Category Archives: US

Categories: Louisiana, N-Joy, West Monroe

N-Joy Records discography

January 6, 2011 Chris Bishop 4 Comments

Any help with this discography of the N-Joy Records label of West Monroe, Louisiana would be appreciated.

1001 Lance Farr and The Beltones – “Mona Lisa” / “Too Much Ain’t Enough” (1964)
1002 Syl Sims – “Lovemist” / “Landslide”
1003 Randy and The Rockets – “Doggin'” / “Let’s Just Say Goodbye” 1964
1004 Bill Dunnam and The Playboys – “Back To School” / “Anna Belle Lee” 1964
1005 John Fred & the Playboys – “Boogie Children” (Lynn Ourso) / “My First Love” (produced by Rocky Robin, 1965)
1006
1007
1008 Huey Darby – “Rockin’ Robin” / “Secret of Love” (1965)
1009 Duane Yates – “Passin’ On By” / “Anyone”
1010 Duane Yates & the Capris – “Here I Stand” / “Hold It” (C. Scott & B. Butler)
1011 Jody Daniel – “At the Go Go” / “Quando Caliente el Sol”
1012 Billy John & the Continentals – “Ooh Pooh Pah Doo” / “Does Someone Care (for Me)”
1013 Ron Gray & the Countdowns – “No More” / “Ajax The Tin Knight” (1966)
1014 Billy John & the Continentals – “Lover Boy Blue” (B & B. Babineaux) / “Put the Hurt on You”
1015 The Countdowns – “Cover Of Night” (Don Griffin – Don Strickland) / “Can’t You See” (Ron Gray, A&R also Ron Gray)
1016
1017
1018 Don & Jerry – “Too Much Confusion” / “Better Run & Hide”
1019 Thursday’s Children – “Running Around on Me” / “I Don’t Need Your Love” (J. Dunn & S. Farmer)
1020 The Spectres – “No Good, No Where World” (Ron Gray & J. L. Carraway) / “High Stepper”
1021 The Rogue Show – “Look to Me” (Larry Jefferson, Jay Boyott Music BMI) / “Little Lonely Summer Girl” (D. Box, R. Rush)

Compiled with help from Global Dog Productions though I took off their listing of Penny Gilley at 1016 as I believe that’s a different N-Joy label.

Categories: Newark, Ohio

The Glass Menagerie

January 6, 2011 Chris Bishop 16 Comments

I was a drummer for one of those bands way back when. Newark, Ohio was our Liverpool. We had The Sticks and Stones for many years – they had their own bus and competed in the national battle of the bands a couple times and I think got a recording deal. Then there was The Lyte Brigade who also had a bus, AND Mel Royster who was a great singer. They put out a record, I think it was called “Showtime”.
Then there was my band – Glass Menagerie that was together till ’70. The members were Steve Risbon (lead), Steve Hideg (bass), Bob Reynard (guitar) and Fred Schonberg (drums).
We were on Jerry Razors’ “Dance Party” and recorded a cover of “Delta Lady” by Joe Cocker which got some airplay. We didn’t have a bus and rented a U haul every weekend. We opened at “Someplace Else” in Mt Vernon I think it was, for the “Ohio Express” after they came back from England and didn’t want to be bubblegum anymore. We also did the Holiday Swim Club, and played from Norwalk to Cadiz and south to West Virginia – with a lot of gigs in Zanesville, not bad when you’re 15.
The photos were taken fall of ’70 with two of the members who were on the record. We all came from garage band roots and the band had been together since 1967.
Fred Schonberg

Categories: El Paso, Frogdeath, New Mexico, Texas, University Park

The Imposters

January 4, 2011 Chris Bishop Leave a comment

Writing about Danny and the Counts has brought in a lot of information about the Coronado and Frogdeathlabels, so I’ll feature some more artists from these companies, starting with the Imposters.

The A-side is “Wipe In”, their take on the surf standard “Wipe Out” of course, with plenty of reverb and a deranged introduction. It was written by E. Teleheny, published by Conte Music. The flip is a standard blues, “Tulsa”, written by L. Miller.

