The Heard, from left: Charles Buzzell, Jr., Robert Fountaine, Michael J. Moustafa, and Eric McFadden
The Heard came from Haverhill MA but I don’t believe they ever recorded. Dennis Villanucci, bassist with another local group, the Royals, sent me the photo and card seen here.
Members included:
Mike Moustafa – lead guitar Chuck Buzzell – rhythm guitar and bass Eric McFadden – organ Bob Fontaine – drums
Dennis tells me Eric McFadden is still performing today.
Karen Verros made three singles for Dot Records in 1965 and 1966, her best known being “You Just Gotta Know My Mind” and “Little Boy”. She came from Somerset, Massachusetts, near Rhode Island, graduating with honors from Somerset High School in 1964.
The year after graduation she was in Los Angeles, recording for Dot Records with Jack Nitzsche arranging, and David Hassinger and Mike Minor producing. How she came to the attention of Dot Records I do not know.
For her first record, Nitzsche arranged a Donovan composition, “You Just Gotta Know My Mind”. The prominent bass and solid drumming, the tambourine, vocal chorus and twangy guitar lines, provide an exciting backing for Karen’s lead vocal.
Donovan didn’t release his own recording of the song. It appears he made a demo version that publisher Southern Music distributed on lacquer acetate, as that was a common way for publishers to sell songs. An Emidisc acetate cut for Southern Music sold in 2010, with Donovan’s song on one side, and an obscure Carter-Lewis song “How Can I Turn Away” on the other. Audio of “How Can I Turn Away” has surfaced, but the Donovan demo has not. I would very much like to hear it!
It’s possible one of Karen’s producers found the song because Southern Music Publishing in New York issued it as sheet music in 1965, with a piano arrangement by George N. Terry. Nitzsche’s arrangement closely follows the sheet music.
Steampacket II cut a version of “You Just Gotta Know My Mind” in 1966 on a Sweden-only 45 release, and in 1968 Dana Gillespie recorded another good version of the song for a UK single and her first album Foolish Seasons. However, Karen’s version is the first and definitive recording.
Released in October 1965 on Dot 45-16815, the labels read 1:57 on the A-side, but play a version fifteen seconds longer that repeats the first verse after the guitar solo. The B-side is the vocal-less backing track of “You Just Gotta Know My Mind” with an overdubbed lead guitar, titled “Karen’s Theme”.
There are both vinyl and styrene versions of the single. I’ve read that the first pressing of the 45 features an edited 1:57 version of “You Just Gotta Know My Mind”. However, I’ve had two vinyl copies and one styrene, and all three played the 2:12 version of the A-side despite the 1:57 time listed, and had “Re” on labels & in the dead wax.
Ace used a Sunset Sound Recorders acetate (or possibly an edited tape) for the 2006 CD release Hard Workin’ Man – The Jack Nitzsche Story, Volume 2. I believe this is the source for the 1:57 version. If someone has a Dot 45 that actually plays a 1:57 version of the A-side, please contact me!
Unfortunately this single does not seem to have had any push from Dot Records, as I cannot find any promotion or reviews in the trades.
Karen’s earliest television appearance may have been on Let’s Go Go in November, 1965, with Tommy Roe, the Plymouth Rockers and John Astin (Gomez Addams from the Addams Family, who had a 1965 single on United Artists, “Querida Mia” / “Wallflower Pete”). I’m not familiar with this TV show. The episode was announced in the Journal of Jersey City, NJ.
Karen’s next 45 came in December, 1965, “I Can’t Remember Ever Loving You” backed with a remake of the Crystals “Little Boy”, also arranged by Nitzsche and produced by Hassinger and Minor.McKeever & the Colonel, Hollywood a Go Go, Outer Limits rerun, or Nabokov interview?
This one received a good push from her management, as Karen appeared on what seems to have been the final episode of Hollywood a Go Go in February 1966, lip-synching to both sides of the record. Other performers were Freddy Cannon, the Byrds, the Bantems, the Everly Brothers, Bob Lind, David Watson and James Darren.
