Holy Name hosted notable bands

The Tennis Shoe Tongue Band, which included
Escanaba resident Jim Lewis, at right, played the
Homecoming Dance at Holy Name High School on
Oct. 12, 1968.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Escanaba's Holy Name High School hosted dances featuring a number of noteworthy rock bands before it closed in June, 1971.

Usually held at the school's multi-purpose room, the dances accommodated the growing number of bands which appeared as rock music increased in popularity during the mid 1960s.

Both local bands and groups from outside the area played at the school which enrolled Catholic students in grades 9 through 12.

Information about the dances was included in "The Crusader" student newspaper, published by Holy Name's Press Club.

An early performance by the Riot Squad came on May 18, 1966 when the rock 'n' roll combo entered a Talent Show which featured folk, pop and show music.

Formed just months before, the Riot Squad consisted of Jim Joque (rhythm guitar), Dan Curran (drums), Bob Anzalone (bass), Brendan Williams (lead guitar) and Greg Curran (vocals, keyboard).

Joque, Dan Curran and Anzalone were students at Holy Name, while Williams and Greg Curran attended Escanaba public schools.

With a number of personnel changes, the Riot Squad lasted into the 1970s, playing hundreds of gigs around the Upper Peninsula region.

The Trolls, another early rock band with roots in the Iron Mountain area, played the Homecoming Dance on Saturday, Oct. 1, 1966.

Drummer Jim Lewis, a 1966 Holy Name graduate, was a member of the Trolls for a brief period about this time.

The event required semi-formal dress with admission at 75 cents or $1.25 for couples.

Held at the Terrace on May 5, 1967, the Junior Prom featured entertainment by the Solidaires, an act from Green Bay.

A traditional graduation dinner-dance was held at the Escanaba Country Club on Tuesday, May 30, 1967. Couples danced to the music of the Living Ends, comprised of Bay de Noc Community College students.

The Homecoming Dance held Oct. 7, 1967 featured the Mutations. Little is known about the group.

The sophomore class sponsored a Christmas dance on Dec. 22, 1967. The semi-formal affair featured music by the Piper's Sons, from Green Bay. The group, which included Dale Anderson, recorded "Past Present Future" earlier that year.

On Dec. 27, 1967 the 12th annual Holiday Ball was held at the Terrace, with music provided by Just Us, another Green Bay group. Students from both Holy Name and Escanaba planned the Holiday Ball each year.

An Easter dance, featuring the Riot Squad, was held on April 15, 1968. Sponsored by the Press Club, admission was $1.

"Camelot" was chosen as the theme for the Homecoming Dance, held on Oct. 12, 1968. Music was provided by the Tennis Shoe Tongue Band. Holy Name graduate Jim Lewis played rhythm guitar in the band which was based at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menominie, Wis. Founded by Paul Rabbitt (guitar, vocals) and Bob "Hippie" Collins (bass), the band later shortened its name to the Tongue.

A Christmas dance, staged on Dec. 21, 1968 included music by Chestnut Street Cafe, according to a report in the student newspaper.

The 13th annual Holiday Ball took place at the Terrace on Dec. 27, 1968. Music was provided by the Ravelles from Iron Mountain.

Comprised of Carmella Altobelli (vocals), John Richtig (lead guitar), Tom Lucas (guitar), Rand Alquist (drums), Brian Alquist (organ) and Ray Broullire (bass), the Ravelles issued a 45 rpm single during the year called "Psychedelic Movement."

An Easter dance, sponsored by the Press Club, featured the music of the Tin Can Blues Band. Admission to the April 7, 1969 dance was $1.

The Collection, a group of three boys and a girl from Milwaukee, provided entertainment for the Junior Prom. The theme for the May 2, 1969 event was "Scarborough Fair."

Escanaba-based Upstairs to the Left played for the Homecoming Dance, held Oct. 4, 1969. Tickets were $1.25 each. The band included Mick Van Effen, Dick Peterson, Dennis Combs, Kim Erickson and Dave Berndt.

The 14th annual Holiday Ball was held at the Terrace on Dec. 27, 1969. The theme was "The Bells of Christmas," with music performed by Jones.

Teamsters Hall in Escanaba was the venue for the Junior Prom, held May 1, 1970. Music was provided by Renaissance Fair from Sault Ste. Marie. Theme for the event was "Windmills of Your Mind."

Renaissance Fair consisted of John Ordiway (guitar, trumpet), Gordie Moon (guitar, keyboards), Greg Myner (drums, sax, guitar, bass), Rob Benjamin (bass, drums), Larry Verrett (guitar, bass), Jim Rogers (bass, guitar) and Larry McGahey (guitar). Everybody sang.

During its career, Renaissance Fair issued three singles, including "In Wyrd," a legendary track among garage band collectors.

Milwaukee band Cold Train played for the 14th annual Holiday Ball, held at the Terrace on Dec. 26, 1970.

As 1970 turned into 1971, Holy Name High School would hear some bad news.

On Feb. 19, 1971 Bishop Charles A. Salatka of the Diocese of Marquette announced Holy Name High School would close at the end of the school year. The decision was recommended by the local and Diocesan Boards of Education, Salatka said.

Holy Name High School had opened in 1954, constructed with a $600,000 grant from Catherine Bonifas. Enrollment in 1963 was 639, with 28 teachers serving the student community. The faculty included Sisters of Notre Dame, Sisters of St. Dominic, Franciscan Sisters, Christian Brothers and lay teachers.

Despite the announcement, regular activities carried on at the local Catholic high school for the rest of the year.

The Junior Prom, with the theme "Colour My World," took place on May 8, 1971 at the Terrace. The popular Renaissance Fair made a return trip to Escanaba to play the last dance.

Weeks later, Holy Name High School closed forever.

Christmas album had fateful start

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Holiday tunes were far from the minds of most Americans in late 1963 as the country reeled from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Yet, one of the greatest Christmas albums of all-time was released on Nov. 22 of that year, the day Kennedy was gunned down in Dallas.

Pre-occupied with a national tragedy, the record-buying public ignored "A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector," a splendid 13-song collection released by the legendary producer, featuring greatest acts on his Philles Records.

