RIP Johnny Maestro

Johnny passed away on Wednesday of this week
Johnny's fourth ward origins and the crests from oldies.com

Formed in New York City, USA, in 1956, the Crests soon became one of the most successful of the ‘integrated’ doo-wop groups of the period, after being discovered by Al Browne. Headed by the lead tenor of Johnny Maestro (Johnny Mastrangelo, 7 May 1930, USA), the rest of the band comprised Harold Torres, Talmadge Gough, J.T. Carter and Patricia Van Dross. By 1957 they were recording for Joyce Records and achieved their first minor pop hit with ‘Sweetest One’. Moving to the new Coed label, the Crests (without Van Dross) recorded their signature tune and one of doo-wop’s enduring classics, ‘16 Candles’, a heartfelt and beautifully orchestrated ballad. It became a national pop hit at number 2 in the Billboard charts, paving the way for further R&B and pop successes such as ‘Six Nights A Week’, ‘The Angels Listened In’ and ‘Step By Step’. At this time the band was almost permanently on the road. Following ‘Trouble In Paradise’ in 1960, the band’s final two chart singles would be credited to The Crests featuring Johnny Maestro. However, this was evidently not enough to satisfy their label, Coed, whose priority now was to launch the singer as a solo artist. Mastro’s decision to go solo in 1960 (subsequently calling himself Johnny Maestro) weakened the band, although they did continue with James Ancrum in his stead. Their former vocalist made the charts with ‘Model Girl’, still for Coed, in the following year, before re-emerging as leader of Brooklyn Bridge, an 11-piece doo-wop group who are best remembered for their 1968 single ‘The Worst That Could Happen’. After ‘Little Miracles’ failed to break the Billboard Top 100 (the first such failure for the Crests in 10 singles), Gough moved to Detroit and a job with General Motors. He was replaced by Gary Lewis. However, the Crests were now entangled in legal disputes with Coed over the ownership of their name. They eventually moved to Selma, although the songs made available to the group were now of significantly inferior quality, including ‘You Blew Out The Candles’, a blatant attempt to revisit the success of ‘16 Candles’. The band continued to tour throughout the 60s, though Torres had left to become a jeweller, leaving a core of Carter, Lewis and Ancrum. Later line-ups were organized by Carter for lounge sessions (although there are no recordings from this period), and in June 1987 the original line-up (minus Van Dross) was re-formed for a show in Peekskill, New York.

from my PS 177 classmate Rich about the article above

I remember the Crests started out of the Smith Projects. One of the backup singers' brother, Franklin, was in our class. Or so it was claimed by Franklin. I don't remember his last name and don't recognize it from the members of the group

Who's Who In Knickerbocker Village History: Johnny Motts

Johnny singing Unchained Melody. He's in the middle of the first pic of the slide show and by himself on the second. The black and white photo is of the original Demensions.
We've mentioned Johnny,John Martinucci, before but we had a picture of Lenny Dell singing and not Johnny. Johnny lived at 32 Monroe Street
From their web site

The Demensions, (Tom Clemente, Lenny Dell, John Martinucci, Robin Robbert, Ron Scauri), are recognized as one of the finest performing acts from the sensational sixties; a decade in which they sparked a melodic crusade earning them a place in musical history.
The group is perhaps most loved for their hit record Over the Rainbow, which was originally recorded in 1960 on the Mohawk record label featuring original members Lenny Dell, "Uncle" Phil Del Guidice, Marisa Martelli, and Howard Margolin. In 1962, My Foolish Heart (released on Coral records) also soared up the top 100 chart.
The Demensions' treasured songs were enjoyed on "American Bandstand", "The Clay Cole Show", "Palisades Park", WINS Radio (w/ Cousin Brucie who was the first to play the hit Over the Rainbow), and WMCA Radio.
Today, the group carries on their musical tradition with performances throughout the northeast including, the NJ Meadowlands, the Capital Theater (formerly Westbury Music Fair), various Atlantic City hotels, and many other spectacular stages.

The More Things Change

So in the 50's and 60's street corner singing and doo wop were the rage, now it's 2009 and a college isn't a college if it doesn't have at least one a capella chorus.
Above is one of Clark University's groups called the Clark Bars. I'm very happy that my daughter will be attending there next year.