Cash Box reviewed the single positively on January 29, 1966, while Billboard mentioned “I Can’t Remember Ever Loving You” but not “Little Boy”. The next week Dot listed the single in an ad in Cash Box and Billboard featuring Bonnie Guitar and many other new releases.
On January 30, 1966, Karen appeared on the Danny Thomas Teen-agers’ Shindig at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium on a long lineup that included the Spats, the Sunrays, Barry Richards, the Paris Sisters, Dick and Dee Dee, Donna Loren, the Grads, and the Beauchemins, along with some who are unknown to me: Bobby Perris, Tony Dow, Paul Peterson, Tony Thomas, and the Germs (!).
She appeared on Where The Action Is at least twice, in April 1966 with Otis Redding, Steve Alaimo and Paul Revere & the Raiders, and in May, 1966 with Susan Rafey, Tina Mason and Cindy Malone.
Her third and last record on Dot was “Wish Me A Rainbow” / “So Warm My Love”, arranged by Pete King, and released in the summer of 1966. The A-side was the theme from the Natalie Wood & Robert Redford movie This Property Is Condemned, however the film & soundtrack versions were sung by actress Mary Badham.
Karen Verros at right in the Young Americans, August 1966. Also in photo: Lisa Binney, Steve Wilson, choreographer Diane Turnquist, Mary Arnold, and Ernie Becerril.
Around the time of her last Dot release, Karen joined the Young Americans song-and-dance group. The Ottawa Journal ran two profiles of the group: first on August 25, 1966, and another on September 3 that quoted Karen and described her as “a newcomer to the Young Americans.” The group appeared at the Central Canada Exhibition grandstand show.
The Young Americans originally formed in 1963 at Birmingham High School in Los Angeles. According to the Journal, M.A. Turnquist was business manager and Phil Azelton music director.
The Boston Globe ran a short item about the Young Americans on November 18, 1966:
The Young Americans, who were such a smash hit on the Andy Williams Show and the Allen Sherman special the past fortnight, will help Perry Como pry open his new season next Monday. One of its members, Karen Verros, will be watching from the home of her parents in Somerset.
On September 28, 1968, Cash Box reported:
Newest indie production firm on the coast is Raydan Prod., with Ray Katz and Danielle Mauroy partnered. Initial deal with MGM Records calls for four artists – two already released (Judd and Lisa’s “Some Other Place” and Mayf Nutter’s “Daddy Love You Boy”) with Karen Verros set to cut this week. Katz also manages a fistful of talents including Fran Jeffries and Eva Gabor. Mauroy was formerly with Barclay Records in France. Raydan is located at 9000 Sunset in L.A.
If Karen recorded for Raydan or MGM, there were no releases to my knowledge. Danielle Mauroy had produced the Lollipop Shoppe’s Just Colour album on Uni earlier that year.
On January 8, 1971 the Concord Transcript ran this notice:
Leather and Lace has top billing in the Topaz Room of Nevada Lodge … Leather and Lace has four men and one woman. All members are good enough to be considered lead singers. But Karen Verros – who is the lace of the group – is a stand-out as they perform a fast, exciting act.
An evening of Leather and Lace almost always includes the full assortment of entertainment hor d’eourves [sic]: rock ‘n’ roll, folk songs, pop numbers, spiritual songs, show tunes, comedy material and flashy dance routines.
Two members of Leather and Lace were formerly on the Doodletown Pipers television series, another was a member of the Kids of the Kingdom at Disneyland, and two were performing with a well-known rock group.
Leather and Lace record for Mercury records. The male contingents are Craig Ward, Chet Cook, Larry Walker, and J.C. Ferris.
I can’t find any recordings on Mercury Records for Leather and Lace, and I wonder what was the “well-known rock group” that the clipping mentions. The Reno Gazette also reported on Leather and Lace on June 11, 1971. That is the last notice I can find of Karen’s musical career.
