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Capturing the grit, groove, and spontaneous magic of a beloved local powerhouse.

Drop the needle on the Mighty Pranksters’ self-titled 1998 album, and you are instantly transported back to the golden era of smoky Saturday nights and blistering tavern sets. Labeling themselves the “goodtime gangsters” on the leadoff track, “Prankster Tune,” the Central Illinois quintet bottled a rare brand of lightning: infectious energy, tight vocal harmonies, soaring guitar runs, and an authentic jam-band aura that sounded unmistakably live.

When the band tracked the record at Champaign’s legendary Pogo Studio, co-producers Mark Rubel and Gary Strater knew better than to rein them in. “It’s all about flow and spontaneity, not audio trickery or manipulation,” Rubel recalled. “We were trying to portray their magic as a unit and keep the recording studio out of the way.”

That mojo was forged by a powerhouse lineup: Bill “Griz” Stevens (vocals, harmonica, percussion), Jeff Kerr (vocals, guitar), Brian Wilkie (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Andre Mossotti (bass), and Danny Deckard (drums), with keyboard contributions from Jim Cogswell and Ron Stockert. Griz’s rollicking, uncredited harmonica drives tracks like “My Dog” and “Keep on Smilin’,” imperfections and all. “I thrive on imperfection,” Griz joked with a laugh. “That’s what jamming and improvising is all about. You just keep on keeping on.”

The Pranksters’ roots ran deep in the local scene. Born out of freewheeling jam sessions in Griz’s shed alongside alumni from The Blues Deacons and the Mighty Hounds of Joy, the band quickly built a fervent following. They commanded packed rooms and shared stages with heavyweight acts like Little Feat, 38 Special, and the Jerry Garcia Band. The Grateful Dead influence shone brightest on Deckard’s favorite cut, “China Cat Blues,” penned as a heartfelt tribute shortly after Garcia’s death in 1995.

Former Pranksters drummer Danny Deckard said he had a blast playing with his former C-U band and loved the Pranksters’ dedicated following.

“Playing that type of music with those guys was just the real deal. It was really fun,” he said.

Deckard lives in southern Indiana and still plays music on a freelance basis. Right now, he and his fellow musicians are doing the surprisingly lively “driveway circuit” since regular venues are closed due to COVID-19.

Deckard’s favorite tune on the Mighty Pranksters album—and one of the band’s most popular compositions—is the Grateful Dead-sounding “China Cat Blues,” which was written in honor of Jerry Garcia not long after his passing in 1995.

Prior to their time in the Pranksters, Deckard and Griz played in a band called The Blues Deacons. Griz was also in a group called the Mighty Hounds of Joy, which he said was “the loudest, most raucous blues band on Earth.” Jam sessions at Griz’s shed among various established musicians on the scene eventually led to the formation of the Mighty Pranksters.

Like Deckard, Griz said he valued the fan following of the Mighty Pranksters, who often played in front of sizable crowds and opened for big-named acts such as Little Feat, the Jerry Garcia Band (following Garcia’s death), and 38 Special.

“When you have a group of people in front of you that want to hear you and pay attention to you, instead of raising hell at a bar and not paying attention, it’s a special thing,” Griz said.

Yet the emotional anchor of the record remains Kerr’s standout ballad, “Twenty Years Ago.” Built with the slow-burning grit of 1970s Bob Seger, the track’s nostalgic storytelling carries the timeless weight of life moving forward while the soul stays rooted in carefree days gone by.

Rubel said “Twenty Years Ago” is a “great, classic Southern rock song,” while Griz said the tune could have charted in the country genre, and perhaps other genres, had it gotten the right exposure.

More than twenty years have passed since the release of their album, but most of the former Pranksters are still playing music and manage to keep in touch with one another. According to Griz, there is a misconception that musicians in bands hang out together all the time. That wasn’t the case at all with the Mighty Pranksters, whose members had five varied lives and musical goals.

“We weren’t the kind of band that lived together and saw each other every day,” Griz said. “But when we could get together every couple of weeks, get together and go play a gig somewhere, we had great camaraderie. And when we stepped on the stage, magic happened. But then we all went our separate ways.”

Photos by Sal Nudo