Nite Liters Photo

The Nite Liters “Set Me Free”

Nite Liters Photo
The Nite Liters horn section at D’Arcy studio, from left: George Resto, Harrel Baker and Danny Kelly.

Don Faulk and Harrel Baker wrote the A-side of the Nite Liters excellent single on Sounds International 631, “Set Me Free”. D’Arcy Sounds Studios‘ publishing company Twenty Grand Music belatedly registered copyright on over 20 songs including “Set Me Free” on April 3, 1968. Since this seems to be the earliest release on Sounds International, the single likely dates a year or two earlier.

Danny Kelly of the Nite Liters wrote to me about the group and sent the photo seen above:

I did play trumpet with the Nite Liters along with George Resto and Harrel Baker on sax and also rhythm guitar. Bobby Schnell on drums, Joe Fromel on keyboards and vocals, Donnie Faulk on bass and vocals, and Steve Keith on lead guitar filled out the rest of the band.

We all went to Hampton High School. Danny and the Del Notes went to Newport News High School which was a real rivalry in every sense.

We recorded an original titled “Set Me Free” and covered “The Harlem Shuffle” in D’Arcy Studio around the time Danny and the Del Notes did their record. We were both on the Sounds International label. Our 45 aired locally on AM and played on a few juke boxes. We only had 500 copies made.

Before George and I were recruited into the band, the Nite Liters played in the battle of the bands at the Peninsula Auditorium.

I remember playing with Dennis and the Times at the Peppermint Beach Club in Virginia Beach. The best times were when we were the house band at the Hullabaloo Club in Newport News, Va. We even tried getting into some psychedelic music there. That was really crazy.

There were other good times like when a couple of members including myself went down to North Carolina to get a dj Russ Spooner to play a demo tape on the air. We recorded that also at D’Arcy studio.

As of right now, we’re all still alive and kicking. Steve, Bobby and myself are the only ones still in the area. George and Joe are up in northern Va., Donnie’s somewhere out west and Harrel is music director with a group in Hawaii. He was a surfer back when we were at Hampton High School. I’m retired from the USPS.

Danny Kelly, March 2019

7 thoughts on “The Nite Liters “Set Me Free””

  1. Wow what a trip! I had a conversation with a nice young fellow at Starbucks about the old days with The Nite Liters and how different recording music became in the 70’s and especially since computers replaced tape. I’ll never forget how blown away we were as high school kids when we went in the studio in Norfolk and saw our first 4 track tape deck – it was like the holy grail at the time! Anyway he enjoyed listening to me as he’s into technology and like so many younger people has no idea what it used to take to make records. When I got home I did a Google search on the Nite Liters and this site came up – never seen this before. Well to make a long story short: I played bass in the band and wrote “Set Me Free.” I stayed in the music business – in college I hooked up with dome other musicians and did some recording in Nashville, got a record deal on a small label in NYC, recorded at Bell Records in NYC (where I saw my first 16 track machine) and then got another deal with CBS / Epic Records as “Robey, Falk & Bod.” Then we started our own label, became “Iguana” and sold an album to United Artist Records in Los Angeles in the mid 70’s where I have lived and worked ever since. After UA tanked I mostly did session work and still do from time to time. I’ve played on 100’s and 100’s of songs. It’s been an amazing journey and there’s so much more to it but I digress. During my search I saw where the Nite Liters business card is in the Hampton History Museum – like I said, what a trip!

    1. Don,
      This is E.G. Floyd. We were in high school together. I was friends with Steve Keith. It sounds like you had an exciting career in music. I always wanted to be a guitar player, but unfortunately I had no talent. I went into computer programming, etc. Anyway, the HHS reunion would like you to please contact them at hamptonhigh1967@yahoo.com, if you would, and give them a thrill.
      Regards

    2. Donny…..Woody Tillet and John Cole have been looking for you for a few years.
      Any contact information??
      JC Cole……jccole49@cox.net
      Leon Tillett…..enzian29@gmail.com

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.