Danny & the Other Guys “(You Been Givin’ Me) Hard Times”
The Real List “Pick Up the Marbles” on C.P. Records
What do these three songs have in common? They’re all written and sung by Daniel A. Marle, an enterprising teen who jumped from mild vocal pop to tough garage and psych within a span of two or three years.
First up is Dan Marlee singing his original “Candy Lips” (Joni Music BMI) b/w “You Left Me” on Constellation C-125 (C-63-138) from late ’63 or 1964.
In May of ’66 he’s found a new style, convincingly singing “(You Been Givin’ Me) Hard Times” as Danny & the Other Guys on C.P. Records 101. The flip is one I haven’t heard yet, “Five For Fourteen Fifty”, but the BMI credits give some names besides Daniel Marle that may have been the Other Guys: Richard Coker, Vincent Ippolito, Roger Pauly and Edmund Strom.
Finally is C.P. Records 102, with the band name changed to The Real List. They do Marle’s “Pick Up the Marbles”, a good mix of potent fuzz riffing and harmonies, with a poppier bridge. The b-side is a cover of the Beau Brummels’ “Still In Love With You Baby”.
Both the C.P. 45s produced by Chicagoans Productions, and Marle’s originals published by Dan Marle Music BMI. Pressing info is obscure, I read 1425-FT on the Danny & the Others label and 1575-31 / 1600-31 on the Real List labels.
As Daniel Albert Marle he has some other songwriting credits with Robert Nass: “Boy Can Cry”, “Could You Care For Me”, “Cryin’ Over You”, “Gorilla Again” etc, published either by Arc Music or Don-Del Music in Port Washington, Wisconsin. I’m not sure if any of those songs were released.
Dan Marle started his own company, Mid Eagle Productions with occasional releases on Mid Eagle Records and Chicago Fire, mainly with Ral Donner:
Ral Donner with the Wednesday World – “(If I Had My) Life To Live Over” (written by Dan Marle, for Eighth of May Music & Emprise Music BMI) / “Lost” (Donner) on ME 101 in 1968,
Ral Donner – “Godfather Per Me” / “The Wedding Song” Chicago Fire Records CF-7402, released 1974.
Ral Donner – “The Wedding Song” (Brooks) / “So Much Lovin'” (Paxton), on Mid Eagle IRDA-275, arranged by James L. Mack
Ral Donner – 1935-1977: I’ve Been Away For Awhile Now on Mid-Eagle ME2M7902 from 1979, where Ral sings parts of 50 Elvis songs and narrates a history of Elvis!
The Platters Recorded Live in Chicago, on Chicago Fire Records CFS 7401, 1974.
This is all I can find on any of these bands or Dan Marle.
The Vynes, from left: Randy Schum, Gary Baldwin, Mark Groenke, John Guill, and Dave Dieter (holding Mark’s Rickenbacker) Since I posted about the Dynamics on Athon, I will add the Vynes, who have an excellent harmony 45 on the label. The Vynes came from Naperville, Illinois, the same Chicago suburb where Conrad Haidu owned Athon Records.
The top side was “I Might Be Free” written by John Guill. My favorite of the two is the B-side, “More Each Day”, written by Gary Baldwin. The single was released as Athon Records 103 in February 1967.
The band consisted of:
Randy Schum – vocals John Guill – Telecaster guitar Mark Groenke – Rickenbacker 12-string guitar Gary Baldwin – bass, lead vocals Dave Dieter – drums
Victor Wells joined on lead vocals after Gary Baldwin left the band.
Gary Baldwin recalled the band recorded the single at Balkan Studios in Berwyn, Illinois.
Larry Schum managed the band.
Beyond the Beat Generation had a photo and full interview with two members of the band.
As of 2023, Mark Groenke and Dave Dieter have passed away.
The Dynamics came up with a catchy dance B-side in “Clap Your Hands”. I can find very little info on the band.
The 45 was released as Athon 106 and has a RCA-Victor custom code A4KM-3283/4 indicating an early 1971 pressing, later than I expected from the sound of “Clap Your Hands”.
The original A-side, the ballad “Roses and Thunder” was written by Conrad Haidu and Emme Mulis and published by Athon in 1961. Haidu was Athon’s owner, according to Gary Baldwin of the Vynes.
Donald H. Reese wrote “Clap Your Hands”, also for Athon Music Co. BMI (I believe the spelling of Anthon on the label is a typo). Don & The Dynamics, led by Donald Reese were from Lansford, Pennsylvania.
