BILL STAATS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Bill Staats, co-founder and keyboardist of The Fab 5, announces his retirement. Bill had a stroke in 2007 and, although he is well enough to resume playing, has decided to announce his retirement.

Bill Staats, who started The Fab 5 with Dwaine Abraham in 1990, is also known for contributing the name that was chosen for the group. Bill handled most of the daily business dealings as well as all the bookings for The Fab 5. Bill’s exceptional vocal talents served as the underpinning for the various vocalists who worked in the band, and The Fab 5 was always renowned for its solid vocal section no matter who was in the band. Bill arranged the vocal parts.

From the conception of The Fab 5 until Bill’s stroke, Bill and Dwaine kept the band alive against all odds working together with 16 different musicians in 7 distinct versions of the band. With Bill on keyboards during the first seventeen years of the band, and Dwaine still the only lead guitarist the band has ever had, the group changed players and vocalists as necessary to achieve the goal of keeping it alive.

Four different drummers, four different bass players, and at least four other guitarists have served a stint in The Fab 5. Only Bill and Dwaine were there from the start, and they personally selected every replacement player.

Some of The Fab 5’s high points achieved during the Bill Staats era:

Performed at every major venue in the Houston area for public and private events

 - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - KLDE Funfest 2000
 - The Summit - Oldies Show 1999
 - Minute Maid Park - GE Show 2004
 - Power of Freedom 4th of July 2000 - opened for The Beach Boys
 - Power of Freedom 4th of July 2001 - opened for The Beach Boys again!
 - Stafford Centre - opened for America 2006
 - Civic and Special Events - Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Cookoff, Galveston Mardi Gras, Houston Marathon, Grand Prix Houston, Kemah, NASA moon landing anniversary, Veterans Day events
 - 4th of July shows - from Woodlands to Galveston, from Sugarland to Waco
 - Performed major galas and events in every Houston hotel ballroom
 - Client list of most major businesses, organizations, charitable groups
 - Performed at every major festival in the Houston area and beyond
 - Worked with and opened for iconic musical acts of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s (including Little Richard, The Beach Boys, Three Dog Night, etc., TOO many for here).

What a trip for a baby boomer!!- and this list could go on, but you get the picture.

Under the caring and loving eye of Bill Staats, from 1990 until 2007, The Fab 5 grew from a simple start up garage band that nobody had ever heard of, to become a great variety band and THE premier oldies tribute band in Texas, Houston, and beyond. The band's reputation is well established now, the fact of which Staats is extremely proud. "This is probably my greatest accomplishment, that The Fab 5 is so well received everywhere."

In parting company with fans, friends, customers, agents and former bandmates, Bill Staats would like to thank everyone who became a part of his own personal “magical, mystery tour.”

"Be sure to check any sources of band information to find out about me. Anybody that knows anything about The Fab 5 knows that Bill Staats and the band are inseparable, one and the same. Any fan, friend, customer or agent knows this. Any former bandmate of mine also knows this because all of them owe their positions to me and Dwaine."

"It's nice to know how much I am appreciated by those who still reap the benefit of my decades of hard work building my band. It's been a real godsend to these musicians that they stepped into a ready made successful band that's so popular. I built it and it's amazing to find out how much they respect me and honor me. It's time to announce my retirement."

“This is very sad. I want to sincerely thank so many people for doing so much for such a very long time. Thanks for taking the idea of The Fab 5 into your hearts and your lives. It’s the highest compliment any of you could pay me that you liked it and cared about it.

It’s a vision of my youth, and I thank you for accepting it and being entertained by it. I appreciate all the concern about me personally and I’ll never forget that. Much thanks to the multitudes who have emailed expressing concern about my situation and the band.”

“I also want to thank my wife, Rae, for being my hero and the wind beneath my wings. I could not have done this without you, babe, and our ’real’ life. I’ve been playing this joyous rockin’ music for over 40 years since it was new. The Fab 5 has been the love of a lifetime for me, and God bless you all for helping make the experience real. Goodbye and Farewell.”

"Until I see you again sometime. I'm a musician and I'll play again. It's never really over until it's over!"

Bill Staats

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