KV's Man In Sarasota

Above: Larry Chance & The Earls -from a Remember Then Concert from last year
We interrupt our exploration of Ward 10 and Eldridge Street for a music review done by Joe Bruno for his old singing buddies from the 4th and 6th Wards

THE SHOW AT THE VAN WEZEL (PRONOUNCED VAN WAY-ZEL) IN SARASOTA WAS GREAT. JOHNNY MAESTRO SOUNDED LIKE HE ALWAYS DID. LIKE HIS VOICE NEVER AGED IN THE PAST 50 YEARS. ALTHOUGH, HE DID LOOK LIKE HE WAS A LITTLE UNDERWEIGHT. A LITTLE UNDERNOURISHED. LIKE HE NEEDS TO EAT A STEAK WITH SOME POTATOES. MAYBE TWO OR THREE PORTIONS. WITH A LOT OF BREAD AND FIVE DESSERTS.
LARRY CHANCE AND THE EARLS PUT ON A MUCH BETTER SHOW THAN JOHNNY MAESTRO AND THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE. LARRY CHANCE SEEMED TO BE ENJOYING HIMSELF ON STAGE MUCH MORE THAN JOHNNY MAESTRO WAS. AND EVEN THOUGH LARRY CHANCE HAD THROAT CANCER A FEW YEARS BACK, HIS VOICE DIDN'T SEEM TO SUFFER TOO MUCH.
THE SHANGRILAS ALL LOOKED GORGEOUS. AND TWO OF THEM WERE OVER 60 YEARS OLD. THEY WERE THIN AND SHAPELY LIKE 30 YEAR OLDS. NOT BAD SINGERS EITHER. TOO BAD THEY WERE ONLY ON FOR 20 MINUTES.
DURING HIS GIG, LARRY CHANCE TOLD JOKES, AND WENT INTO THE AUDIENCE TO SPEAK WITH THE CROWD. HE EVEN MADE PEOPLE SING STUPID CHORUSES INTO THE MICROPHONE. THEN HE BROUGHT THREE GUYS ON STAGE TO DANCE AND SING CHARLIE BROWN WITH HIM.
IT WAS HILARIOUS. THE THREE GUYS WERE SO OLD, IT LOOKED LIKE THEY NEEDED BATTERY-POWERED, CAST-IRON WALKERS.
I WAS IN THE SECOND ROW UP FRONT (I BOUGHT THE TICKETS IN SEPTEMBER AFTER I SPOKE WITH YOU). WHEN LARRY CHANCE GOT NEAR ME, MY WIFE TOLD HIM NOT TO GIVE ME THE MICROPHONE TO SING, OR HE MIGHT NOT GET IT BACK.
THAT WAS GOOD ADVICE. I NEVER MET A MICROPHONE I DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE HOME WITH ME.
LES CAUCHI AND FRED FERARRA FROM THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE ALSO SEEMED MORE COMFORTABLE ON STAGE THAN THEIR LEAD SINGER. THEY LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE HAVING FUN PERFORMING. JOHNNY MAESTRO LOOKED LIKE HE WAS JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS.
AFTER THE SHOW, I MET A GUY I PLAY BALL WITH IN THE OVER-60 SARASOTA SENIOR SOFTBALL LEAGUE. HE SAID THE SAME THING I DID.
LARRY CHANCE IS NOT THE SINGER JOHNNY MAESTRO IS, BUT HE PUTS ON A MUCH BETTER SHOW. HE PLAYS TO THE AUDIENCE. THAT'S HIS PERSONALITY. I GUESS IT'S JUST NOT JOHNNY MAESTRO'S PERSONALITY TO BE THAT WAY. IT DOESN'T MAKE HIM A BAD GUY. IT'S JUST THE WAY HE IS.
I SPOKE TO JOHNNY MAESTRO, LES CAUCHI AND FRED FERARRA AFTER THE SHOW. THEY WERE SITTING AND SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS FOR AN OLDER CROWD. THERE WERE MORE CANES IN THE CROWD THAN TEETH.
I BOUGHT ONE OF THEIR CD'S "PEACE ON EARTH", WHICH I DIDN'T HAVE. I HAVE ALL THE REST. IT CONTAINS ALL RELIGIOUS, OR SPIRITUAL SONGS, LIKE AVE MARIA, HAIL MARY, I BELIEVE, AND YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE. JOHNNY MAESTRO SIGNED IT FOR MY SON, WHO IS A MINISTER IN THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IN CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.