I can’t find any info or photos of the band, if anyone has one, please let me know.

Although a DJ in El Paso, Steve Crosno’s Frogdeath label was based in University Park, New Mexico. At least some records were cut at his house. He usually put a witty quip on the label, this one has “Produced by Shteve [sic] Crosno”.

Thanks to Sam Stephenson for the scans and transfers of this 45.

Categories: Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Detroit, Michigan, Wheels 4

The King’s Court “Don’t Put Me On” on Wheel’s 4 Records

December 28, 2010 Chris Bishop 15 Comments

For years I’ve seen white-label copies of the King’s Court record with only stamped titles and the words “Test Pressing”. Until recently I assumed they were bootlegs. I’ve since read they are originals, pressed at the same time as the standard green label copies. There even exist some copies with blank white labels.

I don’t have a green label 45 to compare, but I’ll list the deadwax info from my stamped copy: both sides of the dead wax have the Nashville Matrix stamp, and “95” etched into the vinyl. “Don’t Put Me On” has “WH 3613-A” etched into the dead wax, along with a separate etching of “WH 6̶3̶1̶3̶A̶” (partially crossed out). The flip has the Nashville Matrix stamp, the “95” and “WH-3613-B”. The 95 is code for the Archer Record Pressing in Detroit.

“Don’t Put Me On” has the band playing a steady groove behind a repetitive, buzzing guitar figure. The opening line is “Girl you better not cheat on me” and the lyrics alternate between warning the girl and pleading with her. “Don’t Put Me On” is an original by Holowicki, Suba and Grihorash and published through Jamaica Pub, BMI. The flip is a cover of “Midnight Hour” that’s better than most versions I’ve heard.

Members of the King’s Court were:

John Holowicki – lead vocals
Aaron Dytiniak – lead guitar
Craig Suba – rhythm guitar
Brian Cramer – keyboards
Mike Grihorash – bass
Bill Barent – drums

Anyone have a photo of the band?

Bill Barent, drummer for the band wrote:

Craig Suba one of the guitar players was installing drapes at our house and heard me playing the drums down the basement. When I came up he asked me if I would be interested in playing in a band. That’s how it all started. The recording studio was in a basement in Dearborn it was a great experience. Grew up in Dearborn Heights, Michigan that’s where all the members of the group lived.
After the Kings Court I played in 10 piece Soul Band called Dan Riley and the Soul Review. I played in the U. S. Army, we put a group together and won 1st Army Entertainment Contest. Later on after I was married I just did weddings and some club work.

The Wheels 4 Records label had a tag, “The Dearborn Sound”, but since that city is just west of Detroit the Kings Court and other bands on the label could have come from anywhere in the area. The records I’ve seen list Bryan Dombrowski as engineer, and I’ve also read he owned the label, though I see Jim Walters is credited as producer on several Wheels 4 sides.

Some of the better Wheels 4 releases include:

3609 – House of Commons “Til Tomorrow” (Tony Franciosi) / “Love Is a Funny Thing”
3611 – Innsmen “I Don’t Know” (Vince Goldsmith) / “Things Are Different Now”
3619 – Hearsemen “I Get That Feeling” / “Christianne” (both by Chris Brent)

There was a three CD set of Wheels 4 recordings, including many unreleased sides, issued in 1994.

Categories: Manhattan, New York, Red Lite

Electrified People, Jimmy Peterson, and Red Lite Records discography

December 26, 2010 Chris Bishop 17 Comments

Jimmy Peterson, photo courtesy of the Peterson family

“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).”

For years, I mistakenly thought the Jimmy Peterson credited on both sides was the Chicago-based songwriter, producer and singer who cut 45s on Limelight and Chess. However, I now realize that the Jimmy Peterson who is credited on the Electrified People was recording mainly in New York. Not only was Red Lite based in New York, but a conversation with his son, whose mother is Yvonne Daniels, who also recorded on Red Lite, confirmed this info. To make matters more confusing, there was a different Yvonne Daniels working in radio in Chicago!