Karen Verros was one of ten child performers including Chris Barnes (Turner Doyle in The Bad News Bears) who had money in savings bonds held by the Los Angeles Family Court, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times on April 26, 1998.
Karen Verros at left with members of the Young Americans, 1966.
The Grand Jury made one single, “Lovely Lady” / “Rollin” on Musicor Records’s New Talent Series NTS 417. The New Talent Series is an interesting set of records, including some experimental singles that I haven’t covered before, like the Lemon and Lime.
The Grand Jury single is not as adventurous, but both are original songs by Moore and Spitrini. Of the two, I prefer the B-side, “Rollin'”. Like others in the series, it is a styrene 45 that is easily worn.
I can’t find any information on where the group is from or who the members were. I am guessing Rhode Island only because Spitrini is an unusual surname, but is found in Rhode Island.
Joe Saia owned AAA Recording Studio and Parsay Pub. Co. Parsay appears on many New Talent Series 45s like the Lemon and Lime, the Lost Souls, and LSD, as well as other AAA productions like the Collage’s “Best Friend” / “Girl Don’t Tell Me”.
However, most of these songs do not appear in BMI’s database, or in the Library of Congress list of registrations.
I’d appreciate any further info on the Grand Jury or other acts that recorded at AAA.
The Dignitaries of North Adams, MA, April 17, 1969
The Dignitaries cut a fine r&b instrumental, “Steppin’ Out” on Darec VSS 81943. They recorded at Vibra Sound Studio in Schenectady in early 1969.
The group came from North Adams, Massachusetts. Members on the record were:
Dick Gigliotti – Cordovox and leader of the group Chuck Sweeney – bass “Doc” Everett Rivers – drums Robert Trottier – drums Andy Durocher – vocals
Darec is their own label, made of the first letter of their first names. Richard Gigliotti wrote “Steppin’ Out”. The flip is a ballad, “You Want to Be Free” by J.C. Thompson. Robert Barry Music has publishing credit on both songs, as it did on most of the Vibra Sound studio output, but does not seem to have registered them with the Library of Congress.
First notice I can find for the Dignitaries, in the Bennington Banner, October 23, 1968The North Adams Transcript had a feature on the band on April 17, 1969:
‘Dignitaries’, New Band, Cuts First Record
The five men, Richard “Dick” Gigliotti, 23 (he’s single girls), is the group’s leader and emits on the Cordovox; Charles “Chuck” Sweeney, 24 is a master of the bass guitar. Robert “Bob” Trottier, 22, on drums; Everett “Doc” Rivers, 27 on another set of drums; and Andrew “Andy” Duroucher, the “old man” of the group at 35, is its outstanding vocalist.
They have worked as a group for the past six months, and prior to that as a four-man group for six months and in the very beginning as a trio.
The original trio, Dick, Chuck and Bob, was first known as the Taconic Trio and played most of their engagements at the Taconic Park Restaurant in Williamstown. The name was changed to the Dignitaries eight months ago when they began to branch out and played various supper-clubs in the area.
It also notes that Chuck Sweeney had been in the Four Knights. Everett “Doc” Rivers had been in the Electros, Doc and the Interns, and the Other Guys. The article includes extensive information on their backgrounds and education.
The Troy Record and the Times Record ran nearly identical profiles of the Dignitaries on May 6, 1969 for their opening at Mario’s Theater Restaurant on Campbell Ave in Troy, NY:
Dignitaries Provide Potpourri at Mario’s
“Dick, Chuck and Bob started as the Taconic Trio. Six months ago they spread to a quintet and got down to the serious business of seeing what they can do in musical circles …
The music offered by the Dignitaries is not saturated with rock, nor is it steeped in psychedelic; rather it is a meshing of listenable, melodious tunes on the one hand, driving, vibrant beat on the other. They can go both ways, and do.
“We’re making the big effort now,” Sweeney, a darkly handsome young man, admitted with a grin. “I know, home in North Adams isn’t all that far away, but Troy at least affords a real springboard for us.”
