Happy Blue Year! Change is in the air for public radio/Blue Band legend Bob Dorr

By Diana Nollen

For 28 years, Bob Dorr and the various incarnations of his Blue Band have been ripping open the new year with red-hot music and all the party trappings.

This year's 29th Happy Blue Year celebration will crank it up a few notches.

At 10 minutes and 10 seconds past midnight Jan. 1 - 00:10:10 on 01/01/10 - Dorr will marry his girlfriend of 22 years, Carolyn Prins, during the Blue Band's gig at the Hilton Garden Inn in Johnston.

“And it's a blue moon,” says Dorr, 57, of Cedar Falls. “We're getting married once in a blue moon. We're both 50-somethings and we've never tried this before.”

The couple met at a coin laundry across the street from Stebs Bar on College Hill in Cedar Falls.

“She was the girlfriend of one of the original guitar players” in Dorr's band, he says. That guitarist left, leaving Dorr a window of opportunity to sweep Prins off her feet.

For now, they both work for the University of Northern Iowa, but that will change in the new year, too. Dorr, the late-night voice of public radio KUNI-FM, will retire on New Year's Eve. Prins will continue in her role as the Web site developer for university marketing and public relations.

“I'm freaking out - I'm really freaking out about not having a regular paycheck,” he says. “I'm retiring because of UNI's offer of early retirement that came down early in the year. I'm one of the youngest people it's available to, at 57. I had to take advantage of that by the end of the year.

“At the time, I had no clue I was going to be married,” he says. “A few eye-opening experiences through the summertime made me say I gotta stop fighting this and move on with marrying Carolyn. It's all built up through the year, converging through life changes.”

Dorr started with KUNI in 1972; formed the Blue Band in 1981; was inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Music Association Hall of Fame in 2000 for his radio work and in 2007 as leader of the Blue Band; and in 2006 landed in the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame.

He hosts “Backtracks,” “Down on the Corner,” “Blue Avenue” and “Night Music,” and is hoping to continue some of his shows on Iowa Public Radio as an independent producer.

“We have an agreement we can proceed with,” he says. “I'm hoping to have papers signed by the end of the year so I can continue. Iowa Public Radio has been great to work with.”

  Dorr will reach another life milestone on New Year's Eve, as he celebrates 10 years without alcohol.

“The (New Year's Eve) revelry has become a little less for me,” he says, “but it was a fabulous decision. The only bad part is that I wish I had made it 20 years before that. Everybody sees the light at their own pace. I'm not a temperance (crusader). Alcohol worked for me every night for 30 years. I know the people around me like me a lot better. I'm the kinder, gentler Bob.”

This year's party will be a grand affair even before the wedding, with music on three stages. The annual Blue Year's blowout had been held at the Hotel Fort Des Moines the past 10 years, but with that downtown landmark closed for renovations, the party site has moved to nearby Johnston.

On the docket are Bob Dorr and the Blue Band, Matt Woods and the Thunderbolts, Fat Tuesday and The Grease Fire Horns, Joe and Vicki Price, Rob Lumbard, Soul Fusion and Tom Gary. Tickets are $50, which includes music, food and champagne, with rooms available for $109.

Guests can opt for a seat in the ballroom or move between the other stages to hear all the acts.

“It makes for a nice evening,” Dorr says.

Besides enjoying “the best payday of the year,” Dorr enjoys the people he sees on stage and on the dance floor New Year's Eve.

“Anymore, it's evolved into a reunion kind of thing, not only for the crowd, but also for the musicians. It offers an opportunity to see old friends.

“The people who come to these things regularly over the years become your good friends. That's primarily what I like about it - the reconnection with people from around the state and from out of state,” he says.

“The people part is the best for me. The people part is what it's all about.”

FAST TAKEInformation: www.theblueband.com/newyear.htm

What: Happy Blue Year celebration

When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, to 2 a.m. Jan. 1

Where: Hilton Garden Inn, 8600 Northpark Dr., Johnston

Cost: $50 for music, buffet and champagne toast; $109 for room; reservations, (515) 270-8890