The Four of Us came from Queens, NY, though I’m not sure which neighborhood.
“I Don’t Need No One” is good tough garage with sax, written by Joseph Guido, Stephen Guido, and Jose Maldonado, all probably members of the group.
“I Don’t Need No One” was reviewed as the top side in Cash Box in January, 1966: “Raunchy funky shouting tune based on an everpresent solid beat. Strong guitar and hard vocal work could start this one off toward being a biggie.”
The flip is the more pop “Iga Diga Doo”, technically the A-side, written by Harold Onderdonk, George Bonetti, Tom Cox, and Jim Carrick. Merrimac Music Corp. published both sides. This team also wrote “Stomp ‘Em Out” for the Exterminators on Chancellor CHC 1148, the flip to “The Beetle Bomb”, but were not credited on the label. Ding Dong Music Corp published “Stomp ‘Em Out”, registering copyright in April, 1964 (March, 1964 for “The Beetle Bomb”).
The Four of Us was released on Brunswick 55288. Producer Harry Goodman was Benny Goodman’s brother.
I would appreciate more info or photos of the group.
Joey Guido and Jose Maldonado (as Jose Mala) formed the Koala with Anthony Wesley, Joe Alexander and Louis Caine, releasing an album & single on Capitol in 1969 featuring all original songs by Guido and Maldonado. In 1974, Jose Mala replaced Eric Emerson in the Magic Tramps.
The Innkeepers, from left: Mike Vendetti, Vito Turso, Gary Matson, Mike Lucente and Steve Saltzman
The Innkeepers came from Rosedale in Queens, New York (not Bayside as previously thought). Rosedale is close to JFK airport, along the eastern edge of Queens, bordering Nassau County.
Members were:
Gary Matson – vocals and percussion Mike Vendetti – Gibson guitar Vito Turso – Hammond organ and vocals Mike Lucente – Fender bass Steve Saltzman – drums
The Innkeepers had one excellent single in late 1966, “Never Should Have Done It” b/w “Wanted” on Galiko 895. Leon Salem wrote both songs, he was in a jazz group at Queens College with Mike Lucente.
“Never Should Have Done It” jumps into a tense mood, with a neat sliding guitar riff throughout the song and the line “life’s not worth living now, ever since the day, oh-o-o, you left me.” The drummer keeps a strong pace, and the bassist pushes the mood as each line of the lyrics crescends and crashes. The organ player compliments the repeating guitar and takes an extended solo after a brief guitar break.
The band comes up with a tight arrangement and good harmonies to back the lead vocalist on “Wanted”.
One of the Innkeeper’s most notable shows was at the Action House in Island Park, NJ, on December 4, 1966.
Ads for the show (viewable on the Mind Smoke Records site) promise an incredible lineup, including: The Mothers of Invention, the Velvet Underground, the Fugs, the Godz, the Vagrants, the Left Banke, the Wild Ones, and the Bit a Sweet.
Also, the Seventh Sons, the Fantasy Machines, the Ronettes, the Shangri-La’s, Lenny Welch, Monti Rock III, Joey Greco and the In Crowd, the Crests, the Shaggy Boys, Terry Knight and the Pack and Brian Hyland.
Besides the Action House, the Innkeepers played at Danny Mazur’s My House in Plainview NY, the Malibu Beach Club in Lido Beach, the Bull Shed in Huntington, Cinderella in Greenwich Villlage, the Shindig Lounge in Lynbrook, and regularly at The Busted Buzzard in Baldwin, NY.
The group was sometimes billed as the Inkeepers (one “n”) and the band name appears that way in one promo photo.
The Inkeepers, from left: Steve Saltzman, Mike Vendetti, Mike Lucente, Vito Turso, Gary Matson
Salem copyrighted “Wanted” with the Library of Congress in August 1966, following it up with “Never Should Have Done It” in October, both with publishing by Leona Music Pub. Co., but on the Galiko single both list Aurora Music Pub. BMI.
The Library of Congress index shows Leon Salem copyrighting six additional titles before the end of 1966, “What Do You Find?”, “All the Time”, “Venetian Gondola”, “Reasons”, “The Truth”, “Come Back, My Baby”, though only the first of these also had the Leona Music Pub. Co. credit.
With such an accomplished group of musicians, I hope there are some unreleased Innkeepers recordings out there, yet to be heard.