Carl J. Wychulis produced this single. There was a Pennsylvania polka musician by that name, otherwise I can’t find any info on this producer.
Athon was located in Naperville, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago, but the publishing seems to have relocated to the small town of Carney, Michigan, north of Green Bay.
The December 15, 1962 issue of Billboard wrote “Athon Music Company, Naperville, Ill., publishers have started Athon Records. Conrad Haidu heads the operation. The Stardust Green Trio made the first single.”
incomplete Athon discography: (help with this would be appreciated)
Athon 100: Stardust Green Trio – “The Game Of Hearts” / “I’m Lonesome” (December 1962) Athon 101: ? Athon 102: ? Athon 103: The Vynes – “I Might Be Free” (John Guill) / “More Each Day” (Gary Baldwin) (U4KM-2848) February 1967 Athon 104: ? Athon 105: The Dynamics – “I’m Lonesome, So Lonesome” / “Run Away Little Girl” (A4KM-2800/1) 1971 Athon 106: The Dynamics – “Roses and Thunder” / “Clap Your Hands” (1971) Athon 107: Beowulf – “Please Don’t Tell a Lie” (Alice Messerschmidt) / “River, Run Away” (Mulis, Haidu) (1971) Athon 108: Beowulf – “I’ll Walk Down the Aisle (at the Wedding)” (Haidu and Mulis) / “Loves’ Beggar” Athon 109: Monte DeGrave – “She Still Cares” / “Kiss In The Park” Athon 110: Pink Panthers – “Livin’ Is Lovin'” / “Annie Had a Baby” (Rich Klitz – James Kerley – Floyd Kerley)
Athon # unkn – Jesse L.Cody – “Who’s That Girl” / “I Need Your Loving” – acetate recorded at Sound Studios Inc in Chicago and may have been issued on Athon – I need confirmation of this.
Thank you to Philip Powell and Max Waller for help with this discography.
Here is the finest collection of ’60s photos I’ve seen in ages, taken mainly at the Mouse Trap Club in the Vernon Hills suburb of Chicago. The Riddles are featured in four of them, the PK-5 in one, and there is an unknown group to be identified. If anyone has information or news clips on the club, please write to me or comment below.
These photos are the property of Philip Metzler, former host of The Mouse Trap, sent to me by his daughter.
The Mouse Trap ClubAudience at the Mouse Trap ClubPhilip Metzler: “A Better Mouse Trap Club”A Better Mouse Trap Club – Where the Elite MeetThe Riddles at the Mouse TrapThe Riddles at the Mouse Trap ClubThe Riddles at the Mouse TrapThe Riddles at the Mouse Trap ClubThe PK-Five with Dex Card at the Mouse Trap Club
Info on the PK-5 came from James Terry Smith’s comment below, which I’ll quote here:
The amazing PK5 … all cousins from Deerfield, Illinois. Drums John Hackmiester, lead guitar Bill Pekara, vocalist and saxophone Ron Pekara, bass Rich DuLoft, lead and rhythm Dan Gora. They played all over Chicago and won many battle of the band contest … I saw them at Mccormick Place twice and they were hard working … R&B mostly.
Bill Pekara’s son posted this video of the group doing a great version of “I Ain’t Got You” to Youtube with a few additional photos of the group:
Unknown BandUnknown group & dancer at the Mouse Trap ClubThe Tydes at the Mouse Trap Club, January 1966The Tydes at the Mouse Trap Club, January 1966
Afton Records started with three releases in 1959:
Afton 616 – Frank Pizani -“Wanna Dance” / “It’s No Fun”, Pino Music Co., distributed by United Telefilm Records Afton 616 – Frank Pizani -“The Stars Will Remember” (Pino Music Co.) / “Steady Cha Cha” Afton 618 – Ted Ostling – “Shivers & Shakes” / “Girls Choice” (Keith Music pub)
I can find a listing of Afton Records as a corporation in the 1963 Illinois Certified List, with an address of 105 S. La Salle St, along with “Ohio M.S. Distribution Company” at the same address, both owned by Milton Salstone of 1700 S. Michigan Ave. In a comment below, Joel Mills points out a notice of M.S. Distributing handling Frank Pizani’s second Afton single.
