Stairway to the Stars, 1967, from left: T.r. Sollosi, Dave Benard, P.J. Geary, and Ray Niccolai. Photo courtesy of Paul Geary
The Stairway to the Stars came from the Pittsburgh area, but cut this 45 for the Brite-Star label out of Newberry, Ohio, near Cleveland. Newberry is only a couple hours from Pittsburgh, but the labels indicate a Nashville base.
One side has a moody, echoing vocal, “Cry”, written by Tom Sellosi and Dave Benard. The intensity grows for the short recitation at the end.
On the flip is “Dry Run” a great instrumental featuring a lot of tremolo on the guitar, a strong three note riff that sounds like a keyboard more than guitar, and a long and dissonant middle section for the lead break. Phil Dirt pointed out the similarity of the opening melody to the Vistas “No Return” on Tuff, but the Stairway to the Stars really expand on that theme in the rest of the song.
The Rite account number is 728 and the release numbers are 17909 (“Dry Run”) / 17910 (“Cry”), released in September or October 1966.
Members on the record included:
Tom Sollosi – lead guitar Dave Benard – lead vocals Paul Geary – tenor sax Ray Niccolai – rhythm guitar and bass
Paul Geary provided the photos and wrote to me:
We all lived in the Monongahela, Pa. area south of Pittsburgh. Tom Solossi knew I played tenor sax in the jazz band in high school and he was trying to get a little band together. He had already recruited Ray Niccolli for rhythm guitar. Tom himself played lead guitar and also taught guitar at a local music shop. Dave Benard who worked at a furniture store in Mon City was our vocalist.
The band did a lot of weddings, teen dances, and social clubs. We were all in high school at the time and appreciated the extra money we made playing music.
Tom knew a local DJ in Charleroi, Pa. His name was Johnny Barbero and he wanted us to come to the radio station WESA for a recording session. I played sax on the recording but was drowned out by the heavy guitars.
We made a demo and paid Brite-Star Records to make some records to distribute. It played on a few local radio stations, but never took off.
Q. Do you remember who played drums on the record?
We were between drummers at the time but I’m pretty sure it was George Tirpack.
We stayed together for about a year and then everyone started applying for colleges and that ended the group.
The Library of Congress has a registration for “Cry” from September 12, 1966, to David Benard and Thomas Sollosi. The “Dry Run” label lists T.R. Sollosi, but this song wasn’t registered.
Teen Beat Mayhem indicates this 45 came with a picture sleeve, which I’ve never seen. Paul tells me there was never anything but a plain sleeve for the single.
The Blue Knights, precursor to Stairway to the Stars, from left: Frank Champ, accordion and keyboard; Tom Sollosi, lead guitar; Bill Garrison, drums; Paul Geary, sax; Ray Niccoli, rhythm guitar. Photo courtesy of Paul Geary.
Info on Brite-Star came from the 45rpm Records site.
Much has been written about Euphoria’s legendary album A Gift from Euphoria. This article focuses instead on the various releases the band members did prior to the LP and the connections to other bands I’ve covered on this site.
Euphoria had its start as a Cleveland band with David Potter and Wesley Watt called the Bushmen. Although it was thought that the Bushmen was a separate group from Wesley Watt’s projects prior to Euphoria, David Potter’s bio states:
After playing drums at the club [the Clinton Bar in Cleveland, OH] for three months, Wesley Watt, a guitar player came in looking for a drummer for a group he wanted to put together, The Bushman [sic]. When he heard David he knew he was the one. David turned sixteen in January and in May, David, Wesley, Paul Armstrong, and Carl Johnson left for Los Angeles to make their mark. On arriving in L.A. they immediately became the house band for the club, Guys and Dolls.
After only eight weeks they signed a contract with Colpix records, also signing with Buck Ram, the manager of the Platters. Their first single was “Baby” with “What I Have I’ll Give to You” on the flip side.
