The Valkryies recorded one single at Continental Recordings in Framingham, released on Cori Records CR 31003. “Love You Like I Do” is excellent garage rock, with sharp drumming and good guitar and sax solos. “Blues for Cookie” is a slow saxophone instrumental.
Members included:
Frank Curtis – lead guitar and vocals Steve Thorp – rhythm guitar and backing vocals; bass guitar on the single Domenic Palumbo – tenor sax and bass guitar Stan Baker – drums and backing vocals
Until Steve Thorp commented, I had no info on the group other than two song writer names: Francis Curtis (Francis Wesley Curtis, Jr.) and Domenic Palumbo. F. Curtis, Jr. registered “(That’s Why) I Love You Like I Do” on September 29, 1965. Domenic C. Palumbo registered “Blues for Cookie” on August 9, 1965. Donna Music BMI published both songs.
Steve sent in the photos and answered my questions about the Valkyries:
The Valkyries (also known as the New Valkyries) were active in the suburban Boston, Massachusetts area between 1965 and 1967.
The Valkyries in Medford MA, November 1965
Location and Personnel: The members of the band came from several small towns about 25 miles southwest of Boston. Frank “Snuffy” Curtis, the leader of the band, lived in Medway, Massachusetts. Curtis was a veteran of the local rock and roll/garage band scene and had fronted an earlier version of the Valkyries. He was 23 years old in 1965.
Stan Baker and Steve Thorp were from Medfield, Massachusetts, about 6 miles from Medway. Baker and Thorp had met in high school. Baker played drums in the school band and Thorp had been playing guitar for four years on his own and in a few small folk groups and rock bands.
Thorp and Baker shared a mutual love of rock and roll and R&B. The two started jamming together in 1964 at Baker’s house. Baker and Thorp met Curtis through the local music scene, probably at a house party, and the three started playing together. Curtis then invited Baker and Thorp to form a new version of the Valks in early 1965.
Curtis knew a lot of people from the local music scene and brought in various musicians to play in the band from time to time. Domenic “Gitch” Palumbo was a tenor sax player and a friend of Curtis. Palumbo may have been from Franklin, MA, a small nearby city. Palumbo was the same age as Curtis, and, like Curtis, had a lot of experience in the local music scene.
By mid-summer the line-up was set: Curtis on lead guitar and vocals, Palumbo on sax, Thorp on rhythm guitar and back-up vocals, Baker on drums and back-up vocals. A succession of bass players came and went through the band.
Instrumentation and styles: The band played late 1950’s/early 1960’s American pop style: up tempo, guitar driven rock, with lots of reverb and a heavy emphasis on beat. Palumbo’s sax playing added touches of rockabilly and surf rock. Curtis’s singing reflected earlier singers like Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochrane. Although the band played mostly covers, Curtis was a talented songwriter who contributed several originals to the repertoire.
Where the band played: mostly high school dances and house parties. The band’s choice of venues was limited because Baker and Thorp were both underage and couldn’t work in bars and night clubs. Nevertheless, the group worked regularly and by 1966 was working bigger venues. The group’s biggest gig was opening for Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in either late 1965 or mid 1966 at the Lake Pearl ballroom in Wrentham, MA (Palumbo had left the group, which now had a regular bass player). The group began to play small bars and clubs in the Boston area. Thorp left the group by the fall of 1966. The band continued to play as the “New Valkyries” until 1967.
The Valkyries in Medford MA, November 1965
Two photos show the group in action at a high school dance in Medfield, MA, in November 1965. Curtis, in the plaid sport jacket, is at center mic. The bass player partially shown in one of the photos may be Palumbo. Thorp is shown taking the lead vocal in one photograph.How the recording came about: Curtis and Palumbo came up with the idea of recording in late 1965. Palumbo located Continental Recording Studios in Framingham MA, about 10 miles north of Medway, and he agreed to front the costs of recording and pressing the discs.
The band arrived at Continental’s studios, probably in mid-September, well-rehearsed and ready to play. The group didn’t have a bass player at the time, so Thorp played a borrowed electric bass on both tracks. The band recorded both tracks over a few hours, needing only a couple of takes on each track. “Love You Like I Do” was a Curtis original. “Blues for Cookie” was a slow, doo-wop instrumental featuring Palumbo, an acknowledgment of his fronting the recording and pressing costs.
The recording system was simple but effective. Both Curtis’s guitar solo and the harmony vocals were double-tracked, using an eight-track recorder.
The follow-up: although the record got a little air play on local radio stations, it never really went anywhere. The Valkyries continued on with different personnel throughout 1966 and 1967.
