Category Archives: Label

Categories: California, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Rosco

The Missing Links “I Cried Goodbye” on Rosco

September 8, 2019 Chris Bishop Leave a comment

This group of Missing Links recorded on Rosco Records out of Hollywood. According to a paragraph that popped up on Wikipedia before being removed, the band’s members were Larry Duncan, Jim Stanley, Mike Swain and Danny DeLacey.

The controversy over that paragraph derives from whether the Missing Links backed Micky Dolenz for a brief time as Mickey and the One Nighters, at the instigation of Eddie Hodges. The Cool Cherry Cream site has the best summary of this crucial morsel of music history.

That site quotes Andrew Sandoval’s The Monkees: Day-By-Day, including that the Missing Links appeared at a spot called La Pitcher in Denver (anyone know more about this club?)

Regardless, the Missing Links did cut one great 45 without Micky, a cover of a recent Al Dowling song “Heartbreak Hill” b/w an original “I Cried Goodbye” on Rosco Records 418.

D. DeLacey and C. Stevens wrote “I Cried Goodbye” for Misslink Music, production through Rosco’s Chartmaker Productions, Inc. at N. Vine St. in Hollywood. I’m not sure who C. Stevens is.

The correct spelling of Danny DeLacey’s name is Danny DeLacy, at least that’s how it appears in a Cash Box artist directory and a very interesting item in the July 18, 1964 issue of Cash Box that describes him as an Australian and mentions his current DeVille Records single.

That single did see release on DeVille Records DE 118, but with the artist credited as “The One” through a paste-over label. It features “All the Time” and “You Got That Love”, both by Danny DeLacy and Jonny Baron for Charlin Music and Fabulous Music (ASCAP).

I haven’t heard either side – if you have audio files please contact me!

Production by Jay Colonna; he also receives production credit on a Danny Welton ‎single “Julie” / “Stroblights” from the movie “Girl in Gold Boots” (1968), one of the worst rated flicks on IMDB, and Elroy Peace’s funk 45 on Jo-Jo, “Whirlybird” / “Mama Sho-Nuff Is Psyche” (intriguing title!)

At some point, Danny DeLacy returned to Australia. When bassist Kim Lynch left the Australian group The Loved Ones in 1967, Rob Lovett switched to bass and Danny DeLacy joined on lead guitar. Interestingly, Australian rock history site Miles Ago describes DeLacy as an American!

Elroy Peace also had a number of Australian releases, I wonder if there’s some connection.

One other intriguing side-note: Rosco Records 417, just before the Missing Links features the Nova-Tones “Walk on the Surf Side”, a song by Bill Lincoln and Mike Dood for Beaver Music. This is Bill Lincoln who recorded with the Bushmen, the War-Babies and Euphoria and Mike Doud who was in the Sound of the Seventh Son and the East Side Kids!

Categories: Dot, Nashville, Tennessee

The Violations (former members of Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs)

August 20, 2019 Chris Bishop 6 Comments

Sam the Sham’s entire backing band quit towards the end of 1965, supposedly over financial disagreements. David Martin, Jerry Patterson, Ray Stinnett and Paul Gibson could not keep the Pharaohs name, and Sam recruited an entirely new Pharaohs lineup.

The remaining group cut one single as the Violations on Dot 45-16866, with Sam the Sham’s producer Stan Kesler, released in April, 1966.

Paul Gibson wrote the fast-moving r&b top side, “You Sure Have Changed” and collaborated with Ray Stinnett on “The Hanging”. The drumming is especially noticeable on both sides. I’ve read that “The Hanging” is a comment on the breakup with Samudio, but the lyrics are either oblique, like “People offer many persuasions/ Some offer gold as a prize / But they lie …”, or simply hard to comprehend over the slamming drums!

Cash Box reviewed the single in early May, 1966, giving it positive B+/B reviews, but the single faded without making any charts that I’m aware of.

Violations reviewed in Cash Box, May 7, 1966

Paul Gibson copyrighted two other songs in 1966, “A Long, Long Way” which was the B-side to Sam the Sham’s January 1966 single “Red Hot”, and “Like You Use To” which I’m not sure if anyone recorded.

I read Paul “Butch” Gibson left the music business after this single.

