The Beaus of Beethoven came from Patton, Pennsylvania and other towns of  Cambria County, about 75 miles east of Pittsburgh. Their manager Jack Cessna’s base was Ebensburg.

Members were:

Ron McClinsey – lead vocal, guitar
Nick Fagan – lead guitar
Dave Holtz – keyboards
Tom Stratton, replaced by Paul Lazendorfer – bass
Danny Miller – drums

Ron McClinsey’s comment below is worth quoting in large part:

The Beaus of Beethoven had its beginning in September 1965 with three of us jamming, not knowing what was ahead. We had at that point Dave Holtz as keyboard player, Dan Miller as drummer, and me on guitar. We found Nick Fagan as lead guitar player and Tom Stratton as bass player. Our first gig was on December 18th. All the girls were screaming as if the Beatles were there … I was hooked! Local DJs from two radio stations took notice and promoted us. One, Jack Cessna, became our manager.

In the summer of 1966, the band recorded the 45 record pictured above, which I’m proud of. We have met and opened for a bunch of other groups like The Strangeloves, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, The Beau Brummels, The Shangri Las, The McCoys, The Chicago Loop, Freddie Canon, The Vogues.

One night we were the opener at the Jaffa Mosque in Altoona for the Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Dantes, the Outsiders. The headliner for that show was Bobby Goldsboro. A guitar player and bass player had been sent in to back up Bobby. The bass player was passed out in the hallway on who knows what. They came and asked our keyboard player and I to help. Their guitar player showed us the songs. That night I played bass for Bobby Goldsboro in front of 2000 people and I was still in high school!

The Beaus of Beethoven opened for many artists at the Jaffa Mosque in Altoona and appeared on WIIC TV Pittsburgh’s Saturday bandstand show.

In 1967 the band cut two originals at Sound-Pro Studio for release in September. I don’t know the location of that studio and haven’t seen it credited on other singles.

“It’s Too Late” (by Ronald McClinsey, Nicholas Fagan Jr. and David Holtz, B-W Music Inc. BMI) has a buzzing lead guitar while the singer tells how he’s “sing my time just hanging around town, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, living my sins with no regrets” while his ex is “ridin’ uptown in a limousine, checking the nice balls, making the scene”. The entire performance is excellent with a great guitar solo.

A real treasure is the flip, “Goin’ Away” (written by Miller, Holtz and Lazendorfer, Weldee Music Co. BMI), a true picture of teen angst in lyrics like:

I’m comin’ down off the roof, gonna bring my baby back,
I’ve been around too long, now I want to belong.
So many people tell me I’m nothin’ but a nothin’,
But I can get with my girl, girl by roughin’

Thank you to Ron for correcting the lyrics.

Publishing was through Weldee Music and B-W Music Inc, owned by the same company in Ohio.

The photo at top came from a video that has since disappeared from youtube.

If anyone has better quality photos please contact me.