Based in the Pittsburgh area, Pat Wallace released many 45s, this one being more garage in style than most.
“Fill the Hole in Your Soul” is a straightforward come-on, but danceable and catchy for all that. The musicians must not have had any other song in mind for this session, as “C’mon and Work” is just the band vamping with Wallace chanting the title repeatedly. Not bad, though.
Pat tells me the band was Prince Valiant and the Knights, who had their own 45 on St. Clair, “Back Yard”/”Front Yard”, though Rick Sharp recalls playing on the session with his group the Sharades (see below). Songwriting credits are Pat Wallace and Jules Kruspir on “Fill the Hole”, and Rick Sharp – Jules Kruspir on the flip, production by J.J. Jules.
The St. Clair label is famous for releasing the Swamp Rats’ most beserk 45s.
Thank you to Pat Wallace for the photos seen here of his early group, the Shadows. Please do not reproduce these images without permission.
Rick Sharp of the Sharades provides his recollection of how he came to record with Pat Wallace on this single:
Jules Kruspir managed my first Pittsburgh, PA band, The Vel Mars. We knew Jules for a lot of years, from 1963 to the late seventies (he managed the Marcels). Not quite sure how we met him though. He used to invite us over to his house to rehearse every month or so and seemed to have a genuine interest in our band, The Vel-Mars.
We were a guitar band, a la The Ventures, and were playing local school dances. Jules said he knew all the right industry people and we could go places. Actually nothing happened until he signed Bob Stupec to do a Christmas song, “Jake The Flake”. This was a huge production number, full orchestra (Jim Drake conducting & arranging), backing vocals by the Ray Charles Singers (“Love Me With All Your Heart” fame) and recorded at Bell Sound Studios in NYC. The tracks were absolutely beautiful!
But, Bobby (Bobby Star) couldn’t sing. It took 157 takes to complete the lead vocal track. I remember, Phil Ramone was the engineer. Well, we were to record the back side “Jingle Bells”. Studio time was running out, we cut our song in 1 1/2 takes. We broke a guitar string, but they spliced the tape & our record turned out great. The record was released a few weeks later, became the National Record Mart “Pick of the Week” and was played in NRM commercials for a few weeks. Picked up a review in Billboard (Jules had a full page ad), but the record never took off. Too bad. Bobby Star quit recording and went to Vegas and opened a casino.
In 1965, our Vel-Mars band broke up and I auditioned for a club band in Beaver Falls, PA. The leader was Gary Glenn. The group was Gary Glenn and the Jeweltones. The Jeweltones had departed and left Gary without a band, for which I was auditioning & was ultimately hired for. They had a local record out, “Goodnight My Love”, on the Cove label. Great record. I wrote a couple of songs for Gary that were recorded at Jerree Records in Beaver Falls, PA. “Always So True” b/w “What Do You Want”, released early 1966, but went nowhere. The original Jeweltones were later to become the Jaggerz of “The Rapper” fame.
I left Gary Glenn in mid 1966 & formed the Sharades. We were a cover band [but] with a lot of original songs. Jules expressed an interest in us again and asked if we would do a demo session at Glen Campbell Studios in Pittsburgh, PA. We did the session but nothing came out of it. A few of the songs were good though. Jules later asked us to back up Pat Wallace for a couple of songs at the same studio. We did and that’s where “Gonna Fill The Hole” & “Come On & Work” came from. And yes, “Come On & Work” was nothing more than a “B” vamp.
In 1966,Jules opened a record store in the Southland shopping center (Pat Wallace worked there) and I took a job with Kleins One Stop (Itzy Records) heading up their oldies department. Jules bumped into The Fantastic DeeJays (who had some local Music For Young Lovers songs for Terry Lee). He changed their name to the Swamp Rats and recorded “Louie Louie” & released it on his St. Clair label. (Jules lived in a community named Upper St. Clair).
Also in 1966, Jules picked up a group named the Dynatones. They had recorded a record “And I Always Will” b/w “The Fife Piper”. The local DJs flipped it over & the record went to Number 1. HBR Records, who just recently started a pop records division, picked up national distribution. The record went all the way up the national charts. Then … HBR called for a album followup to the single. Jules took the Dynatones down to Glen Campbells studio & cut 10 or 12 absolutely terrible tracks. Truth is, Jules couldn’t produce & Glens’ studio (3 track Ampex) was nothing more than a reverb box. HBR Records rejected the cuts for the “Fife Piper” LP. They produced all the tracks in LA with studio musicians.
I continued on working at Kleins and with my band, the Sharades. We were working steady at local clubs when we decided to go into the studio on our own. Late 1966 we recorded “Only A Tear” b/w “It’s A Groovy Day” at Gateway Studios in Pgh, PA (Some of the Lou Christie hits were recorded there). Our session was quick…maybe 1 1/2 hours. We only recorded the two songs. The record was released on Fasicination Records which was my label. Kleins One Stop (my day job) became our distributor. I started college in January 1967 and played weekends with the band. By springtime Terry Lee had picked up the record & began playing it every night at 11:00 as the opening song for his “Music For Young Lovers” show segment. “Only A Tear” was the only record released by the Sharades. We continued on as a band until the mid-seventies. I recorded “Surfin’ USA – Pittsburgh, PA” b/w “Pipeline” in the mid-eighties with a new group – The Allegheny Surfers.
Rick Sharp
Pat went to Baldwin High School and worked at Southland Record Shop (in the Southland Shopping Center on Route 51) owned by St. Clair label owner Jules Kruspir (aka J. J. Jules), who had been the manager of The Marcels (“Blue Moon”). Pat and I were friends in the 60s when I had my group, The Headliners, and I used to buy records from him and Jules at Southland around that time. The last time I saw Pat was in the esarly 70s at Asterik studios, where he recorded, when I was helping to produce a Country record there.