Their top thrills to date probably are two in number – appearing on stage with the Irish Rovers and cutting their first record, Stepping Out.
On August 30, 1969 there was a notice of the Dignitaries appearing on Dialing For Dollars on TV Channel 10.
On April 16, 1970, the North Adams Transcript ran an item for their May 2nd show for a Lebanese Social Club dance at the Armory on Park Street. It looks like the group was down to a quartet, without Bob Trottier. The Dignitaries also had an upcoming engagement at the Cloud 9 Lounge of Bradley International Airport.
On August 28, 1971, the North Adams Transcript ran a photo of Charles Sweeney signing a contract for the Dignitaries to play the Fall Foliage Festival Dance. Bernard Robinson is mentioned as a member of the group, and co-owner, with Sweeney, of the Mountainview Restaurant in Clarksburg.
The Valkryies recorded one single at Continental Recordings in Framingham, released on Cori Records CR 31003. “Love You Like I Do” is excellent garage rock, with sharp drumming and good guitar and sax solos. “Blues for Cookie” is a slow saxophone instrumental.
Members included:
Frank Curtis – lead guitar and vocals Steve Thorp – rhythm guitar and backing vocals; bass guitar on the single Domenic Palumbo – tenor sax and bass guitar Stan Baker – drums and backing vocals
Until Steve Thorp commented, I had no info on the group other than two song writer names: Francis Curtis (Francis Wesley Curtis, Jr.) and Domenic Palumbo. F. Curtis, Jr. registered “(That’s Why) I Love You Like I Do” on September 29, 1965. Domenic C. Palumbo registered “Blues for Cookie” on August 9, 1965. Donna Music BMI published both songs.
Steve sent in the photos and answered my questions about the Valkyries:
The Valkyries (also known as the New Valkyries) were active in the suburban Boston, Massachusetts area between 1965 and 1967.
The Valkyries in Medford MA, November 1965
Location and Personnel: The members of the band came from several small towns about 25 miles southwest of Boston. Frank “Snuffy” Curtis, the leader of the band, lived in Medway, Massachusetts. Curtis was a veteran of the local rock and roll/garage band scene and had fronted an earlier version of the Valkyries. He was 23 years old in 1965.
Stan Baker and Steve Thorp were from Medfield, Massachusetts, about 6 miles from Medway. Baker and Thorp had met in high school. Baker played drums in the school band and Thorp had been playing guitar for four years on his own and in a few small folk groups and rock bands.
Thorp and Baker shared a mutual love of rock and roll and R&B. The two started jamming together in 1964 at Baker’s house. Baker and Thorp met Curtis through the local music scene, probably at a house party, and the three started playing together. Curtis then invited Baker and Thorp to form a new version of the Valks in early 1965.
Curtis knew a lot of people from the local music scene and brought in various musicians to play in the band from time to time. Domenic “Gitch” Palumbo was a tenor sax player and a friend of Curtis. Palumbo may have been from Franklin, MA, a small nearby city. Palumbo was the same age as Curtis, and, like Curtis, had a lot of experience in the local music scene.
By mid-summer the line-up was set: Curtis on lead guitar and vocals, Palumbo on sax, Thorp on rhythm guitar and back-up vocals, Baker on drums and back-up vocals. A succession of bass players came and went through the band.
Instrumentation and styles: The band played late 1950’s/early 1960’s American pop style: up tempo, guitar driven rock, with lots of reverb and a heavy emphasis on beat. Palumbo’s sax playing added touches of rockabilly and surf rock. Curtis’s singing reflected earlier singers like Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochrane. Although the band played mostly covers, Curtis was a talented songwriter who contributed several originals to the repertoire.