Spector had begun recording sessions for the LP at Gold Star Studios the preceding August, during a hot sweaty summer in Los Angeles. He summoned the Crystals, the Ronettes, Darlene Love and Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans for the elaborate undertaking, which took six weeks to complete.

The album opens with Darlene Love's take on "White Christmas," the holiday standard written by Irving Berlin. The Ronettes perform "Frosty the Snowman," Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans sing "The Bells of St. Mary" and the Crystals give their best on "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town."

The artists take turns for the remainder of the album, with Spector wishing listeners Merry Christmas during the closing "Silent Night."

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," with Darlene Love on lead vocals, was released as a single, but failed to chart, doubling Spector's bad luck with the project.

As Spector compiled the album, a track he produced earlier for the Ronettes began its ascent. "Be My Baby" spent three months on the charts, reaching No. 2. Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett was the only Ronette to sing on this number, but it featured a full orchestra string section.

For a follow-up, the Ronettes taped "Baby, I Love You," in November and then left for England, where they toured with the Rolling Stones as their opening act.

Spector went along for the trip, enjoying the London party scene and being recognized for his "Wall of Sound" production technique which took mono sound to the peak of perfection.

The young producer returned to the United States on Feb. 7, 1964 on the same flight which brought the Beatles to New York City for their debut appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and their first U. S. concerts.

In the Beatles' Anthology book, Ringo Starr recalled that day. "The first time I met Phil, we were all on a plane going to New York and that's when we realised how crazy he was because he 'walked to America.' He was so nervous of flying, he couldn't sit down. So, we watched him walk up and down the length of the plane all the way."

Pam Am Flight 101 landed at Kennedy International Airport to swarms of fans. The crowd was there to greet the Beatles, at the top of the charts with "I Want To Hold Your Hand," but for a second or two did Spector, not without an ego of his own, think the welcome was for him?

Later in the year Spector would produce "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" for the Righteous Brothers, while the Beatles would establish themselves as international superstars.

Although six years would pass, Spector would finally work with the Beatles as the group was falling apart. John Lennon called on Spector to produce "Instant Karma," which he recorded with George Harrison and Billy Preston in early 1970. The single reached No. 3.

The record's success led Lennon to ask Spector to produce "Let It Be," the Beatles' final album, released in May, 1970 on the group's Apple Records label.

After the dissolution of the Beatles, Harrison went on to record the triple-LP "All Things Must Pass" with Spector at the board.

Lennon utilized Spector for his "Imagine" LP in 1971.

Spector had married Veronica Bennett of the Ronettes in 1968 and insisted that Apple Records issue an LP of her songs, although a 45 called "Try Some, Buy Some," was the only vinyl to emerge from the partnership.

He also produced Harrison's "Concert for Bangladesh" set which received a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1972.

With his close association to the Beatles, Spector arranged for his 1963 Christmas LP to be reissued on Apple Records, as SW-3400, on Dec. 11, 1972.

While the original release had a cover picturing the four acts performing the album's festive selections, the new package showed Spector photographed as Santa Claus.

Although I faithfully bought all the records by John, Paul, George and Ringo after the break-up, I didn't purchase "Phil Spector's Christmas Album," as it was then known, until years later.

The Beatles continued to release their solo albums on Apple until 1975, as well as other artists signed to the label, including Badfinger, Mary Hopkin and James Taylor.

As John Lennon stopped recording to raise his son Sean, Harrison started his Dark Horse label, McCartney signed to Columbia and Starr hitched his career to Atlantic. Apple Records faded from the scene.

Then, I spotted a large advertisement in Rolling Stone magazine which offered for sale the entire Apple Records catalog, both LPs and 45 rpm singles.

I dispatched my funds and was soon the proud owner of every record manufactured by Apple for the American market, including "Phil Spector's Christmas Album."

Spector's holiday masterpiece has since been released on compact disc several times. Newly remastered, the disc resurfaced on Oct. 26, 2009 with a Phil Spector Records/Sony Legacy label, after being out of print for two years.

However, Spector won't be resurfacing anytime soon.

He's serving 19 years to life at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran after being convicted of the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkston at his home in Alhambra.

Born in 1940, Spector will turn 69 years old on the day after Christmas. Certainly, he's contemplating his life since he'll probably spend the rest of his life behind bars, despite his more than 25 Top 40 hits, working with the Beatles and releasing a holiday album millions of fan treasure.

That "A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector" was released on the day of JFK's assassination only compounds the irony.

Used recordings find new home

Iron Butterfly's epic "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
was immensely popular all around the country,
including at least one neighborhood in Escanaba,
in the summer of 1968.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Owning a store which sells used records and compact discs can have advantages.

That's because I get to look at the pre-owned product before it hits the shelves.

Occasionally, interesting things show up.

Recently, for example, one customer traded-in a dozen Iron Butterfly and Blue Cheer CD's, while another sold his old albums, including titles by Savage Grace and the Frost, two vintage Michigan groups.

You might not have heard of those bands, but I have.

They were very cool in the 1968-1971 period.

I lusted after those albums, but as a young student, didn't have the money to buy them.

Based in San Diego, Iron Butterfly first grabbed my attention when I heard "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" on the radio in the summer of 1968.

Wisely, Atco Records edited the original 17- minute album opus into a 3-minute single suitable for radio airplay and sale as a 45 rpm record for less than $1.

My brother Mark and I decided that the entire neighborhood would appreciate the song as much as we did.

So, we took the portable stereo I received the previous Christmas, pointed the speakers out our second story bedroom window and played "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" to our backyard audience. Then we played it over and over again.

We tired of the experiment after a while but I never stopped liking the song. Neither did the public, with the possible exception of our neighbors.

As a single, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" reached the Top 30 that summer and resurfaced for another chart run a year later.

The song was written by Doug Ingle, Iron Butterfly's frontman, vocalist and keyboard player.

Legend has it that Ingle had a bit too much Red Mountain wine to drink the day he came up with a new song which included the words "in the garden of Eden." Ingle slurred the phrase, drummer Ron Bushy liked it, and a rock classic was born.

Iron Butterfly's baroque sound was wildly popular, and for a time they were the biggest-selling group in the history of Atlantic Records.