DON'T ASK. I CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT MYSELF.
I MENTIONED TO JOHNNY MAESTRO WHERE I CAME FROM. WHERE WE BOTH GREW UP. I MENTIONED KNICKERBOCKER VILLAGE. HE DIDN'T SEEM MUCH INTERESTED. HE JUST SORT OF GRUNTED, KEPT HIS HEAD DOWN AND CONTINUED SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS. LES AND FRED WERE MUCH MORE APPROACHABLE AND FRIENDLY.
I KIDDED WITH LES THAT YOU TOLD ME TO TELL HIM I WAS A BETTER FIRST TENOR THAN HE WAS. WE GOT A GOOD LAUGH OUT OF THAT ONE. THEN I TOLD HIM THE TRUTH. THAT HE'S PROBABLY THE BEST FIRST TENOR TO EVER SING DOO WOP. AND THAT IS THE TRUTH. HE THANKED ME AND SHOOK MY HAND. HE SAID TO GIVE YOU HIS REGARDS.
THERE WAS A BIG CROWD THERE WAITING FOR AUTOGRAPHS, SO I DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE UP MUCH OF THEIR TIME. WITH THE AGE OF THE CROWD, I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE PEOPLE FALLING LIKE FLIES, WAITING FOR AUTOGRAPHS.
NO KIDDING. THERE WERE A FEW OXYGEN MASKS IN THE CROWD. MY WIFE WAS AFRAID TO LIGHT A MATCH TO SMOKE A CIGARETTE. IT COULD HAVE BLOWN THE ROOF OFF THE BUILDING.
YET ALL IN ALL, IT WAS A NICE EXPERIENCE. ESPECIALLY FOR THE OVER 60 CROWD. IN FACT, MY WIFE AND I WERE PROBABLY THE YOUNGEST PEOPLE IN THE CROWD (MY WIFE'S 48. I'M 61, THE SAME AS YOU).
IN SARASOTA, MOST PEOPLE ARE RETIRED OR IN NURSING HOMES. THE JOKE IS THAT THE AVERAGE AGE IN SARASOTA IS EXTINCT. AND IF YOU PUT YOUR DRINK DOWN IN A BAR IN SARASOTA, SOMEBODY MIGHT PUT THEIR FALSE TEETH IN IT.
THE BOTTOM LINE ON THE SHOW IS THAT I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S WORTH THE TIME, MONEY OR EFFORT TO GO SEE THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE IN PERSON. YOU COULD JUST STAY HOME AND LISTEN TO THEIR RECORDINGS, OR THE 90 MINUTE DVD THEY PRODUCED, WHICH I PURCHASED TWO YEARS AGO.
WITH THE MONEY SAVED (I PAID $75 PER TICKET), US SENIOR CITIZENS COULD BUY MORE BATTERIES FOR OUR PACEMAKERS. OR MORE PRUNE JUICE TO KEEP US REGULAR GUYS.
UNFORTUNATELY, JOHNNY MAESTRO'S STAGE PRESENCE IS A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. BUT HE SINGS LIKE AN ANGEL. YOU CAN'T DENY THAT.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I'D GO SEE LARRY CHANCE AND THE EARLS SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. LARRY CHANCE IS A SUPREME ENTERTAINER. IT'S IN HIS BLOOD. HE MAKES THE CROWD SMILE AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES
JOHNNY MAESTRO MIGHT HAVE THE BEST VOICE IN THE HISTORY OF DOO WOPS. BUT ON STAGE, SADLY, HE'S JUST A NICE SUITING SINGING MOSTLY TO HIMSELF.
MAYBE THAT'S WHY, STRANGELY ENOUGH, HE'S NOT IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME. WITH HIS VOICE, YOU'D THINK HE'D BE IN AUTOMATICALLY.
BUT THE MORE I THINK OF IT, THE LESS SURPRISING IT REALLY IS.
YOUR LIFELONG PAL,
JOE "MOONEY" BRUNO