Wagner expanded early success

Michigan rock band The Frost
cut three albums for Vanguard Records
in 1969-1970. The group included clockwise
from top, Dick Wagner, Bob Rigg, Don Hartman
and Gordy Garris.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Before Dick Wagner met success as a guitarist and collaborator with Alice Cooper and Lou Reed, his career path took him through northern Michigan communities like Alpena and Escanaba.

Fans of Michigan music know Wagner was featured in The Frost, prominent in the Detroit hard rock scene of the late 60s and early 70s, and first emerged as leader of the Bossmen.

A Saginaw based garage band, the Bossmen were comprised of Wagner (lead guitar), Warren Keith (piano), Lanny Roenicke (bass) and Pete Woodman (drums). Everybody sang but Woodman.

The Bossmen were well-received as a live act at venues such as Daniel's Den, a teen hang-out in Saginaw, and began issuing 45 rpm singles on local labels in 1965.

Seeking to broaden the band's base, Wagner even took the Bossmen to the Upper Peninsula late in the year.

They were booked to play a Holiday Ball for high school students at Marco's Stardust Lounge in Escanaba on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 1965.

Considering the travel distance from the band's lower Michigan home, the 9-12 dance was appropriately themed "Far Away Places."

"I certainly do remember the gig in Escanaba," Wagner told me recently.

"Our bus blew out its engine, and we had to leave it at a gas station about 25 miles out of town. (We) had a friend drive up from Saginaw the next day to give us a ride home," Wagner recalled.

Remembering "lots of snow and ice," Wagner said the Bossmen didn't return to pick-up the disabled vehicle.

Back home, the Bossmen continued performing and cranking out singles on such labels as Soft, M & L, Dicto and Lucky Eleven. Radio stations snapped up the records for airplay in the mid-Michigan area.

Rhythm guitarist Mark Farner, a future member of Grand Funk Railroad, joined the Bossmen as 1966 wore on.

Their most successful single may well be "Baby Boy" which reached No. 2 on WTRX in Flint on Dec. 9, 1966.

When the group broke up in early 1967, Wagner suddenly found himself without a band.

On a trip to Alpena, he met with local favorites Bobby Rigg and the Chevelles, a rival band which also played extensively at Daniel's Den.

Wagner began playing with the Chevelles, including Don Hartman (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Bobby Rigg (drums, vocals) and Jack Smolinski (bass).

Calling themselves the New Bossmen, then Dick Wagner and the Frosts, the group released two singles on the Date label in 1967.

The Frost's line-up and name were finalized in 1968 when Gordy Garris (bass, vocals) replaced Smolinski. Garris was a member of The Beaux Jens, a high school band from Grand Ledge, which recorded the single "She Was Mine."

Known for their high energy shows, The Frost were soon embraced by the burgeoning regional rock scene and were the contemporaries of Bob Seger, Mitch Ryder, MC5, SRC, Iggy Pop & the Stooges, and the Amboy Dukes.

They played at Detroit's most prestigious venues, including Cobo Hall, the Grande Ballroom and Eastowne Theatre.

Soon Vanguard Records executive Samuel Charters came calling and signed the group to his label, which boasted mostly folk acts up to that point.

Between 1969 and 1970, the Frost released three long-players: "Frost Music," "Rock and Roll Music" and "Through the Eyes of Love."

Their debut LP, recorded at Vanguard studio on 23rd St. in New York, was produced by Charters. The disc featured ten tracks, with all but one composed by Wagner.

Unfortunately, the album's cover artwork was lackluster, with just the words "Frost Music / The Frost" on a black background. The record included a 12 x 12 sheet with lyrics to the songs.

The second Frost LP was taped live at the Grande on Aug. 6 & 7, 1969 with engineer Ed Friedner, although considerable overdubbing was done later.

Frost's final LP was a studio effort with Vanguard studio musician Mike Tschudin added on keyboards.