The Bushmen had one release “Baby” / “What I Have I’ll Give to You” on Dimension 1049 in June of ’65. Dimension Records was part of the Columbia Pictures / Colpix company at this time.
Bill Lincoln had relocated from Seattle to Los Angeles. He must have been in the group at this point as he is the composer of “What I Have I’ll Give to You”.
Bill Lincoln and Mike Dood are credited with writing “Walk on the Surf Side” by the Nova-Tones, released on Rosco 417 circa 1963, and backed with “Lost Love”. I’m not positive it’s the same Bill Lincoln, but it seems likely as the time and place are right. I haven’t heard either song, so if you have the 45 or sound files, please contact me.
Potter’s bio continues:
The Bushman [sic] were getting a lot of notoriety and attention from all over, including film producer David L. Wolper. He was looking for bands for a documentary about to start filming, Teenage Revolution. They approached Buck Ram about The Bushman being the premiere band for the documentary. Wolper wanted to show what bands went through while traveling around the country from gig to gig. (Along with The Bushman being were about four other bands, one being The Lovin’ Spoonful.) About a month later Buck set up a live gig in Lancaster CA where they filmed their part of Teenage Revolution.
A portion of Mondo Teeno aka The Teenage Revolution is online. I hear music that may be the Bushmen, but haven’t seen any footage of the band.
In addition to the Bushmen single, Watt and Lincoln recorded their original songs as the War-Babies “Jeanie’s Pub” / “Love Is Love” (Highland 4000, August 1965).
The War-Babies recorded another two songs, “Now It’s Over” / “So Little Time” but these came out under the name The Word on Brent 704.
Although I’ve read that the Bushmen came after the War-Babies and Word singles, release dates suggest the Bushmen single came first.
Potter’s bio continues:
After filming the documentary, David, Wesley, and Bill Lincoln wanted to do their own thing. Now seasoned professionals and highly respected musicians they wanted to play and record their own music. With the chance so did their name, to Euphoria. The newly named group spent all their time playing, touring, and recording material that would lead to two of the groups albums. During a successful tour in Texas, their single. “Baby”, released when they were The Bushman [sic], went to #7 on the charts, staying there for seven weeks.
The newly-named Euphoria added Pat Connolly of the Surfaris on bass by the time they toured Texas in 1966. Bill Lincoln left the group when he married and moved to England, though he would rejoin Wesley Watt within a year or two for Euphoria’s 1969 album on Capitol. Connolly also left so Watts brought in James Harrell on guitar and Peter Black on bass, both of the legendary Houston group the Misfits. I believe David Potter was still playing drums with the group at this point, but it may have been Steve Webb of the Misfits.
This group recorded some tracks at Andrus Productions in Houston, including “Pick It Up”, “In Time”, “Walking The Dog” and “Oh Dear, You Look Like a Dog”, none of which surfaced until Texas Archive Recordings released the LP Houston Hallucinations in 1982. The band had other unreleased Texas recordings which await reissue, including “People You and Me” which has some similarity to Da Capo era Love.
Back in L.A., Bob Shad of Brent & Mainstream Records brought the group into United Studios in Hollywood to record four songs in one session. Shad issued two of these (with vocals re-recorded at additional sessions), “Hungry Women” and “No Me Tomorrow” on Mainstream 655, but two originals by James Harrell, “I Realize” and “It Could Do Us No Wrong” were left unreleased and eventually lost. The single would reappear on the Mainstream compilation LP With Love – A Pot of Flowers in 1967.
Despite a good push from Bob Shad, the single didn’t make much of an impact and the group broke up. James Harrell and Pete Black went back to Texas and rejoined the Misfits, changing the name to the Lost and Found.
Potter and Watt joined Lee Michaels band where they played on Michaels’ album Carnival of Life with Gary Davis and John Keski.
Potter joined the East Side Kids in time to play on their album The Tiger and the Lamb, which featured one of his original songs as well as two by Wesley Watt, “Heavy Love” and “Can’t Feel Love”.
