Detroit’s Edges of a Broken Mirror / Good Tuesday 1966 to 1968

Good Tuesday, from left: Dave Duncan, drums, Ron Connolly, bass, Paul Cervenak, keys, Keith McCurdy, guitar, and Kevin Ohl, lead vocals

The band’s keyboardist, Paul Cervanek, provided the rare photo and biography:

My first band was Echoes from a Broken Mirror, which quickly changed to Good Tuesday, due to the name’s length. [The band photo] was taken in my basement, around 1966 to 1968, with the band Good Tuesday. I am the blond guy slouching against the wall, third from left.

We played the various Detroit teen nightclubs that prevailed at that time, primarily those operated by Ed “Punch” Andrews, in partnership with Suzi Quatro’s brother, Mike, such as the Crows Nest—both east and west—and the Silverbell, which was a former ski lodge near Oakland University, and the Birmingham Palladium. We also appeared twice at the infamous Grande Ballroom, along with Something Different located on Northwestern Highway, Wamplers Pavilion, and a few H.S. dances.

I left Good Tuesday in 1968 when I started my first year at Oakland University, but fell into a small music clique that included Tom Weschler and we became friends. I had a short stint with Bob Seger’s band—in between Tom Schultz and Dan Watson—before joining Madrigal.

When Madrigal’s music moved more toward the theatrical rather than rock ’n’ roll—and became more non-danceable, concert-type songs—I left. In retrospect, it seemed odd that a band with that type of product would have been hired to play at the Roostertail, a popular Detroit nightclub, on one of its “Sunday Night at the Roostertail” events, which were non-alcoholic, 18 to 21 years old only. Madrigal performed at all of the same clubs that my previous band, Good Tuesday, played.

Ironically, that was on a warm, late-summer-like evening in September during that Madrigal gig at the Roostertail when I met my future wife [and still married 50 years later]. For that, I am grateful. I recall that may have been one of my last gigs with Madrigal, as my “priorities” changed shortly afterward. At the very end, Ted Pearson, who fronted Madrigal, out of the blue decided the band’s new name was now Walpurgis, this on the eve of our first Grande Ballroom show. They, of course, eventually recorded what became the Phantom’s Divine Comedy project. As for me: my last professional band was Fancy Colors, in the early ’70s.

As it turns out, I gave keyboard lessons to Russ Klatt, a saxophone player. He got a gig in a band called Downtown Clergy as result—and eventually played the Hammond on Phantom’s Divine Comedy.

Paul Cervanek on keyboards with Madrigal, 1968 to 1969.

Good Tuesday, Madrigal and Fancy Colors recorded no singles (though Madrigal, at some point and not during Cervanek’s tenure, it’s rumored, did; but they were never released).

Article written by R.D Francis.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.