Oops. Pat went to Shaler H. S..
OOPs, my mistake: Pat went to Shaler HS.
Pat Wallace released a number of records throughout the 70’s and 80’s, most notably with the Rockin’ Ravens, who released two albums of 50’s material on their own Rumble label and numerous rockabilly oriented singles on Ray Bishop’s Bishop label.
Pat was in a band called the Shadows when he was in high school & several years after graduating. They may have been the backup on Hole in Your Soul, but I’m not sure. I used to try & get them gigs at bars & clubs in the Pittsburgh area & I went to see them perform almost every weekend during 1966-1967 until I moved to Maryland. Pat lives in eastern Pa now.
How long was J.J. Jules the manager of the Marcels? Is there any information about the Marcels
before their hit “Blue Moon?”
Thanks
Nope, Pat lives in the Boston area now and has been for quite some time.
Hi Joe,
Thanks for the write up. I am living in Spencer, Ma about 60 miles West of Boston. Been here for over 12 years. We did see Rick and Sue at Judy’s mother’s funeral in July, 2007. Always remember the good times we had together at your mom’s house and the times spent having breakfast at Scotty’s in Wilkinsburg. Good times playing shuffle board – I have a game room now with pinballs and a shuffle board. I actually got into repairing pinballs and juke boxes as a hobby. We have lots of room in our home and the door is always open – lots to see in New England. Hope all is well with you and the family.
Pat
Hey Pat: It’s Bennie I lived in Wilkinsburg till the mid 80’s and I’m in Austin now. I played doghouse bass with Skinny Vince and we recorded some stuff at Asterik with you & Wayne Lips. I’ve been in pinball repair and collecting since the 70’s (got way to many for my own good) but can’t get rid of them. Are you still in Ma. ? I saw some stuff on you tube you’ve posted I have a few video’s posted search for “Bennie Guardell” then click on video’s to find some, see if this link works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cchSkw-jLO8 or copy and paste in the address bar. Keep it Cool Daddio ! Bennie
Hi Bennie,
Great hearing from you. You wouldn’t believe it but I am in to repairing and collecting pinballs and jukeboxes. I also have quite the collection mostly EM machines. Check out my youtube video on restoration of a 1947 Rockola jukebox. I restored it this past Spring for a friend. We are living in Carlisle, Pa. now – moved here in 2012 after retirement. We will be in Greenville TX for the Fiddlers’ Competition/Convention from October 6-9th. We have fallen in love with Western Swing. Ralph from Asterik passed away awhile back from Alzheimer disease. Stay in touch – again good to hear from you. Pat
Thanks for the get back Pat ! I head up the Burgh in the summer lately & would dig catchin’ up. Are you on facebook ? Tried to find you but there’s lots of Pat Wallace up there. If you are, put in the search for friends Bennie Guardell & send me a “friend request” It would be great to have you on my friend list & to maybe hook up to talk music and pin’s & how it was. Too Cool Pat The Cat !
Hi pat. My grandfather is chubs. He is looking for you. I don’t know If you still can see this, but if you can contact me my number Is 863-244-1693 or 772-240-0804 I am also on facebook as Leila ippolito
Hi Pat and Judy, thanks again for putting us up 3 years ago. I am writing this with Mike and Priscilla sat behind me in Sheffield England on the last leg of their tour of Europe. We have just been listening to your music – good stuff.
Jack and Tom still remember with fondness, riding your go-cart.
All best, Tim, Claire, Tom and Jack.
Pat,
Hoping that you get this email. Its been a long time. Still playing music in the Philly area. http://www.chestercountylawmen.com
I used to play with Pat Wallace for a while. We had a band called ‘Stone Solid’ I’m thinking 1968 – we used to pretend we were Cliff Nolbe & Company (The Horse)and play up in the small towns along I-80 (DuBois-Clearfield, etc.)
I loved Jules – I bought my first records at his shop in Southland Shopping Center and he got me my first bar gig with Johnny Urban’s ‘Urban Renewal’ We played at the R-House in South Park. Great times!!
terry harr
Hello Pat.
Hope you read this. I would REALLY would like to know some more about your recordings on Ray Bishop’s label way back in the 80s. There are no informations around. Would be very fine to get an answer.
Ralf
P.S. Does anybody know how to get in contact with Ray Bishop? Or does anybody know somethin’ about all his
labels Bishop, Alexis and Kip (and maybe Rumble, too?).
In your article about Pat Wallace, managed by Jules Kruspir (The Marcels manager),
my band, The Sharades was the back-up studio band for Pat. I was also the co-writer
on the back side. The Sharades went on to record “Only A Tear” which was released on the Fasination label in 1967. “Only A Tear” became a favorite of the Terry Lee
Music For Young Lovers radio show and opened the lovers 11:00 segment for over a year. It was also featured in a WIXY greatest hits LP as well as included in one
of the Pittsburghs’ Greatest Hits CDs produced by Travis Klein.
Hi Ralf E-mail Me and I can tell you anything you want to know about Ray nice guy.
Pat , so glad I found this web page. Hope this email finds you and Judy well. We played together in Cypress Grove and several trios before that.
Was always a pleasure to work with you. If you get this, please give me a shot.
Take good care,
John
Hi John hope all is will we had fun
What ever happened to the band Prince Valiant and Knights? They had a single called Back Yard/Front Yard and the Green Weenie back in the 60’s.
Chubs granddaughter again. He is also on facebook as chubs Hager if you want to directly go to him. I told him I’d help him find you 🙂