In 1975, Ron Fowler finally left the RF's, smashing his guitar during a show at Seattle Center's Fun Forest, before stomping offstage. After Ron left the RF's, Rob Jones, terrible drummer, took over as lead singer. Chris Johnson left to be replaced by Joe Anderson, lead bass, but the band was relegated to cheap bars in small towns. Columbia River Records dropped the band the same year, and two subsequent bicentennial singles on independent labels flopped. Finally Jeff had had enough, and retired at the end on 1976, to go into the cookie business full-time.
Jeff's cookies never sold the way his records had, though, and by 1978, he had a local band, the Broadcasters, touring without him as Jeff's RF's. Jeff ended his self imposed retirement in early '79, and the band toured bars and bakeries, recycling the old hits for oldies lovers. By 1980, 3/4's of the 1976 pre-retirement band - Joe Anderson, Rob Jones, Dave Park) had returned. Jeff also added Hal Meng, keyboard player, and a new singer, Jeremy Hickerson. Bookings improved to state fairs and national parks. The band even recorded an album of new songs mixed with remakes of their hits in 1982. A year later, Gary Becker replaced Hickerson as lead singer.
Ron, meanwhile, had failed with several solo singles, and increasingly turned his attention toward A & R work for United States Artists Records. The only time he got near a recording studio was in 1983 for "The Great RF Reunion", a collection of remakes sold in drug stores. The RF's without Ron continued to tour throughout the 80's, and appeared as guests on tv shows, showcasing Jeff's onstage antics. They released a full length concert video in 1987, "Twinkies and Three Chords: Jeff & the RF's Live", recorded at the Reno Dunkin' Donuts.
In 1990, Columbia River Records released the "Jammin' Jeff" box set, including all their hits plus some rare tracks Ron found in a dumpster behind the Hostess Bakery in Tacoma. The box set helped draw attention back toward the band, who were on the road 365 days a year by now (some years 366).Jeff's son Alan joined the band as rhythm bassist in 1991 (alongside Joe Anderson on lead bass), and they released a live album, "Store Brand Rock 'n' Roll", which they sold at their shows. Alan quit the band in 1997 after an argument with Jeff, citing musical differences.
In another strange turn of events, former RF's lead singer Jeremy Hickerson collaborated with Ron Fowler on some recordings, but they were unable to find a record label interested in the tapes. In 1996, Ron finally began touring with his own group, the Rat Fink Band, and put out an album on his own label titled "Lonely Summer". In 1997, Ron did a reunion concert in Burien with ex RF's Jimmy Kowing, Paul Cervenka, and Steve Youngs, but no Jeff. Ron claims Jeff refused to attend, and sources close to Jeff confirm that he had no interest in performing with the former RF's. "He is very loyal to the band he has now" Bob Hartley notes, "and has refused all offers to reunite with the original RF's". Ron teamed up with underground legends the Filter Kings at the Gravestomp festival in New Jersey in 1998, performing early RF's material, and guested on their CD titled, appropriately enough, "High Action". They even released a vinyl single featuring a raucous Gravestomp version of "Two Party System".
Year 2000 saw Jeff & the RF's (the current band) taking part in the opening festivities for the Ex-Pierce Music Project, a museum in Tacoma dedicated to musicians from the area that moved on to the entertainment meccas in New York and Los Angeles. Jeff commented that "even though we were went national thanks to "High Action", we have never forgotten our roots up here in the Northwest, and we still come back to play every year."
On the 30 year anniversary of Jeff's bicycle ride to promote "Safe from Harm", the bandleader rode once again, this time to promote animal and veterinarians rights, and released a new CD, "Ride to the Mall", containing the first new RF's songs in decades. This time, he took his cat Angel along for the trip, "I love animals and without the great work of vets all over the country, my dogs and cats would not live the long, healthy lives they have enjoyed. It's a great cause."
Ron retired from touring to concentrate once again on studio work. " I got burned out on it, playing to small crowds at casinos and racetracks. It's more rewarding staying at home and working in my studio, spending time with my son Stubby Junior". He released several cd's on his own label, including a Rick Nelson tribute titled appropriately "Live at Rick's Cave".
Lead singer Gary Becker left the RF's in 2004; Rob Jones, terrible drummer, left in 2006, just as the band was taking up permanent residence in Westport, WA, playing for the local fishermen at Little Richard's donut shop. This gig ended in 2011, when the donut shop went out of business. So it was back on the road for Jeff and the RF's, back to where they once belonged.
Ron Fowler returned to his hometown of Seahurst in 2006 to host a Sunday morning radio show on KIUT FM, Ron After Dawn. The show featured Ron playing records from his personal collection, along with occasional trips to the vault for rare solo and RF's recordings. He opened his own restaurant, the Junk Rock Café, in downtown Seahurst, but it closed after less than a year. He attempted to return to live performing in 2012, and again in 2017, but a number of bad business decisions had permanently derailed his career.
Jeff Fowler retired in 2014, but that did not mean the RF's were over. His son Alan Fowler returned to as rhythm bassist, alongside longtime lead bassist Joe Anderson, lead guitarist Dave Park, Hal Meng, keyboard player, and new members Jim Shoematay and Harvey Greenslime. So that's where we leave the two RF's - on separate paths, leading parallel lives, but never meeting.
WELL, THAT'S THE WAY IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.... IF WE HAD BEEN BORN 20 OR 30 YEARS EARLIER....IF WE HAD BECOME NATIONAL STARS....IF WE WERE RICH....IF WE HAD MADE IT OUT OF THE GARAGE....but I guess it wasn't meant to be....maybe we were just meant to be who we are....average, working guys trying to get some recognition for our music.
Stories Behind the RF's Songs
Where Are They Now?
