Profiles in Harmony: Spencer Burrows
Part of a series on Peacetown performers: Spencer Burrows and Chris Dilbeck will be headlining the final Peacetown concert of the season this week
By Jim Corbett
Sebastopol has its very own Master of Funk and real-life rock star, in the presence of Spencer Burrows. Ray and Cathy Burrows brought Spencer and his older brother, Reese, into the world and raised them in a house on High School Road that was the town’s original local hospital. He attended local elementary schools and began his long music education at the age of four years old. He got married to his talented wife, Nora. Together they brought a beautiful daughter, June, into the world and settled in their modest apartment in town. If that all sounds like a fairytale, his rise to Funk Master and rock star is an entire novel of dedication and endurance.
I first got to know Spencer when he was at Brookhaven Junior High School, in the band program directed by Jerry Hertz. Mr. Hertz was an unconventional school music teacher, and rather than teach kids how to read music, he got all his kids to play music. Spencer was his prime star, and even at the age of 14, Spencer was playing funk music and writing his own songs. Although some considered him a child prodigy, he demonstrated his music philosophy even at this young age, “Work hard on your craft and connect it to your heart, and your music will be awesome.” His music has always been awesome!
As he moved into junior high, he fell under the influence of local working musicians, Jerry Hertz, Buzzy Martin and yours truly, Jim Corbett. Spencer would show up at our gigs to observe, and whenever he did, he would invariably be asked to come up on stage and perform a song. I distinctly remember, Mustang Sally being a go-to song, until he outgrew that tune. But every time he played he was a big hit with the audience, and there is nothing more intoxicating than cheers from an adoring audience to inspire a young upstart.
At Analy High School, he had the opportunity to play in the band directed by the legendary Vance Regan and was in the Choir with Bob (Cully) Cullinen. It was in high school that he formed his first rock band, “Decibel Overload” in 1992. This morphed into Soul Obsession, which highlighted his command of the Soul and R&B genres. His vocals were belted out with deep emotion, and his keyboard chops drove that band. It was like hearing a cross between Elton John and James Brown coming out of this young singer.
After a three-year stint at Sonoma State, Spencer enrolled at the prestigious Berkelee School of Music in Boston, where he studied composition and further refined and strengthened his already solid chops. When he returned in 2004, he got serious about building his music career, connecting with guitarist, Chris Dilbeck, to form a songwriting partnership that continues to this day. It was also at this time that Spencer, along with his aunt Patricia, started The Great Burro Studio on South Gravenstein Highway, to work with young rock bands and give private lessons. His summer rock band camps were well attended and it turned out a slew of young musicians who recorded their own music, made posters of their bands, and played out in local clubs. He followed that with teaching at Gravenstein School and has recently been hired by Analy High School to be the Choral Director, coming full circle back to his roots.
Throughout all his teaching and giving back to the young musicians of the community, Spencer has continued performing with his own bands, Frobeck, The Big Fit and now Burrows and Dilbeck. He has also been recruited to play with Zero, and legendary guitar-god, Steve Kimock. Spencer got the thrill of playing with Zero at the Fillmore, and has also opened for George Clinton and Pfunk.
But his greatest music thrill of all is to be playing with Burrows and Dilbeck at the final Peacetown Summer Concert Series of 2023 at Ives Park, this Wednesday, Sept. 6 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The firepower of Spencer Burrows and Chris Dilbeck will be on full display, showing off their writing skills, funky grooves and big band arrangements for your dancing pleasure. Mr. Music will be proud to introduce another Mr. Funky Music that day. See you there.