• The Four Townsmen (Canonsburg, PA)

     

    Personnel :

    Chuck Marshall (Lead)

    Lou Gadani (Bass)

    Pete Kouklakis (Tenor)

    Bob Kraushaar (Baritone)

     

    Discography :

    1960 - It Wasn't So Long Before (Graduation is Here) / Sometimes (Artflow 145)

     

    Biography:

    The Four Townsmen, a four-part harmony, doo-wop quartet from Canonsburg (home of Perry Como, Bobby Vinton, and the Four Coins), formed in 1959. The charter members were Chuck Marshall (lead), Pete Kouklakis (tenor), Bob Kraushaar (baritone), and Lou Gadani (bass). The Canon-McMillan High guys began like all the other hometown bands, performing locally for the talent shows, school dances and record hops.  They finally felt that they had enough material (albeit mainly covers) to expand their dates, and impressed Terry Lee enough (he was spinning at Canonsburg's WARO then) to land a date on his show. TFT eventually ran across Odell Bailey, a local bird dog with a pretty good track record, and handed him a demo tape.

    The Four Townsmen

    Bailey liked what he heard, and arranged for The Four Townsmen to record their first original song "It Wasn't So Long Before (Graduation is Here)" co-written by Marshall and friend Alan Mark, b/w "Sometimes (When I'm All Alone)." They released the 45 in 1960, on the Artflow label, #145. And hey, both tunes got some radio love. They were spun fairly heavily on KDKA, and the group grew a regional fan base. "Graduation" was even reissued in 1963, and got play in some out-of-town markets. A career, even if at first blush short-lived, had begun. They opened for other smooth acts like Bobby Vee at the South Park Fairgrounds, Paul Anka, The Lettermen, and Brian Hyland. They got a week of two-show performances daily at Atlantic City's Steel Pier.

    The Four Townsmen      The Four Townsmen

    Though their live performances kept them in demand, there were to be no more recordings. In 1963, the times conspired to pull the curtain down on Act One of The Four Townsmen. Gadani went off to college, and then joined the Peace Corps. Kouklakis enrolled at trade school and Kraushaar joined the Army. So the group called it quits (not that there was much of it left, unless Marshall decided to gig as The Townsman).
    http://oldmonmusic.blogspot.fr/2009/05/four-townsmen.html



    Songs :

      
    It Wasn't So Long Before                          Sometimes          



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