The Unique Echos aka The Echoes (4)

The Unique Echos  (Philadephia)
aka  The Echoes (4)

Personnel:

Joe "Gig" Giglio

Bobby "Bobby Pat" Palese

Jimmy McQuade

Dino Borgi

Discography :

The Echoes (4)
1958 - Scratch My Back / The Little Green Man (Swan 4013)

The Unique Echos
1962 - Italian Twist / Zoom (Southern Sound 108)

Jimmy McQuade & The Unique Echos
1967 - Booga Ka Do / Bongo Talk (Swan 4274)

The Frankie Grier Quartet bb The Echoes (4)
1958 - Oh Gloria / Lonesome For You (Swan 4019)

Biography :

After graduating from high school, Bobby Palese and Joe Giglio enlisted the talents of two other boys, Dominick "Chubby" Salvatore and Fiore "Cookie Dell" Delbuono, who were equally disdainful of the ordinary working world. They started to play and sing for garden parties, birthdays, weddings, bar mitzvahs and the like. The name they performed under at that time was Cookie and His Swing Kings.

The Echoes (4) : Chuby, Joe Giglio, , Cookie & Bob Palese

 But when Swan Records took an interest in them, they changed the name to the Echoes. Their first pick to click was a demented novelty ditty, 'The Little Green Man,' in which they not only sang but provided all the instrumental background as well, a rarity in that time when persnickety label owners usually demanded professional sidemen for recording sessions.

The Echoes (4) : Chuby, Joe Giglio, Dick Clark, Cookie & Bob Palese

Little Green Man" was designed to take advantage of the ubiquitous UFO sightings, which were so common in the late 1950s. But unexpectedly, Bosco wrote, "it was the flip side, 'Scratch My Back,' which was garnering airplay, especially from local supergiant WIBG.

     
Joe Giglio, Dino Borgi, Bob Palese & Jimmy Mc Quade          (Top) Jimmy Mc Quade & Joe Raodano. (Bottom) Ed Vickery & Joe Giglio

It reached #2 in Scranton and #86 nationally."A few day after their mission for Swan, they were marshaled back into Reco-Arts to support Frankie Grier, A later Day Angel (Grand Records) and his homeboys on their stellar two sider, " Oh Gloria" and "Lonesome For You ". They Provided all the instrumentation.

But the boys suffered a blow when the payola scandal erupted in 1959-60, ensnaring among others "American Bandstand's" Dick Clark, who was a silent partner in Swan. He had to divest himself of many of his holdings in the music industry, including Swan. Without Clark, the company foundered. Calamitously, Bobby Palese, out of nowhere, got drafted, to be replaced by Nicky 'Rags' Guaglione.

The Quartet evolved into a Quintet with George Campisi. Eventually, Bob, the Drummer, bassman and first tenor rejoined the group . They were indeed an unknown number of 'Echoes' configurations… with Jimmy McQuade, Dino Borgi, Joe Raodono, Ed Vickery and George Campisi… The group kept busy, performing as far away as New York and Canada and at many now-forgotten clubs around Philadelphia and in South Jersey.

The Echoes were later redubbed the "Unique Echos". After a hitch in the Army, Bobby and his friends released a single called "Zoom" with singer-songwriters Frank Slay and Bob Crewe, the brains behind the Four Seasons a few years down the road. Once again, it was the flip side, "The Italian Twist," that got the attention. After the group faded, Bobby kept playing two or three nights a week on keyboard, drums and bass, and singing.

Songs :

The Echoes (4)

  
Scratch My Back                The Little Green Man

The Frankie Grier Quartet

  
Lonesome For You                         Oh Gloria

The Unique Echos

     
 Zoom                                  Italian Twist

Jimmy McQuade & The Unique Echos

Booga Ka Do
...