Jimmy Appollo,  Dennis Walsh ,  Ralph Circelli,  Joe Foti  and Harvey Katofski

Jimmy & The Crestones (Bronx N.Y)
By Joe Foti & Jimmy Appollo

Personnel :

Jimmy Appollo (Lead)

Harvey Katofski (Bass)

Joe Foti (Baritone /Second Tenor)

Dennis Walsh (Tenor)

Ralph Circelli

Discography :

1964 - New Girl On My Block / Angel Maureen (Maria 101/Avenue D11)


Biography :
 
"Jimmy & The Crestones" originated in 1961 from a neighborhood group from Creston Avenue in The Bronx N.Y called The Doveins. The lead singer of The Doveins was Matt Daly , with the group consisting of Harvey Katofski (Bass), Joe Foti ( Baritone/2nd. Tenor), Dennis Walsh (Tenor). Decatur Ave., Bronx N.Y., with an additional voice being added by Ralph Circelli who lived across the hall in my apartment building.

The Doveins had difficulties with the lead singer who  was eventually replaced by Jimmy Appollo from With the very tight, almost familial harmony of The Crestones, and Jimmy's unique voice we, over many months of performing in local businesses & schools, branched out to other boroughs of New York City and some parts of New Jersey. Our manager then was D.J. Clark who had written a song for, and about, his then girlfriend Maureen. We picked it up, tweaked it a bit, added our own seasoning and finally cut the song in Brooklyn with Al Browne's musical support on Maria Label and was its first release. Soon after its release we became more familiar with the music business and all its pitfalls and limelight. In 1963 we appeared on the Clay Cole Show in Palisades Park N.J.

Al Browne (Piano) & his band

The  experience we absorbed over the previous 2 years was evident to us and over the course of a few more months performing we found ourselves in the offices of Giant & Baum (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye) in the Brill Building 1619 Broadway called affectionately "The Mecca of the music writing  business in New York City." Giant & Baum!!  They wrote for not only Elvis but a myriad of other top stars dating back to the 1940's!!. Well after a few demos of our talents we found out about the pitfalls of the music business.

Although our sound was as solid as it could get in the 1960's the flavor & direction of  the constantly evolving music business was changing and we were then turned over to another writing team who offered us an old standard written in 1945 that they wanted to re-record and release, which we just could not quite capture, but itself eventually became a hit by Lenny Welch "Since I don't have you".. We continued as a group throughout the mid 60's but as our eventual maturing ,and the Vietnam war, entered our realm of reality, slowly Jimmy and the Crestones became a memory and a mist. 

Jimmy continued his music well into 2009 when he retired, I retired from business in 2006, Denny and Ralph, sadly, passed away in the70's and ol' Harvey?.. Well he's out there somewhere-- someplace!!."  Its part of our  fabric of life, and we would not change it for all the gold records in the universe!!  God Bless! 
Joe Foti, Harrisburg Pa.  May 2012


Songs :

    
 Angel Maureen                                  New Girl On My Block

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