The Connotations  (Bergenfield-Hackensack, New Jersey)

Personnel :

Dickie Harmon (Lead)

Joe Pascuzzo (Tenor)

Wesley Cooke (Tenor)

Eddie Brian (Baritone)

Clinton "Jack" Davis (Bass)



Discography :

The Connotations
1962 - Two Hearts Fall In Love / Before I Go (Technichord 1000/1001/Clifton 25)

1980 - When You Wish Upon A Star / When I Fall in Love (Clifton 51)

Joel & The Connotations
1979 - Stormy Weather / Zoom (Clifton 33)
1979 - No More (Clifton LP)

Biography :

Quintet from Bergenfield-Hackensack, New Jersey.  The Connotations cut one single for Technichord  owned by George Card in 1962. The connotations are the young Dickie Harmon on lead, his cousin Jackie Davis was the bass, tenor Wesley Cooke (never seen in the picture) , Joe Pascuzzo and Eddie Brian the Baritone. In 1979 Joel Katz with Dickie Harmon, Clinton "Jack" Davis from the original connotations cut some accappella sides for Clifton  Record.

Songs :

  
Two Hearts Fall In Love                    Before I Go

     
When You Wish Upon A Star                      Zoom                                   No More                
 

….

The Trophies aka The Fleas



Personnel :

Rick Nelson (Lead vocals)

Dave Burgess (Vocals, Rhythm Guitar)

Jerry Fuller  (Vocals, Guitar)

Glen Campbell (Lead Guitar)



Discography :

The Fleas
1961 - Scratchin / Tears (Challenge 9115)

The Trophies
1961 - Desire / Doggone it (Challenge 9133)
1962 - Peg O' My Heart / I Laughed So Hard I Cried (Challenge 9149)
1962 - Felicia / That's All I Want From You (Challenge 9170)



Biography :

The Trophies were a studio-only pop-rock vocal group who issued three undistinguished singles for the Challenge label in the early 1960s. Their 45s would be forgotten today if not for the involvement of Rick Nelson, who was one of the singers in the group, which also included a young Glen Campbell, Jerry Fuller, and Dave Burgess.

For the last of the singles, an Army-bound Jerry Fuller was replaced by his brother Bill Fuller, who sang lead on both the tracks. Nelson had to keep his involvement in the Trophies low-key and unpublicized, as he was under contract to a different label, Imperial, for his solo recordings.

There was no threat, though, of the Trophies' singles blowing his cover, since they were generic early-'60s efforts crossing teen idol pop with doo wop and novelty rock'n'roll. All six of their tracks can be heard on Varese Sarabande's CD compilation The Lost '60s Recordings, which also includes a couple of other songs Nelson did with the Campbell, Jerry Fuller, and Burgess on a 1961 single credited to the Fleas, as well as solo recordings from the era by Campbell, Jerry Fuller, and Burgess.

Songs :

The Trophies

   
Desire                                  Laughed So Hard I Cried

   
That's All I Want From You                           Felicia



The Fleas

    
Tears                                    Scratchin




CDs :

The Contels  (Albion, PA)


Personnel :

Gene Vito "Lyon" (Lead Singer)

George A. Nopio, Jr.(Tenor)

Loren "Bugsy" Cope (Bass)

Anthony "Tony" Mezzacapo (Second Tenor)

Michael K.  D'Amico (Guitar)

Gary Miller (Drums)


Discography :

1959 - Hey You / Lover's Dream (Warwick 103)


Biography :

After attending a performance given by the "The Four Coins"  Loren "Bugsy" Cope and George A. Nopio, Jr. decided to start their own group. Loren knew a younger singer and asked him to join the group. His name was Gene Lyon. He became their lead singer. They then added Michael K. D'Amico a guitar player. They were practicing when a gentleman by the name of Donald Hubert approached Nopio's parents and asked if he could manage the group . They were on their way. Doing hay rides and record Hops. their manager talked them into entering a talent show in Cleveland, Ohio. they were called "The Contenials". they took first place. They returned back to Erie and still felt their group needed another voice and while performing at the Tech Follies they met a man then doing comedy and asked him to join The Contenials. His name was Anthony "Tony" Mezzacapo and he provided the group with the sound and the harmony they were looking for.

     
                            Gene Vito                                                                       The Contenials  (Gene,George and Bugsy) 

They then had to return to Cleveland, Ohio Talent Contest as finalists. they piled into their managers vehicle and off they went. they took first place and received a recording contract. As they were leaving they received a call that a gentleman wished to see them so they went to his home. He told them that they could not call themselves "The Contenials" because he had a successful group in Florida that had that name. So they worked all the way home trying every form of the name and came up with the "THE CONTELS". The next day George called Cliff Shilling of the local radio station, WICU told him to please announce "The Contenials" were now "The Contels".

