Andy Parypa

ANDY PARYPA
 
 
The Sonics were founded by guitarist Larry Parypa; he was introduced to the guitar by his uncle and encouraged in his musical interests by his parents. The Sonics started out as a family affair, with his older brother Andy Parypa, also on guitar, and another brother, Jerry Parypa, who played saxophone for a while; their mom often played bass guitar at rehearsals. They played tough instrumentals in the mold of Link Wray and Duane Eddy and quickly became a fixture in the local teen scene.
 
The line-up in the Sonics stabilized in late 1963 with the addition of three members from another local band called the Searchers (not to be confused with the British Invasion band, the Searchers); their frontman was future Moby Grape guitarist Jerry Miller. Larry Parypa remained on lead guitar, while Andy Parypa switched to bass guitar. The new bandmembers were Bob Bennett on drums, Rob Lind on sax, and Gerry Roslie on keyboards and, later, lead vocals.
 
(December 2016)
Last edited: March 22, 2021