Ronnie King on Luanda

Ronnie King
12773 - A Lone Browns In Laramie

Robbin Young & Ronnie King
12774 - They Don't Know

written by Ronnie King
Telldell Music, BMI
Prod. by R. Weaver & O. Bailey

Luanda 25
1964

Ronnie King organized The Windsors doo wop singing group while still a student at Washington high School in Washington, PA. The Windsors headed to New York and cut two sides for Wig Wag Records: "Carol Ann" b/w "Keep Me From Crying." at Regent Sound Studios.   Later, Ronnie moved on and formed a rock-pop group called Ronnie King & The Passions who recorded several sides for Scotty and Gateway.

This Luanda single is scarce according to Ronnie King, only 200 records are believed to have been pressed.  Tapes were sent by the producers to the pressing plant at the same time as their equally obscure Kantelles single on the Trynorr label.


Discography

1958 Wig-Wag 103 - The Windsors : Carol Ann / Keep Me From Crying

1964 Luanda 25 : Ronnie King : A Lone Browns In Laramie / They Don't Know
1966 Scotty 822  -  Ronnie King And The Passions : I've Found Love / Quite Like You, Babe
1967 Gateway 786 - Ronnie King And The Passions  : Girl Break Away / I'll Never Be Free

Source : label shot is from this ebay auction (has audio clips of both sides)

Acknowledgment : Ron King

The Ithacas on Fee Bee

The Ithacas

 
22045 — If You Want My Love

(McConnell, Donnator Music BMI)

22046 — Gonna Fix You Good

(Teddy Randazzo-Victoria Pike, Vogue Music BMI)

Fee Bee 220

1968

McConnell, writer of the A-side, is possibly Robert McDowell, better known as Bob Mack.  B-side was first recorded by Little Anthony And The Imperials in 1966 (Veep Records)

Bill Cardille on Vampire

Bill Cardille

28443 – Chilly Billy's Vamp
w & m Ronnie Treece, pseud, of Ronald Sbuscio
Copyright : November 5, 1971

28444 - Strange But True Tales (5:55)
Narrated by Bill Cardille; 2nd voice: John Yelland.

Produced by Ann Savage

Vampire Records #104
(with Picture Sleeve)

The "Strange But True Tales" that appear on the flipside are:

1. the coincidences between the lives and deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy

2. a premonition in a dream by "Reverend Charles Morgan in Rhode Island" of the sinking of the Titanic, and

3. driver "Harry Cooper" keeps passing a hitchhiker who grows older each time and scares Cooper into plunging his car over a guard rail to "his firey death."

Originally from Sharon, Pennsylvania, Cardille was long a fixture on the former WIIC Channel 11, the NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh, and was the first voice heard when the station went on the air on September 1, 1957.

Cardille is probably best known as Chilly Billy, the host of Chiller Theatre, a late night Saturday program that showed horror and science fiction films. It is this program for which Cardille is best remembered, earning him his famed nickname. The program aired from 1963 until its cancellation in 1983. Joe Flaherty, a Pittsburgh native, acknowledges this show as an influence in the formation of the popular "Monster Chiller Horror Theatre" sketches on SCTV.

Donna Rae as Terminal Stare
character of the Chiller Theater Family
Picture credit : Chilly Memorabillya

Sources : Chilly Memorabillya, Cardille interview. Wikipedia



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Lorrie Krsit (Kirst) on Century

Lorrie Krsit

10875 – Super Fine
sample
(Bailey-Matthews, Perfection BMI))

10876 – Prove it to Me
sample
(Charles A.Matthews, Telldell BMI)

Century 0005/6

1963

Pittsburgh, Pa., owned by Edward J Moschetti. (Subsidiary companies Perfection & Regal Music Publications)

Writers are Odell w. Bailey and Charles Matthews. Name of artist is mispelled on label : it's Lorrie Kirst. Billboard (Oct. 12, 1963) announced that Century Records has signed Lorrie Kirst.

*

Lou Christie and the Classics on Alcar

Lou Christie and the Classics

16347 ~ Close your eyes
16348 ~ Funny Thing

Alcar 207
1966

First issued on Starr 508 in 1960 as by The Classics

Lou Christie and The Classics

16349 - Tomorrow Will Come
16350 - You're With It

Alcar 208
1966

Alcar four sides

Christie and writing partner Twyla Herbert

Inaccuracies abound on the internet regarding the life and works of Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco born in Glen Willard, PA in 1943, better known as Lou Christie. And no serious information can be found on these four sides recorded by The Classics and later re-issued on the Alcar label, in-house label of Rite Records. Almost certainly recorded by Fee Bee Records owner Joe Averbach in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1960. Two were issued on the Starr label, one of the Fee Bee Records subsidiary label. The two others are likely from the same session(s) and were not issued at the time.