Ray Stinnett formed the 1st Century and released one 445 on Capitol produced by Don Nix featuring two of his original songs, “Looking Down” / “Dancing Girl”. He would work with Booker T. Jones and in 1971 cut his own album that would wait 40 years to be released with the title A Fire Somewhere.

Info from Ian Parker’s interview with Ray Stinnett at For Folk’s Sake.

Categories: Nashville, Not garage, Tennessee, Unknown, Zap

The Innocence “Quit Buggin’ Me” on Zap Records

August 18, 2019 Chris Bishop Leave a comment

I hadn’t heard the Innocence single “Quit Buggin’ Me” on Zap Records 2331, but I bought a copy because the titles were promising and it shares a label with a favorite garage 45, the Starlites‘ “Wait For Me”.

“Quit Buggin’ Me” turns out to be a fairly hilarious song-poem type vocal over a rock backing track (with flute, why not).

Quit buggin’ me,
I don’t want to be bothered,
Can’t you see,
You’re wasting your time.

Besides the singer’s off-time interjections of “Quit buggin’ me”, I like lyrics such as “keep fishin’ round, you got the bait”! plus the chorus chanting “You’ve had your way” and “I’m off the hook”.

“Jungle of Love” is more countrified and the lyrics a bit hackneyed.

Rozella Staples and Joan Hager wrote both songs, published through Top Talent Music BMI. They registered the songs with the Library of Congress in September 1970, but from the pressing code ZAFX-6805217, I believe this was actually recorded and released in 1968.

Zap Records was part of Belle Meade Records in Nashville, also known for song-poem releases.

Categories: Bridgeport, Centennial, Clarksburg, Unknown, West Virginia

The Magnums on Centennial of Bridgeport, West Virginia

July 31, 2019 Chris Bishop Leave a comment

The Magnums had one release of R&B sounds dense with echo, both originals by Charles Collins. “One of These Days” is the uptempo side, while “Two People Against the World” is the slow ballad. Can’t tell you anything more about the band at this time.

Released as Centennial 45-1863-2, the King pressing dates it to 1964. Panhandle Pub. Co. handled the publishing, as it did for the New Mason Dixons’ single “Back Up” / “Totaled” (both by Sam Follo) on Centennial 45-1863-1. Centennial’s address was 217 Blackwell St., Bridgeport, West Virginia.

There’s also a Centennial 45-1863-3, Pee Wee & the Prophets “Let’s Work” / “Tell Me”, with the address changed to Clarksburg.

Categories: Hilaire, Pennsylvania, St. Davids

Andy Mark and Andy’s Tool Box

July 23, 2019 Chris Bishop 4 Comments

Photo taken by Dave Peirce, reproduced with his permission

Andy Mark came from St. Davids, Pennsylvania, a small community close to Wayne, about 15 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

A promotional sleeve created at the time of his first single reproduces a number of news articles, programs and letters. Andy was part of a folk group referred to variously as the Suburan Three or the Suburban Four.

These St. Davids lads are: Andy Mark, 13, guitarist; Jim Schnaars, 13, second guitarist and lead vocalist; Dan Gladish 14, Irish bass player; all students at Radnor Junior High, and Bob Schnaars, 15, blue-grass banjoist, who attends Mercersburg Academy.

Another Hootenany program omits Bob Schnaars and lists Jaccy Schnaars instead of Jim. Debbie DuPont managed his bookings, and Ed Cotlar produced his first single. Ed Cotlar had worked for Cameo-Parkway and Goodway Records, and in 1968 would join Diamond.

front of promotional package that accompanied “Partime Hippie”

Andy Mark and Deborah duPont Billboard, April 27, 1968 — Billboard, April 27, 1968

Billboard published two mentions about this release in the April 20 and 27, 1968 issues.

Ed Cotlar is reactivating his free-lance record promotion service, E-jay Enterprises – House of Ideas. His first accounts are “Girl Watcher,” by the O’Kaysions on North State Records and “Part Time Hippie,” by Andy Mark on Hilaire Records.

The second news item is about Deborah Eldredge duPont forming Hilaire Records headquartered in St. Davids, PA. Unfortunately the item spells the A-side as “Oartime Hippie”.

