Terry “Spanky” Haschmann grew up in a musical household where his father played sax and clarinet. He initially wanted to be a sax player but turned to drums when the keys of the sax weren’t a good fit for his hands.
Spanky got his nickname in 1968 when four of the members of the group he was playing with were named Larry, Jerry, Barry and Terry. A guy named “Weed,” who was the club’s bouncer at the time, said he looked like the character Spanky from “Spanky and Our Gang” and that name stuck.
“I always loved jazz and the big band sound, but I got my start playing Rock and Roll. I’ve played rock and roll…Gospel…I played with the Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose…then about 11 years ago, I decided to go for the music I always loved, the big band sound,” shared Spanky, explaining how he started the Spanky Haschmann Orchestra.
Today, Spanky plays at every chance he gets, performing not only with his own orchestra, but also with five other bands including that of Warm 101.3’s Disc Jockey, Tony Infantino.
When he’s on stage with his orchestra, Spanky brings the energy of rock and roll to his big band sound and, unlike many big bands, he incorporates a heavy focus on vocals, often using four-part harmony.
“It’s not easy to find places to play where you can fit a 17 piece orchestra. I’m a little worried about falling off the stage in Canandaigua,” he laughed.
Come down and listen or even dance to the swingin’ sound of the Spanky Haschmann Orchestra at the Canandaigua Art & Music Festival on Sunday, July 19 at 4:30 P.M.
Canandaigua Art & Music Festival Blog 
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