In the realm of "heavy" groups, Iron Butterfly was often compared to Blue Cheer, a power trio hailing from San Francisco.

Blue Cheer earned their early reputation with an updated version of "Summertime Blues," which surged onto the airwaves in the spring of 1968.

Originally, early rock 'n' roll guitarist and singer Eddie Cochran, who penned the number, took it into the Top Ten in 1958.

Comprised of Dickie Peterson (vocals, bass), Leigh Stephens (guitar) and Paul Whatley (drums), Blue Cheer revved-up Cochran's song and it became a smash for the second time.

The song was contained on their first album, "Vincebus Eruptum," today considered to be a cult masterpiece.

Like Iron Butterfly, Blue Cheer was a powerful live band.

The group's last U. S. tour came in 2007 in conjunction with the release of their "What Doesn't Kill You..." compact disc.

Another tour was in the works to support a recently released Blue Cheer video when frontman Peterson was diagnosed with cancer.

Sadly, the 63-year-old singer and bass player died on Oct. 12, 2009, putting future activity in the Blue Cheer camp into question.

While Iron Butterfly and Blue Cheer registered a handful of national hits, Savage Grace and the Frost achieved most of their success in Michigan.

Still, both groups were hugely popular in the hard rock scene based in southeastern lower Michigan in the late 1960s and early 70s.

The Frost recorded their "Rock and Roll Music" album live at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit.

Issued by Vanguard Recording Society in 1969, the disc contains some memorable music, including the title track, written by frontman Dick Wagner.

In fact, Wagner composed all the material on the LP except "Donny's Blues," penned by rhythm guitarist Don Hartman.

Vanguard couldn't capture the Frost's exciting live shows on disc, and as a label marketing jazz recordings, didn't have the expertise to promote a hard rock band.

While the Frost had the music chops to make it nationally, they broke up after three LPs.

Savage Grace, meanwhile, only lasted a few years, but issued two long-players, "Savage Grace" and "Savage Grace 2." They even managed a non-LP 45 called "Ivy."

The band was comprised of John Seanor (piano, harpsichord), Larry Zack (drums, percussion), Al Jacquez (lead vocals, bass) and Ron Koss (lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitars).

Issued on Reprise Records in 1970, their debut album included an innovative take on "All Along The Watchtower," the Bob Dylan tune which was also recorded by rock icon Jimi Hendrix.

Moog synthesiser innovator Bernie Krause, who worked with Beatle George Harrison, also lent a hand to the project.

Six other songs on the disc are band originals, with everyone sharing vocal duties, except Zack.

The band found "All Along the Watchtower" to be a concert favorite. They played several dates at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, some on a bill with rock band SRC.

After their second LP failed in 1971, Reprise cut the band from their roster of artists. However, Seaner and Koss stayed with the label for another year, issuing a self-titled album.

Jacquez is now a member of blues band Measured Chaos which has also played shows in the Upper Peninsula in recent years.

Whether you're talking about Savage Grace, the Frost, Blue Cheer or Iron Butterfly, they all have a story to tell.

As for me, I'm listening to a small collection of recordings I'd wished I'd owned since I was a kid.

Nighthawks' tour flies into U. P.

Washington, D. C.'s Nighthawks, from left,
Paul Bell, Pete Ragusa, Mark Wenner and Johnny
Castle, brought their roots and blues music program
to the U. P. on Dec. 6 for a benefit show to aid
local food banks.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Fresh from gigs in Milwaukee and the Chicago area, nationally-known blues band the Nighthawks landed in the Upper Peninsula last Sunday.

The veteran Washington, D. C.-based group performed at the Terrace Bay Inn with proceeds benefiting food pantries at Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Presented under the "Blues for a Cause" banner, the concert was organized by Escanaba resident Wendy Pepin, who has held similar benefits for the Delta Area Animal Society and Northwoods Airlifeline.

Hard-working road warriors, the Nighthawks delivered two raucous 75-minute sets, highlighting their diverse influences in blues and roots music.

Founded in 1972, the Nighthawks today consist of Mark Wenner (harmonica, vocals), Paul Bell (lead guitar, vocals), Pete Ragusa (drums, vocals) and Johnny Castle (bass, vocals).

Wenner founded the group with guitarist Jimmy Thackery, who left for a solo career in 1986. Ragusa joined in 1974, while Bell and Castle have been members for the last four years.

The band is touring in support of their "American Landscape" compact disc issued on Powerhouse Records, based in Falls Church, VA.

Released earlier this year, the studio album is a well-crafted combination of cover songs by the likes of Bob Dylan and Tom Waits and originals by Castle. Castle's "Jana Lea," a tribute to his wife, is one of the stand-out tracks on the disc and a crowd favorite.

U. P. fans welcomed the Nighthawks from shows at The Space in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Ill. and the Miramar Theater in Milwaukee where they shared the stage with Hubert Sumlin, guitarist for the legendary Howlin' Wolf.

The Nighthawks have honed their sound in thousands of one-night stands across the country, now including northern Michigan.

They launched their local show before about 150 fans with "Bring It On Home," a blues classic written by Willie Dixon. Made famous in the early 1960s by Sonny Boy Williamson II, the song was a perfect choice to highlight Wenner's outstanding skills on mouth harp and vocals.

Ragusa took the vocal spotlight next with "Matchbox," composed by rhythm and blues legend Ike Turner. "Where Do You Go," written and sung by bassist Castle, followed.

Choosing a number from their "Blue Moon In Your Eye" CD, the Nighthawks paid tribute to Bo Diddley with "You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care)."

Little Walter Jacobs got a tip of the hat with "High Temperature," a track from their "Pain and Paradise" album.

Saluting early rock 'n' roll, the band played energetic versions of Carl Perkins' "Put Your Cat Clothes On" and "Thirty Days" by Chuck Berry.

Songwriter Willie Dixon, got another nod with "The Same Thing," recorded for Chess Records by Muddy Waters.

The Nighthawks' show took a twist with the next two songs: Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons" and "Woke Up This Morning." The latter tune is the theme song from "The Sopranos," a popular HBO television show.

"Night Train," a No. 1 R&B hit for Jimmy Forest in 1952, later covered by James Brown and others, closed the band's first set.