Vanguard issued four singles, including "Rock and Roll Music," a Wagner composition which may be the group's best-known song.

One of the band's high points was an appearance at the Goose Lake Music Festival near Jackson in 1970, considered by many to be Michigan's version of Woodstock.

In an effort to gain national recognition, they played gigs in New York and at the legendary Fillmore West in San Francisco, where they opened for B. B. King on July 8-10, 1969.

The band became disillusioned, however, when audiences endorsed their shows but couldn't buy their records because they weren't being distributed beyond the Frost's base in Michigan.

By 1971, Alpena natives Hartman and Riggs quit and returned to their lower peninsula homes.

Wagner, however, had the desire to continue and went on to form Ursa Major. After one album the group parted ways and Wagner hooked-up with Lou Reed, former lead singer of the Velvet Underground.

Wagner's six-string talents are evident on Reed's live "Rock 'n' Roll Animal" album, which also included guitar slinger Steve Hunter.

Producer Bob Ezrin was impressed with the two guitarists and brought them into sessions he was conducting for Detroit native Alice Cooper.

During his tenure with the shock rocker, Wagner collaborated on the albums "Welcome to My Nightmare," "Goes to Hell," "Lace and Whiskey," "From the Inside" and "DaDa."

Cooper and Wagner co-wrote "Only Women Bleed," which reached No. 12 when it was released as a single in 1975. The song is about domestic abuse.

Wagner and Cooper actually co-wrote more than 50 songs which have appeared on 19 Alice Cooper albums.

Wagner's impeccable guitar playing has contributed to an impressive resume. He played on Peter Gabriel's first solo album and ghosted guitar parts for Ace Frehley on the "Destroyer" album from Kiss.

He has also played lead guitar or written songs for Aerosmith, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner and many others. In fact, Wagner has been featured on more than 150 albums.

In 2005, Wagner moved to Phoenix, Arizona where he suffered a heart attack two years ago. While he regains his health, Wagner is working with a new artist called Wensday.

Now 65, Wagner can look back at an enviable career in rock 'n' roll, which included that 1965 trek north of the Mackinac Bridge with the Bossmen. About that long-ago trip, Wagner remains us, "Winter in the U. P. is not kind."

Woolies hit with Diddley classic

The Woolies, hailing from East Lansing,
struck a chord with their rendition of "Who Do
You Love" in 1967 and served as Chuck Berry's
back-up band for numerous shows.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Poised for national success, Michigan rock band the Woolies made a lasting impression with their version of Bo Diddley's classic "Who Do You Love."

Calling East Lansing home, the band was comprised of Stormy Rice (lead vocals), "Boogie" Bob Baldori (keyboards, harmonica), brother Jeff Baldori (guitar) Ron English (bass) Bill "Bee" Metros (drums).

Originally formed in Dearborn in 1964, the Woolies cut a 45 rpm single of Townes Van Zandt's "Black Crow Blues" for the tiny TTP label in 1965, but the record did not take off.

Undeterred, in June 1966, they entered a Vox- sponsored "best band in the land" contest which offered a Hollywood recording contract as a prize, along with set of speakers.

To their delight, the Woolies won.

While their prizes were slow in coming, the band was flown to Los Angeles where they demoed recordings to various record executives.

Lou Adler of the Dunhill label liked what he heard and ushered the Woolies into the studio to record "Who Do You Love" and "Hey Girl," an original tune composed by Rice and Bob Baldini.

"Who Do You Love" was written by Bo Diddley, born Ellas Otha Bates, later McDaniel. That song, coupled with "I'm Bad," was released as Checker 842 by Chess Records in 1956.

The rhythm and blues song refers to African-based hoodoo folk magic, but has no chord changes.

The Woolies newly-recorded songs, clocking in at about two minutes each, were produced by Jill Gibson and Don Altfield for Sunshine Productions.