Jimmy confirmed that the Electrified People an actual group, not just a studio creation, and that Yvonne Daniels was a member.

Jimmy Peterson wrote and/or produced or arranged on all four of Yvonne Daniels’ singles, including “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, and her earlier singles on Roulette and Sterling.

This is the only other De-Lite or Red Lite 45 that I can find Jimmy’s name on, but he has a long list of credits and his own singles on Federal, Barry, Roulette, HoMark, Fox Fire and other labels.

Red Lite discography:

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 with the Electrified People – 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)

Thank you to Jimmy for setting the record straight about which Jimmy Peterson was the correct one for this record and for sending in the photo of his father.

Apologies to Joe Pytel Jr. for removing the photos and info he sent me of the Chicago-based producer, but that is a story for another post.

Categories: Lawn, Portsmouth, Vermillion, Virginia

The Sting Rays from Portsmouth

December 18, 2010 Chris Bishop 14 Comments

The Sting Rays band — “A picture of the Sting Rays when we were at the top of our game.” From left: Cecil DeHart, Tom Pittman, “Butch” Schodt, Randy Vaughn, Tom Parker and Vince Screeney

For the 500th story I’ve done on US artists and labels since starting this site, I’m featuring a couple records that are very obscure and rarely heard, but both excellent examples of the sound of bands in the Tidewater region in the mid-60s.

The Sting Rays came from Portsmouth, Virginia. They had two 45s, one on Lawn and another on Vermillion. Both 45s feature an r&b influenced vocal number on one side, and an instrumental on the other.

Their first record is quite a rocker, featuring the swinging horn-led instro “Ele-Phink” backed with the fine, tough vocal “Hey Girl, Watcha Gonna Do” on the flip. Both songs written by R. Vaughn and published through Palmina Music and Florentine, BMI.

“I Need Her”, the vocal side of their second 45 might be their best track. The soulful singing is strong and the horns work perfectly with the driving rhythm section. “Calhoon-a”, the instrumental side, featured piano with bursts of horns (sorry about the warbled sound on this transfer). “Cahoon-A” was written by Tommy Parker, while “I Need Her” was by Tommy Pitman. Both sides produced by F.W. Singleton and published by Florentine Music, BMI. Released on Vermillion 107, the RCA custom press number S4KM-8478/9 indicates that this was pressed in the first half of 1965.

Their lead guitarist Vince Screeney took over on bass for the Swinging Machine when Evan Pierce was in the army.

Vince wrote to me that his time with the Machine, as he calls them, “started with me playing lead guitar for a rival band, The Sting Rays.” Vince gave me some background on the group and sent in the photo at top:

The Sting Rays were:
Cecil DeHart – bass
Tom Pittman – lead sax and vocals
“Butch” Schodt – drums
Randy Vaughn – sax, vocals
Tom Parker – organ
Vince Screeney – guitar, vocals
These were the members in the group that made the records and we were in top form before we had to break up so that three of our guys could go to college. This is the same group that shared the stage and alternated sets and jam sessions with the Rhondels at the Top Hat club in Virginia Beach.
We certainly weren’t any slouches and recorded twice at a studio in Accokeek, MD. It’s hard to read on the Vermillion label but if you look closely you’ll see that they were recorded by Ray Vernon Productions. His real name was Vernon Ray and he was the brother of Link Wray. Yes, he spelled it differently and I guess he had his reasons. He joked with us that he called his little basement studio “Ray’s Three Track Chicken Shack”. We got to meet Link Wray at our final recording session and I can tell you it was a real charge for me to meet the rockabilly legend.
The Sting Rays had a manager, a retired Portsmouth cop named Woody Singleton who was responsible for getting us recorded. I believe he must have met Vernon during the time Vernon was driving taxis in Portsmouth.
By the way, in case you’re curious, those were yellow shirts, white pants, burgundy jackets and ascots! and of course… Weejuns!
Sadly, we lost Randy on Dec. 23, 2010. The rest of us are hoping for a reunion soon. Thanks to all who remember us and wish us well.
Vince Screeney

I’m sorry to report Vince Screeney passed away on May 25, 2013. Last time I heard from Vince in 2011 he said the remaining Sting Rays were planning a reunion. Vince helped me put this page on the Sting Rays together, and also wrote to me about his next group, the Swinging Machine. He lived in a golden age for music generally and Portsmouth especially.

