about Us

I was born Roger Lee Graebe on January 26, 1954, in Bloomington, IN.  At the age of 9 I was in my first band, “The Miniature Beatles.”  We all bought Beatles wigs and went around to the homerooms, performing and (more accurately) mimicking Beatles songs with our mouths. I remember our climactic moment was when we performed a presentation in front of the whole student body. Wow!  It was like getting our first record deal. The members of our MB were Nick Michalares on drums, George Bower on bass, myself on guitar and vocals, and I can’t remember the 4th guy. The parents thought we were cute.  I thought I was launching my career.

Shortly thereafter we formed another band, “The Tijuana Brass” or something based thereon. Again, it involved George Bower. Nick and myself. We added another horn guy and someone else. There were five or six of us. I remember we had started to play the real instruments and not just mimic the noise. And I remember putting an amplifier together with Nick in his basement. It was an old Heathkit, and we were so excited to have this beautiful piece of art that we had assembled ourselves. The only problem was, Heathkit doesn’t tell you that when you make 2000 solder joints, it’s probably not going to work in the end. [sigh]  Ours didn’t. But once we took it to a local tech, and paid him to finish it, we were off and running. It was so exciting in those days!

I was good in school and was in various bands through high school. At about the age of 21, I decided to become Roger Lee McAllister. Why? I have no idea. Nevertheless, I must have been in search of a character. or a personality, or something.  I don’t know. I was working in a magazine distribution agency at the time, and there is a famous cowboy author named Alistair McLean. Somehow those sounds got jumbled around. in my brain, and I came out with Roger McAllister. Not profound, just explicatory.

After significant perturbations, I convinced my current band to also be called McAllister (sorry, humility). I graduated from Indiana University and moved to Indianapolis around 1976.  Shortly thereafter my creative output exploded, and you’ll notice alnost every song herein is between 1979 and 1984.

George Bower on bass, and then Terry Phegley.  Pete Hillenberg on guitar, and then Craig Capps.  I had moved to mostly keyboards in the meantime, because it was apparently impossible to find a rock keyboard player.  We used to move a real piano to our gigs, amplified by Barcus Berry pickups.  MichaeI Bannon on demo backup vocals.  Wayne Hall on sax. Lots of players and sidemen I can’t recall.

Around 1994 I made THE transition… changing genders, to Kelli Ann McAllister.  Two points I’d like to make, then all of us can move on: (1) I strongly disagree with the current fervor to turn every little boy into a little girl.  The LGBTQ+ movement is another element of Marxism to destroy white Christianity.  All of its founders and its leaders are “God’s Chosen People™”, and I have a message for y’all: leave our six-year-olds alone!  I transitioned in my early 40s, when I was mature enough to make an informed decision.  The nuclear family is the bedrock of American culture, and all attempts to disassemble that must be met with the strongest possible resistance.

And (2), I discourage anyone to do what I did  Nothing even comes close to the earthquake this creates with family, friends, one’s entire legacy.  I guarantee you’ll be trapped inside the LGBT prison.  They’ve hijacked the word “gay,” but you’ve never met a more bitter, caustic assemblage in your life. You don’t wanna end up there, and I made a conscious effort to refuse participation.

You only want to change genders if there are no alternatives, after a couple years of therapy and an intractable compulsion to do so for the past three or four decades.  In my case this was true.  Also, the first five years are wonderful, but after that the honeymoon wears off. Then it’s business as usual, and you’ve still got to get up and go to work.  Good luck with that.  ANYWAY …

Sharp-eyed viewers may have noticed the omission of one of the members of the band McAllister.  That missing member is Steve Sexton, and I must take a moment to acknowledge how vitally important Steve was to our entire catalog.  This site, these songs, would not have been possible without him.  No matter what got thrown his way — 15/4, 7/8, endless key changes and tempo adjustments — Steve handed it all with aplomb and professional drumming acumen.  And his angelic high tenor?  Bubala, don’t get me started.  I’m blessed to have known him and can never repeat his contributions to this body of work.

And a final quick shout-out to my brother Rob Graebe. Rob has worked as an IT professional for many years, and we’ve worked in close cooperation to create this website. I take care of organizing the artistic side of things, while he throws everything up online and makes it possible for the people in Siberia and Walla Walla, WA to hear my music. Thanks, Rob. If you like what you see and need a good computer doctor around Nashville and beyond, reach out to him (Gray Bee Tech).

The people I’ve known have enriched my life in so many ways. I wouldn’t change a thing.

NOTE:  Kelli Ann McAllister passed away in Tucson, AZ in the early morning hours of December 29, 2023 at the age of 69.