Where the band played: mostly high school dances and house parties. The band’s choice of venues was limited because Baker and Thorp were both underage and couldn’t work in bars and night clubs. Nevertheless, the group worked regularly and by 1966 was working bigger venues. The group’s biggest gig was opening for Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in either late 1965 or mid 1966 at the Lake Pearl ballroom in Wrentham, MA (Palumbo had left the group, which now had a regular bass player). The group began to play small bars and clubs in the Boston area. Thorp left the group by the fall of 1966. The band continued to play as the “New Valkyries” until 1967.
The Valkyries in Medford MA, November 1965
Two photos show the group in action at a high school dance in Medfield, MA, in November 1965. Curtis, in the plaid sport jacket, is at center mic. The bass player partially shown in one of the photos may be Palumbo. Thorp is shown taking the lead vocal in one photograph.How the recording came about: Curtis and Palumbo came up with the idea of recording in late 1965. Palumbo located Continental Recording Studios in Framingham MA, about 10 miles north of Medway, and he agreed to front the costs of recording and pressing the discs.
The band arrived at Continental’s studios, probably in mid-September, well-rehearsed and ready to play. The group didn’t have a bass player at the time, so Thorp played a borrowed electric bass on both tracks. The band recorded both tracks over a few hours, needing only a couple of takes on each track. “Love You Like I Do” was a Curtis original. “Blues for Cookie” was a slow, doo-wop instrumental featuring Palumbo, an acknowledgment of his fronting the recording and pressing costs.
The recording system was simple but effective. Both Curtis’s guitar solo and the harmony vocals were double-tracked, using an eight-track recorder.
The follow-up: although the record got a little air play on local radio stations, it never really went anywhere. The Valkyries continued on with different personnel throughout 1966 and 1967.
The Frauleins on stage, from left: Ann Duquette, Michelle Fereira, Lynda MacLeish, Linda Murphy and Linda Duquette
The Fabulous Frauleins only recorded this one single in 1967, “Practice of Evil” / “Days Gone By”. Both are original songs by Duquette and Duquette, two sisters who were members of the group.
Members were:
Michelle Fereira – lead vocals Linda Duquette – guitar Linda Murphy – guitar Ann Duquette – bass Lynda MacLeish – drums
“Practice of Evil” concerns the Salem witch trials. Bill Borelli from WCCM 800 radio did the voice of the judge in the middle part of the song. “Days Gone By” is slower but also a very good original.
Lynda MacLeish was from Andover, MA where she attended Andover High School. I’m not sure where the other members of the group came from, but Andover or the Lawrence / Methuen / Salem area are likely.
The Frauleins recorded at Eastern Sound Studios in Metheun, Massachusetts. Onyx Studios at the time was located in the basement of the label owner’s home at 33 Taylor St.
Guy Sammartano arranged both sides, with production by Pague Prods. Other staff at Onyx at this time included Pat Costa, Rom Messina, Jim Manganno, Sally Giaquinta, Angela Blatti and Jim Minchello.
Publishing through Atsoc Pub. Co., but I can’t find any record of copyright registration or a listing in BMI’s database for the company or the songs. Someone named Lon Duquette copyrighted a song called “Back Bay Blue” in 1969, but I have no idea if he was connected to the Frauleins.
In 1968, “Practice of Evil” was chosen to be on a Pepsi flexi giveaway, with the band called simply “The Frauleins”. A live recording of the group may exist.
The Frauleins broke up after a final show in Derry, New Hampshire around 1968. Though they kept in contact through the years, the band never reunited on stage.
Michelle Fereira married and became Michelle Barrow.
Lynda Murphy at Beatlefest, 2005 Lynda MacLeish married and became Lynda Murphy, not to be confused with Fraulein guitarist Linda Murphy! Lynda was a huge Beatles fan, having attended one of their US shows as a teen. She became a chapter president of the Rascals fan club, and long-time friend of Felix Cavaliere. Lynda never joined another group, but sat with other musicians including Pete Best, who was also a friend of hers. Lynda passed away on July 28, 2017.
Thank you to John Van Horn for the photos and information seen in this article. John and his wife were friends of Lynda Murphy (MacLeish).