Seven years later, in 1966, the label returned with a 1700 series. Publishing is usually by Vic Mil Pub or Vic Mil Music. Presumably the Mil refers to Milt Salstone, and the Vic must be Vic Faraci, who produced the Five Bucks and the Gnomes. I haven’t seen any incorporation paperwork for Vic-Mil Publishing – if anyone can dig that up I would appreciate it.
Afton V-1700 – The Strangers – “This Brave New World” (Bob Rubin) / “In the Beginning”, A-side is a top surf instrumental, flip is blander
Afton 1701 – Five Bucks – “No Use in Trying” / “Now You’re Gone” (April 1966), first press omits label # and lists b-side as “Now You’re Mine”, produced by Vic Faraci
Afton 1702 – Gnomes – “The Sky Is Falling” / “Something’s Going Wrong” (both by Carpenter, Sullivan, Vic Mil pub.), great ballad backed by first-rate garage. Produced by Vic Faraci. Anyone know this group?
Afton 1703 – Sound Carnival – “I Wish I Could Tell You” / “Dreams” (both songs by Stock, Siegel, VicMil Music BMI, September, 1967) band from Morton Grove, Illinois
Afton 1704 – Donnie Sanders & the Don Juans with Scherri St. James – “Make a Happy Home” (D. Sanders, Vicmil Music BMI / “Shing-a-Ling Baby”
I’m not sure if V-1700 is actually this Afton Records, as the credits have nothing in common with the others, but the 1700 numbering suggests it possibly is.
There are other Afton labels not connected to this one.
Here’s a 45 by a group called Soulbody that I’m curious about. I don’t own a copy, but was alerted to this by Mike Hadenfeldt who found one with an address label from a suburb of Los Angeles. Mike reports the following info on the labels:
Vintage Records (A Chess Recording) WJZ 51147 “I See You Crying” / “Then Came The Winter” Both songs written by Bill Zurowski Both sides have a date of 1966 under “BMI”
Deadwax info:
“I See You Crying”: F1191 WJZ 51147-2 (no dashes [just spaces] between groups of digits except the last one)
“Then Came The Winter”: F1190-WJZ-51477-1 (dashes between all groups of digits)
Band member Bill Zurowski put the video on Youtube (listing the band name as two words, “Soul Body”) and gave me some background on the band:
We were a band made up of Milwaukee and Chicago musicians in the mid 60’s. We recorded 2 songs at Chess Records in Nov 1966. We recorded in the historic studio where all the hits of the Chess artist were recorded, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Muddy Water, Howlin Wolf, Little Walter and Willie Dixon etc. Doug Brand was the engineer. Doug was Chess’s main engineer. We used Fender black faced amps and a Gibson fuzz tone (that’s what Richards used on Satisfaction); my guitar was an ES 335.
I asked Bill if the band ever had their original tape or demo pressed to 7″ 45 vinyl, but have not heard from him yet.
The song sounds like a ’60s recording, but I’m almost certain this is not a ’60s pressing. The fonts on the label point to a graphic style from a later period, and the label name “Vintage” also suggests a later issue. Not to mention a stereo pressing for a private 45 would be extreme unlikely in 1966. Mike Markesich suggested the five digit number code could be a 70s Universal pressing.
Also, despite the labels saying “BMI” and “1966”, Mike Markesich could not find a copyright listing for the writer or song titles from 1964-1972.
“Electrified People” is a funky instrumental with a rhythm that kind of follows “Who Do You Love” while an anonymous guitarist throws in repetitive fills with shameless use of the wah pedal. “One Thousand Dimension in Blue” has a more conventional blues structure, the guitar isn’t as wild and there’s a cheesy echo effect placed on the snare drum.
The 45 was mastered at Bell Sound, and issued on Red Lite Records 113. David Gordon commented below “definitely 1971, issued approx. June / July – the label was based in New York and was connected to DeLite (Kool & the Gang, etc).”
I don’t know anything about the group that recorded this, likely assembled in the studio for this session. The Jimmy Peterson credited on both sides seems to be the same Chicago-based songwriter, producer and singer who cut 45s on Limelight (“Half the Time” / “Kathy My Darling” both co-written with Joe DeFrancesco) and Chess (another collaboration with DeFrancesco, “Inside of Me”, b/w “Maria”, arranged by Gary Beisbier of the Mob.)
