Mike Fernandez with the Del Royal's Orch.
Raymond's Records
Raymond 's Recording Studio
902 Front Street, Morgan City, LA.
45-755
A - A-Bomb Bop (M. Fernandez, F. Kramer, Jr.), Starday BMI, time 2:00
B - Brake Jake (M. Fernandez, J. McCeerman), Starday BMI, time 2:00
a) A-BOMB BOP; w & m Mike Fernandez & Frank Kramer, Jr. © Mike Fernandez & Frank Kramer, Jr.; 24Feb58; EU512721.
b) BRAKE, JAKE! w & m Mike Fernandez (Julius Michael Fernandez, Jr.) & John McClernan. © Julius Michael Fernandez, Jr. & John Aloysius McClernan; 22Dec58; EU555271.
In the Starday Records Custom Series, date: early 1959
Mike Fern and Del Royals
Demo Records
Record N° 4
A - Brake Jake (Fernandez-McClernan), Tulane Publishing (BMI), time 2:03 (CP-1793)
B - A Bomb Hop (Fernandez-Kramer), Tulane Publishing (BMI), time2:12 (CP-1794)
Pressed by Rite Records, date : May or June 1959
Mike Fern Vocalist
Demac Records
Record N° 108
A - Gumbo, Go-Go, Do-Do (McClernan), BMI, time 1:35 (CP 2182)
B - The Head Hunters (McClennan), BMI, time 2:30 (CP-2183)
a) GUMBO , GO GO , DO DO ; w & m John Aloysius McClernan . McClernan ; 24Feb58 ; EU512682 .
b) HEAD HUNTERS ; w & m Mike Fernandez ( Julius Michael Fernandez , Jr. ) , w , m & arr John A. McClernan . John A Clernan and Julius Michael Fernandez, Jr., 27 April59; EU573940
Pressed by Rite Records, date : August 1959
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Del Royals : Frank Kramer, Jr. was a member, other members unknown.
It is almost certain that John McClernan played a key role in these three releases.
He was a piano instructor and composer, whose earliest compositions date back to the
1930s. He was then in Los Angeles. He published "Basic ingredients of piano playing"
in 1972 (Carlton Press, New York).
Other people who also probably played a role in the promotion and/or the distribution of Mike Fern
2nd and 3rd releases were Anthony D. Conino and his wife Ann Williams Conino
Tony Conino was a juke box operator and worked for various record distributors through
the 1950s and Ann had her own record shop in New Orleans. Both owned Tulane Music
Publishing.
Julius Michael "Mike" Fernandez Jr. Obituary
Julius Michael Fernandez, Jr.
May 21, 1942 - December 1, 2024
“Mike” Fernandez died peacefully in Huntersville, NC on December 1, 2024. He had moved from his native Louisiana to be cared for by his brother, Raymond Fernandez and his family members. He was 82.
Mike was born in Lafayette, LA during WWII where his father J.M. Fernandez, M.D. was the chief surgeon. His mother was Teresa (Te) Mae Badeaux Fernandez from Thibodaux. The family of four moved to Franklin in 1949 and he loved growing up there. He attended Hanson High School and enjoyed learning to play several instruments in the band. He also taught himself to play piano, drums, xylophone and guitar.
Mike finished undergraduate studies at Nicholl’s State College then attended law school at Loyola University in New Orleans. He practiced copyright law as a solo practitioner out of his office in Lafayette. But his passion was music and he composed, performed and recorded many songs between 1957 and his death. One of his best received was “A-Bomb Bop” which topped the charts in Germany years ago. That one along with “Brake Jake” and “Headhunters” are still being played on Apple Music and a Google search of “Mike Fern musician” will give evidence that his music lives on long after him. He formed his own record company Scales of Justice Music, Inc. which he used as a venue to assist other musicians jumpstart their careers.
He was preceded in death by his parents, but is survived by his brother Raymond and his wife, Gail as well as a nephew, Charlie Fernandez (wife Jennifer) and nieces Tess Hayes (husband Jay) and Lisa Schwanz (husband Erik) and their seven children.
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