The Royals, from left to right: Dennis Villanucci, Jim Hideriotis, Joe Villanucci, Rick Krikorian and Robert Krikorian
Dennis Villanucci wrote to me about the Royals who had three singles in the mid-1960s:
This band was formed in Haverhill, Massachusetts during the mid/late 1950s. The original band members were Jim Hideriotis (drums), Rick Krikorian (guitar) Dick Gaiero (guitar), Ted Schiavoni (guitar), Bob Schiavoni (bass) and Joe Villanucci (keyboards).
Around 1961 or so, Dick & Bob left the band, and I (Dennis Villanucci, Joe’s brother) joined as their bass player. Rick’s twin brother (Robert) also joined shortly thereafter as a singer and also played tambourine. Later on I became their lead guitarist. The band card shown was made after Bob had left the band.
Lowell State Lounge poster, May 22, 1965
While the members of the Royals were attending college, we appeared at many fraternity houses and college concert venues (college dance mixers) on campuses throughout New England (mostly in Massachusetts, New Hampshire & Vermont locations). Typical venues were Lowell State College (MA), UNH (Durham NH), Dartmouth College, University of Vermont etc.
We had an agent by the name of Al Long. He handled about 25 bands from the New England area.
We were friends with a few of the bands shown on Al’s list … The Roadrunners (Mike Fedenyszen et. al.) and the Heard (Chuck Buzzell, Eric Mcfadden, Bob Fontaine and Mike Moustafa).
Another band that we were friends with (not on the list) was called Lazy Smoke. John Pollano was their leader. My brother Joe played keyboard on “Sarah Saturday”.
A “rival” band was the Del Phi’s.
While playing a fraternity house for Lowell technological institute, we met a fraternity member who, along with his friend, had a recording studio in Framingham Massachusetts. We accepted a one year recording contract that was offered to us at no cost to us.
The band made three 45 rpm recordings at Continental Recordings Inc. (CORI) in Framingham, Massachusetts. The first recording “The Lady’s Bad” / “I’m All Alone” bears the CORI label and was made in June 1965.
The other two were under the Croydon label; “Summertime in Maine” / “Teenage Dreamer” and “Slow Down Boy” / “Summertime in Maine”.
While recording our music during that year, we were connected with Gene Kilham. Gene presented his music to us, and we agreed to record for him.
1st label for this song, June 1966
June 1967 release
Towards the end of the 1960s we began playing regularly at local night clubs: The Cinnamon Lounge (Lowell), Three Copper Men (Lowell), The Bowery (Salisbury Beach MA) and many others.
When we appeared at the Bowery, the band had added a horn section, (Ralph Bennett – sax, Rick Hammett trumpet and Jerry Bergonzi – tenor sax). We also added a front man, Johnny C (John Colimere). We played eight (4 or 5-hour) shows a week for about 6 weeks during the summer of 1969.
The band broke up around 1970. Joe and Robert are still active in the music industry.
Q. I notice the writing credits on “Teenage Dreamer” read Leo Krikorian and Gene Kilham, and Gene is also sole writer for “Summertime in Maine”. I believe Gene owned the Croydon label. Was Leo another name for your brother?
Leo Krikorian was not related to the two Krikorian brothers that were with the Royals (Rick & Robert). It is just a coincidence that he has the same last name. Leo & Gene wrote “Teenage Dreamer” and Leo played lead guitar on the recording.
June 15, 1966 issue of Billboard
Two notices for “Summertime in Maine” appeared in Billboard, in June and August 1966.
Royals discography:
June 1965: “I’m All Alone” / “The Lady’s Bad”, both by Krikorian – Villanucci, Hyannis Music Co., released on Cori Records CR 31002.
June, 1966: “Summertime in Maine” (Gene Kilham) / “Teenage Dreamer” (Leo Krikorian and Gene Kilham), both Chriskil Music Publ. Co., ASCAP, released on Croydon ZTSP 122492/3, a Columbia custom pressing, probably from their Rockaway plant.
May, 1967: “Summertime in Maine” (Gene Kilham) / “Slow Down, Boy” (Robert Krikorian and Joe Villanucci), released on Croydon U4KM-6776/7, an RCA custom pressing probably from their Pittman, New Jersey plant.
Chriskil Music Publ. Co., ASCAP published all three songs on the Croydon singles, named for the company’s street address.
Kilham has written and produced a single by Barry Wilson & the Camelots “The Bug” / “Gonna Put You Down” Dot 45-16462, both by B. Wilson and Gene Kilham, that received notice in Billboard in September 1963.
