,” said Chubby. “I put a seat blet on the wrong way and my wrist exploded. Fortunately, I can still play.”
Onstage, Chubby could rightfully play Ray Charles’ hit, “If It Wasn’t for Bad Luck,” which featured lyrics such as “But you see if it wasn’t for bad luck; Trying to tell you son if it wasn’t for bad luck, now now; Oh, oh, I wouldn’t have no luck at all; Would you believe I wouldn’t have no luck at all.”
On a positive note, spending limited time on the road has allowed Chubby to spend more time at whom writing and recording new songs.
“I have a new record in the can,” said Chubby. “I’m really proud of it. It’s very topical. I’m socially conscious and I’ve written songs over the last year that are socially conscious.
“There are songs about the horrors committed against human beings in America — ‘Cadillac Karen,’ ‘Gonna Be an ICE Melt’ and ‘The Revolution Will Be Televised.’”
“The Revolution Will Be Televised” is related to Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” which is a funk and spoken word protest song – a satirical poem and Black Liberation song which was released in 1971.
Scott-Heron was an American jazz poet, singer, musician and author, known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian
Jackson fused jazz, blues and soul with lyrics relative to social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melismatic vocal styles.
His poem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
delivered over a jazz-soul beat, is considered a major influence on hip hop and neo soul music.
“Gil Scott-Heron was a genius,” said Chubby. “His track ‘Whitey on the Moon’ is just amazing. He was a true genius.”
Chubby’s soon-to-be-released album is a radical departure from its predecessor.
In March 2025, Gulf Coast Records released “I Love Freddie King,” a new album from Popa Chubby, featuring special guests Joe Bonamassa, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Mike Zito.
According to Chubby, “To say I was dreaming about doing this record for 30 years would be an understatement. I remember being 18, playing guitar for a year or two, and an older cat in the neighborhood telling me I had to check out Freddie King.
“I immediately listened to ‘Hideaway,’ and ‘Have You Ever Loved a Woman’ and my mind was changed forever. Years later, I signed with Sony Records and covered ‘Palace Of The King’ and ‘Same Old Blues’ from the “Getting Ready” album. However, it wasn’t until early last year when the muse hit me and the idea of having some of the greatest pickers in the world join me in celebrating the Texas Cannonball.
“I wanted more than anything to do this music justice, and I set out by putting together a core band, with some of the greatest players in the business Michael Merritt on bass, Andrei Koribanics III on drums, and Mike DiMeo on keyboards.
“We gathered at G. Bluey’s Juke Joint in Long Island City for a three-day lockdown and tracked 11 of Freddie’s greatest. We were then graced with the love of Joe Bonamassa, Mike Zito, Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, Eric Gales, Albert Castiglia, Arthur Neilson, and V.D. King, who all made incredible contributions to these recordings.”
Chubby was never able to give the album proper tour support but it still earned universal praise as one of the best blues releases of the year.
And there is a good chance that some of the album’s tracks will be performed live at the Elkton Music Hall after Chubby and his wheelchair arrive on stage.
“I really appreciate every chance I get to do a show,” said Chubby. “Hopefully, I’ll get out of the chair eventually.”
Video link for Popa Chubby — https://youtu.be/veD5IEio9Ew?si=ZEJynoOnrSZL3Ovf.
The show in Elkton on Saturday night will start at
Tickets are $30.
Other upcoming shows at Elkton Music Hall are Countdown to Ecstasy: A Tribute to Steely Dan on July 17 and North Mississippi All Stars on July 22.
Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will have the X-Band Xperience (yacht rock. R&B, smooth jazz) on July 18, “Glory Days Music Night” on July 24, Riot Act (Pearl Jam) on July 25.
Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) is presenting “Know Return” (Journey and Styx) on July 18.
The Soundbank (119 South Main Street, Phoenixville, www.soundbankphx.com) will host JD Malone & The Experts with the Dallas Malone Band on July 18.
Phantom Power (121 West Frederick Street, Millersville, www.phantompower.net) will have the Ex-Faces on July 17, Tantric on July 18, Stabbing Westward on July 21 and New Damage on July 24.
The Eagleview Town Center (Wharton Boulevard, Exton, www.ineagleview.com) will present its Summer Concert Series every Tuesday now through August. Eagleview will host the Polyrhythmics on July 21 and The Legwarmers on July 28.
Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts (9 South Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bryn Mawr, brynmawrtwilightconcerts.com) will present Philadelphia Folk Fest Preview on July 17 and Trout Fishing America on July 19.
