| Back in the 1960's an Austrian folkband was awarded last place in a big folk competition . . . . . . . why? . . . . . . . just because they played too much Country Music. Their name? The Oomphta Oomphta Mushroom Gang, with Carl Kaye singing and playing the banjo and the guitar. Since the folk scene seemed not to appreciate their music, they changed their name to "Carl Kaye and the City Boys", with Carl on the lapsteel guitar, and played what passed for County back then, having found a musical "father" in the late Conny Doeren, who had been singing Country Music in Austria ever since the first American soldiers set their foot in Vienna back in the forties. When Country began to become more popular in the seventies, Carl Kaye and his "Country Casanovas" were the first Austrian Country band to play at an international festival in Europe, the TROS Country Show in Utrecht, Holland in 1977. Another first was in 1984, when Carl Kaye and his "Western Union Band" were the first Austrian Country band to participate in the International Country Music Masters in deEfteling, Holland. As a stylistic alternative to the WUB, Carl Kaye's "Route Sixty-Six" started out as a pure Western Swing band in the early eighties, but underwent several stylistic changes over the next fifteen years, due to popular demand, respectively changing musicians. In 1998 "Route Sixty-Six" made their comeback to their roots with their widely acclaimed live album "A Tribute To Bob Wills", which was a recording of their Western Swing tour with guest musician Herb Remington playing the steelguitar! It was then that they decided to play in two formations from then on, their "regular" formation, still playing all the music you can hear along Route 66, as long as it's Country, and their extended 9-piece Western Swing formation, playing exclusively Western Swing. | 
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 | Mushroom Gang (1960's)
Günther Schifter
| & Conny Doeren Carl Kaye
| Country Sweethearts
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City Boys (1970's)
| Country Casanovas | at TROS Country Show (Utrecht, Holland) 1977 f.l.t.r: Carl Kaye, Nino Holm, Andi Cichini, Christian Rabitsch | |||||||
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Oomphta Oomphta Mushroom Gang: Carl Kaye: vocals, banjo, guitar (==> Route 66) Hanns Strouhal: vocals, guitar Peter Düll: vocals, guitar (==> Radio CD) Raoul Turkof: vocals, bass City Boys: Carl Kaye: vocals, lapsteel (==> R66) Hans Metzenhofer: vocals, guitar Ossi Schwarz: vocals, accordion, trumpet Michael Beinl: clarinet Wolfgang Heimerl: fiddle Robert Tiefenböck: bass Peter Rausch: drums And over the years also: Martin Bossert: trumpet Anton Jagitsch: saxophone (==> Swing Time Big Band ) Chrissie, Judy, Liz & Dorly, the "Country Sweethearts" Outi & Elisa Edith "The Rib" Esther Hecht Karin "Mecki" Faber Country Casanovas: Carl Kaye: vocals, pedalsteelguitar (==> R66) Nino Holm: vocals, fiddle, guitar, piano (==> EAV) Paul Laviolette: vocals, guitar Andi Cichini: vocals, bass Christian Rabitsch: vocals, drums And also occasionally: Harry Pierron: piano (==> Ostbahn Kurti) Tom Telepak: vocals, guitar Eric Marlyn: vocals, guitar Western Union Band: Carl Kaye: vocals, pedalsteelguitar (==> R66) Ulli Baer: vocals, guitar (==> Ulli Baer) Miki Liebermann: vocals, guitar (==> Ostbahn Kurti) Hannes Neubauer: vocals, bass (==> Nugget, Eurograss, R66) Erich Gerdenits: vocals, drums Paul Fields: fiddle (==> R66, Paul Fields) And over the years: Josef "Hocky" Hochedlinger: vocals, guitar (==> Hocky) Michael Scheickl: vocals, bass (==> Michael Scheickl) Helmut Mitteregger: vocals, guitar (==> Nugget, R66) Werner Mitteregger: banjo (==> Nugget) Hans Fürst: vocals, bass (==> R66) Route Sixty-Six: Carl Kaye: vocals, pedalsteelguitar, accordion Werner Karall: vocals, bass (==> Bruji) Katie Kern: vocals, guitar Andy Abraham: vocals, guitar (==> Hallucination Company) Hannes Otahal: piano, accordion Markus Fahrenberger: fiddle Wolfgang Fellinger: drums Sabine Pyrker: drums Additional Western Swing musicians: Zipflo Weinrich: fiddle Hans Zinkl: guitar Helmut Mitteregger: mandolin Thanks to all of you, who helped us sound great over the years: Philip Schüller: drums Hannes Neubauer: vocals, bass (==> Nugget, WUB, Eurograss) Helmut Mitteregger: vocals, mandolin, guitar (==> Nugget, WUB) Katarina Mitteregger: vocals, guitar (==> Nugget) Paul Fields: fiddle (==> WUB, Paul Fields) Claude Manac'h: guitar Christian Eigner: drums Gerhard Strauhs: vocals, bass (==> Mojo Bluesband, Kentucky Calling) Susanne Plattner: vocals (==> Kentucky Calling) Erich Zinner: guitar (==> Kentucky Calling) Betty Martin: vocals, guitar Peter Strutzenberger: bass (==> Nugget, Peter Strutzenberger) Gerhard Tauber: bass Wolfgang Wehner: drums (==> Jazz Gitti) Wolfgang Schanik: fiddle, guitar | 
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| Western Union Band (1980-82) f.l.t.r.: Ulli Baer, Paul Fields, Carl Kaye Frank Mantooth, Hannes Neubauer, Erich Gerdenits | WUB Stadthalle Wien: f.l.t.r.: Erich Gerdenits, Carl Kaye Miki Liebermann, Hannes Neubauer, Ulli Baer 
WUB (1982-83) | f.l.t.r.: Hans Fürst, Erich Gerdenits, Werner Miteregger (kneeling), Carl Kaye, Helmut Miteregger WUB at Euromasters, Holland
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WUB (1983-89) | f.l.t.r.: Carl Kaye, Erich Gerdenits, Hocky Hochedlinger, Paul Fields, Hans Fürst ROUTE SIXTY-SIX (1985-90) | f.l.t.r.: Claude Manac'h, Wolfgang Wehner, Otto Amon, Miki Liebermann, Carl Kaye, Paul Fields, Hannes Otahal 
R66 (1990-92) | f.l.t.r.: Susi Plattner, Carl Kaye Hannes Otahal, Philipp Schüller Paul Fields, Erich Zinner Gerhard Strauhs R66 (1992-94) | f.l.t.r.: Hannes Otahal, Paul Fields, Philipp Schüller (hidden), Carl Kaye, Betty Martin, Peter Strutzenberger, Erich Zinner |
| R66 (1997-99) f.l.t.r.: Katarina Mitteregger Helmut Mitteregger,Carl Kaye, Philipp Schüller, Hannes Neubauer | 
| R66 (1999-2002) f.l.t.r.: Andi Abraham Wolfgang Schanik,Carl Kaye, Wolfgang Wehner kneeling:Werner Karall. Hannes Otahal |
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| R66 (2002-2004) front to back: Carl Kaye, Werner Karall, Thierry Massoubre, Hannes Otahal, Markus Fahrenberger, Wolfgang Fellinger | R66 at the Mr. Banjo Festival in Barcelona, Spain (2005) left to right: Thierry Massoubre, Katie Kern, Sabine Pyrker (back), Clarissa Kaye, Carl Kaye, Werner Karall, Markus Fahrenberger |
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