    
                                                                                                                                           Gene Vito

The Contels recorded  on Warwick Label. They wrote their own songs "Hey You" and "Lovers Dream". Which Cliff played often on his show, as well as, booked them into the "Let's Be Friends Show" on TV and Sock Hops. Along the way they met a drummer named Gary Miller and added him to the group. The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra came to town and they toured Erie with them. On Saturday of that week they played Rainbow Gardens and while they pushed their record, they pushed ours. they returned to Rainbow Gardens to do a show with "The Five Jets" and "The Monotones". Then off to the Warner Theater to do a Rock Show with Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, "The Monotones", and Bobby Freeman.Their record was being heard and they were busy when they received word that their lead singer Gene would be moving to Kane, Pennsylvania and because he was only 13 years old, he had to go with his parents. If that wasn't bad enough, Tony was drafted and went to serve his country. they parted friends and all went our separate ways. 


Songs :

  
Hey You                                  Lover's Dream

....

The Kinght Riders (1) (Wetchester, New York)
aka Billy Vera & the Contrasts  aka Blue-Eyed Soul



Personnel :

Billy Vera (Lead Tenor)

Ronnie Hinds

Bob Powers

Al Esposito

Discography :

Billy Vera & The Contrasts
1962 - My Heart cries / All My love (Rust 5051)

The Knight Riders (1)
1961 – My Heart cries / All My love  (Club 1220/Souvenir)

Blue-Eyed Soul
1966 – Shadow Of Your Love / Look Gently At The Rain (Cameo 401)
1966 – Somethin’ New / Tonight I Am A King (Cameo 423)


Biography :

Billy Vera was born in Riverside, California. He began his singing career in 1962 as a member of the Resolutions. He went on to write several songs throughout the early 1960s, writing for the likes of Barbara Lewis, Fats Domino, The Shirelles and Ricky Nelson. He also wrote the garage band classic, "Don't Look Back", performed by the Remains.

The Kinght Riders got their musical education backing hit record acts of the day: the Drifters, the Coasters, Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles, Little Anthony & the Imperials and many more. "My Heart cries / All My love"  was released on the Rust label, a subsidiary of Laurie Records, in 1962.

It was made by the band using the name Contrasts because they were under contract elsewhere. The group later changed its name to Blue-Eyed Soul


Songs :

Billy Vera & the Contrasts

    
My Heart cries                                   All My love

1960 - Left to right : Pete Antell, Bobby Butts, Mike DeVivo, John Linde and Mickey Lee Lane

The Chants (1) (New York)

 
Personnel :

Mike DeVivo (Lead Vocals)


Pete Antell (Guitar / Vocals)

Bobby Butts (Sax / Vocals)

John Linde (Drums)

Mickey Lee Lane (Bass)



Discography :

The Chants (1)
1961 - Respectable / Kiss Me Goodbye (MGM 13008)
1961 - Dick Tracy / Choo-Choo (Verve 10244)

Jimmy Soul & The Chants (1)
1963 - I Wish I Could Dance / Respectable  (20th Fox 413)

Biography :

John Linde was born and raised in Oceanside, NY. John started down the road  taking part in the school band as a percussionist. After graduation from high school and a stint in the armed forces, John formed a band called The Chants in 1959. Through John's contacts and his meticulous business acumen, The Chants began building a solid reputation as an excellent club band, establishing followings at various venues on Long Island.

The Chants hooked up with a family of fledgling recording entrepreneurs, Bill and Steve Jerome, owners of a small storefront recording studio and a label called Tru-Eko Records. The Chants recorded a version of “Respectable”, a song written and previously recorded by The Isley Brothers for RCA as their follow-up to the immensely successful single “Shout”.

   
1961 - top row, left to right: Pete Antell ,  John Linde;   bottom row, left to right: Al Ferreira , Mike DeVivo and Curly

The Chants single was released on MGM and was put into rotation on New York radio. Following the success of “Respectable”, John recruited Mickey Lee Lane for bass and called Pete to ask if he was interested in a job as a vocalist and guitarist in The Chants. Pete accepted and was in on the recording of their next single,  the novelty tune, “ Dick Tracy”.

This was the second and last single for MGM, released on their Verve subsidiary. After the success of The Chants, Pete and John, now songwriting and production partners, formed an alliance with another Long Island ensemble through an associate at Ultra-Sonic Studios. Keyboard player Stoney Jackson had worked with this quartet of young ladies who called themselves The Percells.

John Lindle, Stoney Jackson, Pete Antell & The Percells

Stoney recommended the outstanding group to Pete and John. Bill Stahl, the owner of Ultra-Sonic, also knew of the quartet's vocal prowess. When the songwriters heard The Percells at the studio one night, they liked what they heard. Immediately, plans were made to record The Percells., ...

Songs :

(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

 The Chants (1)

  
Respectable                            Kiss Me Goodbye

  
Dick Tracy                               Choo-Choo

 

Jimmy Soul & The Chants (1)

  
 I Wish I Could Dance                          Respectable

...