The Royals, from left to right: Dennis Villanucci, Jim Hideriotis, Joe Villanucci, Rick Krikorian and Robert Krikorian
Dennis Villanucci wrote to me about the Royals who had three singles in the mid-1960s:
This band was formed in Haverhill, Massachusetts during the mid/late 1950s. The original band members were Jim Hideriotis (drums), Rick Krikorian (guitar) Dick Gaiero (guitar), Ted Schiavoni (guitar), Bob Schiavoni (bass) and Joe Villanucci (keyboards).
Around 1961 or so, Dick & Bob left the band, and I (Dennis Villanucci, Joe’s brother) joined as their bass player. Rick’s twin brother (Robert) also joined shortly thereafter as a singer and also played tambourine. Later on I became their lead guitarist. The band card shown was made after Bob had left the band.
Lowell State Lounge poster, May 22, 1965
While the members of the Royals were attending college, we appeared at many fraternity houses and college concert venues (college dance mixers) on campuses throughout New England (mostly in Massachusetts, New Hampshire & Vermont locations). Typical venues were Lowell State College (MA), UNH (Durham NH), Dartmouth College, University of Vermont etc.
We had an agent by the name of Al Long. He handled about 25 bands from the New England area.
We were friends with a few of the bands shown on Al’s list … The Roadrunners (Mike Fedenyszen et. al.) and the Heard (Chuck Buzzell, Eric Mcfadden, Bob Fontaine and Mike Moustafa).
Another band that we were friends with (not on the list) was called Lazy Smoke. John Pollano was their leader. My brother Joe played keyboard on “Sarah Saturday”.
A “rival” band was the Del Phi’s.
While playing a fraternity house for Lowell technological institute, we met a fraternity member who, along with his friend, had a recording studio in Framingham Massachusetts. We accepted a one year recording contract that was offered to us at no cost to us.
The band made three 45 rpm recordings at Continental Recordings Inc. (CORI) in Framingham, Massachusetts. The first recording “The Lady’s Bad” / “I’m All Alone” bears the CORI label and was made in June 1965.
The other two were under the Croydon label; “Summertime in Maine” / “Teenage Dreamer” and “Slow Down Boy” / “Summertime in Maine”.
While recording our music during that year, we were connected with Gene Kilham. Gene presented his music to us, and we agreed to record for him.
1st label for this song, June 1966
June 1967 release
Towards the end of the 1960s we began playing regularly at local night clubs: The Cinnamon Lounge (Lowell), Three Copper Men (Lowell), The Bowery (Salisbury Beach MA) and many others.
When we appeared at the Bowery, the band had added a horn section, (Ralph Bennett – sax, Rick Hammett trumpet and Jerry Bergonzi – tenor sax). We also added a front man, Johnny C (John Colimere). We played eight (4 or 5-hour) shows a week for about 6 weeks during the summer of 1969.
The band broke up around 1970. Joe and Robert are still active in the music industry.
Q. I notice the writing credits on “Teenage Dreamer” read Leo Krikorian and Gene Kilham, and Gene is also sole writer for “Summertime in Maine”. I believe Gene owned the Croydon label. Was Leo another name for your brother?
Leo Krikorian was not related to the two Krikorian brothers that were with the Royals (Rick & Robert). It is just a coincidence that he has the same last name. Leo & Gene wrote “Teenage Dreamer” and Leo played lead guitar on the recording.
June 15, 1966 issue of Billboard
Two notices for “Summertime in Maine” appeared in Billboard, in June and August 1966.
Royals discography:
June 1965: “I’m All Alone” / “The Lady’s Bad”, both by Krikorian – Villanucci, Hyannis Music Co., released on Cori Records CR 31002.
June, 1966: “Summertime in Maine” (Gene Kilham) / “Teenage Dreamer” (Leo Krikorian and Gene Kilham), both Chriskil Music Publ. Co., ASCAP, released on Croydon ZTSP 122492/3, a Columbia custom pressing, probably from their Rockaway plant.