Twyla Herbert was the song writing partnter of Lou Christie for 30 years. Together they wrote hundreds of songs yielding a dozen hits including the no 1 song "Lightin' Strikes" and the hits "The Gypsy Cried", Two Faces of I", and "Rhapsody in the Rain," and "She Sold Me Magic. Lou Christie call her a genious. Herbert and Christie also composed songs for the girl group the Tammys, including the single "Egyptian Shumba," .

Twyla was born in 1921 in Riverside California and spent most of her lifetime in Pittsburgh. She performed as a classical concert pianist and described herself as a "bohemian gypsy, clairvoyant mystic". Twyla allegedly predicted which of her Lou Christie songs would become hits. She died in Phoenix, Arizona in 2009, at the age of 87.




*

The Fabulous Uptowns

Label : Tulip 100

7653 ~ Turtle
7654 ~ New Love I Have Found

Black vocal group. Pittsburgh, Pa. release certainly related to Varbee Records.

1962

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Fair Change on PaDuka

Fair Change

PaDuka PR-32777

38125 - Evil World (This Is Hell)
38126 - Ebb Tide

Produced by Joe Diamond, Blue Diamond Studios, Canonsburg. Psych-funk tune with apocalyptic lyrics and plenty of percussion written by Duke Lamanna. Flip is a ballad.

Robert Duke Lamanna (1943-) is now a member of Total Recall, a Pittsburgh-based group.

"Old Mon Music", a regional music blog dedicated to the Pittsburgh sounds, is refering to a band named Fairchange in one of his post. It is likely the same band :

After tinkering some with the band personnel, the John Papi Organ Trio morphed into Fairchange, featuring soul frontman Chuck Corby and saxman Johnnie Vann, and took off.

Fairchange played across the states on the Holiday Inn circuit.

.
Evil World (This Is Hell) (sample)

Grant Street Exit on Del-La

Grant Street Exit

Vocal by Wayne Schilling

Del-La 101

22251 - That's Why I Love You
22252 - I Got Soul

Telldell productions
[1968]

Rite account # 1089 (Odell Bailey)

Pittsburgh Soul also released on Millage

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The Streaplers on Century

The Streaplers

Century 0007/8

14683 ~ Yes Tonight Josephine
(W.Scott-D.Goodman)
Robert Astor Music BMI
2:34

14684 ~ Twenty Miles
(C.Mann-B.Lowe)

A Johnny Ray cover b/w a Chubby Checker cover originally released in Sweden on Columbia DS 2243.

Century Records was a division of Perfection & Regal Music Publications., Pittsburgh, Pa., owned by Edward J Moschetti. In addition to his music interests, Mr. Moschetti was also founder and chairman of the World Proof Numismatic Association and exercised his creativity in the fantasy coin design. See for instance here. (Kingdom of Atlantis coins.

With a lifespan extending over a half-century, the Streaplers are a long-running Swedish dansband anchored by twin brothers Göran and Håkan Liljeblad.

Founded in 1959 in Kungälv, the band was originally comprised of Göran and Håkan Liljeblad, Gert Lengstrand, Bjarne Lundquist, and Lars Larsson. Beginning with their 1963 breakthrough hit "Säkkinjärven Polka," the Streaplers enjoyed a string of hit singles during the mid-'60s, among them "Diggety Doggety," "Mule Skinner Blues," and "Rockin' Robin." The band's string of hits was interrupted by the departure of vocalist Gert Lengstrand in 1966.

Source : Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide



*

John Lythgoe & the J.L. Tri-Five

Varbee 2002

Distr. by REMCO
628 Grant St.
Pittsburgh, Pa.

John Lythgoe & the J.L. Tri-Five
7303 – Jeanie (John Lythgoe, Tulip Time, BMI)

J.L. Tri-Five
7304 - Oh Baby (J. Lambing, Ernkel, BMI)

A Glendell productions

• Oh baby : An instrumental based on a blues riff. It features an organ, guitar and finally horns move in to provide a big band sound. Good dance wax. [Billboard, April 28, 1962] Note : The vocal side wasn't reviewed].