Sometimes listed as Jim B. Peterson or James Peterson, he wrote or co-wrote many songs, including “Beatle Time” and “This Is the Night” for the Livers (aka the Chicagoans) on Constellation, and as James Butler he did some production work for USA and wrote still more songs, including for the Daughters of Eve (“Symphony of My Soul” and “Social Tragedy”), the Lincoln Park Tragedy, and “Don’t Let It Slip Away” for Ral Donner on StarFire.
James Holvay wrote on Spectropop:
Jimmy Peterson was a singer, entertainer, songwriter and a pretty creative guy in general. He formed the group The Chicagoans along with Gary Beisbier, myself, Bobby Ruffino, Chuck Russell and Larry McCabe. I was the guitar player in the group. We were living in New York in ’63 and performing at various clubs in the city (i.e. Peppermint Lounge, Metropole, etc.)
Peterson being the salesman that he was, convinced Ed Cody/Stereo Sonic Recording in Chicago, into giving us free studio time. In exchange, we would provide the musicians, artists, songs, etc. and become our own Motown and split 50/50 with Ed. We recorded a lot of tracks, most of which I wrote or co-wrote with Peterson.
Unfortunately, depending on Peterson’s greedy mood, the 45’s would come out by “whomever” and sometimes I got credit and sometimes I didn’t. I, along with all the other guys in the band, eventually got fed up and kicked him out of the band, after a 2 week engagement, backing up JoAnn Cambell at a club called the Hollyoak in Indianapolis. The Taylor Brothers were named after Taylor Street (Italian neighborhood) in Chicago. He loved Jerry Butler and that’s why he took his last name. We were also The Livers/”Beatletime”, which I believe Clark Weber (DJ/WLS) came up with, after he heard the acetate. The Kane & Abel singles were produced, after we had severed our relationship with Peterson.
Joe Defrancesco, a local promoter in Chicago, would find a lot of the acts that The Chicagoans produced, even though Peterson would have his name all over the label. Joe found an R&B group in Milwaukee called Little Artie and The Pharoahs. Artie and his brother Al Herrera were Kane & Abel and were the original lead singers when The Mob was formed. Artie got drafted at the peak of the Vietnam war and Al became “Big Al”, the lead singer for The Mob.
Joe Pytel, Jr. sent me many photos and much info on Jim Peterson:
The Mob [had] several personal changes bringing in Jimmy Ford and Mike Sistak from Jimmy Ford & The Executives. Joe DeFrancesco was a promoter & money-man for the Mob as well some other Chicago area bands. He tragically died in a basement fire while still fairly a young man.
According to Carl Bonafede (original manager of The Daughters of Eve), Jimmy Peterson did write under the aliases James Butler and James Dawg as well.
Dan Ferone sent me scans and clips of a 45 by the Invaders on the United label, “With a Tear” (written by Peter Polzak” / “A Song for Squirrel” (by James Butler). Both sides say “orch. arranged and conducted by James Butler” and recorded in Chicago. “With a Tear” lists Butler as producer and credits Polzak with vocal arrangements. It is likely this is Jimmy Peterson under the James Butler pseudonym.
The Electrified People 45 postdates Peterson’s association with James Holvay and Joe DeFrancesco. The closest association I can find is that Jimmy Peterson wrote and produced two 45s for Yvonne Daniels, “I Got to Get Close to You” / “Spread the Word” on De-Lite DE-451 and “Super Soul Music” “I Got to Get Close to You” on Red Lite 117. This is the only other De-Lite or Red Lite 45 that I can find Jimmy’s name on, but my discography is incomplete.
Incomplete Red Lite discography: Any help with this would be appreciated
Red Lite RL 102 – Crystal Ship – Mary Jane Fletcher (Michael Berardi and Richard Berardi) / Lovin’ Stuff (Richard Berardi) (Produced by Bob Yorey)
Red Lite RL 111 – Johnny Desmond with Candullo-Val Blues Band – Red Lips / Jim Webb – Didn’t We (with PS)
Red Lite RL 113 – Electrified People – Electrified People / One Thousand Dimension in Blue Red Lite RL 114 – Dennis Robinson – Hard to Handle / Unchained Melody (prod. by Larry Philips, arranged by Barry Alley) Red Lite RL 115 – Piccolino Pop Strings – Clown Town / Vous Etes Beau (both written by Gladys Shelley) Red Lite RL 116 – Sammy Taylor (and Hot as Hell) – Something the Devil’s Never Done / Send Her Back (Sammy Taylor) Produced by Melting Pots) Red Lite RL 117 – Yvonne Daniels – Super Soul Music / I Got to Get Close to You Red Lite RL 118 – Underground Lite Bulb Co. – Evil Ways (L. Zack) / Happy People (P. Martone) produced by Vince Castellano and Bob Yorey Red Lite RL 119 – Jean Battle – Love Making / When a Woman Loves a Man (both songs written and produced by Sam Dees)
This unknown group recorded one of the strangest versions of Jessie Hill’s “Ooh Poh Pah Doo” I’ve ever heard, titled “Oop-Oop-a-Doo”. Unfortunately there is no name listed under the song writing credits for “Floatin'”, a cool instrumental with sax, piano and some sharp guitar.