Al Long agency booking list – any info on the bands listed here would be appreciated:
Name Groups: The Harlem Playboys (with Randy Madison) The King Cobras – “Maine’s No. 1 band” The Nickel Bag of Soul (“New Hampshire’s best) The Catharsis The Embers John Tropea and the Spendors (“Boston’s great band”)
Girl Groups: The Fabulous Frauleins (recorded “Practice Of Evil” / “Days Gone By” on Onyx 8601) The Ever Lovin’s What’s this Madness
Popular Groups: The Given Word The Crescendos The Royals The Tel-stars The Avengers The Blue Cloud The Jinx The Del Phi’s The Roadrunners The Deltas Annie and the Orphans (from the Lakes region) The Heard Underground Conspiracy Gray Shade of Blue
Cori Records was the house label for Continental Recordings studio in Framingham, Massachusetts. I discussed the studio in some depth in an article on the Balladeers, who had the first two 45s released by Continental. Max Waller and I put together this discography of the label. It’s incomplete, especially in regard to the LPs, so if you have any additional information please contact me.
All 45s after the first have matrix codes for Capitol Custom pressings. The first letter of the code refers to the year (T=1965, U=1966, W=1967).
Most publishing is either Hyannis Music Co, BMI or Donna Music Pub. BMI.
On “You’ve Got Me Cryin'” BOSS TODES is written below The Mauve but marked out on all copies I’ve seen. The band had a second 45 as the Boss Todes on the Sound City label in 1967, “Have Certainty” / “Sally the Pollywog”.
45s / 7″ EPs:
E.P. Scroggs CR-0001 – The Balladeers – “Cape Cod (Here We Come) / “Land of the Sea and Sun” (ZTSP-94612/3) (Summer, 1964) Cori CR-31001 – The Balladeers – “Words I Want To Hear” / “High Flying Bird” (TB 631/2) 8/1965 Cori CR-31002 – The Royals “I’m All Alone” / “The Lady’s Bad” (June 1965) Cori CR 31003 – The Valkyries “Love You Like I Do” (Curtis) / “Blues For Cookie”(TB 476) 1965 Cori CR 31004 – Al Gay “Soldier’s Last Letter” / “Over and Over” Cori CR 31005 – The Riffs “Outside That Door” (Paul Iannazzo) / “Holy Ravioli” (UB 276) March 1966 Cori CR 31006 – The Mauve “You’ve Got Me Cryin'” (Ford-Weeks) / “In The Revelation” (Arranged by Eric Sample, UB 238) March 1966 Insegrievious CR 31007 – The End “Bad Night” / “Make Our Love Come Through” (IAM 45-UB-388/6-P1) 1966 Cori CR 31008 – Sole Survivors – “Love Her So” (D. Cormier) / “There Were Times” (R. Pieroni) PS (UB 423, both sides Hyannis Music BMI) 1966 Cori CR 31009 – Notations – “Mr. Ringmaster” (Bruce Chaput) / “I Need No Misery” (Bob Allain) Cori CR 31010 – C.C & the Chasers “Two And Twenty” / “Hey, Put The Clock Back On The Wall” (WB 144/5) 1967 Cori CR 31011 – Shyres “Where Is Love” (Cox) / “My Girl” (Beckmann) (WB 218/9, both sides Hyannis Music BMI) May 1967 Cori CR 31012 – Jerry Seeco Sextet “That’s All” / “Teach Me Tonight” Cori CR 31013 – The Kumbaya Singers “To My Brothers” / “Ruben Harte”
Continental Recordings CR-337001: Central Park Zoo – “Help Me Girl” / “Set You Free This Time” / “Louie Louie” / “Monkey Time” / “Painted Black” / “Mustang Sally” (1967)
Cori CR 222: Brownie Macintosh with the Harry Gronki Corale “Rye Whiskey Joe” (Bill Staines) / “The Call” (Gene MacLellan) – 1971
LPs: Remnant Records RBA 3571 – The Rising Storm – Calm Before… Cori CRLP 31002 – The Passports and the Tabooz – 66 (split LP – Bradford Junior College) Cori CR 3101 – Bobby Orr – The Two Sides Of Bobby Orr Cori CR 3111 – Paul Wayne – Live At The Garage Cori CRLP 31007 – The Passports and the Tabooz – 1968 / Ragged But Right (split LP) Cori CS 31009 – Endless Knights – Something For You (1971) Cori CS 31016 – Endless Knights – Back For More (1975) Cori CS 31017 – Brownie Macintosh – Coastline Brownie (1975) Brownie Macintosh wrote to me about his recordings on Cori:
I met Dan at probably the most troubled time of my life. I was about 19 and had been kicked out of boarding school a year and a half earlier. I used to drive by the studio on my way from Wayland, MA to Hopkinton to see my then girlfriend. After about a year I got up the courage to knock on the door and Dan was very nice and showed me around. I was absolutely in love with the possibility of working in a studio, and after two or so years, Dan hired me to sing on two jingles … I was hooked.