Hilaire H-100 has two originals by Andy Mark, “Partime Hippie” and “Take a Good Look”. Both songs’ lyrics seem to question fads of the time.

“Partime Hippie”

Not all of us can make it (?),
So we’ll just have to fake it,
Unless we want to stand up to the world.
??
But in some peoples’ eyes,
You can’t be a man till you grow a beard.
It’s a new generation,
Of a new revelation,
It’s a turn-on, tune-in and drop out.
[music freaks out]
I know what you’re thinking
That I’m supervising (?)
But you don’t know how wrong that you are.
Not all of us can make it,
So we’ll just have to fake it,
Unless we want to stand up to the world.

“Take a Good Look”

The time has come when I must run and leave you to your games,
It’s been a year, the time is here to forget our names.
Take a good look and tell me what you see,
Take a good look and tell me what you’ll be.
You say that truth is meaningless and you live for today
I say that truth is valuable, who’s to say?
I regret I must disagree,
That in this world, one cannot be entirely free.
Take a good look and tell me what you see,
Take a good look and tell me what you’ll be.
I regret I must disagree,
That in this world, one cannot be entirely free.
Until you see my reasoning I must be sure of just one thing,
That when you change and come back home, you’ll know that I am here (?)
Take a good look and tell me what you see
Take a good look and tell me what you’ll be.

Bissel Music is listed as publisher, but I can find no copyright record for these songs.

Interestingly, the promotional packet that accompanied the “Partime Hippie” single does not mention either song from that single or provide the lyrics.

The Philadelphia Inquirer had a full article on Andy on June 9, 1968, with a photo and the headline “‘Rich Fairy Godmother’ Aids Young Rock Star”. Unfortunately I do not currently have an online newspaper archive subscription so I can’t access the photo or full text but I did glimpse some excerpts:

“Dave Hardt on bass guitar and John Fuchs on drums. Andy and Dave were just graduated from Radnor Senior High School, while John is entering his senior year.”

Andy “picked up pointers on the instrument from his older brother. Andy cannot read music and must tape all his original songs and have a friend transcribe them. Andy and his friends have appeared on several television shows …”

There is also a mention of Andy’s music being conservative in political outlook, and that he would be studying law in the future.

Andy Mark’s statement from the promo kit

A second single saw release as Andy’s Tool Box, also on Hilaire but with a different label design and numbering (527 this time).

“Well of Your Love” is a swift-moving rocker with organ and bass in the fore of the mix, backed with the piano-led ballad “Breadcrumbs” that livens up with harmonies in the chorus. This time the lyrics are concerned with relationships and unrequited love. Andy Mark wrote “Well of Your Love” and co-wrote “Breadcrumbs” with J. Peirce.

This single came with a picture sleeve that shows Andy with photos of an unnamed drummer and bassist.

H. Kaplan produced, with distribution by Melrose Records, and publishing by Hera BMI (though once again I find no registration with the Library of Congress).

According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, in 1972, Andy Mark went into commercial jingles for radio and TV, starting several companies including Philadelphia Music Works, Broadcast Results Group, and the Canary Collection. He passed away in February, 2009 at the age of 58.

Thank you to John Pitts for research help with this article, and to Dave Peirce for the high quality scans of the photos he took of Andy.

Andy Mark Hilaire PS Partime Hippie Gatefold — Inside of the promotional folder that came with my copy of “Partime Hippie”

Categories: Connecticut, Plainfield, Planet, Planet Studios (Providence)

Karen and the Starliners “I Can Count the Times” on Planet

July 10, 2019 Chris Bishop 3 Comments

Karen and the Starliners came from Plainfield, Connecticut, but recorded at Planet Studios in Providence, Rhode Island. “I Can Count the Times” has a good garage backing, the flip “Storm in My Heart” is a more typical ballad.

Fred Richards wrote both songs, published by Planet’s in-house company Ranford Music Co., and registered with the Library of Congress in October, 1966.

This seems to be their only release. I don’t have any other band members’ names.

Categories: Pennsylvania, Roxan, Unknown, Wilkes-Barre

Revolver “Caught In a Day” on Roxan

July 1, 2019 Chris Bishop Leave a comment

Revolver made one single circa 1973, with the A-side being the Kinks-like “Roll-a-Coaster Man”, and the flip the Beatles-esque “Caught In a Day”. Both sides have harmonies and a sixties sensibility but the lead guitar especially is definitely ’70s in sound.