"Baby Dave" Greenlee on Steelcity

Baby Dave Greenlee
Steelcity 0001

23869 - We Need Love
23870 – ‘Bout My Baby’s Love

Rite account # 3099
1969

Soul on a Pittsburgh, Pa. label.

Cephas with Jeff Cogswell

Teen Challenge presents
Cephas with Jeff Cogswell

Side 1 -- 32217

1 - Jesus Has Changed My World
2 - Till Another Soul Goes Free
3 - Show Me The Way
4 - Jesus Is Just Alright

Side 2 -- 32218

1 – Meander
2 - Jesus Is The Answer
3 - Save The People
4 – Maranatha

Jeff Cogswell lead vocal, guitar
Andrew LeWay : bass guitar, acoustic, vocals
David Dexter : organ, piano
Gary Simpson : guitar, vocals
Mike Ferguson : lead guitar
Rene Tremblay : guitar

All musical arrangements by A. LeWay and J. Cogswell

Vocal ensemble :

Roberta Smith
Renée Sofaly
Cathy Mercer
Kathy Ford
Deborah LeWay
Alice Urice

Recording engineer : Phil Burkhardt

Christian garage folk sponsored by the christian youth group "Teen Challenge".

Low-budget Pennsylvania basement folk/folkrock troupe led by Jeff Cogswell. The Rite label usually signifies a totally homemade affair and that's pretty much what Cephas is. The background vocals behind Jeff are fairly amateur, but the music itself ain't that bad. Some cuts like 'Jesus Is Just Alright' and 'Meander’ benefit from a faint garage/psych angle ala Guitar Ensemble, thanks to the guitar solos and moody organ. Other cover songs include 'Jesus Is The Answer’, 'Save The People' and 'Maranatha'.
(Ken Scott – The Archivist, 3rd Edition)

Jesus Is The Answer

Jim Robinette

Jim Robinette
Fee Bee 713
33507 - Want You – Need You
33508 - Darling I Must Tell You

Country

The Rocks (Left, Jim Robinette)

Jim Robinette was one of the original members of The Rocks, a group formed by Ward Darby in the fifties. The Rocks had a single issued by Porter Records in 1957. Jim backed Ward Darby on some of his Fee-Bee releases and was half of the Guitar Twins on Joe Averbach's Star label in 1958. Besides, nothing is known about what happened to him between 1958 and 1974, year of this solitary release on Fee Bee.

Geno and Rabbit

TeemA 696
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

Geno and Rabbit
10031 – Deep In The Night

Rabbit
10032 – Never Before


R&B group originally out of Buffalo, NY known as the Rock 'N' Bluesmen, that performed throughout the Pittsburgh area. They backed the La-Rells on "Public Transportation" and "I Just Can't Understand" [Robbee 114]. That was the choice of the La-Dells over the Lennie Martin (owner of Robbee Records) house band. The La Rells repaid the favor by backing them on their TeemA 45 on a session set up by Pete Tambellini, a local booking agent.

Information above, courtesy of Old Mon Music (Pittsburgh Sounds).

Al Dowe : Mr. Trombone Man

Al Dowe
LP "Mr. Trombone Man", stereo
Rite #30359/30360
1972

Line up includes Al Dowe (trombone), John Hughes (piano), Maurice Brooks (guitar), Joe Grey (bass), and Bob Banks (drums).

Tracks :
Evil Ways, Until It's Time To Go, Meditation, For All We Know, Mr. Trombone Man, Love Story, One Bad Apple, Both Sides Now, Sunrise Sunset

Pittsburgh jazz musician (trombone and trumpet).

Al Dowe, a long-time jazz musician who plays the trombone and trumpet and has had his own band since 1974, had always dreamed of having a jazz club. Since the late 1980s, Dowe has also been teaching music in Pittsburgh public schools. Part of his jazz club dream was establishing a music school for kids, to create a student band, hire three of four teachers, hold open house for parents once a week, and offer summer outdoor concerts.

With the help of a new Pittsburgh loan program, Dowe received loan approval to purchase a modest, one-story vacant restaurant with a distinctive original Art Deco, black Carrara glass façade called the Club Café, just off Carson Street, the vibrant commercial thoroughfare (formerly a streetcar route) on Pittsburgh's South Side. The school was launched, starting with only a few students, but experiencing a demand already larger than he expected. A major new school of music could easily emerge out of this effort. Clearly, Dowe's music school dream contributes something new to Pittsburgh and gives opportunity to both paying and nonpaying students.

Excerpt from New Village, Issue nr 2