Frankie Valli was born in the Italian First Ward of Newark, New Jersey as Francis Stephen Castelluccio on May 3, 1937, and went on to achieve worldwide fame both, as lead singer of The Four Seasons, one of the biggest music acts of the 1960s, and also as a solo artist. Frankie’s future course was
No oldies collection would be complete without Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon’s thrilling “Palisades Park”, with its carnival sound effects, swooping organ, relentless driving beat, and, of course, Freddy’s inimitable holler. Written by Chuck Barris (of Gong Show fame), and based on what was then one of New Jersey’s most popular amusement parks, the song is an
America’s baby boomers moved into their mid teens, Gary began his professional career. For his first hit,“New Orleans”, attention was brought to the record by having promotional copies sent to radio stations in sleeves inscribed “Buy U.S. Bonds” – hence at age 19, Gary Anderson became Gary’ U.S.’ Bonds. The follow-up was the now legendary
In May 1966, The Happenings virtually exploded onto the national charts with their first single release,“See You In September”. The song quickly spiraled up the charts to become an international #1 record throughout the entire summer. Most recently, Entertainment Magazine has listed “See You In September”in the top 100 summer songs of all time! The Happenings,
Peter Noone, the artist formerly known as “Herman”, was born on November 5, 1947 in Manchester, UK. His father was a semi-pro musician and keen that his son should follow in his footsteps, so Peter was sent to study singing and acting at the Manchester School of Music and Drama. He was something of a
“Well, meet me, baby, down on 45th Street” … is a line that was synonymous with The Peppermint Lounge in 1961 when Joey Dee and The Starliters were rocking the house with their smash hit, “The Peppermint Twist”, and shot to fame on the charts. It all started when one weekend, a New Jersey act, Joey
Joey Molland is a survivor and, when he looks back on how what started out as a rock and roll fantasy and then turned into a bona fide nightmare, he tries to remain upbeat. He concedes that the story was tragic but prefers to focus on the good times: “I had a great time. I
In the chaotic world of rock ‘n’ roll, in which the lifespan of most bands can be measured in terms of a few years or a few months, John Kay and Steppenwolf have emerged as one of rock’s most enduring and respected bands, delivering hard-hitting, personally-charged music for more than three decades. In the late
“Louie Louie Oh no, We gotta go now… Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah” This is the phrase from the song “Louie Louie” that The Kingsmen made famous. Since this legendary hit was first released, The Kingsmen have sold over 20 million records. They have released 9 albums which have yielded 23 charted singles and four top
Little Anthony & the Imperials enjoyed one of the longest career runs of any doo wop group, adapting their honey-smooth style to fit the sweet uptown soul sound of the mid-’60s. Right from the beginning, Little Anthony’s aching way with a ballad was the group’s calling card, but their repertoire was balanced by more R&B-inflected
The falsetto of Lou Christie soared across the country in 1966 his multi-million selling LIGHTNING STRIKES rocketed to Number One. Twenty years later, LIGHTNING STRIKES remains a staple of Classic rock stations and is covered by new artists with alarming frequency. Lou first struck the charts at the age of 19 with the 1962 million-seller,
Taking their name from the popular mixed drink, the Manhattans began their legendary musical journey after being spotted at Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater. They placed third in the competition, but their undeniable musical star power earned them their first recording contract. Joe Evans, a former Motown musician, had just started Carnival Records and
Martha Reeves was born in Eufaula, Alabama. Her parents Ruby and Elijah Reeves moved to Detroit, Michigan before her first birthday. Martha’s mother has been her greatest inspiration and teacher. Ruby and Elijah both sing and play the guitar solely for the family’s delight and pleasure. Raised on the east side, she attended Russell Elementary
The Marvelettes occupy an esteemed place in the history of American popular music as the group that caused Motown, and most notably Berry Gordy to change the label’s focus from single bluesy soul artists (previously Barrett Strong’s “Money” had been the label’s biggest seller) to a smooth orchestrated harmonic sound that transcended the prior racial
After selling more than 65 million records worldwide as the star of THE MONKEES TV show, Micky Dolenz has continued to make his mark in other areas of the entertainment business, through his varied career as an actor, director, writer, producer and performer. Micky was born in Los Angeles on March 8, 1948. His dad,
Like many Liverpool bands, The Searchers undertook an “apprenticeship” in the German port of Hamburg and were signed by Pye producer Tony Hatch when they returned to Liverpool. Their debut single was a cover of the Drifters’ “Sweets for My Sweet”. It quickly rose to No. 1 in the UK charts. This was followed by “Needles and Pins”,
In the late sixties, Mike Pinera and his group BLUES IMAGE were co-founders and house band at THEE IMAGE, a Miami Beach concert venue they opened and co-headlined on weekends. There Mike performed, met and jammed with such artists as JERRY GARCIA & GRATEFUL DEAD, THE CREAM with ERIC CLAPTON, THE YARDBIRDS with JIMMY PAGE,
Say the word “Miracles” and all kinds of images from the golden era of the Motown Record Corporation comes to mind. The Miracles were the first Motown group to break through bringing Berry Gordy’s fledgling Detroit record company its first gold record for selling a million copies. The song was “Shop Around” and the year was 1960.
High octane, turbo, high performance, super-charged – MITCH RYDER & The Detroit Wheels didn’t need to hail from the Motor City for those adjectives to be tossed their way, but it was certainly appropriate that they called Motown home. It was Mitch and The Wheels who served as the musical bridge between the Motown soul
It was late 1956, in Pop’s Candy Store on 16th Avenue and 77th Street — just across from New Utrecht High School. The Overons were singing on the corner every night, and polishing their sound. Jim Gribble heard them at an audition and liked their sound. He felt he would have no trouble getting this
Together since high school, the Ohio Express were the ultimate bubblegum band. Their lead singer, Joey Levine, sang like he had a huge wad of bubblegum in his mouth. His super nasal vocals are a bubblegum trademark. The band played tense go-go grooves with chug-chug-chug-chug–chug-chug-chug-chug guitars & roller rink keyboards. Compared to most bubblegum bands,
The Passions are one of the best Brooklyn vocal groups to emerge from New York City in the late 50s and early 60s. They started out as the Sinceres, one of several vocal groups whose “harmony haven” was the alley alongside Loew’s Oriental Theatre in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. Nearby Kelly’s Pool Room occasionally
On December 17, 1949, a lad was born in Middlesbrough, England who would one day be known as one of rock’s most distinctive vocalists. Paul Rodgers first came to prominence in 1968 as a member of the seminal blues group Free. He has often been called the greatest voice in rock. Initially, as the young
Over an illustrious career that has spanned close to 4 decades, Peaches & Herb have established themselves as an international household name. This dynamic duo’s hitmaking reputation has been firmly etched into the public consciousness with nearly 60 records that have made the charts since “Let’s Fall In Love” began its climb up the charts in the
In April 1963, 15 year old “Little” Peggy March scored a No. 1 hit with her instant smash “I Will Follow Him” which stayed at the No. 1 slot for an incredible 3 weeks. With her first recording an instant hit, RCA Records discovered Peggy’s way with language – she had a phenomenal ear and could pick
