The Dirty Elbows came out of the Highland and Poughkeepsie music scene. Around 1966 they cut one excellent single on the Solid Gold label, “To Carry On”.

Members were:

Reggie Ward – vocals
Russ Aldrich – lead guitar, vocals
Al Friedman – keyboards, vocals
Gene Baker – bass
Sal D’Onofrio – bass and vocals
Jimmy Galuzzi – drums, vocals

Russ Aldrich wrote the A-side, “To Carry On”, a song that shines from the opening riff to the harmony vocals and excellent guitar break.

The flip is a harmony ballad, “I Love You Girl” by G. Whitsell, Jr.

Released on Solid Gold Recornds SG-10 (UB-721/2), the labels credit J. Levine with arrangements, and engineering by J. Gasper. Both sides are “A Toi Production” and published by Happi Three Music, BMI. Solid Gold also had a 45 by Shorty Billups “Alone / Shake Off That Dream”.

The Poughkeepsie Journal reported the Dirty Elbows opening for the Animals on April 16, 1966, along with a number of other local groups: the Sepians, the Mark IV. the Jule Ettes, the New Pyramids, the Royal Coachmen, the Barons, the Sportsmen, the Benders and the Courages. They also played the Club 44 in Pleasant Valley with the Aborigines.

In June of 1966 they played at the Trade Winds on Route 207 near Newburgh. The next month they played with the Mark IV at a teens-only club called What’s It To Ya? on 176 Church Street in Poughkeepsie.

In October, 1966 the Dirty Elbows played at the Swingin’ Cellar, and a Thursday at What’s It To Ya?, followed on Friday by the Lost Soles and on Saturday by the Barrons. In November the Dirty Elbows were the main draw at a week of What’s It To Ya? shows that included Love’s Body and Nobody’s Child.

The Dirty Elbows played a benefit for the March of Dimes in January, 1967 that took place in two locations: Poughkeepsie High School and Wappingers Falls Jr High School. Tommy James & the Shondells also played at one of these performances, but the notice I found doesn’t specify which band played at which location.

In March, 1967, the group played “well supervised” shows at the Thunderbird Lounge, next to the Imperial Billiard Lounge. A show that month at Sportsmen’s Park notes their “hit record: ‘I Love You Girl’.

Reggie Ward joined the Silver Byke in 1967-8, and played with Easy Street in the 1970s.

Russ Aldrich continued in music, including with Spyder in the early ’70s. Later on he worked primarily as a blues guitarist and was featured in another article in the Poughkeepsie Journal on June 30, 1989. Russell Aldrich passed away on March 24, 2015.

Sal D’Onofrio sent in the photo seen here at top and wrote me with some info about the band:

Our big hit was “I Love You Girl” on Solid Gold Records which outsold the Beatles in the Hudson River Valley for a month. Gene was the original bass player I replaced.

Jimmy Galluzi died at a drag strip accident while racing his car. Al Friedman stopped returning my emails several years ago, parts unknown. Reggie Ward is doing real estate and still singing with local friends.

Sal D’Onofrio before leaving for sunny California in 1971, played with Moose: Reggie Ward, Al Friedman, Benny Ribble and Claud Le Hennaf; and did a short stint with the Vanilla Fudge and Boomerang in 1970 on Long Island. Sal is now a Nutripathic doctor in Redondo Beach (healthguardians.com), and still does gigs with local bands on occasion.

Thank you to Sal D’Onofrio for the photos and information.