After the taping session, the group returned to Michigan, opening Russ Gibb's famed Grande Ballroom on Oct. 6, 1966, along with the punk rockers, MC5.

Back in Los Angeles, meanwhile, Dunhill issued single 4052, promoting "Hey Girl" as the hit side.

However, it was the rhythmically-exciting "Who Do You Love" which grabbed the attention of disc jockeys and radio listeners.

"I walked 47 miles of barbed wire, used a cobra for a necktie. Got a brand new house on the roadside, made of rattlesnake hide," vocalist Rice snarled.

A nifty guitar solo is found about halfway though the track adds to the song's appeal.

The recording reached the Top Five at CKLW in Windsor, WKNR in Dearborn and WPAG in Ann Arbor.

"Who Do You Love" also received considerable airplay in Cleveland, Louisville, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Sioux City, Boston and Milwaukee.

Despite the confusion over marketing, or perhaps because of it, the record spent just three weeks on the national chart peaking at No. 95 on March 11, 1967.

The "Who Do You Love" single was issued in Germany, as RCA 9744, complete with a picture sleeve depicting the Woolies and the audience from behind the stage.

Back in the U. S., Dunhill issued a follow-up, "Love Words"/"Duncan & Brady," to no avail.

About this time the Woolies backed Chuck Berry for the first time when the veteran rocker played a club on the north end of Lake Lansing called the Dells.

In this active period, the Woolies moved to East Lansing to attend Michigan State University and became the defacto house band for the growing student movement at campus.

When the Woolies' Dunhill singles failed, vocalist Rice left for a solo career. In April 1968, Ode Records released "Go Now"/"Comin' Down," the only disc under the singer's name. It did not chart.

Still, the Woolies decided to press on without Rice and continued to issue 45s under their own Spirit Records banner.

Multi-instrumentalist Jack "Zocko" Groendahl replaced Rice, while the Baldori brothers assumed vocal duties.

From 1965 to 1974, the Woolies released about a dozen 45 rpm singles. (A 15-track collection of their 45s is contained on the Woolies' compact disc, "Ride, Ride, Ride.")

Bob Baldori cemented his relationship with Berry by playing harmonica on "Back Home," Berry's 1970 homecoming LP for Chess.

Four members of the Woolies played on Berry's follow-up LP, "San Francisco Dues," issued in 1971. The line-up was: Bob Baldori (harmonica and piano), Jeff Baldori (guitar), Groendahl (bass) and Metros (drums). Johnnie Johnson, Berry's original piano player, was also involved in the sessions.

That same year, the Woolies released their first long-player, titled "Basic Rock."

The Woolies maintained their regional fame and backed up their heroes, like Berry, Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, whenever they were touring the area.

Over the years, the band played hundreds of shows with Berry, famous for "Johnny B. Goode," "Maybellene" and dozens of other songs.

The first time I saw Berry perform, the Woolies were his back-up band.

The occasion was a free outdoor concert between Pearce and Anspach Halls on the campus of Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant.

Berry was riding high with his recording of "My Ding-A-Ling" which had just reached No. 1 on the charts.

I don't know the exact date of the show, but it was probably in late October, 1972.

Berry and the Woolies played at Eastern Michigan University's Bowen Field House in Ypsilanti on Friday, Oct. 27 and probably made several stops in lower Michigan about that time.

The Woolies opened the CMU program and played "Who Do You Love," before Berry appeared on stage, as I recall.

By 1973, the Woolies had issued another LP, "Live at Lizards."

In the four decades since the Woolies were formed, they continue to be cult favorites.

Born in 1943, Bob Baldori has also pursued a solo career. He has performed with John Lee Hooker, Del Shannon, John Hammond and others.

Baldori, who lives in Okemos, operates his own recording studio and has engineered and produced over 200 albums.

He released a solo album, "Who Do You Love," in 1994. A collaboration with Bob Seeley, "Boogie Stomp!," followed in 2006.

An entertainment attorney, Baldori also does legal work for Berry, blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin and other performers.