Jim Gordon of USA Records started the Destination label to cover bands from the area around his Chicago base, though this group may be from Indiana.
The was a group called the Trade Winds that eventually morphed into Styx, but I think it’s likely a different group. Nor were they the Tradewinds from New York who recorded for Kama Sutra. Anyone know for sure?
Thanks to Geoff Brittingham for the scans and transfers of this 45.
Dave Kossy – guitar / vocals Kirk Brower – guitar / vocals Pete Kaplan – bass Stu Leviton – drums
This single by Zendik shows a promising direction for hard rock in 1970, like the MC5, It’s All Meat or even some early Alice Cooper. Zendik’s “Is There No Peace” and “Aesop” share these bands’ punk, anti-establishment attitude, without succumbing to the dull trends of boogie, soul or progressive pretensions of the time. Music with that kind of edge nearly disappeared from radio in the early 1970s, but is getting the attention it deserves now.
The band is really together on both songs, with lead guitar like a siren on “Is There No Peace” and cutting on “Aesop”, backed with rolling drums and aggressive bass runs. The singing is confident, and the lyrics pointed:
Is there no peace in this world? Well you hide your fine hate and bigotry. What does it all mean to me, I just cannot see what’s the purpose of it all.
Old dress, depress, fornicators, people … [?] In that desert only sick and [?] to pretend to be high. But they just can’t win, Never overcoming this situation that they’re in.
Is there no peace in this world? Each day birds fly, men die, women cry, it ain’t right. Why must people fight and die, never knowing why, Guess we’ll never know the answer.
Do you think you would like to find a way out of here? Do you think you’d like to look at your mind through a kaleidoscope mirror? Well it just might be the answer even though you’ll die faster here, ‘Cause God was dead a long long time ago.
God is dead, God is dead, GOD IS DEAD
Dave Kossy wrote “Is There No Peace” and Kirk Brower wrote “Aesop”.
They were from the suburbs of Chicago and not a part of Wulf Zendik’s Farm in Austin, Texas.
The mastering number “TM 4274” indicates Ter-Mar Studios manufacturing plant in Chicago, owned by Chess Records.
As the label states, these songs were “Recorded in America” and released on Pslhrtz (I can’t figure out the pun there) in 1970. Bob Ambos and Mike Lima produced it, with publishing originally with Into Now Unlimited, BMI, though both songs are now registered with Tim Brophy and Kilkenny Music of Sussex, Wisconsin, outside of Milwaukee. I tried to reach Tim by phone but the number was out of date.
There was very little info about the band out there until I posted this article and heard from Dave Kossy.
There were at least two other songs recorded during the same session as the single. “Mom’s Apple Pie Boy” is so good it definitely could have been the A-side, and “Pink Grapefruit” is fine too. In my opinion these deserve to be released, and I would try to finance a 45 release if the band would agree to it (and the masters or transfers were good quality).
The Enchanters IV (also known as the Enchanters 4 or Enchanters Four) came from Lemont, Illinois, a half-hour’s drive southwest of downtown Chicago.
The band included Bill Shedosky (guitar), Norb ‘Butch’ Polvalish (drums), Drew Hoinacki (organ, guitar and vocals) and Dick Baranowski (bass).
The A-side of their first 45 is “I Don’t Know”, a good pop vocal ballad enlivened with surf-type reverb on the guitars. The flip “Like Tuff” is an incredible rocker, with the guitar line so strong it’s hard to believe this isn’t from twenty or thirty years after its original release date of 1964.
All four members wrote “Like Tuff” and Bill Shedosky wrote “I Don’t Know”.