Ken Brophy wrote “Roll-a-Coaster Man”, and Brophy and Jim Rosler wrote “Caught In a Day”, which is the song I most like. Carl Siracuse and Revolver produced the single.

I don’t know where the band was from, but Roxan studios was located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and owned by Mike Stahl. A small batch of the 45s was found in New Jersey.

Roxan also released singles by the Innkeepers “Bittersweet” (written adn produced by John Paris) / “Someday”, Staneless Steele (“Down at the Y” / “Never Tell a Lie” (both written by Joe Scovish), B.B.K’s Expedition ‎”Change The American Dream” / “Sole Confusion” and TNT, plus an album by Frankie & The Corvettes.

Categories: Bradford, Fog, Limestone, New York, Pennsylvania, Upstate New York

The Black Banana and Banana Music Ltd. from Limestone, NY

June 25, 2019 Chris Bishop 9 Comments

The Black Banana had two singles under different band names. The first 45 I’d heard but hadn’t connected to the second because of the different artist name until Mike Markesich pointed out the connection in his comment below. Mike kindly provided scans of the 1st single as the Black Banana.

The group was from Limestone, in upstate New York, only a little west of Olean, the home of the Tigermen. The Tigermen were active earlier, but perhaps the bands knew each other. Mike tells me the band was also based in Bradford, Pennsylvania, just south of Limestone.

Reversing the usual way of garage bands, the group formed after some of the members had finished their military service. They have a great mid-’60s sound on both their singles despite the late recording dates.

Both singles list the members on the label, for this first one the lineup is:

Fred Mascioni
Karl Langner
Dave McGee

Denny Eck would join the group on guitar by the time of the second single, but he is credited with co-writing “Listen Girl” with McGee and Mascioni.

McGee and Mascioni wrote “Please Come Back to Me” which I haven’t heard yet.

Karl Langner and Arnold White designed the cool label, and Car Hamme engineered the recording. This is an RCA custom pressing from 1969.

The second release has the Fog label but the band name is changed to Banana Music Ltd. It may date as late as 1971.

Members were:

Fred Mascioni
Karl Langner
Dave McGee
Denny Eck

Denny Eck wrote “Don’t Bother Us” and Mascioni & Eck wrote “Walkin'”.

The group is listed as “The Mack Banana Band” in the Bradford Era newspaper from August 1, 1969. From the excerpt I could find online, all the members names are listed except Denny Eck:

The new sound around, come and listen to music written & played by THE MACK BANANA Band — Fred Mascioni, Karl Langner, Dave McGee …

Besides Fog Music Inc., there are other production credits on the labels: “Langner Label”, “Rotten Crates Music Corp.” and “Black Banana”.

When Mike Markesich contacted Fred Mascioni he mentioned there were songs cut for an album that went unreleased.

Thank you to Mike for his help with this post.

Categories: Chicago, Illinois, Spectra-Sound

The Centuries “I Love You No More” on Spectra-Sound

June 9, 2019 Chris Bishop 6 Comments

Before the Buckinghams, there were the Centuries, who released one fine single on the Spectra-Sound label in 1965, “I Love You No More” b/w “Yeh: It’s Alright”.

The Centuries’ members were:

Carl Giammarese – lead guitar
Nick Fortuna – rhythm guitar
Curt Bachman – bass guitar and lead vocals on “I Love You No More”
Gerald Elarde – drums and lead vocals on “Yeh; It’s Alright”

Listen to “I Love You No More” below. “Yeh; It’s Alright” is also good, especially Carl’s frantic guitar solo.

Carl Giammarese wrote on the Forgotten Hits site:

It’s Alright and I Love You No More were recorded by The Centuries in, I think, late 1964, at Lawrence and Western and I think it was the old St. Louis Insurance Building. My cousin Jerry Elarde was our drummer and lead singer (fab voice) … he sang It’s Alright. Our bass player, Curt Bachman, sang I Love You No More. I was the Lead Guitar player and Nick Fortuna was the rhythm guitar player. Both songs were written by Jeff Boyen (from Saturday’s Children). Jeff was part of a duo called Ron and Jeff, kind of folky, but they did early Beatles fabulously. These songs had nothing to do with The Buckinghams other than Nick and I became The Pulsations and then The Buckinghams.

