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
The Grass Roots Are: DUSTY HANVEY: (Lead Guitar , Vocals)- For more than 27 years this Cherry Valley, California native has been an integral part of one of the most iconic bands of it’s time. Along with his skills as a lead guitarist and vocalist, Dusty also takes on the title of The Grass Roots’ Road
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
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
One thing John Waite has come to understand during his illustrious career in music, is that you live and learn best the hard way. Accept that there can be no highs without lows, no gain without loss, and certainly no love without pain. Take nothing for granted, maintain your integrity. Then, at least, you give
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
With her string of pop and country hits, her distinctive voice and performance skills, Juice Newton continues to captivate audiences from teens to grandparents, from the city to the country. Juice grew up in Virginia Beach, where her Navy upbringing exposed her to a variety of musical influences. She could be found singing in area
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Kathy Sledge is the youngest of five girls from Edwin and Florez Sledge. By age 6 she was singing songs with her sisters in perfect harmony. Kathy was born to perform. Along with vocal coaching and teachings from her grandmother, an experienced opera singer, her father was the other half
“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
Klymaxx featuring Cheryl Cooley is a very strong female funk band and dynamic vocal group, with the purpose and intent to deliver uncompromising grooves with style, class and taste. Klymaxx smash Billboard hits from the 80s remain popular on radio stations all over the world. “Meeting In The Ladies’ Room”, a high spirited number you just
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
Little River Band was the first Australian band to successfully conquer foreign markets from an Australian base. Within eight months of their birth, LRB had already scored three Australian Top 20 singles and two Top Ten albums. In 1976, after their self-titled debut album was released in the USA, the long grind of 13 US
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,
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
Melanie has had 13 top 40 hits, including the 3 number ones; Bobos Party, Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) and Brand New Key. Melanie Safka was born and grew up in New York City. Her 1969 song, “Bobo’s Party”, was a No. 1 hit in France. Her debut album received rave reviews from Billboard which heralded her
“Angel of the Morning”. The mere mention of this legendary record triggers a flood of memories for the millions who bought it, and inevitably evokes the name of the artist for whom it meant overnight success: Merrilee Rush. But for those devoted legions who have flocked to see Merrilee since 1962, her success was anything
Merrill Osmond as lead singer for the famous Osmond family, is now an established solo artist. He has performed in almost every major venue in this country as well as the United Kingdom. Merrill has toured the world and it’s his incredible voice as the lead you hear on hits such as “One Bad Apple”, ”Crazy
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”,
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.
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,
Thirty years ago, in 1975, Pablo Cruise released its first A&M album simply entitled Pablo Cruise. The album cover was shot in the tropical gardens of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and it featured a huge gorilla standing front and center. The band, David Jenkins (guitars & vocals), Cory Lerios (keyboards & vocals), Steve Price
