Recent Updates To Older Posts

The Valerie Craft Show story updated January 26, 2020.

About 1982 I Auditioned For A New Group

I saw an ad for a new dance group.  I called the number. I went down into the city with another member of Kings Of Hearts.

We met Reggie who was putting the group together.  So far so good.
We met again soon after at Taste Entertainment Center, a well known nightclub at 87th and Ashland. We were hired and it was time to be introduced to the audience.
Unfortunately, backstage, some joker decided to do a cartwheel and one at a time the guys were all copying him and I did it all wrong and hurt my back.  (I just bent in half sideways and didn't just turn in one quick motion like wheel or whatever...I never actually had done a cartwheel before...round offs, but never cartwheels)
Oh well!.... but my back took a while to heal and then later my girlfriend at that time didn't want me to start up with another group ( I still was in Kings Of Hearts after all)
The other Kings Of Hearts guy worked with the new group for a while and I still had dance jobs that were keeping me going....so it was all OK.

My Photos And Stories Are A Bit Mixed Up!

I started out thinking I could keep everything in order, from beginning to end, from old to new.
It's not that easy...my memories of things come back at any time and they might be in or out of order.
Also it's more like work than fun for me to sit down and try remember everything from start to finish!
 So I might jump around from year to year and back again, and to this or that night club, or this or that dance group!
At some future time I might try to

organize everything in a chronological way.
But, anyway, thanks for looking at my blog....
               Roger

Roger Houston: Producer For "The Valerie Craft Show", TV Channel 13

In about 1985 or 86, "The Valerie Craft Show" went on the air!
It was on Chicago TV Station WBE Channel 13.
Valerie was the executive producer and host.  I was the producer.

I made some phone calls and asked some TV people and other celebrities to be on The Valerie Craft Show.
We got three right away and a little later I talked to Studs Terkel and he agreed to come on the show.

That's My Girl!

Light Show At The Rose

I've Always Liked Girls! + More Photos

Being a Male Dancer was a perfect job for a guy who really likes girls.  When I was very young I liked girls.  When I was 4 or 5 I liked my babysitter.  She was much older of course!

And in 2nd grade I was in Love!

In 4th or 5th and 6th grade 2 or 3 more times, 7th grade...in love again and still loved this one girl in 8th grade!
In HS...some love, and a lot of likeing.
College...1, 2, 3 loves,+3 more (the last became my wife for 9 years)!
And later....more love and affection at various jobs.....  I worked at the Post Office for almost 4 years.  Then I was a artists' model for colleges and universities all over the Chicago area also down in Miami too for almost 4 years.
Then I became a Male Stripper....my favorite job....12- 13 years!
While I was still dancing I met Valerie who was a dancer: Ballet and Stripping for about 30 years!!
And now I'm settled down and happy to have been with my Darling Valerie for 35 and a half years!
But I still have fond memories of earlier times!

(Photos: Bartczak)

Happy New Year

This was from around 1980...40 years ago.  Dancing was going well , working at the Rose in Palatine.  We were listed in entertainment sections in the Chicago newspapers.
After about eight months or so, our group "Kings Of Hearts" was created.
While in that, I still had time to do other work like strip telegrams for "Show And Telegram", and dance in "Charisma".

Photos: A. Bartczak