The Nighthawks kicked off the second part of their program with "Get Out Of My Life, Woman," by Chicago's Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Elvis Presley's 1961 smash, "Little Sister," followed.

The band performed "I'll Go Crazy," James Brown's 1960 hit, before moving on to Presley's "I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water."

Muddy Waters got his due with "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Got My Mojo Workin'." Both numbers come from the Willie Dixon songbook.

The band returned to Bo Diddley for "I Can Tell," and added B. B. King's "Rock This House."

Folk rock innovator Bob Dylan's "Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine)" and "She Belongs to Me" slotted next.

The Nighthawks gave the crowd a glimpse into their next CD, due in February, with a performance of Muddy Waters' "I Just Can't Be Satisfied."

They followed with "Big Boy," the opening track from "American Landscape."

"Shake Your Money Maker," Elmore James' last hit, closed the program, although the band returned for an encore with a holiday medley including "Blue Christmas."

Over the years, the Nighthawks have performed with many great bluesmen, including Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf's great contemporary at Chicago's Chess Records. They've been on the blues tour circuit with John Lee Hooker, Pinetop Perkins, Charlie Musselwhite and John Hammond.

In addition, the combo has shared the stage with Big Walter Horton, Otis Rush and Elvin Bishop.

But, don't pigeon-hole the Nighthawks as strictly a "blues" band. That word doesn't appear in the title of any of the Nighthawks' two-dozen albums. Still, their music is anchored in the blues-rock tradition, not unlike the J. Geils Band or George Thorogood and the Destroyers.

Wenner, frontman and primary vocalist, traces his interest in the blues to 1966 when, as an English major and harp player at Columbia University, he sat in with Slim Harpo, known for the classic, "I'm a King Bee."

In 1972, Wenner got together with a 19-year-old guitar slinger named Jimmy Thackery to form the Nighthawks. Playing up to 300 dates a year, they built a following first around the nation's capital, then on the east coast.

During legendary shows at D. C.'s Bayou Club, they brought in blues greats such as Jimmy Rogers and Otis Rush, and new performers like Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

After the show, I asked Wenner if the band had ever played the U. P. before. "No. Not unless Traverse City counts," he said.

With a bit of luck and local support, perhaps the Nighthawks' first appearance north of the Big Mac will be followed by a return engagement in the near future.

Concerts include travel decisions

For music buffs in the Upper Peninsula,
venues in Milwaukee, Chicago and other metropolitan
areas are hundreds of miles away. Increasingly,
concerts are being offered in the confines of the
U. P., closer to home for many fans.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Traditionally, living in the Upper Peninsula has meant limited opportunities to see rock concerts by nationally-known acts, unless you're willing to travel.

That situation was ameliorated when the region's casinos began to aggressively book rock, country and blues performers.

Still, the U. P.'s sparse population, geographic isolation and small venues don't often attract music's megastars, who still require metropolitan amenities.

While urban centers may draw elite entertainers, I don't relish a trip to the big city unless I'm going to see one of my favorite rock acts.

Places like Milwaukee and Chicago offer world-class entertainment, along with crime, traffic congestion, parking problems, bad neighborhoods, over-priced food and lodging, etc.

By my reckoning, those negatives can be superseded by just a handful of names like the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Bob Seger, the Who, the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan and John Fogerty.

Yes, I've braved the big bad city to see all those acts in recent years.

The shows have always been great, but I haven't always appreciated the circumstances.

Take the John Fogerty show, for instance. As the former leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival, he's been one of my favorites since my teenage years, so I jumped at the chance to see him in concert in Milwaukee last month.

The trip didn't go without complications, however.

On arrival at the downtown Intercontinental Hotel, my wife Sue and I saw the police sealing off an area across the street with yellow "crime scene" ribbon. While waiting for show time in our room, an area television station topped its local news with the gruesome details of a murder elsewhere in the area.

After dark, we hustled the six blocks to the venue by foot, delighted to get into the confines of the theater.

Half a glass of Merlot following the show cost $10, a little steep for folks who remember Boone's Farm at 99 cents a bottle.

The next morning we took a wrong turn leaving the parking garage and got an unexpected tour of the inner city. Finally, we stopped for directions at a McDonald's Restaurant, just seven blocks from our exit north.

Other rock 'n' roll road trips have had their challenges, too.

At a Paul McCartney show in Chicago, I developed a stomach ailment after making the mistake of eating French onion soup for supper. I discovered that concert first aid stations are prepared to deal with many situations, but not the medical condition I had. I also found out the rest rooms at certain venues aren't very clean or plentiful.

On a trip to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland I got a migraine headache and had to find clinic to treat me before I missed any of the activities on our schedule, which included a concert featuring many of the top stars of popular music, such as Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Berry, the Allman Brothers and many others.

Traversing the U. P. to attend music events, on the other hand, has been considerably less stressful.

Sue and I have enjoyed concerts and festivals throughout the area. Marquette's Blues Fest, held each year over the Labor Day weekend, combines blues with a tranquil setting on Lake Superior.

Driving to the Copper Country community of Calumet to see blues veteran Johnny Winter on a historic stage was a pleasant and unforgettable trip.

On another entertaining northern excursion we saw Sue Foley, Deborah Coleman and Roxanne Potvin at the Porcupine Mountain Music Festival in Ontonagon.

Seeing B. B. King at the Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie was especially rewarding since so many blues players have taken their cues from him.

The Island Resort & Casino has played a significant role in bringing some of the blues' most-recognizable performers to the north country.

Acts such as Kenny Wayne Shepherd, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, the Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Kim Wilson, Jim Belushi & the Sacred Hearts and the Blues Brothers have thrilled packed houses at the Harris casino. Sue and I can attest to that; we were at the shows.

In fact, the casino has put on myriad concerts, with a wide variety of entertainers.

As rock fans, Sue and I have enjoyed local shows by headlining acts such as Three Dog Night, Beach Boys, Chicago, Little River Band and Creedence Clearwater Revisited. True, the bands didn't feature all their original members, but they put on fine performances nevertheless. Decades after their glory years, such groups rarely include all the founding members because people have retired, died, or moved on to other groups.

