Donald Frank Gallucci/Don Caverhill[1] (born October 31, 1948)[2] is an American musician and producer. He was the keyboard player for the Kingsmen, performing the signature opening riff on "Louie Louie". After stints with Don and the Goodtimes and Touch, he produced the Stooges' Fun House in 1970. He then changed his surname to Caverhill and continued performing, composing, and producing on multiple albums and film soundtracks before retiring from music in 1977 to work in real estate.[3]
1963 Kingsmen "Louie Louie" line-up. Don Gallucci far left.
Gallucci was the keyboard player in the Royal Notes and a freshman in high school when he was asked to join the Kingsmen.[4] He played the famous electric piano intro on "Louie Louie", which became a staple in garage rock,[5] and also co-composed (with Jack Ely) the single's B side, "Haunted Castle".[6][7] When "Louie Louie" became a national hit, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1964, Gallucci was forced out of the band because he was too young to tour; he was just fifteen.[2][8]
Don and the Goodtimes
After leaving the Kingsmen, Gallucci briefly joined the Tikis[9] before forming his own band, Don and the Goodtimes, in 1964.[10][11] Originally from Portland, Oregon, they moved to Los Angeles in 1967 and released several singles and albums, including a No.56 pop hit with "I Could Be So Good to You," produced and arranged by Jack Nitzsche. They also performed on many popular television shows, including The Lloyd Thaxton Show, Hollywood a Go Go, and weekly performances on Where the Action Is.
Touch
In 1968, Gallucci disbanded the Goodtimes and with some of the members formed a psych-pop group, Touch.[3] The group was short-lived, releasing one eponymous album and one single, but is regarded as a cornerstone of early progressive rock.[12]
Producing/composing
In early 1970, Gallucci was hired by Elektra Records as a staff producer. In May 1970, Jac Holzman, head of Elektra, asked him to produce a new album for The Stooges.[13] The album, Fun House, was their second, recorded in Los Angeles in two weeks from May 11–25, 1970.[14][11] Gallucci was flown to New York to hear the band live; he was impressed and decided the album should have a "live performance" feel without actually being live.[15] To emulate a live recording sound, he stripped off all of the studio soundproofing and had singer Iggy Pop use a handheld microphone to best capture the sound of a "live" recording. Gallucci’s overdubbed electric organ was added to an alternate take of "Down on the Street", which was released as a single.[16]AllMusic praised his producing of the album, recognising his "energetic and immediate production".[17]
Gallucci/Caverhill left the music business in 1977 and worked in real estate.[21] He and his wife Debby previously lived in a home in Beverly Hills designed by architect Zoltan Pali. It was sold in 2020.[22][20][23][24] The house was used in the music video for "Starboy" by The Weeknd and several television commercials.[25]
↑ Marsh, Dave (1993). Louie Louie: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock 'n' Roll Song. New York: Hyperion. p.98. ISBN1-5628-2865-7.
↑ Record labels and sleeve notes incorrectly credit Kingsmen leader Lynn Easton.
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