May, 1967: “Summertime in Maine” (Gene Kilham) / “Slow Down, Boy” (Robert Krikorian and Joe Villanucci), released on Croydon U4KM-6776/7, an RCA custom pressing probably from their Pittman, New Jersey plant.
Chriskil Music Publ. Co., ASCAP published all three songs on the Croydon singles, named for the company’s street address.
Kilham has written and produced a single by Barry Wilson & the Camelots “The Bug” / “Gonna Put You Down” Dot 45-16462, both by B. Wilson and Gene Kilham, that received notice in Billboard in September 1963.
Al Long agency booking list – any info on the bands listed here would be appreciated:
Name Groups: The Harlem Playboys (with Randy Madison) The King Cobras – “Maine’s No. 1 band” The Nickel Bag of Soul (“New Hampshire’s best) The Catharsis The Embers John Tropea and the Spendors (“Boston’s great band”)
Girl Groups: The Fabulous Frauleins (recorded “Practice Of Evil” / “Days Gone By” on Onyx 8601) The Ever Lovin’s What’s this Madness
Popular Groups: The Given Word The Crescendos The Royals The Tel-stars The Avengers The Blue Cloud The Jinx The Del Phi’s The Roadrunners The Deltas Annie and the Orphans (from the Lakes region) The Heard Underground Conspiracy Gray Shade of Blue
Jean Purretta (bottom center) in the Beachcomber, August 12, 1959
Jeannie Purretta released one single in the early ’60s on the Camsul label owned by Dick Campbell, who also wrote and produced both sides, and Artie Sullivan, who co-produced.
“If You See My Baby” is a catchy, fast number with an interesting guitar-led passage after the first verse. The recording quality is somewhat crude but helps to give the single a wall-of-sound quality, and deserves a reissue as it is currently an obscure recording.
Jeannie sings “He’s My Boy Friend” with almost a country twang.
Jeannie Purretta came from Worcester, Massachusetts, graduating from Commerce High School in 1952. The Beachcomber of August 12, 1959, published in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, has a photo and lists Jean Purretta as 1st place winner in a talent parade.
On April 27, 1960, Jean Purretta sang on three songs recorded in New York with a large group featuring Charlie Mariano, Vinnie Dean, Frank Soccolow, John Hafer, Pepper Adams, Curtis Fuller, Jerry Tyree, Burt Collins, Rick Kiefer, Chet Ferretti, Eddie Bert, Frank Rehak, Bill Elton, Mike Zwerin, Bill Barber, Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers, Charlie Persip, Sal Salvador.
Some of the session appeared on Tony Zano’s Balmore LP The Gathering Place but the vocals with Jean have never been issued to my knowledge. Tony Zano was a stage name for Anthony Ferrazzano.
Dick Campbell and Artie Sullivan started Camsul Records in Worcester in 1962. In 1965 they relocated to the midwest and started CineVista Records and Andrea Dawn Music, recording in Janesville WI (Leaf Records), Sauk City WI (Cuca Records) and Chicago, IL (Universal Studios).
I asked Artie about Jeannie’s single and he wrote to me:
Jeannie Purretta was singing in local clubs at the time and we heard her sing. She was our fourth release on Camsul Records while we were living in Shrewsbury MA. We recorded her in Worcester MA at North East Recording Studio (owner Fred Holovnia). Fred later moved to Shrewsbury MA. Last I checked she was living in Shrewsbury MA. We used the band the Scarlets to back her up and Dick & I sang background.
The Scarlets was a local college band from Worcester MA that Dick & Artie hooked up with and used to back up their recordings while living in Massachusetts. Dick joined the band about a year and half after they formed. The Scarlets consisted of Peter Damanis on drums, born in Queens NY attending Clark University Worcester MA, Gordon Schultz on lead guitar from Worcester MA also at Clark University Worcester MA and John Benson on bass from Worcester Ma attending Worcester Tech.
Thank you to Artie Sullivan for the information about Jeannie and the Scarlets.