That wasn't the case with ZZ Top, a Texas trio comprised of Billy Gibbon (vocals, guitar), Dusty Hill (vocals, bass) and Frank Beard (drums). The original trio, founded in 1969, lit up the Island theater in a concert as spectacular as any rock 'n' roll show you would find, short of a stadium extravaganza by Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney or the Rolling Stones.

The local casino has also favored older solo performers including Bobby Vinton, Paul Anka, Lou Christie, Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell.

In a memorable appearance earlier this year, veteran rocker Joe Cocker belted out "With a Little Help From My Friends," "The Letter" and "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" with a gruff abandon which delighted fans.

Actually, I've enjoyed concerts by artists as disparate as Joan Jett, known for the 1982 hit "I Love Rock 'N Roll," and country legend Merle Haggard, the "Okie From Muskogee."

Compared to an out-of state road trip, traveling to the Island Resort takes just 15 minutes for me.

Accommodating an audience of 1327, every seat in the house is a good one. In addition, the theater offers state of the art sound and lighting accouterments.

With reserved seating, spectators are able to arrive just minutes before show time.

Tickets for Island shows are moderately priced, especially compared to admission to those "big city" concerts.

Although I'll probably continue to attend the occasional concert in Milwaukee or Chicago, to be able to attend a rock, country or blues show close to home is a convenience all music fans should appreciate.

Fogerty rocks Milwaukee crowd

Veteran rocker John Fogerty made
a pit stop in Milwaukee last week, playing
material from Creedence Clearwater Revival,
his solo career and the new "Blue Ridge
Rangers" CD.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

John Fogerty, perhaps best known as the heart and soul of legendary rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, brought his Blue Ridge Rangers to a rapturous reception in Milwaukee on Nov. 19.

"Blue Ridge Rangers" was actually the name of Fogerty's first solo LP, released in 1973, a year after Creedence disbanded following a run of hit singles and albums.

Fogerty recorded all the instruments on his solo debut, but recruited a crack band to play on this year's "Rides Again," just the second disc to carry the Blue Ridge Rangers moniker. Both albums feature covers of Fogerty's favorite songs from other artists.

For the date at the historic Riverside Theater, Fogerty was backed by Kenny Aronoff (drums), Billy Burnette (guitar), Jason Mowery (fiddle/mandolin) Matt Nolen (keyboards/guitar), Hunter Perrin (guitar), David Santos (bass) and James Pennebaker (pedal steel).

As my wife Sue and I settled into our seats just a few feet from the stage, a near-by security worker named Fred asked, half-jokingly, if we we going to "bum rush" the stage. Probably not, I told him, although we might have years ago.

Still, an older crowd at the packed 2,500-seat venue leaped up, cheered and applauded as Fogerty and the Blue Ridge Rangers made their way through 16 CCR classics, six songs from Fogerty's 1985 and 1997 "comebacks" and four tracks from the new album. Fogerty even tossed in a long forgotten single as a surprise.

The 64-year-old swamp rocker launched the program with a scorching version of "Up Around the Bend," from the CCR album "Cosmo's Factory."

"Let's rock and roll," Fogerty announced as the band tore into into "Green River," a staple of the Creedence catalog.

The singer/guitarist brought the crowd up to date with "When Will I Be Loved," a stand-out track on his fresh album. Originally a hit for the Everly Brothers, the song was penned by Phil Everly.

Fogerty then returned to CCR's 1969-1970 heyday for four tracks. "Looking Out My Back Door," featured some inspiring guitar work from Burnette. The crowd was standing for "Born on the Bayou," while Aronoff demonstrated his drumming chops on the extended instrumental, "Ramble Tamble."

After talking briefly with a fan, Fogerty strayed from the set list to perform Leadbelly's "Cotton Fields" for "Eddie."

"Rambunctious Boy," from 1997's "Blue Moon Swamp" LP, was the first Fogerty solo offering of the evening and featured mind-blowing fiddle from Mowery. CCR's "The Midnight Special," a traditional American folk song, followed with Fogerty thanking the audience for "singing along."

As the song ended, Fogerty pointed to a woman in the audience wearing a fluorescent green T-shirt with "God Fogerty" printed on it. "Nice shirt, but that title's already taken by Eric Clapton," Fogerty said of the idolized British musician, referred to as a guitar god.

Despite the accolades given to Clapton, Fogerty's guitar and vocal skills rank him among the best on any list of iconic musicians. In top form at the Riverside show, Fogerty seemed fortified by by the audience's response to his singing and guitar playing.

Fogerty led his band through the John Prine song, "Paradise," from the new album, complete with a fine pedal steel performance by Pennebaker.

"Centerfield," Fogerty's 1985 masterpiece, was the source for the next song, "Big Train (From Memphis)," which included another Mowery fiddle demonstration. That was followed by "Back Home Again," a new number, composed by John Denver.

CCR's classic "Commotion" was followed by "Keep On Chooglin'," with Fogerty trading his guitar for harmonica. Aronoff's fierce drumming and Perrin's unbridled guitar playing added to the song's intensity.

The crowd sang along to CCR's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," while Rick Nelson's "Garden Party" followed.

Fogerty returned to "Blue Moon Swamp" for that album's opening track, "Southern Streamline."

Ray Charles got a tip of the hat with "The Night Time Is Right Time," which closed CCR's 1969 album, "Green River."

Fogerty told the audience he "resurrected" the next song for his "Royal Albert Hall" concert, just issued on DVD. "Comin' Down the Road," a solo single from 1973, had a distinct Creedence flavor, but failed to chart when it was originally released.

To close the show, Fogerty alternated between solo and CCR songs: "Rock And Roll Girls," "Down on the Corner," "Centerfield," "Bad Moon Rising," "Old Man Down the Road" and "Fortunate Son." Fogerty played his infamous bat-shaped guitar during "Centerfield," which has become a baseball anthem.

After completing the 25-song set list, Fogerty left the stage with the audience in a frenzy.

Brought back for an encore, Fogerty performed two tracks from CCR's venerable "Bayou Country" album: a rousing take of Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly" and the band's breakthrough hit, "Proud Mary."

I've been a fan of Fogerty's since I first heard "Proud Mary" on the radio, back in 1969. It was the first song Sue and I danced to.

