And what are they doing now. I know he has one daughter who is a musician, what about sons? For those who don’t know I am speaking about the guitarist who played with Bill Haley and the Comets, for about 20 years. I’ve got a six pack riding on this so cites are double points. Thanks
I don’t know the answer to your question. But I do see that Wikipedia and other sources say his name was Nick Nastos, not Nick Masters.
Could I get a mod to kick this over to GQ? See if maybe someone over there wants to take a crack at this one? Thanks
He was my Dad, but even so it is a less than easy question to answer. He had a son from his first wife, and then married my mom. My two sisters got into music but the one you’re talking about would be my oldest sister, Sia. My dad taught me to play guitar but I did not go into the music business. My younger brother can also play guitar but he’s in a different part of the entertainment business.
So there is my oldest sister who he’s retired now, another sister in the medical field, I’m in the restaurant business though semi-retired now, and my younger brother currently has a channel on the Crackle has made a few movies had a karate dojo etc. I do not know what the Sun from his first wife does for a living. I know he’s been in contact with my younger brother but I haven’t heard anything from him since we were kids.
So…5?
Welcome to the board @bduares . Tell us some stories, please.
The reason I say the question is less than easy to answer is because my Dad married my mom who already had 4 kids, 3 of who were already grown plus me, who was 2 when they met and married in the 60s. So while he was my step-father he was also just my “Dad” and always was the only Dad I ever knew. I was also the only one of the “kids” at home with them until my younger brother was born in 1972, though my sisters would come say with us from time to time over the years. My eldest brother was away in the US Navy and I would only see him every 10 years or so.
My mother met my dad in the 60s in Pennsylvania, where he and the Comets were playing in a small club called Hurley’s in a town called Boothwyn. By this time if they weren’t touring with Bill they stayed together and played clubs in the northeast of the USA. Bill had a ranch down in Mexico and when he needed money he would get back with the Comets and they would do a tour, as they did in the early 70’s to Europe (we lived in Dublin for that), Australia, etc. During this tour the Comets played a “command performance” for the Queen. By the mid 70s Bill went back to Mexico and the Comets stayed in the NE, Philadelphia in the winter and Atlantic City in the summer, until the end of 1978 when we moved to Hawaii, where we would live off and on into the 90s with a couple of moves back and forth to Texas.
It’s so interesting to hear about a real rock and roll family. The moving is like a military family. Hard on the kids, no doubt.
Before we moved to Hawaii, we moved every 6 months or so, sometimes a bit more or less, and I remember many moves literally in the middle of the night, once when I was very young and I was PO’d that they did not grab my teddy bear when we were leaving and I threw a fit until one of them got back out of the car and got it from the house we were leaving. I was always having to enroll in new schools in the middle of the year, try to make new friends, etc.
From 1968 to 1978 we lived in, off the top of my head, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ireland, England, Delaware, Pennsylvania again, New Jersey and Hawaii. The move to Hawaii was done as a family vote, with the choices being Hawaii, New Zealand or Argentina. I guess my parents were feeling adventurous and wanted to live somewhere exotic or different than they had been used to.
My dad’s final move from Hawaii to Texas was due to Houston having the MD Anderson cancer center, since he had terminal cancer. By this time I was with the Hard Rock Cafe company and I changed my base of operations from Honolulu to Houston to be there with my parents.
I never really thought of us as a “rock and roll family”, people are just people, and while we knew and associated at times with people who were or would later be “famous” of one level or another, the music job itself is not easy and comes with maybe more downsides than upsides if you are living in that environment. We had many good times and the only regret I can think of, shared by many of the people in my family including my dad, was moving from Hawaii to Texas the first time.
Oh, almost forgot to mention, my dad’s name was Mathias Nicholas Nastos. Stage name: Nick Masters. His father had the same name as does my younger brother. The only time there was a different name “musically” was when he put out a record and the printing company spelled his name wrong as “Nick Nantos” which both annoyed and amused him.
I realize now that I am am home that this thread is many years old so I apologize for bringing it back from the dead. On my phone, when I first replied here, it looked like it was only a month old. Oops
No problem with the typos. I read typo pretty good.
What I meant by rock and roll family was it’s so interesting to see the sameness of all of us, even in our differences.
I personally like zombie threads being awakened. It’s always fun to see them.
I hope you hang around and read some more of the threads going on.
It’s great to have new members and friends and hear about their thoughts.
Don’t worry about it. I don’t speak for the board, of course, but having interesting encounters with strangers is one of the things the internet should be all about.
Hey there,
I actually found my way here while trying to locate your dad’s estate. I buy old master tapes and work with the families to make the music available again. I’d love to chat with you and get this album (with the spelling corrected LOL) available on spotify and the like sounding wonderful. Shoot me an email at mrjaymillar@yahoo.com. Thanks!