Kevin Murphy began playing drums with pencils on Maxwell House coffee cans around the age of 3, and still does from time to time.  His first performances were for family for candy and spare change , followed by joining Melrose Blackhawks drum and Bugle Corp where he eventually led the drum line winning the NJ state Championships in 1984-1987.  In 1982 he played his first rock and roll show on drums at 15 years old at the Union Jack in South River NJ. Kevin Played with many notable NJ based bands during his teens and early 20's and shared the stage with National acts; Dio, Trixter, Kix and Roughhouse and local staples; American Angel, Edgar Cayce, and Prophet until in1988 he joined a band that would become a career springboard in Daddy Dynamite. Daddy Dynamite took their craft seriously and gained attention for their high energy live show and commercially melodic music by A&R reps from German based Shark Records.  Kevin's driving high energy, dancable grooves propelled the tracks into mainstream radio playlists.

Daddy Dynamite was subsequently signed to a 3 year, 3 album deal and recorded their debut album " Lookin for Trouble" released in1992 and toured in support of National label acts in the US and Europe in all of the widely recognized rock venues of the era.
 

In 1998, Kevin graduated from the esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston Mass, with a bachelors degree in Professional Music while playing and studying with many of the best musicians in the industry; Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs, Winger), Steve Morse, Dixie Dregs), Pat Pattison (award winning songwriter), Carly Simon (pop/folk icon).

Kevin remains a key "first call" performer and prides himself as a chameleon who is able to groove in any situation from rock, to pop, to dance, to country, for corporate events and wedding to tour support and studio work, he loves it all and considers it a privledge and a part of his "being" to be on stage and entertain.

Today you will find him sharing that passion and driving the dancefloor with "Blackrose" as we kick off the 2024 season.....come on up to the stage and say HI!!!, He'd love to meet you.

LOUIE "SPECTOR" TEDESCO – Lead Guitar/Vocalist. Lou was one of the founding members of the band ‘The Touchables’ that played the NJ/Tri State area club circuit during the late 70’s and early 80’s, Lou comes to us possessing a vast amount of stage experience. The Touchables were the first New Wave / Punk rock band to break into what was then known as the Hard Rock Band ‘A Rooms’. The band went on to become the top New Wave band in the State packing the clubs 6 nights a week. Lou was also a principal writer of the original tunes the band recorded and performed. During this time Lou shared the stage with such notables as Bon Jovi, 38 Special, John Waite, Huey Lewis, David Johansen to name a few. Lou’s musical influences include The Beatles, Stones, Yes, Led Zeppelin, any and all New Wave 80’s bands. 

In recent years Lou has performed with Drama, Bad Kitty and NJ’s Most Wanted Band. His passion for music is evident in his playing and we are happy to have him join the Black Rose band.

TONY DECARLO began playing guitar when he was 8 years old. By the age of 14, he switched to bass because there weren't many who played the instrument in the local high school rock bands at the time. This change afforded him the opportunity to play with some of the best musicians in the area. In 1975, he joined New Jersey based Rock cover band Nasty Lass and played throughout the tri-state area for the next several years. Tony has opened for notable artists like Twisted Sister, White Tiger, Rick Derringer, The Ramones and The Good Rats just to name a few. In 1979, the Aquarian news paper voted Nasty Lass the #1 most popular rock band on the New Jersey night club circuit and was later interviewed by Rutgers radio disc jockey, Matt Pinfield. In 1980, they recorded their own original material at The Record Plant in N.Y.C., where John Lennon had just recorded his last album a fews weeks prior. In October of 1980, Nasty Lass opened for Judas Priest at the Palladium in N.Y.C. Tony took several years off to raise a family. In 2000, a close friend asked him to join his band, Black Rose. After many personnel changes, the band is still playing today. Tony's musical influences range from The Beatles, Ritchie Valens, Led Zeppelin and Stevie Ray Vaughan to some of today's artists like Green Day and John Mayer. His love for music enables him to play many styles including Blues, Country and Rock and Roll. Tony is a true musician and a veteran of the Jersey music scene for over 40 years.

BRENDAN HYNES , lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Black Rose is a 30 plus year veteran of the New Jersey club circuit. Brendan grew up in Edison, NJ performing at high school dances and parties before graduating to bar bands. In 1976 Brendan became the lead singer of Nasty Lass which went on to be one of the most popular rock club acts of the mid 1970s to early 1980s, playing hundreds of gigs each year throughout the tri state area. The band was voted the #1 rock band in the Aquarian Weekly band contest for 1979. In 1980 Nasty Lass decided to take a break from their grueling club schedule to spend more time working on and recording their own material. After a 6 month hiatus they released their first single and began playing original venues in NY/NJ like CBGB, The Palladium, Great Gildersleeves, The Stone Pony, and The Dirt Club. A few of the acts that Brendan has opened are Judas Priest, The Ramones, David Johansen, Twisted Sister and The Smithereens. After a 20 year break, Brendan was reunited in 2003 with former Nasty Lass band mates Tony DeCarlo and Roger James in Black Rose. Brendan's early musical influences were Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Aerosmith, Rolling Stones, Mott The Hoople, Humble Pie, and anything else that ROCKED. He currently plays a 1970 Fender Telecaster through a vintage 1977 Mesa Boogie Mark ll. Brendan also plays keyboards.