Prolific in his early years, Fogerty wrote, produced, arranged, played lead guitar and sang lead vocals on nearly all of CCR's recordings. The group issued seven studio albums from 1968-1972.

Fogerty's solo career has been equally stellar, but he has released only eight studio albums in the last 38 years.

The Milwaukee concert marked the fourth time we've seen Fogerty perform. The others were Cleveland in 1995, Chicago in 1997 and Mount Pleasant in 2005.

It seems each show is better than the last.

There aren't enough superlatives to adequately describe the veteran rocker's Wisconsin appearance.

Somehow, Fogerty can meld decades of unforgettable songs into an evening in which musicians and fans elevate rock 'n' roll into the the purest and most sublime of art forms.

Niles, 45s boast Tommy James

Rocker Tommy James formed the original Shondells
and recorded the No. 1 hit "Hanky Panky" in the small
lower peninsula community of Niles.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Rocker Tommy James, pride of the small lower peninsula town of Niles, made an impression on millions of youngsters during his reign in the 1960s.

As leader of Tommy James and the Shondells, the singer hit the top of the charts in 1966 with "Hanky Panky" and three years later did the same thing with the psychedelic "Crimson and Clover."

Both those songs, as well as "Crystal Blue Persuasion," "Mony Mony" and "I Think We're Alone Now" are contained on the "Best of Tommy James and the Shondells," the first long playing (LP) record I ever owned.

My memory of that old album was jogged recently by my friend Ken Raisanen. A teacher by vocation and a drummer by avocation, Raisanen is head honcho at public radio station WOAS- FM 88.5 and writes a music column for the Ontonagon Herald called "From the Vaults."

The topic of one of his recent columns was "firsts." Raisanen told readers about his first 45 rpm single, first concert, first CD, first LP and other sundry firsts.

An LP was a major purchase when I was a teenager at about $5. I preferred the 45 rpm singles, which sold for about 69 cents each.

My Tommy James and the Shondells' album, however, was a good value since it contained ten songs, all of them hits.

Tommy James and the Shondells reached international stardom-- with the help of a lucky break-- from a modest start in Niles, a southwestern Michigan community of 12,000.

Born Thomas Gregory Jackson in Dayton, Ohio, on April 29, 1947, the future rock 'n' roll star moved to Niles with his family in 1958.

He formed the Tornados, later to become the Shondells. This "original" group of Shondells included Larry Coverdale (guitar), Larry Wright (bass), Craig Villeneuve (piano) and Jim Payne (drums).

The high school friends played parties and dances.

James even got himself a job at a local store, Spin-It Records, where he learned about the music business.

The group drew the attention of J. D. Deafenbaugh, who worked as a disc jockey under the name Jack Douglas on local AM radio station WNIL. Deafenbaugh brought the teenage group into the station's studio in early 1964 to record four songs, including "Hanky Panky."

James had heard another band perform "Hanky Panky" in a club in South Bend, Indiana, and noted the tremendous response from the crowd.

"Hanky Panky" and "Thunderbolt" were paired on a 45 record released on Deafenbaugh's new label, Snap Records.

Written as the flip side to a single by the Raindrops in 1963, "Hanky Panky" was composed by the famous Brill Building team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.

The single was a hit in the tri-state area of Michigan, Illinois and Indiana, but didn't go further because Snap lacked national distribution.

Several years passed and "Hanky Panky" faded from memory.

Somehow, a few copies of "Hanky Panky" found their way into the stock of a used record store in Pittsburgh owned by Ernie Kashauer.

The disc got played at a teen club run by Bob Mack who told local disc jockeys about the wild reaction kids gave "Hanky Panky."

Thinking it was a new single, youngsters began calling Pittsburgh radio stations requesting "Hanky Panky."

Since the single was out of print, an estimated 80,000 gray market 45 rpm singles were pressed in Pittsburgh to meet local demand for "Hanky Panky."

As "Hanky Panky" was taking Pittsburgh by storm, DJ "Mad Mike" Metrovich called James, telling him about the single's surprise success and looking for the Shondells to appear in Pennsylvania.

James, who was working as a solo act, told the caller the Shondells had broken up.

Still, the singer agreed to play. In Pittsburgh, he auditioned a group called the Raconteurs to serve as the new Shondells.

Not long after, James traveled to New York where he sold his recording of "Hanky Panky" to Roulette Records for $10,000. With Roulette's marketing muscle and distribution, "Hanky Panky" became the nation's No. 1 single on July 16, 1966.

Their first LP, also titled "Hanky Panky," was issued soon after. The Shondells at that point included Joe Kessler (guitar), Ron Rosman (piano), Mike Vale (bass), George Magura (sax) and Vinnie Pietropaoli (drums).

During their stay with Roulette, Tommy James was given creative control of his music. Consequently, with producers Bo Gentry and Ritchie Cordell, Tommy James and the Shondells hit the Top 100 with 19 songs.

Many of the group's songs also included Ed Gray (guitar) and Peter Lucia (drums), when Kessler, Magura and Pietropaoli left the band.

The collaboration resulted in such hits as "Mirage," "Sweet Cherry Wine" and "Sugar on Sunday."

The propulsive "Mony Mony" was one of the group's most successful singles.

While growing up in Marquette, my music columnist buddy Ken Raisanen remembered practicing the drums to the tune in his basement.

"I used to open my basement window and crank the song and my drums to '11' for the benefit of the girls sunbathing outside of Spalding Hall," Raisanen recalled. The girls "used to yell and wave at me when I was out in the yard: 'Hey, play your drums.' Ah, the benefits of living across the street from a girls' dorm in your formative years, in 6th and 7th grade."

Although Woodstock promoters asked Tommy James and the Shondells to perform at the historic music festival in the summer of 1969, the group declined after being told the event was a "stupid gig on a pig farm in upstate New York," by their booking agent.

After Tommy James collapsed on stage in 1970 and was hospitalized for several weeks, the Shondells broke up.

James managed to hit the charts a dozen more times as a solo artist, most notably with "Draggin' the Line" in 1971.

The group's songs have returned to the charts in versions by other artists.