Bill Lincoln had returned by this time. He and Watt worked for almost two years on what would become their album A Gift from Euphoria on Capitol in 1969, produced by Nick Venet. According to his bio, Potter also played on the album. Guitarist Doug Delain is also listed in credits for the LP.
After recording the East Side KidsThe Tiger and the Lamb album, Potter moved to Houston and joined with Endle St. Cloud (Alan Mellinger) for his album on International Artists, which also included Pete Black and James Harrell of the Lost & Found. They moved back to LA to for the Potter St. Cloud LP on Mediarts in 1971.
David Potter passed away in 2011, but there was a detailed biography about him at his website, davidpottermusician.com (now defunct but viewable on the Internet Archive).
Watt and Lincoln co-produced and played on Bernie Schwartz’s solo album The Wheel, released on MGM in late 1969, which features a version of their song “Sunshine Woman” that had been on Euphoria’s Capitol LP.
Potter, Watt and Lincoln all continued in music into the early ’70s. For example, Potter and Watt played on Daniel Moore’s 1971 ABC album, and Watt played guitar on Dory Previn’s 1971 Mediarts album Mythical Kings and Iguanas.
Hamilton Wesley Watt, Jr. passed away on February 20, 2015 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
Bob Holcepl – vocals Terry Paul – guitar Joe Rose – bass Frank Rose – keyboards, and recorder on “Erebian-Borialis” Greg Paul – drums, and bongos on “Erebian-Borialis”
The Night People formed in 1965 at St. Edwards High School in Lakewood, Ohio, just west of Cleveland, where all the original members lived.
The band recorded their 45 at SIR Recording Studio, released on Del-Nita 1002 in May of 1967.
There’s a lot to like about “We Got It”: the swirling organ over the pounding tom-toms and bass, Bob Holcepl’s snarling vocals, a theramin intro and solo. Joe Rose and Bob Holcepl wrote the song. I’m not sure who was playing the theramin.
The instrumental “Erebian-Borialis” is one of the strangest b-sides by any mid-60s group, featuring a simple melody played by Frank Rose on recorder while Greg Paul handles the bongos and the guitarist goes for psychedelic. It’s credited to Frank Rose and Terry Paul. Both songs were published by Hicks Music, ASCAP.
Bob Holcepl answered my questions about the band:
Greg Paul (drummer) and I were grade school friends. His younger brother, Terry was a guitar player. The Paul brothers had a father who was very into music (jazz and big band mostly) and they were soaked in it their whole lives. Both were very talented musicians. I on the other hand was more of an ‘idea, big plan, big dream’ kind of a guy. – With (obvious) limited musical talent.
We all were very influenced by blues, jazz and the entire British Invasion sound, a bit more Rolling Stones and Van Morrison than the Beatles tho. Later we also embraced a lot of the west coast (San Francisco) influences (everything from the Seeds to Zappa).
We recruited classmates Joe and Frank Rose into the band early on. Frank and Joe were natural musicians. Joe could play any instrument well within hours of picking it up the first time.
Where did we play? Well not very often but the usual places: school dances, battle of the bands, Wherever anyone would let us to be honest. We played on a local TV show once or twice I believe. We weren’t very polished and we were out of step with most of the music scene in Cleveland. We were ‘explorers’ more than entertainers.
We (in)famously once used the very irritating ‘phone off the hook-cat screeching‘ tone they used to use when you left a phone off the hook as a background ‘drone’ on a song.
I don’t recall exactly how we met Mr Hicks. It may have been thru the recording studio (SIR recording in Cleveland). Mr Hicks was one of several people at the time providing what were essentially vanity records. It was a pretty straight forward deal. He did the ‘paperwork’ did the pressing and delivered the 45s to us. I don’t recall any sort of promises made by him. But we were kids (16 year old kids mostly).
I actually do have a track from the demo acetate we cut, a cover of “One Two Brown Eyes” by Van Morrison with Them.