Galiko had a number of other releases, most notably the U.S. Stamps, who had two singles on the label in 1967, “Come On” / “Go and Dry Your Tears” and “Pull the Wool” / “We’ll Find a Way” (by Ed Landis). I don’t know anything about that band either.
There is a Leon Salem who has a number of credits: arranger and conductor on Nanette Natal’s 1969 album Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow , “sweetening” on the Tokens “I Like to Throw My Head Back and Sing (That Good Ole Rock and Roll)”, vibes and orchestration on the Brother to Brother LP Shades In Creation, and in 2018, production and writing of “Apollo Rising” by Tommy LaBella. I’m not sure if this is the same person, however.
Thank you to the members of the Innkeepers for help with this post: Gary Matson for sending the photos, and Mike Lucente and Vito Turso for information about the group.
This Innkeepers should not be confused with the band from Lewiston, Maine, whose demo “Traella (Hey Babe)” surfaced years back.
I grew up on 34th Street with Barry Bozzone though I was a few years younger. The Poor Soul’s covered many of The Primates’ songs including “Fate”. I don’t believe The Primates recorded a studio version of the song.
Earlier this year, our lead singer, Phil Borgia sent me The Poor Soul’s recording of the song, made in the late 60’s. It was put on tape by Phil’s uncle, using a guerilla recording technique during a rehearsal i.e., using a microphone placed in front of the room plugged into a reel-to-reel deck.
Unfortunately, no one has been able to find photos of the band though I know we had enough taken that some should still exist. I have the band rehearsing on converted 8mm film that was put on 1.2 VHS and then converted to digital media.
The Poor Souls business card [to the right] was very unusual. My father designed it, he was a graphic artist.
After our bands split up, Barry and I played together in a number of bands with only limited success. We also co-wrote quite a few songs though our careers in other fields short-circuited any chance for popularity. However, we have reconnected too after 40 years and we are making plans to reunite, at least on one song we think has a fighting chance in the Christian song market.
I’ve been living in Mahwah, NJ for the last 12 years or so. My former bandmates are all on the east coast – two in NY, one in PA and one in North Carolina. The five members of The Poor Souls (sans Mark) are reuniting for the first time in over 40 years this weekend. I’ve attempted to find Mark on several occasions but no luck.
Rick Grande, November 2010
Here is some great 8mm film of the band, with “Fate” and their version of “C.C. Rider” / “Jenny Take a Ride” added as a soundtrack.
2010 reunion, from left to right: Rick, Joe (Mac), Phil’s daughter Lorissa, Vinny and John
Rick also sent two interesting photos of Hy Fenster’s Universal Rehearsal and Recording, a studio which is still in business at the same address, 17 W. 20th Street in Manhattan.
Universal Rehearsal and Recording
Tascam founded in 1971, so this photo must be no earlier than that year.
The Go-Betweens, from left: Bob Brancati, Al Manaseri, a friend named Dave who filled in for Gene Olive that night, Charlie Russo and Al Brancati
Corona, Queens was the home of the Go-Betweens (not the 80’s Australian band), whose “Have You For My Own” was a minor sensation in 1965.
The repetitive chiming lead guitar, distortion on the rhythm, screams and an insistent drumbeat make song is a classic. It was written and arranged by one of the band members, Bob Brancati and produced by the band. “Knock Knock” has some funny lyrics about trying to get some sleep with a party raging above. The lead guitar stands out over a solid rhythm while Bob Brancati’s vocal puts the song over well.
The Go-Betweens came out of a group called the Shades who had a release “Cry Over You” / “The 5th of September” on Rapa in late ’64, and are rumored (incorrectly) to have cut another 45 (“Nowhere Man” / “Malaguena”) later on.
I knew nothing else about the group until Bob Brancati contacted me with the photos here:
The members of the Go-Betweens were: my brother Al Brancati (bass), Al Manaseri (vocals), Gene Olive (lead guitar), Charlie Russo (drums) and Bob Brancati (lead vocals, guitar). Every member of the group was from Corona. We all grew up in the same area, near the Lemon Ice King and what we called Spaghetti Park [William F. Moore Park, between Corona Ave, 51st Ave and 108th St.]
The Shades were the the earlier version of the Go-Betweens. We recorded “Cry Over You”, and “5th Of September”. We didn’t record “Nowhere Man”.