Joan Jett had a hit with her take on "Crimson and Clover" in 1982, while in late 1987, Tiffany and Billy Idol, respectively, had consecutive No. 1 hits with their renditions of "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Mony Mony."
Even today, hits by Tommy James and the Shondells are fondly recalled by fans and continue to be heard on oldies radio.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to spin a Tommy James and the Shondells' record for old times' sake.

'Smiley' fans support show, CD

Almudena Aguirre and Mike Riegel joined
the Lark Brothers for a rendition of "Sweet
Home Chicago" during a charity show at the
Terrace Bay Inn on Nov. 7.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Fans of Jim "Smiley" Lewis gathered on Nov. 7 for a tribute show which included the release of a new compact disc of the late bluesman's recordings.

Held at the Terrace Bay Inn, "Paws for the Blues" benefited the Delta Area Animal Society, Smiley's favorite charity.

Performers included headlining act the Lark Brothers, keyboardist Steve "Doc" Yankee and other musicians who played with Lewis during his four-decades long career.

Lewis, who died in 2005 at the age of 57, was a superbly-gifted singer, songwriter and guitarist who devoted himself to blues and rockabilly music.

The tribute show, following similar events in 2006 and 2007, was organized by blues enthusiast Wendy Pepin, a friend of Smiley's.

The Hip-Tonics (Mike Riegel, Jesse Pepin and Greg Ducheny) opened the proceedings with "Pipeline," a 1963 surf classic by the Chantays. Fittingly, Riegel learned the song from Smiley.

This year's program also included performances by Augie Peters and Almudena Aguirre, Old Dawgs (Fred Cavill, Dan McDonald, John Roman and Brad Gleason), ToHuboHu (John Beck, Bruce Cassell and Dave Potvin), Grassfire (Allen Stenberg, Tom Caron, Bruce Irving and Marv Anderson), Fast Eddie's Blues Blues Band (Fast Eddie Consolmagno, Kurt Touimila, Rob "Crab" Samsey and Scott Stevenson) and Red, White and Blues Band (Russ "Fingers" Fennick, Jay Olivares, Rick "Sugar White" Bailey, Jake Jacobs, and Jay "JJ" Davis).

The Lark Brothers, featuring Dave and Bill Lark, Dean Peterson, Mike Larsen and Yankee, delivered a set of blues in the afternoon and reconvened to end the evening's entertainment with several friends, including drummer Dave Cass and bassist Bob LaLonde.

Dave and Bill Lark shared a love of the blues with Smiley. At one point, they formed the Blues Bombers with drummer Craig Seckinger.

The tribute show concluded with Yankee and the Lark Brothers performing a powerful version of "Bad Dream Blues," a track from Smiley's just-issued CD, "Rebel Without a Pause."

Yankee, an East Lansing resident, plays on the studio take of "Bad Dream Blues" and several other selections on the new CD.

The disc contains seven tracks Smiley recorded at home with Jay Brodersen on stand-up bass, four songs with the Shuffle-Aires, and five numbers from a reel-to-reel tape dating from the 1990s.

Menominee musician Ron Patron plays drums on a couple of the tracks, as well.

Brodersen, who produced the recordings and penned the album's liner notes, said Smiley "was a true blues disciple who was into the blues long before it became trendy."

"He shared many stories with me of hitchhiking from Escanaba to Detroit, Minneapolis or Chicago to seek out blues bars and the musicians who played them. Many times he would be the only white person in the club, listening and learning both the music and its history," Brodersen noted.

Nearly an hour long, Smiley's CD opens with "I'm Ready" and "Keep Your Hands Off Her." By Muddy Waters and Leadbelly, respectively, the two songs were staples on Smiley's set list.

Three sterling originals follow: "Love Bug Blues," "Bad Dream Blues" and "Disappearin' Blues."

Next, Smiley covers his blues hero, Howlin' Wolf, with "Who's Been Talkin'." The traditional "Tell Old Bill" features Smiley on mandolin.

Smiley recorded a number of tunes with "Big" Al Ek and Mary Corbett as the Shuffle-Aires. He interprets "Statesboro Blues," Corbett takes the vocals on "Hollywood Bed" and "I Hear You Knockin'," while Ek sings Jim Liban's "Without Her."

With the exception of Brodersen on bass, Smiley plays all the instruments on "Route 66," originally recorded in 1946 by Bobby Troup.

Smiley also runs through B. B. King's "She's Dynamite," Bo Diddley's "You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover" and "Dirty, Low Down and Bad," by Keb' Mo', a contemporary bluesman he admired.

The disc concludes with Smiley's original, "Blacktop Blues," a long-time fan favorite.

Simply put, "Rebel Without a Pause" is a treasure. It follows the excellent 16-track "No Explanation Necessary" album which Smiley released in 1991.

Smiley's friends and fans snapped up the disc and reminisced during the get-together at the Terrace.


Steve "Doc" Yankee

Veteran musician Steve Yankee, a native of Iron Mountain, told me his friendship with Smiley began about 1974 when Lewis was gigging around Grand Rapids as a solo act.

"I was impressed with how professional he was," Yankee remembered.

For a while the two played in the Jim Galligan Band.

Not long after, Yankee, Smiley and his girlfriend moved into an apartment on Union Street in the Heritage Hill district of Grand Rapids.

Together with a second guitar player, bassist and drummer, Smiley and Yankee assembled a five-piece blues outfit, the Union Street Boogie Band.

Union Street played all over Michigan, Yankee recalled. The band even did five nights at Steve Mitchell's Stephenson Street Distillery in Escanaba, also known as The Still, in 1976.


The Union Street Boogie Band

"We did a few originals. Jim had written a fast little instrumental number we used for a break song. We did a couple of mine and a couple that one of the other band guys wrote. But mostly it was stuff Jim picked out for us," Yankee said of the group's repertoire.

According to Yankee, Union Street lasted several years, then reformed as a four-piece called Bacon Fat. "A year later we started working as the Boogie Boys, doing a duet with guitar and keys. We did that for maybe half a year, before I got married and retired from the band biz," Yankee related.

"He had exquisite taste when it came to the blues," said Yankee about Smiley, his buddy and bandmate.

With a fresh CD, a tradition of tributes featuring his musician friends, and plenty of shared memories, Smiley's legacy seems secure for years to come.