Brother Jeff Baldori graduated from MSU in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in English. He has been active in music since he joined the Woolies at age 15.

As for the other Woolies, Rice and Groendahl live on the west coast, while Metros is also an attorney.

The significance of "Who Do You Love" was recognized when it was included in the compact disc box set, "Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era," released by Rhino Entertainment in 1998.

The Woolies and their fans may have been disappointed "Who Do You Love" didn't rocket up the charts, but the song has had influence and staying power enough to earn it a permanent place in the history of rock 'n' roll.

? & Mysterians had rare No. 1

Saginaw rock band ? (Question Mark) & the Mysterians
took "96 Tears" to the top of the charts in 1966,
no small feat for a group whose song first appeared on
a tiny independent label.

BY STEVE SEYMOUR

During the format's heyday in the 1960s, thousands of 45 rpm singles were released on small labels, but few became chart toppers, with the notable exception of "96 Tears" by ? (Question Mark) & the Mysterians.

Formed in Saginaw, the band was comprised of Rudy "?" Martinez (vocals), Bobby Balderrama (guitar), "Big" Frank Rodriguez (organ), "Little" Frank Lugo (bass) and Eddie Serrato (drums).

"96 Tears" reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart in the fall of 1966, making the Latino group into garage band legends.

From the first time I heard it, "96 Tears" was one of my favorites.

Although Martinez is credited as the composer of the song, it's actually his original lyrics for "Too Many Tears" with instrumentation added by the Mysterians.

The song was wildly received when the band played it at Mount Holly ski resort and other teen dance venues around the Saginaw tri-city area.

Hoping to get their song committed to vinyl, the band approached Saginaw entrepreneur Lilly Gonzales, whose family owned an independent record label, Pa-Go-Go. Based at 408 Hazel St. in San Antonio, Texas, the label name was derived from the owner's names: Pato, Rudy and Manuel Gonzales.

Lilly Gonzales was impressed by the group. She agreed to manage them and scheduled time at Art Schiell's home recording studio in nearby Bay City to cut "96 Tears" and another original, "Midnight Hour."

Lead singer Martinez, born in 1945, delivered his committed vocals when the group recorded on March 13, 1966. "Too many teardrops for one heart to be cryin'," Martinez sang, his lyrics charged with emotion.

Vox organ accompaniment by Rodriguez added more power to the song.

Soon after the taping session, 750 copies of the seven-inch disc were pressed on the yellow Pa-Go-Go label, assigned catalog number 102.

"96 Tears," 2 minutes and 57 seconds in length, was registered at BMI by Ed Arguello Publishing Co.

With product in hand, Gonzales and the band began pushing the 45 to radio stations, looking to get airplay and additional exposure for their 45.

Saginaw radio broadcasters picked-up on the tune and its popularity spread to stations in Flint and Detroit.

Catching the public's attention, "96 Tears" became the most requested song on Flint's WTAC and Windsor's influential Top 40 station, CKLW, broadcasting 50,000 watts across the river from Detroit.

Neil Bogart, an executive at Cameo-Parkway Records, soon came calling, offering ? & the Mysterians the national distribution which Pa-Go-Go lacked.

Home to Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell, Cameo-Parkway looked like a good choice to Martinez. He apparently chose the Philadelphia-based company in part, because he liked the orange color of their record labels.

Re-released with a shorter fade-out as Cameo-Parkway 428, "96 Tears" swept the country, selling more than one million copies. It knocked "Reach Out I'll Be There" by the Four Tops, another Michigan act, out of the No. 1 position on Oct. 29, 1966 and charted for 15 weeks.

The young rockers, who took their name from a 1957 Japanese science fiction movie, went from local to national success in just a few months.

Television got into the game too, with ? & the Mysterians appearing before millions of teenagers as guests on "American Bandstand," "Where the Action Is" and Detroit's own "Swingin' Time."

