Randy Viers

Randy Viers was born in Los Angeles, California in 1944. Randy gravitated towards music at an early age and was inspired by his grandfather, uncles, and his mother's boogie-woogie piano style. By the age of fifteen, he was playing professionally, and on the road traveling by age sixteen. After returning from a USO tour in 1960, Randy began his recording career. Soon he met Scott Engel and began performing at Scott's teenage nightclub, The Interlude, in Riverside, California. They formed a close friend-ship and worked on many projects together in Los Angeles. Randy met Michael Z. Gordon during the same period of time. Together with Michael and Scott they recorded many singles under various band names, including The Marketts, The Routers, Michael Gordon and the Agates, Frank N. Stein & The Tombstones, The Moongooners, The Chosen Few, and a host of others. After four years with Gordon and Engel, which included concert tours, television appearances, and a motion picture, Randy moved to the Seattle area to host his own television show. There he discovered the Northwest music scene, rich with talented musicians and nationally acclaimed bands. He also discovered a beautiful woman, fell in love, married, and settled in to raising a family. After a brief career in television, Randy returned to his first love, playing drums and performing live. In 1966 he joined Nokie Edwards, (The Ventures), in his new band, The Marksmen, which featured Nokie and legendary Northwest guitarist, Ty Willard (Buck Owens). Nokie eventually pursued a solo career before returning to The Ventures. Randy and Ty Willard developed a very close personal and professional relationship that continued on for decades. Randy, known for his versatility as a drummer, was sought by both rock and country bands. When the era of "The Urban Cowboy" began, Randy found himself playing country music almost exclusively. Country music was not something new to him, having produced two popular country music television shows in the Seattle market (Western Jamboree with Chubby Howard and Cole Shelton and The Grover Jackson Show). From the mid 70s through the late 80s, Randy appeared with many country music greats including Clay Hart and Sally Flynn from the Lawrence Welk Show, Country Justice, (often featuring Nokie Edwards), David Frizzel, Ferlin Husky, Ty Willard, and Tex Williams, to mention a few. As important as musical performance is to Randy, songwriting is equally as important. His love for his piano and the blending of melodies with lyrics are reflected in his deep, moving, and often dramatic compositions. In 1994 he was commissioned to compose the music for the stage production of "Warts and All", which opened at The Broadway Performance Center in Seattle. Randy's lifelong commitment to his craft continues after nearly fifty years in the business. A long time friendship with Michael Z Gordon and his loyalty to The Routers and Marketts is demonstrated by Randy's continued production of new Routers releases,including their 2008 release of "Go Hawks". Randy continues to honor the history and legacy of this era of instrumental "Surf Music", and Viers Enterprises,LLC provides a permanent home for The Routers.