The Bristols have a 45 well-known among soul collectors, “(Go Away) With a Girl Like Her” / “Where Am I Going”. Cash Box gave it a positive review in August, 1967.
According to a youtube comment from band member Dale Monette:
The black label was the first issue of the recording. After Audio Dynamics re-released it on the white label. It was engineered by Don Carmody who owned the studio, and Dick Booth who was a great guy and helped us get airplay on WHYN is Springfield MA and other stations around the western New England area in the summer of 1967. It rose to number 11 on the WHYN top 40. It stayed on the chart 8 weeks.
The band was from Worcester, Massachusetts, and included Dave Rivers on vocals and Dale Monette on drums. Judging from song writing credits on their first 45, other members may have been Gabrenas and Strom.
Much more obscure is their second single, also on Audio Dynamics. “Cross Your Heart” has some of the soulfulness of their first single, but I like the slow dreamy quality of the flip, “I Need Only You”. Both sides lack the commercial production of the “(Go Away) With a Girl Like Her” / “Where Am I Going”.
Like their first single, there’s a credit to Dick Booth for arrangment and production, but no song writing credits, only the Audyn Music BMI publishing.
The Audio Dynamics discography is a jumble of different codes, making an exact release chronology difficult. Some releases have numbers ending three digits beginning with 6: the Pentagons is 671, the first Bristols 45 672, and the second Bristols single has 673 on one side and 674 on the other. The Chain Reaction single has 682 in the code.
I can’t find out much about the Specktrum. The band may have been from Cranston, Rhode Island but I’ve also seen them listed as from Abington, Massachusetts, which is south of Boston and an hour away from Cranston.
In February, 1967 they put out a single on Somethin’ Groovy Records SG-500 featuring two originals by the band, “Confetti” by R. Moore, K. Jeremiah and “I Was A Fool” by R. Schmeisser, K. Jeremiah. Publishing was through Exciting Music BMI but I can’t find anything in BMI’s database on these two songs or the writers.
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
Members included:
Released in October 1965 on Dot 45-16815, the labels read 1:57 on the A-side, but play a version fifteen seconds longer that repeats the first verse after the guitar solo. The B-side is the vocal-less backing track of “You Just Gotta Know My Mind” with an overdubbed lead guitar, titled “Karen’s Theme”.
The Grand Jury made one single, “Lovely Lady” / “Rollin” on Musicor Records’s New Talent Series NTS 417. The New Talent Series is an interesting set of records, including some experimental singles that I haven’t covered before, like the Lemon and Lime.
The music offered by the Dignitaries is not saturated with rock, nor is it steeped in psychedelic; rather it is a meshing of listenable, melodious tunes on the one hand, driving, vibrant beat on the other. They can go both ways, and do.
“Practice of Evil” concerns the Salem witch trials. Bill Borelli from WCCM 800 radio did the voice of the judge in the middle part of the song. “Days Gone By” is slower but also a very good original.
Around 1961 or so, Dick & Bob left the band, and I (Dennis Villanucci, Joe’s brother) joined as their bass player. Rick’s twin brother (Robert) also joined shortly thereafter as a singer and also played tambourine. Later on I became their lead guitarist. The band card shown was made after Bob had left the band.
Chriskil Music Publ. Co., ASCAP published all three songs on the Croydon singles, named for the company’s street address.
The Bristols have a 45 well-known among soul collectors, “(Go Away) With a Girl Like Her” / “Where Am I Going”. Cash Box gave it a positive review in August, 1967.
Much more obscure is their second single, also on Audio Dynamics. “Cross Your Heart” has some of the soulfulness of their first single, but I like the slow dreamy quality of the flip, “I Need Only You”. Both sides lack the commercial production of the “(Go Away) With a Girl Like Her” / “Where Am I Going”.
I can’t find out much about the Specktrum. The band may have been from Cranston, Rhode Island but I’ve also seen them listed as from Abington, Massachusetts, which is south of Boston and an hour away from Cranston.