Jeff Boyan was part of the Blackstones which included Curt Bachman for a time. The Blackstones would release four singles on the Invictus label, including a slightly different arrangement of “I Love You No More” (as Dalek/Engam: the Blackstones) in July, 1965. Boyan would go on to join Saturday’s Children with singles on Dunwich. Deb Music BMI published both songs, which were credited to “Geoff – Boyan”.

Carl Giammarese, Nick Fortuna and Curt Bachman would continue with a name change to the Pulsations, adding Dennis Tufano, Jon Poulos, and Dennis Miccoli and eventually becoming the Buckinghams. The Buckinghams first single would also come out on Spectra-Sound Records, “Sweets for My Sweet” / “Beginner’s Love”, before they were signed to U.S.A. Records.

Dan Belloc owned Spectra-Sound Records. The Centuries single has master numbers 4759-1 and 4760-1 while the Buckinghams has S-4617, which may indicate the Buckinghams was released first, but I am not sure of that.

For more info on Jeff Boyan and context on these bands, I definitely recommend Jeff Jarema’s interview with Jerry McGeorge of the Blackstones, the Shadows of Knight, and H.P. Lovecraft in Here ‘Tis #6, which can be found on the Internet Archive.

Categories: Camsul, Massachusetts, Worcester

Jeannie Purretta on Camsul

May 23, 2019 Chris Bishop Leave a comment

Jean Purretta (bottom center) in the Beachcomber, August 12, 1959

Jeannie Purretta released one single in the early ’60s on the Camsul label owned by Dick Campbell, who also wrote and produced both sides, and Artie Sullivan, who co-produced.

“If You See My Baby” is a catchy, fast number with an interesting guitar-led passage after the first verse. The recording quality is somewhat crude but helps to give the single a wall-of-sound quality, and deserves a reissue as it is currently an obscure recording.

Jeannie sings “He’s My Boy Friend” with almost a country twang.

Jeannie Purretta came from Worcester, Massachusetts, graduating from Commerce High School in 1952. The Beachcomber of August 12, 1959, published in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, has a photo and lists Jean Purretta as 1st place winner in a talent parade.

On April 27, 1960, Jean Purretta sang on three songs recorded in New York with a large group featuring Charlie Mariano, Vinnie Dean, Frank Soccolow, John Hafer, Pepper Adams, Curtis Fuller, Jerry Tyree, Burt Collins, Rick Kiefer, Chet Ferretti, Eddie Bert, Frank Rehak, Bill Elton, Mike Zwerin, Bill Barber, Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers, Charlie Persip, Sal Salvador.

Some of the session appeared on Tony Zano’s Balmore LP The Gathering Place but the vocals with Jean have never been issued to my knowledge. Tony Zano was a stage name for Anthony Ferrazzano.

Dick Campbell and Artie Sullivan started Camsul Records in Worcester in 1962. In 1965 they relocated to the midwest and started CineVista Records and Andrea Dawn Music, recording in Janesville WI (Leaf Records), Sauk City WI (Cuca Records) and Chicago, IL (Universal Studios).

I asked Artie about Jeannie’s single and he wrote to me:

Jeannie Purretta was singing in local clubs at the time and we heard her sing. She was our fourth release on Camsul Records while we were living in Shrewsbury MA. We recorded her in Worcester MA at North East Recording Studio (owner Fred Holovnia). Fred later moved to Shrewsbury MA. Last I checked she was living in Shrewsbury MA. We used the band the Scarlets to back her up and Dick & I sang background.
The Scarlets was a local college band from Worcester MA that Dick & Artie hooked up with and used to back up their recordings while living in Massachusetts. Dick joined the band about a year and half after they formed. The Scarlets consisted of Peter Damanis on drums, born in Queens NY attending Clark University Worcester MA, Gordon Schultz on lead guitar from Worcester MA also at Clark University Worcester MA and John Benson on bass from Worcester Ma attending Worcester Tech.

Thank you to Artie Sullivan for the information about Jeannie and the Scarlets.

Sources include : 45 Cat and JazzDiscography.com

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