This release was on Den Ric, a label owned by local jazz drummer Ellis “Stukey” Stukenberg who named it after his two sons, as Sue Shedosky-Apgar comments below. Ellis Stukey had put out his own 45 on DenRic a few years earlier, in 1961 (see Davie Gordon’s comment below). Ellis was friends with with Bill Shedosky’s father, Ed “Smitty” Shedosky, a jazz trumpeter with the Vaughn Monroe and Dick Schory orchestras, which may be why he revived his label for the Enchanters 4.
I originally thought there might be a connection between Den Ric (also given as DenRic) and the Den-Lay label that released a 45 by the Cobblestones which was reissued on Mobie, but that seems unlikely.
The band had a second release, this time as the Enchanters IV, featuring a very different sound on “Lost You”, another original by B. Shedosky. I haven’t heard the flip, a version of “Route 66”.
This is being submitted by Dick Baranowski, the bass player of The Enchanters IV. To the best of the ability of my memory, these are just some anecdotes of the life of our band.
Originally we were just The Enchanters and we consisted of Butch Povalish, an organist Ed Misenbach, a guitarist Stan Forzley and I. At that time we actually had two guitarists rather then one guitar and a bass. Ed was a polished organist who played an organ that needed a U-haul trailer to carry around to every gig and Butch was a drummer that had taken lesson for quite some time prior to us getting together. Stan and I were more your “learn to play on your own types who lived close to each other. In fact, I actually got the bug to play from Stan. We played all instrumentals at that time since none of us were really singers.
I’m not really sure how long we played together, but eventually I believe that Ed (who was older then the rest of us) went into the service (this is the sixties). So Butch knew a couple of guys who could fit right in and could even sing, so it seemed to be a great match. Along came Bill and Drew. Again, I believe that both Bill and Drew had taken lessons and on top of that Bill’s dad was a trumpet player with some big names in the Chicago area. So the five of us started practicing and playing locally whenever and wherever we could.
Again Uncle Sam intervened and Stan (who was also older then the rest of us) went into the service. I believe it was at that time that we changed to the Enchanters IV (obviously since we now only had four musicians). We still had three guitarists and a drummer, so at that point we decided that we needed to have one of us switch to bass for a more realistic sound. I’m sure I was the obvious choice since I had no formal training and a lot of what I was doing could be easily transferred to the bass. Drew also had talent at the keyboard, so we added that option on some songs to start with and then as time went by I believed he ended up playing more on the organ then the guitar. And thus the “sound” of The Enchanters IV was born.
I think we all started out with non-name equipment (except Butch’s drums) and eventually ended up with a Fender Bass, Gretsch, Gibson, Rickenbacker guitars, Fender and Vox amps. Bill also had an Echo PA system which had an internal tape to create reverb and echo. I really thought it was ahead of it’s time and it did give us a different sound on stage. The 12 string Rickenbacker is very evident on the second release “Lost You”.
Our venues started out as high school dances and evolved to college parties, teen clubs, weddings, bar mitzvah’s, debutante parties, Dick Clark’s Battle of the Bands, pretty much anything that had entertainment like corporate parties in downtown Chicago. Bill’s dad became our manager, which worked out great since he had a lot of contacts in Chicago already. We got hooked up with several agencies that booked us almost every weekend, and some weekends even more then one gig a day.
I think the big outdoor personal parties in the north suburbs of Chicago and the parties in the big hotels downtown Chicago we loved the best. We would normally be booked along with a big band and would rotate playing time with them. We’d be on for half an hour to play for the younger crowd and then the big band would play for the older crowd. It was great pay and limited playing time.
We had some favorite places to play, probably the local venues around Lemont because we knew a lot of the crowd, but it was always great to meet new people and win them over with your music. One of my favorite places was Western Illinois University. My older brother was attending college there and I think he took some of our records (I Don’t Know) to the local on campus radio station. I guess as soon as they started playing our record it became the most requested song at the station. So he easily got the commissary to put one of the records on the campus juke box and again it became the record played over and over again. I Don’t Know (pun intended) if you’re familiar with the movie That Thing You Do with Tom Hanks, but I can really relate, as the band did on the movie, that when you hear your music for the first time being played on a local radio station or in some juke box at a bar or in a school, the feeling is just overwhelming. I can’t thank my brother enough for getting us hook up with the school. We went there for several weekends and played every night to packed crowds.
Bill Shedosky and Dick Baranowski “That [amp] was a Vox and I actually used it for my bass, which I’m sure was a little unusual.”