I did first a single “Rye Whiskey Joe” b/w “The Call” which Dan loved and we had some action on radio, but could not get major Boston airplay, even though we came close. We did the single in 1971. It was exciting as Dan and Pudgie knew a lot of DJs and everyone who came through Continental was forced to listen to it. “Rye Whiskey Joe”, the A-side, was four minutes long, unheard of for an unknown at the time.
I have since produced countless recording sessions, commercial jingles, corporate pieces, records, etc, and written songs for and with The Kingston Trio, The Irish Rovers (which produced my first and only gold record) and many large music publishing companies.
Thank you to Brownie Macintosh, Max Waller, Erik Lindgren, C. Benanti, and Jeffrey Davison for their help with this discography.
The Passports posing with a Confederate flag.
The Passports were Linda Moody, Alice Haynsworth, Mimi Walz, Cibby Thomas, Mary Shartle, Carolyn Smith, Ann Detweiler, Elaine Dart, Nancy Byloff, Muff McDonald and Betsy Thurlow. The Tabooz were Margaret Bingham, Susie Grace, Suki Augenblick, Margo Jones, Sarah Miller, Sarah Williams, Muffy Gibson, Liz Thayer, Susan Paul, Bibi Kinney, Debbie Dent, Barb Davis and Robin Boak.
The End at Andover, photo courtesy of Tony Curtiss
The End came out of Philips Academy in Andover, a private boarding school. In 1966, the band traveled forty miles south to Continental Recordings in Framingham to make their only record. Continental’s label Cori pressed their 45 for them with the End’s custom Insegrievious label.
Many Andover bands recorded during the sixties, including the Invictas in 1961, the Satans’ Raising Hell LP from ’62, the Torques in ’63, the Apostles with two albums in 1964-65, and the Group with a four song EP in 1967. The Ha’pennys recorded their album Love Is Not the Same at Continental about the same time as The End made their 45.
A year later another Philips Academy band, the Rising Storm would also travel to Framingham to make their LP, Calm Before…, by far the most famous of all these releases.
The End only recorded one 45 while the rest of these bands (with the exception of the Group) recorded entire LPs. In any case they do well with their two original songs, especially the catchy “Bad Night”. The flip, “Make Our Love Come Through” is a fine ballad.
As for the label name, that apparently comes from the Batman TV series, hugely popular that year: “Catwoman, I find you to be odious, abhorrent, and insegrievious.” It’s not as bad as it sounds – a slang dictionary defines insegrievious as expressing anything and nothing at the same time in an impressive sounding way.
Tony Curtiss wrote to me about the band:
It was my cheesy organ solo in “Bad Night.” Here is the band’s lineup:
John Leone: The lead singer and writer of “Bad Night” and co-writer of “Make Our Love Come Through.” Jeff Lemkin: Lead guitar Chris Moore: Backup singer Cai Underwood: Drums. Cai had earlier been drummer for the Apostles at Andover. Bruce Curran: Rhythm guitar Mel Kendrick: Bass Tony Curtiss: Organ and co-writer of “Make Our Love Come Through.”
The band only made this one record in the Spring of 1966 as all but Mel Kendrick graduated from Andover in June of 1966 (Mel in June of 1967). We soon scattered to the winds. John Leone was off to Harvard, Chris Moore headed to Princeton, I went out west to Stanford etc. Thanks for remembering us, Tony Curtiss
Thank you to Tony for sharing these photos of the band.
The End at Continental Recording Studio, Framingham, MA, “during the recording of ‘Bad Night.’ From left to right is me (Tony Curtiss), Jeff Lemkin’s dad who drove us, Bruce Curran, Chris Moore and John Leone (in glasses).
The Balladeers were from Woonsockett, Rhode Island. In the summer of 1965 they traveled twenty miles north to Framingham, Massachusetts to record this 45 at Continental Recording Studios. It appears to have been the first record released on studio owner Tom Flynn’s Cori label.
“Words I Want to Hear” is an original by Robert Allen, who may have been in the group. The song starts with a subdued atmosphere of just acoustic guitar, percussion and solo voice. Bass and harmonies add momentum until the cathartic moment when the guitarist breaks into the chorded solo.
“High Flying Bird” is one of those songs that bridged the transition from folk to rock, like “House of the Rising Sun” and “Hey Joe”. Written by Billy Ed Wheeler and originally recorded by Judy Henske, it was covered by many groups, including We Five, the Jefferson Airplane and the Canadian band the Plague, who do a great psychedelicized version. The Balladeers take is as excellent as any of these.
