35 girls and not one boy showed up to audition for the annual Hollywood High School talent show in the fall of 1955. The next day the school bulletin pleaded for “any guys out there who can do anything” and a show business story began that sounds a little like an MGM Musical. Unable to
No other popular quartet stayed together with original personnel intact for as long as the legendary Four Tops. And no other group associated with the American 60s sound has succeeded in remaining as fresh, joyful, lively, and timely. The Four Tops created a special magic that continues to delight audiences of all ages and nationalities,
In association with Harmony Artists. Born on September 18, 1940 as Francis Thomas Avallone, Frankie Avalon started out playing the trumpet. He was good enough to catch the eye of a local talent scout, who arranged for him to appear on Jackie Gleason’s CBS-TV show, which led to other appearances on national television. By the
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
For some time Gerry & the Pacemakers were the Beatles nearest competitors in Britain. Managed, like the Beatles, by Brian Epstein, Gerry Marsden and his band burst out of the gate with three consecutive number one UK hits in 1963, “How Do You Do It”, “I Like It”, and “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. Gerry & the Pacemakers defined
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
The Los Angeles music climate of the late 1960s and 1970s was characterized by the heavy sounds and sentiments that reflected the revolutionary attitudes of the generation. Bursting onto that scene was Iron Butterfly, whose sound not only epitomized the hard attitudes of the youth with its heavy drumming and bass lines, but also embraced
W. JAY PROCTOR AND THE TECHNIQUES BAND SING MOTOWN, MEMPHIS, PHILLY, OTIS, TEMPS, TOPS, MIRACLES, DELFONICS, SAM & DAVE, WILSON PICKETT, AL GREEN AND MORE PLUS THEIR MEGA HITS “APPLE PEACHES PUMPKIN PIE” “KEEP THE BALL ROLLIN” BOOK JAY AND THE TECHNIQUES
“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
In 1964, when the British Invasion was in progress and American rockers were tough to find on the U.S. pop charts, Johnny Rivers was one of the first to regain a foothold. His first Top 10 record came right in the midst of Beatlemania. Over the next four years his funky, go-go rock gave him
“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.
