- Bill Etten and the Heritage Band
Bill Etten and the Heritage Band was an American
Country-Rock band fromMichigan 'sUpper Peninsula during the1980 's. The band consisted ofBill Etten (vocals),Ed Kangas (drums and vocals),Kevin Mussato (guitar and vocals),Dave Bradbury (guitar and vocals),Steve "Amos" McCoy (guitar), andJerry Kippola (guitar andsteel guitar ). The band primarily played weekend gigs at bars, dances, and wedding receptions, and gained fame in the mid-1980s with the single"We Go Green Bay" - apolka tune which, according to Etten, details what many people from the Upper Peninsula do for a weekend away (Prusi).
"We Go Green Bay" was first conceptualized in 1980 by Etten, local film producerRob Labby , and local movie theater ownerEd Wales . Wales began playing a basic polka tune on the theater'spipe organ , and Etten spontaneously sang some lyrics based on the different things he did each time he went toGreen Bay to see theGreen Bay Packers play (Etten). The response to the song was overwhelming, so they decided to record the song and release it on a45 rpm (Etten's father Herb played the accordion on the recording). Released onJack Pine Records (with jacket artwork done by Etten's son, Nick), the record was sold in outlets all over the Upper Peninsula,Wisconsin , andMinnesota , and eventually found its way into the hands of former Packer playerFuzzy Thurston . Thurston introduced the song to the Packers then-coachForrest Gregg , who claimed it should be the newPacker Fight Song (Prusi).
A common misconception is that "We Go Green Bay" was written and performed by another Upper Peninsula band,Da Yoopers . Once known asJoe Arkansas , members of Da Yoopers and Bill Etten and the Heritage Band were friends, and often crossed paths gigging around the Upper Midwest, but did not collaborate on "We Go Green Bay" (Etten). "We Go Green Bay" was chosen along with other Packer songs forJust Right Records ' CD "Tailgate Tunes ", and is also the opening song for a film called "Our Pack ", which is all about Packer fans.REFERENCES:
Etten, B. Personal communication. October, 2007.
Prusi, R. (1986, December 15). 'Going Green Bay' provides great trip for Bill Etten and The Heritage Band. "The Mining Journal."
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.