I normally played the theremin. In fact I bought it (as a kit) from Robert Moog, actually spoke to him when I called him because he didn’t send it quickly (he was very nice, he was waiting on parts). But I think Joe or Frank Rose may have played it on the record. I think I sold that thing to someone from Pere Ubu years later.
Bruce joined after I left the group. I knew him tho. He tended to use the Bruce Parsons name far more often than Boehm. I always thought of him as Bruce Parsons. I remember he lived in Parma … so that may have been the Parma connection. The name was changed to Parsons Wild West Show long after I left. I believe they also went by the Uglies or the Harpies. But all that was post me. I became a photographer for 20 years (1970-1990), then I moved on to the coffee business.
The Night People’s version of “One Two Brown Eyes” has a very basic sound. The band made additional recordings that weren’t released of “Signed D.C.” and “Hey Joe”.
According to Buckeye Beat, John Hicks, the owner of Del-Nita, persuaded the band he had Motown connections. It’s difficult to imagine Motown would be interested in a band with such an uncommercial single but that’s the story!
Bruce Boehm, guitarist for the Alarm Clocks was also a member for a time. The group continued until 1970, changing their name and making some demos for Capitol that never saw light of day. Parma may have been a base for the group later on.
Anyone have a photo of the group?
The Night People singles on Tuggie and Nite Life are by different groups, from Illinois and California, respectively.
Barry Lee is the stage name of Lee Cuilli, who came from the Italian section of Cleveland, like Bocky, both of them managed by Redda Robbins.
In 1964 Barry released his first 45 on the Redda label. One side is the upbeat vocal pop “Make It” which earned some radio play at the time and got the record picked up by UA subsidiary Veep. More interesting is “Things Gotta Change” a nice bit of r&b with guitar flourishes, credited to Lee, Redda Robbins and Tony Styles. The backing vocalists really getting a workout trying to keep up the bop-ba-shu-bop-ba-bas. The buckeyebeat site suggests it’s likely that Barry is being accompanied by Bocky & the Visions on vocals with their backing band Richie & the Fortunes.
Barry Lee found a group of teens from Euclid, a town northeast of Cleveland, to become his band the Actions. Members included Dave Zaller guitar, Vince Baskovic bass and Ken Ruscittio drums. With the Actions he released his second record in 1966, almost two years after the first. “For Such a Little Wrong” might best be called a power ballad, but on the b-side “Try Me”, Barry’s vocal blends perfectly with the band’s strong backing and harmonies. Production was by Kenny Lark, arrangements by Barry Lee and Fortunes guitarist Tony Styles (Tony Bodanza). Originally released on the Wine & Roses label, it too was picked up by a UA subsid., Ascot, for a quick ride to nowhere.
Interestingly, Barry Lee puts songwriting credits to both Barry Lee and Lee Allen Cuilli. Barry wrote a number of songs that he didn’t record himself, as BMI lists him as co-author of “Can’t Get You Home on Time”, “Down Down”, “I Can Dance”, “I’m Not Worth It”, “I’m Pickin’ Petals”, “Land Beyond the Moon”, “Little Wheel” and “When the Sun Goes Down”, all written with Tony Bodanza.
Info for this article from Buckeyebeat.com. Thanks to Mark Meinhart for the transfer of Things Gotta Change.
The Outsiders from Cleveland, Ohio were famous for the nationwide hit, “Time Won’t Let Me”.
Here I’m featuring their fifth single, the classic “I’m Not Trying to Hurt You” (which my band the Trip 9’s used to cover) with the uptempo flip “I’ll Give You Time (to Think It Over)”. Both songs were written by guitarist and leader Tom King with Chet Kelley and Bob Turek.
Tom King’s brother, Don produced another Ohio band on Capitol, the Turfits.
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
Barry Lee is the stage name of Lee Cuilli, who came from the Italian section of Cleveland, like Bocky, both of them managed by Redda Robbins.