Roland ‘Skip’ Boucher wrote to me about how he built Continental Recordings with Dan Flynn and his brother John Flynn. Skip also told me about a release I hadn’t known about – the Balladeers first 45 on the one-off E.P. Scroggs label, also recorded at Continental:
We built the studio in 1962. We were just out of high school and rented space on the second floor of a building in Framingham. We made the walls out of plywood and filled them with sand to soundproof them. In the picture you can see a door, which is also plywood and filled with sand and there is a small interlock and another plywood door leading to the control room.
The Balladeers first 45, also recorded at Continental
I met the Balladeers in the spring of 1964 and that’s when we recorded “Cape Cod Here We Come” and it was released in early summer of 1964.
They were a very good group. Really national level in their talent. “Cape Cod Here We Come” was not in their usual repertoire. They normally did pieces that were similar to the Kingston Trio. They were almost too polished for the ’60’s. If they had been a little rougher, I think they would have fit better with the times. Their style was more of a late ’50’s style.
They had a great sound though and it was great to work with them in the studio, because they were so good.
Dan, John and I worked at WBZ in the summer of 1963 and 1964. In the fall of 1964 I went to work full time for Channel 38 in Boston and that reduced the amount of time that I could spend at Continental. I signed up the Harvard Lampoon to do an album that parodied folk and rock groups. They arranged for musicians from the Berkley school of music and they funded the upgrade of an 8 track recorder for us [Continental].
I also worked on the electronics, building a power supply for the main mixer, because the original one had never worked properly and Dan had been running it from a pair of 12 volt batteries. I did a number of radio and television commercials at Continental with people I knew at Boston TV and radio stations.
I also designed and laid out several of the album covers, including the Rising Storm and others, but I was not involved in the recordings anymore and Dan brought in a new partner at some point in the late sixties. I think this partner’s focus was on bands, so he may have been involved with the groups you mentioned. Later, Dan became more involved with radio station jingle packages.
Dan still has what remains of Continental at his home. He has a small studio and recording equipment and has a large collection of old master tapes. However, I did go through them a couple of years ago and they didn’t seem to go back to the early days.
“Cape Cod Here We Come” was written by J. Martone. In March 1967, the Balladeers released one additional 45 on the Seven Seas label, “Used to Be” / “Goin’ Out of My Head”, which I haven’t heard, but is considered light vocal pop.
C.C. and the Chasers, from left: Charles Currie Wicker, Ted Demos, Joe Castagno, Jack Bruno and Richard BarnabyC.C. & the Chasers have just this one 45 on the Cori label from 1967, “Hey, Put the Clock Back on the Wall” / “Two and Twenty”
C.C. was Charles Currie Wicker, lead vocalist for this group from Boston. Both songs are by Gary Bonner. “Put the Clock Back on the Wall” is more famously done by the E-Types. The flip, “Two and Twenty” is well-turned twee pop.
It was recorded at Continental Studios in Framingham, MA, the same studio used by the Rising Storm. Dan Flynn ran both the studios and the Cori label.
Richard Barnaby wrote to me about the band, and Jack Bruno sent me scans of the two photos seen here. I will have a fuller story soon but for now here is a little info from Richard:
Members:
Charles Currie (CC) Wicker – lead vocals Ted Demos – lead guitar, vocals Richard Barnaby – bass guitar, vocals Joe Castagno – rhythm guitar, vocals Jack Bruno – drums, vocals
We switched from Bonner and Gordon, done largely with George Papadopolous’s (Unicorn) input to a more psychedelic format called “The Sacred Mushroom”, and then went to New York. After that we changed to Applepie Motherhood Band without Currie, and taking on Ann Tansey. After Applepie, the group went in many directions. Jack and I went to Florida and played with The Second Coming, and shared a house in Jacksonville with the Allman Brothers. Then Jack went with Shakey Legs Blues Band with Ted, and then Jack went with Tina Turner, and was her drummer for 15 or more years, and then he went with Elton John for about 2 years.
Thank you to Jack Bruno and Richard Barnaby for the photos and info about the band.
C.C. and the Chasers, from left: Charles Currie Wicker, Joe Castagno, Jack Bruno, Richard Barnaby and Ted Demos
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
The Balladeers were from Woonsockett, Rhode Island. In the summer of 1965 they traveled twenty miles north to Framingham, Massachusetts to record this 45 at Continental Recording Studios. It appears to have been the first record released on studio owner Tom Flynn’s Cori label.
