The Four Soap Stars That Started A Cover Band Together
"General Hospital" is notorious for its musical crossovers throughout the years, much to fans' delight. There have been several music-related storylines over the years, such as Ned Ashton (who performed under the stage name Eddie Maine) and his music-producing wife Lois Cerullo, and also their songwriting daughter Brook Lynn Quartermaine who has been trying to turn Chase Harrison into a pop star, as of late (via SoapHub).
Due to the annual Nurse's Ball and the several clubs that exist in Port Charles, there have been plenty of opportunities for live music on the soap. Some acts that have performed over the years include, B.B. King, Boyzone, All-4-One, SHeDAISY, and longtime "GH" director Phideaux Xavier, among others (via Collider).
There have also been a number of famous musicians who have guest-starred on the soap, and even been cast in long-term roles. John Stamos played the role of songwriter and musician Blackie Parrish; Ricky Martin was cast as singer Miguel Morez, and Rick Springfield was a regular cast member Dr. Noah Drake off-and-on, and also made a brief appearance as a fictional musician named Eli Love and performed as himself one time. In addition to this plethora of stars, there are four "General Hospital" actors who enjoyed jamming out together so much that they decided to start a band and take their show on the road.
Cover band Port Chuck is born
In 2010 when actor Scott Reeves (Dr. Steven Webber) rejoined the cast of "General Hospital," he quickly established camaraderie with fellow musically-inclined co-stars Steve Burton (Jason Morgan), Brandon Barash (Johnny Zacchara), and Bradford Anderson (Damian Spinelli), according to Soaps in Depth. Burton knew that Reeves' country duo Blue County had just broken up and reportedly said, "Why don't we just put together a cover band? We can do it for appearances and have it be a thing where everybody will love the songs and have a great time," according to The Boot.
The foursome decided to name the band Port Chuck as a nod to "GH's" fictional town of Port Charles. Anderson noted, "We were looking for a band name that was kind of a wink to our viewing audience [without] hitting them over the head with it. We didn't want to have something that would look like we were trying to be like a rock band."
Though the cover band was originally Burton's idea, he was not as stage-ready as seasoned musician Reeves, when they first performed. He told the outlet, "For Scott, playing [our first] show was like going into the living room in his underwear. I, on the other hand, almost threw up!" Despite their rocky beginning, Port Chuck quickly grew from performing at soap events to taking their own show on tour.
A decade on the road
Port Chuck's first live show was at the ABC network's block party during the 2010 CMA Music Festival in Nashville. Scott Reeves told The Boot, "We figured there would be 200 to 300 people there at the most. We thought if that happens, it would be enough to have fun . . . There were 1,600 people in front of us, and it grew . . . It was awesome!"
The band played some iconic songs from stars like Johnny Cash, Poison, Bon Jovi, and Linkin Park and later went on a mini-tour sponsored by SOAPnet. Over the years, the group would go on to tour the U.S. several times and record two albums of cover songs, the second of which also features an original song called "Lost Without You" (via Full Access).
In 2020, Port Chuck formally disbanded after a decade of working together, which Burton announced via an Instagram caption: "Looking back at what an amazing ride Port Chuck was! Thank you and thanks to Bradford, Brandon, and Scott for some of the best times of my life!" (via Soaps in Depth). Though they aren't touring or recording new music anymore, the band isn't gone forever. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Port Chuck has gotten together several times to perform online concerts for their fans, the most recent of which occurred in June 2022. If you're interested in hearing about (or watching!) past Port Chuck performances you can listen to Anderson and Burton's podcast or visit their YouTube page.