The Sting Rays with Elsie Strong
top row, L-R: Brent Brower, Cecil Dehart, Tommy Parker
Middle row, L-R: Bob Watkins, Randy Boone
Bottom row, L-R: Roger Thacker, Elsie Strong, Terry Legum

Randy Boone sent in the photo above with a later lineup of the Sting Rays that included:

Elsie Strong – lead vocals
Roger Thacker – lead vocals
Terry Legum – lead guitar
Cecil Dehart – bass
Tommy Parker – Hammond organ
Randy Boone – drums
Brent Brower – horns
David Todd – horns
Bob Watkins – trumpet

Thank you to Vince Screeney for the scans of both records and the photo of the group, to Chris Beisel for help with an ID in the second photo, and to Mop Top Mike.

Vermillion (Ver-Million, get it?) had some cool 45s, most notably the Executioners “You Won’t Find Me” / “Haunting My Mind”, the top side of which is a fantastic garage number with a cool guitar intro. The band is still something of a mystery, so if anyone hears of an Executioners from Virginia, Maryland or even PA, please let me know!

Categories: Houston, Texas

The Deuce Is Wilde (the Deuces Wild)

December 17, 2010 Chris Bishop 16 Comments

The Deuce Is Wilde in front of the Catacombs photo — The Deuce Is Wilde in front of the Catacombs. Photo from Not Fade Away #4

Updated December 2010

The Deuces Wild (who became the Deuce Is Wilde) performed “You’re All Around Me” with footage from the Catacombs and Love Street in a short 1968 film directed by Charles Burwell, titled Deuce Is Wild.

From people’s comments it seems the band included these members:

Charles Webb – lead guitar
Paul Viviano – rhythm guitar
Harold Bailey – keyboards
Gordon Barnette – bass guitar
Rick Slaydon – drums

One early member of the Deuces Wild was Clark Clem, who also played guitar in the Chancellors Ltd. Charles Burwell contacted me to say that Clark Clem recently told him he’d left the band a year before the film was made.

In December, 2010 James Donnelly, who was in Jim Henley & the Thymes, wrote to me about the band:

I always knew them as the Deuces Wild. I went to high school and played in the HS band with two of the members, drummer Ricky Slayden and bassist Gordon ‘Boo Boo’ Barnett. They also had an guitarist named Charlie Webb. Also Harold Baily (keyboards), I think he left the group in ’68 or ’69 and moved to Las Vegas to become a blackjack dealer! Lost track of them years and years ago, although I know the Gordon passed away in the 70’s.
The Deuces were one of the best cover bands around, and covered everybody from James Brown to Paul Revere and the Raiders to the Music Machine. They played the Catacombs on a regular basis. Boo Boo was the comedian of the group, and the bass he played was almost as big as he was, Ricky was one of the best drummers I ever played with.

Margaret Jackson Graeff commented below with information I’ll repeat here:

The Deuces Wild changed their name to the Deuce Is Wilde around 1967. The rhythm guitar player in the picture, who is also doing vocals, is Paul Viviano. The bass player in the photo is Gordon Barnette. Contrary to what was said previously, Gordon did not die in the 1970s. He died in April, 1992. In the early 1970s, their roadie, Howard Lehman died. He lived down the street from Gordon when they were in their teens. I think that is where the confusion is. I knew the Deuces very well.
Charles Webb was their lead guitar player, but left the band when he was a freshman at Rice University. He now has a PhD and is a professor at California State University at Long Beach. He also goes by the name Charles Harper Webb and is a published author. Charles also played in the Houston based band, Saturnalia. Rick Slaydon played drums. Rick also played drums for the Houston-based band, The Starvation Army Band. James Lucas was the lead singer. Harold Bailey was the keyboard player. Paul Viviano, in 1969, formed the band ICE, with Stacy Sutherland, of the 13th Floor Elevators.