Teens were impressed by Martinez, who always wore wrap-around sunglasses, whether performing or being photographed.

Fans were further intrigued because the group's frontman insisted on the question mark moniker and refused to reveal his real name.

By year's end, Cameo-Parkway issued an LP ("96 Tears"), and a second single, "I Need Somebody," which reached No. 22. The song charted for 10 weeks.

R&B singer/pianist Big Maybelle tried to capitalize on "96 Tears," issuing her own version in early 1967. Coincidentally, her record stalled at No. 96. It was her only pop chart entry.

Meanwhile, Cameo-Parkway issued another ? & the Mysterians LP ("Action") and three more singles in 1967. "Can't Get Enough of You, Baby," reached 56 and "Girl (You Captivate Me)" nicked the chart at 98. Their final vinyl of 1967, "Do Something to Me," failed to make the Top 100.

Unfortunately, Cameo-Parkway was about to collapse financially and take their roster with them.

By the end of 1967, the company was sold to the late Allen Klein, who went on to manage the Beatles and Rolling Stones.

In succeeding years, ? & the Mysterians moved on to other record labels, including Capital, Tangerine, Super K and Chicory. Besides "96 Tears," Martinez registered an additional 24 songs with BMI during his career.

In the early 1970s, a Martinez-engineered comeback effort brought the band to the Upper Peninsula. The group was booked by promoter Gene Smiltneck to play a teen dance in Escanaba sponsored by Bands Unlimited.

My wife Sue, who worked for Smiltneck, recalled a well-attended event. "Local kids were quite excited to see such a legendary group," she said.

Athough fans continued to be interested in their early recordings, label owner Klein kept the ? & the Mysterians catalog out-of-print until 2005. At that time his Abkco Records released a 27-track "Best of" collection which included both ? & the Mysterians albums and their last Cameo-Parkway 45.

Martinez was back in the news in early 2007 when his home near Clio was destroyed in a fire.

The property was not insured and a number of benefit concerts were organized to help the music veteran get back on his feet.

In the last four decades, artists such as Aretha Franklin, Garland Jeffries, Music Machine and Iggy Pop, have testified to the greatness of "96 Tears" by recording their own versions.

More than one-hit wonders, ? & and the Mysterians needed only that single song to achieve rock 'n' roll immortality.

By the way, if you have a copy of "96 Tears" on the original Pa-Go-Go label, it might fetch up to $500 today.

Kiss played Cadillac HS dance

This collage depicts Kiss when the hard rock band
visited Cadillac High School to play the homecoming dance
in 1975.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

While many fans know Kiss recorded part of their momentous "Alive!" album in Detroit, fewer may realize the iconic band also played a homecoming week concert at Cadillac High School the same year.

Kiss came to the lower Michigan town of 10,000 on Oct. 9, 1975, just weeks after their much-heralded live double-LP was released on the Casablanca label.

Formed in New York City in 1973, Kiss comprised Gene Simmons (bass), Paul Stanley (guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar) and Peter Criss (drums).

The story of how Kiss came to perform in Cadillac begins with the high school Vikings football team.

Among the people instrumental in getting Kiss to come to Cadillac was football coach Dave Brines and assistant Jim Neff, who had seen Kiss in concert.

The Vikings had an undefeated record in 1973, but opened the 1974 campaign with two uncharacteristic loses.

Neff, also an English teacher at the school, thought to rev-up the team by playing Kiss music in the locker room before games.

The assistant coach also heralded a connection between the team's defensive game plan, Keep It Simple Stupid, and the band's KISS moniker.

Even at away games, the Vikings towed along a record player to spin the "Kiss," "Hotter Than Hell," or "Dressed to Kill" albums.

The Kiss strategy paid off with the team winning seven games in a row.

It was during this period that Neff wrote a letter to the band's management company, telling them how Kiss recordings inspired a winning tradition in the team.

