25 years of spinning tunes for the Elks

It was in 2000 when Chuck and Phyllis Stolteben were trying to help a young couple that was booked for a special entertainment event at the Elks Club in Sarasota.

Chuck had years before been a singer who once even cut a record. Although he had turned 60 in 2000, Chuck figured he still had his voice and could add something to that young couple's musical fundraiser to help the Elks.

Then the young couple absconded with all the money they had collected through ticket sales.

All those associated with the Elks were shocked and disheartened.

"Chuck said, 'We are going to make that money back,'" said Phyllis Stolteben. "But Chuck said he didn't know how to do a show."

While Phyllis Stolteben is not a singer, she took it upon herself to put together "A Night to Remember" to make up for the stolen money. She lined up singers, found equipment, and set up the lighting. 

"It was terror," Phyllis Stolteben said. "I had to produce the show. I had to figure out where to put the acts. They were dressed up in full costume."

Everyone at the Elks who could possibly lend anything to the effort helped out.

The show went on with Chuck being the headliner and 250 people buying tickets. A Night to Remember made $2,500 to make up for the $2,000 that was stolen.

Chuck and Phyllis headed home, wondering what had just happened.

"I remember the gratitude of everyone at the lodge," Phyllis said. "We made all the money back and more. Then we were up until 2 a.m. We had to figure it out."

Although they still had full-time jobs, Chuck at Publix and Phyllis in the insurance industry, they started doing shows twice a week, once on Thursdays at the ice arena in Ellenton and a second on Fridays at the Elks. Chuck thought up the name Lynn Spins.

Twenty-five years later, they still play professional gigs, and they still play at the Elks.

On March 1, Chuck and Phyllis headline the Lakewood Ranch Elks' Harry Anna Fundraiser, which will provide funds for the Florida Elks Children's Therapy Services and for the Florida Elks Youth Camp programs, with a show titled "Thru the Years" with Chuck and Phyllis. The Harry Anna fund started in 1951, named after Harry and Anna Miller, who established the original Florida Elks Hospital for Crippled Children.

Christine Carruthers, who is both the lodge chair and the Southwest District Chair for the Harry Anna program, said the money raised is crucial.

"Seeing the difference (the therapy) makes in their lives ... the impact ... it pulls at your heartstrings," Carruthers said. "And providing the opportunity for kids who have never had an opportunity to attend a camp, seeing their self-confidence grow, is tremendous."

Carruthers said Chuck and Phyllis always have donated their time to raise money to benefit children and veterans through the Elks.

"They are very dear friends to (the Elks)," she said. "We value their energy, their passion, and their friendship."

She said Chuck Stolteben can still "fill the room" with his voice at 85.

"He is an amazing performer," she said.

Phyllis' and Chuck's relationship began 57 years ago. He was a purchasing agent for McMaster-Carr Supply Company in Illinois. She was a secretary in his division.

"I really hated him," Phyllis said. "He was too confident, and he had women dripping off him."

 But Chuck remained persistent.

Photo by Liz Ramos

"I saw a different side of him," Phyllis said. "He wouldn't let go. And he was a gymnast and he had these big arms and no tummy."

So did she give in because of his looks?

"That's probably true," she said with a smile.

What Phyllis didn't know when they were married was that her husband had been a professional singer.

"The year we were married, we went to a bar," Phyllis said. "I heard somebody call Chuck Lynn to the stage. Who the heck is Chuck Lynn?"

Her husband jumped from the chair to the middle of a table. "It's me," he said.

He started to sing and, before long, women were throwing underwear at him.

"I was embarrassed and I wanted to leave," Phyllis said. "He said, 'Look at the wardrobe you are getting?'"

Before he met Phyllis, Chuck had spent 287 straight days on the road, trying to get DJs to play the record he had cut, "Only by Your Side," with "I'll Never Learn" on the back, through Cherry Lane records. He had served as the warm-up act for artists such as Sam Cooke, The Drifters, and Little Eva.

But he decided that life on the road wasn't what he wanted, and he packed away his singing talent, until he brought it back out at age 60.

Before he started singing at the Elks, he served on its board, and was the exalted ruler in Sarasota in 2002-2003.

"I liked what they were doing and what they stood for," he said of the Elks. "The finality of it is worth it. Seeing kids get what they need. Seeing veterans get what they need. It's what the Elks is all about."

The March 1 event will allow Chuck and Phyllis to reminisce about all the years.

So how did Chuck get the stage name Chuck Lynn?

"It was the middle name of one of my girlfriends," he said.

"Thanks for asking that," said Phyllis, who said she never knew where the name came from. "At least it wasn't her first name."