1958 - (From Left) Dale Sherwood, Chuck Ciaschi, Gus Eframson, Fred Ciaschi, Bill lucas & Bobby Comstock

Bobby & The Counts (4) (Philadelphia)
(Early Years)

Personnel :

Bobby Comstock (Lead)

Fred Ciaschi (Lead vocals & Piano)

Gus Eframson (Rhythm Guitar)

Dale Sherwood (Drums)

Chuck Ciaschi (Bass)

Discography :

Bobby & The Counts (4)
1958 - Tra-La-la (Im So Happy) / Too Young (Marlee 104)
1958 - Three Signs Of Love / Cellar Stomp (Count 6985)

Bobby Comstock & The Counts (4)
1959 - Sweet Talk / Tennessee Waltz (Blaze 349)
1959 - Jealous Fool / Zig Zag (Triumph 602)
1960 - Let's Talk It Over / Jambalaya (Atlantic 2051)
1960 - Bony Maronie / Do That Little Thing (Jubilee 5392)
1960 - Everyday Blues / Wayward Wind (Mohawk 124)
1961 - The Garden Of Eden / Just A Piece Of Paper (Festival 25000)
1962 - I Want To Do It / Let's Stomp (Lawn 202)
1963 - Jezebel / Your Big Brown Eyes (Jubilee 5396)
1963 - Susie Baby / Take A Walk (Lawn 210)
1963 - Sunny / Chicken Back (Lawn 217)
1963 - This Little Love Of Mine / Your Boyfriend's Back (Lawn 219)
1963 - I Can't Help Myself / Run My Heart (Lawn 224)
1964 - Since You Been Gone / The Beatle Bounce (Lawn 229)
1964 - Ain't That Just Like Me / Can't It Be True (Lawn 232)

Freddy Davis & The Counts (4)
1958 - I Hope You're Happy / Faith CAn Move Mountains (Count 405)

Biography :

Comstock was born in Ithaca, New York, and began singing and playing mandolin as a child. At the age of seven, he started appearing regularly with his brother on a local radio station, and then on country music radio in Sayre, Pennsylvania. In 1958, after hearing rock and roll broadcasts from Nashville, he formed his own band, Bobby and the Counts. As well as Comstock on guitar and vocals, other band members were Fred Ciaschi (lead vocals & piano), Gus Eframson (rhythm guitar), Dale Sherwood (drums), Chuck Ciaschi (bass) and (initially) Bill Lucas (bongos & vocals). 

The group recorded their first single, "Too Young"/"Tra-La-La", for Marlee Records in Trumansburg, New York, and in 1959 were signed to a national deal by Triumph Records, established by Herb Abramson after he left Atlantic. The group's moderately rocked-up version of the Patti Page hit "Tennessee Waltz" was released on the subsidiary Blaze label in late 1959 - with the group now being billed as Bobby Comstock & The Counts - and rose to no.52 on the Billboard pop chart.


(From Left) Chuck Ciaschi, Fred Ciaschi, Bobby Comstock, Gus Eframson  & Dale Sherwood.

As a result of its success, the group appeared on several package shows promoted by Alan Freed, toured nationally with artists such as Bobby Vinton and Freddie Cannon, and appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Their follow-up record, a version of Hank Williams' "Jambalaya", released on the Atlantic label, also made the national pop chart, reaching no.90.

The group, with various changes of personnel over the years, continued to release singles on Abramson's labels until 1962, with diminishing success, before signing to the Lawn label. Their first record for the label, "Let's Stomp", released as a Comstock solo single, reached no.57 on the US pop chart in early 1963.

The song was written by Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer, who later recorded as The Strangeloves.  It was reputedly performed by the Beatles in Hamburg, and was certainly performed by the Searchers and recorded by Lee Curtis and the All-Stars, a beat group featuring ex-Beatle Pete Best. Follow-ups were less successful, although the group broke into the US charts for a final time in 1963 with "Your Boyfriend's Back", an answer record to "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels, a female group recording on the same label.

Songs :

     
Too Young  / Tra-La-la (Im So Happy)       Three Signs Of Love             Cellar Stomp               

     
Sweet Talk                      Tennessee Waltz                           Jealous Fool

     
Zig Zag                        Let's Talk It Over                    Jambalaya  

     
Bony Maronie                       Do That Little Thing                   Everyday Blues

     
Wayward Wind                  The Garden Of Eden            Just A Piece Of Paper

     
I Want To Do It                     Let's Stomp                                Jezebel

     
Your Big Brown Eyes                     Susie Baby                         Take A Walk         

     
             Sunny                              Chicken Back                     This Little Love Of Mine

     
Your Boyfriend's Back              I Can't Help Myself                   You Been Gone      

     
The Beatle Bounce                   Ain't That Just Like Me                Can't It Be True      


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