We also played some military gigs, I believe the Naval station in northern Illinois and a couple of military balls in Chicago hotel ballrooms. I gave up a lot of social activities and sports to play in the band, which required a lot of time between practice and playing, but I’d be hard pressed to say I missed anything because we had fun every night we played. Thinking about it now, I can’t remember any night that we had a bad time. I think our biggest asset was our ability to get people to dance. The dance floor was always full and people were always havin’ fun, and that’s what it was all about.
We had a lot of different outfits and always matched when we played. We had Neru (collarless for those of you under 55) jackets, double breasted pin striped suites, Tom Jones outfits (puffy sleeve white shirts and white jeans) and a series of embroidered tuxedo jackets. We played a lot of the downtown hotels in Chicago and pretty much always had a tux on for them. I think that said a lot about the band in that we were committed to each other and our music.
We did have two studio recording sessions, the first one was on the Denric label, which I believe was owned by a friend of Bill’s dad. The A side was “I Don’t Know”, written and arranged by Bill and the B side was a collaboration of the band as a warm-up instrumental when we practiced. It is a piece that easily showcases Butch’s talent as an outstanding drummer. Unfortunately, Bill and Butch are no longer with us, but I will always remember the great times we had.
The B side of “Lost You” was a cover of the original “Route 66”. It’s a long story, but it didn’t really come out like we would have wanted. Bill’s dad handled all of the details on both recording sessions so I’m not really up on it, although I do believe we paid for the first one because we used to sell copies of the “I Don’t Know” / “Like Tuff” record wherever we played. I think the second session was taken care of by the people who produced it and they had some strange idea to have Drew (back up singer) use a falsetto voice for the back up and we didn’t think much of it. Also, “Lost You” was a little too fast, but obviously sounds completely like a British invasion band (probably the 12 string Rick’ that Bill had). I think that if we would have been in control of it, it would have come out a lot better. Bill was very talented in putting things together. In the second session we actually recorded about 6 songs if I remember right and they were put on a one sided demo LP (only one copy that I know of). I wish I knew what happened to it (or maybe the tape is still alive?), because I can’t remember what else we recorded. It was some kind of demo disk because it was only good for so many plays.
I would call us a R&B 60’s cover band. I think most of our songs were R&B classics like “Mustang Sally”, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, “Have Mercy”, “My Girl”, “Grapevine”, etc. Every night we would play what we called our Soul Medley. It was an arrangement which Bill put together that ran six or eight soul songs together seamlessly, taking the tempo up and down without missing a beat. It was probably the best part of every night. The only thing I wish I could change is to have some video of the band from the 60’s. I did actually make an old reel to reel recording at a basement practice session once, but you have to remember that was the 60’s. At one point it got transferred to an 8 track (yes an 8 track) and then from the 8 track to a cassette. Unfortunately, I don’t know (the pun again) what happened to the reel, but I do have the 8 track and the cassette. The quality is pretty poor since I was trying to play and do the engineering at the same time, but it still brings back some memories. I also wonder what happened to my sequined tuxedo’s. I know they wouldn’t fit, but the grandkids might get a kick out of them..
Dick Baranowski, 2011
Thank you to Ken Price for the Den Ric scans and alerting me to this great band, and to Mop Top Mike for the Mal scan and info. Special thanks to Dick Baranowski for the photos, clippings and additional info about the band.
This site is a work in progress on 1960s garage rock bands. All entries can be updated, corrected and expanded. If you have information on a band featured here, please let me know and I will update the site and credit you accordingly.
I am dedicated to making this site a center for research about '60s music scenes. Please consider donating archival materials such as photos, records, news clippings, scrapbooks or other material from the '60s. Please contact me at rchrisbishop@gmail.com if you can loan or donate original materials
Dan Marlee “Candy Lips” on Constellation
Finally is C.P. Records 102, with the band name changed to The Real List. They do Marle’s “Pick Up the Marbles”, a good mix of potent fuzz riffing and harmonies, with a poppier bridge. The b-side is a cover of the Beau Brummels’ “Still In Love With You Baby”.
Afton V-1700 – The Strangers – “This Brave New World” (Bob Rubin) / “In the Beginning”, A-side is a top surf instrumental, flip is blander
This unknown group recorded one of the strangest versions of Jessie Hill’s “Ooh Poh Pah Doo” I’ve ever heard, titled “Oop-Oop-a-Doo”. Unfortunately there is no name listed under the song writing credits for “Floatin'”, a cool instrumental with sax, piano and some sharp guitar.
