But his interest in singing ballad covers was short lived as his interest turned to expressing himself instrumentally, and began playing the clarinet during his pre-teen years. Sid may have developed his interest in the clarinet from watching the Lawrence Welk Show, which aired on the ABC Televison Network on Saturday evenings. An avid viewer of the program, he particularly liked the performances of clarinetist, Pete Fountain, a virtuoso on the instrument by any measure. As a teen, he was given a ukelele by a family member which propelled his interest in learning to play the guitar. By the time Sid reached junior high school (i.e. Hine Junior High), he had all but abandoned the clarinet completely to concentrate most of his efforts in music on learning to play the guitar. However, he did continue to play the clarinet in the school bands at both Hine Junior High and Spingarn Senior High schools.
Sid’s love of R&B music, his fascination for the guitar, and in association with a few like-minded friends in high school, created the perfect environment for the formation of their own R&B group. They called themselves, The Xciters. Consisting of Sid on lead guitar, David Henderson on bass guitar, Warren "Ham" Haygood on drums, Ahmed McIntosh on sax and trumpet, Joe Hudson on sax, and David Scott on lead vocals, the Xciters played clubs and cabarets in the Washington, DC area; most notable of the clubs was the popular but now defunct Ko-Ko Club which was located on 8th & H Streets N.E.
Whereas the Xciters became quite popular in the DC vicinity, Sid’s interest in school was no longer a priority for him. Thus, he, along with other band members, left high school to pursue their dream of becoming R&B artists. By the early to mid 60's, The Xciters began to travel to venues outside the metropolitan DC area along the ease coast, as far south as Richmond, Virginia, and as far north as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In fact, the band spent so much time in and around Harrisburg, PA that they actually took up residence there for several months, if not a full year.
The Xciters’ travels eventually took the band yet farther west. In much the same as the occurrence when they stinted and lived in Harrisburg for a while, the band relocted to Gary, Indiana. It was more than likely this location and its close proximity to Chicago, Ill. that prompted them to eventually move to Chicago, where there were undoubtedly more work for the band, and where Sid’s talents, abilities, associations, and accomplishments in music gained prominence and appreciation from the public as well as the recording industry. Sid became session guitarist for the Chess, Checker, and Cadet Record group, where he worked with the likes of Billy Stewart (who incidently was also from Wash., DC), The Dells, Alvin Cash & the Crawlers (who later became Alvin Cash & the Registers who recorded "Twine Time" and "Barracuda"), the Rotary Connection, which featured songstress the late Mini Ripperton, saxophonist Monk Higgins, and one R&B’s most celebrated producer/arrangers, the late Charles Stepney. Sid was co-writer and session guitar player on many songs recorded in Chicago during the mid to late 60's. Most notably, he was co-writer on Billy Stewart’s "The Whisper’s Getting Louder." Chicago is also where Sid met his to-be wife, Carol, and began raising his family.
By the early 70's, Sid with his family and fellow musicians moved to Los Angeles. In LA, Sid with other Chicago musician transports formed the group South Shore Commission. They recorded the single "Free Man", which earned them an appearance on Don Cornelius’s Soul Train by the mid-70's.
Respective of his seemingly nomadic nature, Sid moved from LA to Phoenix, AZ. sometime during the 80's, and then to the Denver area where he lived with son, Randy, until his passing. Sid leaves behind his wife, Carol, and three adult offsprings: daughter Tzynya Pinchback, and sons Randy and Matthew Pinchback; sisters Helena Coleman and Audrey Stewart; brothers Lloyd and Ronald Pinchback; one granddaughter, and nine nieces and nephews. By the early 70's, Sid with his family and fellow musicians moved to Los Angeles. In LA, Sid with other Chicago musician transports formed the group South Shore Commission. They recorded the single "Free Man", which earned them an appearance on Don Cornelius’s Soul Train by the mid-70's.
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Lloyd A. Pinchback
Bowie, MD 20721
