LISA STRZELECKI - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals & Cowbell Dec 2019 - Nov 2023 ; Jan 2024 to present
***Note - Ellen called Lisa after original lineup break-up and told her to come to practice, so she came back.....
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“My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor white child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Northlake Illinois...” (Steve Martin in The Jerk)
I grew up in an Italian family in the 70’s and 80’s. My parents had 6 children…I am number 5, an accident, I’m sure. However, it was a great time to grow up and my family and friends were awesome. I actually always dreamed I’d be a famous singer when I grew up. I am a total child of the 80’s and believe the music, TV shows, sports teams, and Hostess products were much better than they are today!!! (They just don’t make Twinkies and Ding Dongs like they used to!) I have always been imitating my favorite singers, since I can remember. My favorite female influences were Karen Carpenter, Barbra Streisand, Donna Summer, Gloria Estefan, Whitney Houston, Heart, Pat Benatar, and my most favorite singer of all…Anita Baker. My favorite bands, to this day, are Journey, Styx, Earth Wind and Fire, Ambrosia, The Eagles, Queen, Foreigner, Foo Fighters, Nickelback, One Republic, Bon Jovi and Daughtry. However, there is not one person in this world that I think sings better then George Michael. He is my all-time favorite male singer. I have sung in churches, for around 200 weddings from the age of 17 to well into my 40’s. I even sang the Ava Maria at my own wedding. My first real band was for a band that my work put together when I worked at Ameritech. They used us for work functions, parties and other fun stuff. We were called “Fire Valve” because the wall behind us in the room we performed in, had a fire hose cabinet on it, and a big sign that said “Fire Valve”. So, we adopted that as our band name. That was short lived, but very fun. I also had the privilege of being in a band with some old High School friends, and we were together from 2012 to 2018, called “The Outfit”. We were a Classic Rock Band and played a lot of gigs around the Chicago suburbs. That was a great time and gave me a ton of experience. I have been with BiPolar Bear since 2019 and absolutely love these musicians!! They are like family to me. I have known Bob Smola (aka Boober aka Rob) since 1986, because he went to college with my brother. He has always been a goof ball! When The Outfit disbanded, he asked my brother if I’d be interested in singing for their band. I gladly accepted, had an audition, and I guess they liked me!! I have sung my uterus off (band joke) for this band and will continue to give it all that I got, until we can’t do it anymore! I have been married for almost 30 years to a wonderful man and a true blessing from God. We have three awesome children and one beautiful granddaughter. Without this support system, I wouldn’t know what to do. I hope that they see that even though I didn’t reach my dream to become a famous singer, I have put myself out there to try to entertain people and make them smile…. It makes me smile too! I have a great job, I won 2nd place in my high school talent show at Proviso West, I love playing and watching baseball and volleyball, I can juggle, I have some pretty good dance moves, I have never had braces, I want to own a pontoon boat someday, I do not know how to read music, I love chocolate pudding more than ice cream, I have had the same best friends for almost my whole life (my brother Johnny and my BFF Karrie), I won a karaoke contest to Las Vegas, I miss my dog Shelby, I belonged to the Scooby-Doo fan club, my parents were awesome, I’m probably the only person that honestly likes both the Cubs and the White Sox, I do not like seafood, I prefer Pepsi over Coke, and never got the chance to go on Bozo Circus!!! Let’s Rock and Roll! - Lisa Strzelecki |