Thanks to Charles Burwell for info on Deuce Is Wild and the frame image from the film, and to James Donnelly for the info about the group.

Categories: Cent, Florida, Tampa

The Surprize

December 17, 2010 Chris Bishop 16 Comments

You can hardly find a better intro than the one to the Surprize’s “I Will Make History”, with an immortal fuzz riff that hooks the listener immediately. I find the lyrics don’t match the intensity of the music, and that hokey interlude just doesn’t make sense to me, cutting the momentum in the middle of the song.

The flip “Too Bad” is more consistent, if more conventional, and is the side I play the most these days. I’ve seen this listed as from the summer of ’67 but I would speculate it was cut a little later.

Members of the band included:

James Marvell (Carlos Zayas) – lead vocals
Paul Paris – lead guitar
Buddy Good – bass and vocals
Roger Fuentes – drums

Roger Fuentes came from the Early Americans who have a great single on Paris Tower, “Night After Night” / “It’s So Cold Outside” where his drumming stands out. Carlos Zayas wrote “Too Bad” and co-wrote “I Will Make History” with Centinaro.

John Centinaro managed and produced the band on his own Cent Record label out of Tampa, Florida. Centinaro he also managed the Robbs and the Mysterians for a time.

Prior to the Surprize, Good and Marvell collaborated with Centinaro as the Skopes with “She’s Got Bad Breath” / “Tears In Your Eyes” on the USA label in the summer of ’67.

In 1968 Good and Marvell released one single with lead guitarist Eddie Wasenberg as ‘Together’, with “I Loved You” (credited to Centinaro, Wonderbuna and Zayas) / “Don’t Laugh at Me” on Cent Records, recorded at Charles Fuller Studios in Tampa. Both sides are poppy productions, and “Don’t Laugh at Me” seems to feature some zippy speeded-up guitar runs.

Marvell, Fuentes and Good went on to join Mercy (“Love Can Make You Happy” on Warner Bros), another band managed by Centinaro. After Mercy, Marvell and Good formed the gospel country music duo the Country Cavaleers, again with Centinaro managing, then went solo in 1976.

James Marvell wrote to me:

The Surprize was originally a 1966 three piece Tampa, Florida band.
Before their days as The Surprize, James Marvell and Buddy Good were singing and writing songs together. It was during those teen years that James and Buddy formed The Scopes. They released a song co-written by their manager John Centinaro titled “She’s Got Bad Breath.” Scope mouthwash banned the song and the duo changed their group name to The Surprize.
Around 1968 Surprize members James Marvell, Buddy Good with their drummer Roger Fuentes joined Mercy and recorded the million seller “Love Can Make You Happy” written by Mercy founder Jack Sigler Jr.
James & Buddy wrote many songs during their teenage years in Florida and even had songs published by The Isley Brothers’ publishing company in New York. James hopes to dig up those recordings from the middle to late 60s.
After Mercy, Marvell & Good went on to form The Country Cavaleers. Today, James Marvell is still traveling and reliving the the music of the 60s. Joining Marvell is his wife Faye.

Sources include: Jeff Lemlich’s rundown on Mercy at Spectropop, the Limestone Lounge, James Marvell’s site and BoggessMusicandSound.com.

Categories: Chicago, Destination, Illinois, Indiana, South Bend, Unknown

The Tradewinds

December 4, 2010 Chris Bishop 7 Comments

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.

Categories: Chicago, Illinois, Pslhrtz

Zendik “Is There No Peace” on Pslhrtz

November 26, 2010 Chris Bishop 4 Comments

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).

Anyone have a photo of the group?

Garage Hangover