I had a vocal coach named Al Greiner, he had a friend, a nice young lady named Sandy Newman who became our manager. She got funding for our next few recordings. “Have You For My Own” and “Knock Knock” were written and produced by me. Some of the sounds were spontaneous by the band members. Sandy was able to get the record released by Cheer. However, we didn’t even know that it became popular in certain areas. She later brought in a well known music arranger named Lee Holdridge. We did a couple of songs arranged by him that were not released.
With Dion, from left: Mikey Botta, Dion DiMucci, Bob Brancati and Joe LoCicero, 1964
As far as gigs, we played in clubs and bars throughout NY, LI and NJ. We also eventually played opening for Johnny Maestro, and did weddings and parties all around the Tri-State area.
I am sending you two pictures. One is of the group at a gig. Another is one I took with Dion around 1964. I am on Dion’s left. The others used to hang with the us but they weren’t in the band, although they sang with us once in a while. They are Mikey Botta on Dion’s right, and Joe LoCicero on my left.
Also, Americana is my album. It can be located at CD Baby. There are also a few videos of songs from that album on YouTube under Bobby Brancati.
The Primates, from left: James Hartofilis, Joseph Ferdinando, Barry Bozzone and John Demetrious. Not pictured: Guy Kaselis. Clipping from Newsday or the NY Post.
I lived in Astoria, New York, in the borough of Queens for three years beginning in 2003. In the mid-60s Astoria was also home to the Primates.
Members were:
John Demetrious – lead vocals and guitar Gus Kaselis – organ and tambourine Barry Bozzone – lead guitar James Hartofilis – bass Joseph Ferdinando – drums
Prior to the Primates, John Demetrious had been performing by the stage name Johnny Michaels and was on the Ford Startime TV show. Next he formed the Panthers with Jimmy Hartofilis, Joe Ferdinando and Gus Kaselis, all later of the Primates, along with Paul Cavounis on rhythm guitar
Joe Ferdinando told me, “The Panthers never recorded, they were a weeding out process that became the Primates.”
By the time Barry Bozzone joined on lead guitar, they had become the Primates. Members of the band went to William Cullen Bryant High School on 31st Ave and 48th St.
Hy Fenster managed the band; he also ran Universal Rehearsal and Recording studio on 20th Street in Manhattan. Joe commented, “Hy Fenster I believe passed away about three years ago. He was a good manager, got us alot of gigs and wasn’t afraid to invest cash if needed.”
The Primates waxed two 45s for the Marko label (“The Long Island Sound”), owned by Jack Hansen who is credited with production. His son Mark Hansen was bassist for the Poor Souls. Rick Grande, guitarist for the Poor Souls writes that Mark “joined the Poor Souls and would come to Astoria on weekends for rehearsals. Around that time, Barry joined The Primates and Mark got to know Barry. Mark told his Dad about The Primates and not long after, they landed the recording contract with Marco Records.”
“Knock On My Door” is their first A-side, released in September 1965 with the moody flipside “She”.
Their second was “Don’t Press Your Luck” / “Cathy” released in early ’66. All their songs were written by John Demetrious.
At some point the Primates became the People of Thee with some of the same members. Joe Ferdinando eventually formed a group called Pier 86 with Ralph Raiola. Joe said, “Panthers, Primates, & People of Thee [were] basically the same group. Pier 86 [was a] totally diferent group of guys except for me. Pier 86 made an album and then women split us up.” John Demetrious had a later group called Jericho with a 45 on MCA.
Marko Records had two singles by Jack Hansen & His Orchestra, plus these releases:
M-920 – Tommy Carberry and Joe Ross – “(Seems to Me) I’ve Been Here Before” / “Wait” (both by Carberry for Darl Pub. Inc.) M-925 – Vic Pierce Quartet – “Idaho” / “Mr. Ghost Comes to Town”
Thanks to Lynn for sending the news clipping on the band and to Joe Ferdinando for the images of the band photos and business card.
Before the Primates a similar lineup was known as the Panthers. From left at top: Jimmy (?), Jimmy Hartofilis, John Demeteious, Joe Ferdinando and Gus Kaselis bottom: Unidentified, unidentified, Jimmy (?), and Teddy LaselisThe Primates at the Astoria Music Store from left: Jim Hartofilis, Gus Kaselis, Barry Bozzone, Joe Ferdinando and John Demetrious
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The Four of Us came from Queens, NY, though I’m not sure which neighborhood.
Primates