U. P. labels met local demand

Upper Peninsula-based independent record
labels, including Princeton, Peninsula, Spoke,
HerMi and Tevar, released 45 rpm singles during
the 1960s era.


By STEVE SEYMOUR

Although they were minuscule compared to Capitol, Columbia or RCA, the Upper Peninsula sported a number of independent record labels labels in the 1960s.

The U. P. labels lacked the financing and national distribution of the majors, but they weren't promoting big names like the Beatles, Bob Dylan or Elvis Presley, either.

What the small labels did, however, was offer local acts an opportunity to get their songs recorded and manufactured.

Having a 45 rpm single with their name on it distinguished those bands from their "unrecorded" brethren who couldn't brag about having a record.

The labels bore such names as Princeton, Peninsula, Spoke, HerMi and Tevar.

In fact, the labels were founded to meet the demand from the many bands which surfaced during the musically-prolific decade.

The labels allowed regional bands to have product to sell at gigs, send to booking agents and give to radio stations.

Disc jockeys of the period had some latitude in determining play lists, so many did indeed play the seven-inch vinyl offerings of local bands.

The records were generally pressed in quantities of up to 1,000 copies, sometimes just a few hundred, making many titles quite hard to find today.

Based in Marquette, the Princeton label issued at least six singles, from such acts as the French Church, "Country" Tommy James, Renaissance Fair, Mike Koda and the Executives.

Marquette's French Church recorded the debut Princeton record, "Without Crying"/"Slapneck 1943."

Little is known about "Country" Tommy James, although he apparently worked as a one-man band, and was not the same artist who recorded "Hanky Panky."

Both Renaissance Fair and the Executives hailed from Sault Ste. Marie. Renaissance Fair taped original tunes for their two 45s, while the Executives recorded cover versions of "Cara Mia" and "My Special Angel."

Mike Koda, meanwhile, recorded a song called "Let's Hear a Word (For the Folks in the Cemetery)" and went on to form Brownsville Station, famous for "Smokin' in the Boys Room."

A discography of the label, owned by Fred L. Crook, is incomplete. But, based on the catalog number of known 45s, two or three additional discs may have appeared under the Princeton imprint.

Escanaba's Peninsula Records, meanwhile, issued 45 rpm singles by local bands the Riot Squad and Prophets of Doom.

Peninsula was owned by Leon Smiltneck, brother of promoter Gene Smiltneck, who founded Bands Unlimited to book bands in the upper Midwest.

Riot Squad was the first to have product appear on the label with their cover versions of "Come On, Let's Go" and "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey."

The Prophets of Doom, on the other hand, wanted to issue original songs on their 45, according to founding member Dave Watchorn, who played lead guitar and sang for the group.

In the year before Prophets of Doom got together Watchorn met Irene L. Davis, owner of Manistique's Spoke Records.

"I was with Dave Brooks in Manistique, 'bombin' the drag' when he remembered he had to make a stop to sign some papers. Irene had papers ready for him to apply for a copyright for one of his songs. I believe it was 'Baba Do Wah.' I asked him about her after we left and he said she was a music publisher."

Later, Watchorn told Gene Smiltneck the Prophets of Doom wanted to make a record using original songs. Smiltneck told them original songs would have to be copyrighted and a music publisher would have to be found.

"I think I blew Gene away when I told him we had two songs, one of which was copyrighted, another song almost ready, and the big one, that I knew a music publisher," Watchorn recalled.

Consequently, the Prophets of Doom recorded Watchorn's "I Told You" and Brooks' "Baba Do Wah."

Both tunes were published by "Five State Music," owned by Davis, and a New York-based music publisher, "Hankbee Music."

"Irene was a big help in getting my song copyrighted and published. There are a lot of legalities and contracts involved and she and Gene shared a lot of information," Watchorn remembered.

Davis, meanwhile, issued at least three 45s on her Spoke label, none of them by Upper Peninsula acts.

The label's first release was "Suddenly Just Like That"/"Walk the Waves," by a group called the Innocence. It's uncertain where the band originated, although it was certainly outside the U. P. A second 45, "Just as Much"/"Nicotine Fit" was recorded by a Chicago group named the Society.

A third Spoke 45, "You Can't Hardly Tell"/"So Little Time," was taped by Frank Perry, who may have been from Wisconsin.

On the other hand, the obscure HerMi label was attached to just one release by the Vigilantes, a Copper Country-based rock group.

The group recorded "Warm Wind" at radio station WHDF in Houghton in 1962, and moved to the Chicago area the following year.

Drummer and founding member Jay Mihelich, who now lives in Muskegon, told me he owned the imprint along with bandmate Don Hermanson, who played guitar for the Vigilantes.

The HerMi moniker was a combination of the first few letters of their last names, Mihelich explained.

The record's label credits the song to Vic Scerney, although Phil Geratano actually composed it, Mihelich said. Mihelich learned that from his La Grange, Ill. neighbor Jim Holvay, who wrote "Kind of a Drag" for the Buckinghams.

Jim Kirchstein, owner of Cuca Records in Sauk City, Wis., where many U. P. groups recorded, was supposed to publish the song, according to Mihelich. "But, I don't think it ever was," he added.

"We pressed 1,000 copies with Kay Bank Studios in Minneapolis, but there are probably less than 50 in existence as I ground up over 900 of them at our pressing plant in the early seventies," Mihelich revealed.

Menominee's Trevar label put out two 45s, both involving the local rock band Infinite Blue.

On the first disc, young folk singer Patti Whipp performed her songs "Walking"/"It's Gone," with Infinite Blue playing the instrumental backing.

In 1971, Infinite Blue released a 45 under their own name containing the songs "Black Train"/"Lies." The A side was composed by Dick Wagner of the rock group The Frost, while the flip was an original song.

The Trevar label was owned by Menominee brothers Jim and and Philip Ravet, who reversed the letters in their last name to identify their record label.

Actually, Princeton, Peninsula, Spoke, HerMi and Trevar were just some of the labels which have operated from the U. P.

Although acts which recorded for such labels may have hoped their singles would become nationally-charting hits, none did.

Those U. P. imprints, like hundreds of independent labels around the country, preserved local music from the 1960s era, then vanished.

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.