Not much is known about the two young men behind the
insanely rare Wheelz of Steel Volume One, brothers Raymond and Richard
Markowski of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But what follows is what I been able to
glean so far.
Born in 1961 and 1962 respectively, the brothers were born
with Muscular Dystrophy, an inherited genetic condition that gradually
causes the muscles to weaken, leading to an increasing level of
disability. Unable to
get around without assistance, the boys were not going to let their
situation
get the better of them, and with commendable good humour and a certain
irony
(and a nod, no doubt to British NWOBHM band Saxon), named their band Wheelz
of Steel after the wheelchairs they were confined to.
Issued in 1983, the self-funded and self-released album features
the brothers swapping guitar and bass duties, with vocals handled by Richard.
Throughout they are accompanied by their trusty Roland drum machine, credited
on the reverse of the sleeve as "T.R". All eight songs were co-written by the
boys themselves.
It's a dreadful record, but you have to admire their spirit.
How many of us in a similar situation would have been able to write, perform on
and release our own LP? Not only that, but they even performed live, entering
into a local Battle of the Bands competition and winning. Admirable stuff.
Sadly, both of the Markowski brothers are no longer with us:
Raymond passed away, aged just 32, in 1993. Richard died in September 2011 aged
49 after power was lost at the Milwaukee home he shared with his mother in an
overnight windstorm, cutting off the electricity supply to his ventilator. Richard's
mother, Beverly, called 911 when his ventilator started to beep, but she told
emergency personnel that she had backup batteries, so they left. She called 911
again shortly afterwards because her son was struggling, and the alarm was
beeping again. He later died at a hospital. According to the county medical
examiner's report, Mrs. Markowski believed that the batteries had a longer
life. A sad end to a short, but accomplished, life.
https://worldsworstrecords.blogspot.com/2019/10/wheely-great.html
Lynx Rufus Recordings 2023