After that the band and coaches traded correspondence. Kiss even asked for phone calls to notify them of the score after each game.

Kiss extended its support by sending the school a number of complementary tickets so some of the football team could experience the hard rock band in person at Cobo Arena in Detroit.

As the school year began in 1975, Neff saw that Kiss was scheduled to play at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo just a few days prior to Cadillac's homecoming.

With that luck of geography, school officials decided to ask Kiss to come to the mid-Michigan community, never expecting the band go along with the idea.

At that point, the band was on the verge of success, but yet to make any money, according to manager Bill Aucoin.

Surprisingly, the band agreed to come to the Wexford County community, but only if everyone at the high school would get into Kiss make-up, Aucoin said.

Consequently, art students at the school were given special diagrams detailing the make-up each of the band members wore. Simmons was portrayed as "Bat Lizard," Stanley as "Star Child," Frehley as "Space Man" and Criss as "The Cat."

Kiss arrived in Cadillac from the WMU gig with seven semi-trucks of gear to squeeze into the school gym.

During their two-day stay, a photographer shot as much 16-millimeter film as the band's limited budget would allow.

Kiss stayed at the Hotel Caberfae Motor Lodge and were accompanied by a police escort during their time in the city.

At mid-afternoon, they arrived at the high school for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and were welcomed by students and staff.

Kiss met the football team, marching band and other students and posed for pictures before heading to the gym for a sound check.

They later attended a bonfire, with students decked out in Kiss make-up.

Kiss began their show shortly after nine o'clock. Open to the public, an estimated 2,000 people attended, with admission set at $3.50.

Among the songs Kiss performed were "Deuce," "Strutter," "Got to Choose," "Hotter Than Hell" and "Nothin' to Lose."

The concert was the first to feature the Kiss "snow storm," actually a blizzard of confetti at the end of the show, which became a permanent part of their concerts.

The band received a paycheck of $3,000, which probably didn't begin to cover their expenses.

On Friday morning, Kiss received a key to the city at a breakfast attended by city officials. City Manager Don Mason, Mayor and Mrs. Raymond "Pete" Wagner, School Superintendent William Smith, Principal John Laurent and coaches Brines and Neff wore Kiss make-up.

During the event, the officials stood up, raised their right arms and shouted "rock 'n' roll." Kiss, in turn, presented the officials with plaques making them honorary band members.

Kiss then participated in a homecoming parade down Mitchell Street, re-named Kiss Blvd. for the day, ending at the school's Memorial Stadium.

In the hours before the game against Remus Chippewa Hills, Kiss made a dramatic departure.

A helicopter hired by the band landed on the field and whisked Kiss to a nearby airport, but not before the band tossed out 4,000 flyers which read, "Cadillac High, KISS loves you."

Cadillac defeated Chippewa Hills, 10-6, as Kiss made their way to Columbus, Ohio, for another concert the next day.

A photo spread of the visit Kiss made to Cadillac appeared in the Random Notes section of Rolling Stone magazine on Dec. 18, 1975.

In one picture, Vikings football team captain Harry Hagstrom, now a resident of Escanaba, is shown "tackling" Simmons.

Hagstrom, who went on to play football at Michigan State University, says he'll never forget the two days Kiss spent in Cadillac.

The appearance of Kiss has remained part of local lore.

For its part, Kiss achieved mega-stardom and remains as popular as ever.

Last month, they opened their Kiss Alive 35 tour by recreating their first live album at Cobo Arena. The anniversary marks the 35 years since the release of their self-titled debut LP in 1974.

The band's most recent album, "Sonic Boom," was issued on Oct. 6. Kiss shot a video for the album's first single, "Modern Day Delilah," during a Cobo performance.

In addition, Kiss is among 12 acts nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The top five vote-getters will be inducted during a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria on March 15, 2010.

With a new album and tour as well as possible rock hall infamy, residents of Cadillac have renewed opportunity to reminisce about when Kiss came to their town.