Myke Scavone

Last updated
Myke Scavone
Born1949 (age 73–74)
Origin North Plainfield, New Jersey, United States
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • harmonica
  • drums
  • percussion
Years active1964–present

Myke Rocco Scavone (born 1949) is an American harmonica player and vocalist best known for his work with the bands The Doughboys, Ram Jam and The Yardbirds.

Early life and career

Scavone grew up in North Plainfield, New Jersey. He attended North Plainfield High School, graduating as part of the class of 1966, where he would meet the other future members of his first successful band, The Doughboys. [1] [2]

Scavone joined his first band, the Apollos, in December 1964. He then joined The Ascots in 1965 with another member of the Apollos, guitarist Mike Farina. The band toured the United States opening for bands such as The Vagrants (which featured Leslie West on guitar) and The Hassles (which featured Billy Joel). They changed their name to The Doughboys in 1966 and secured a contract with Bell Records after winning a battle of the bands contest. Scavone was dismissed from the Doughboys in early 1968 when they decided to concentrate on instrumental music before disbanding at the end of that year. [3]

Following the disbandment of the Doughboys, Scavone began a career as a session drummer throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was performing on demos for producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz when he joined the newly formed Ram Jam, led by guitarist Bill Bartlett, in 1977. [4] The band had found success with a cover of the song "Black Betty". Scavone performed on both of the band's albums, Ram Jam and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram before the band disbanded in 1978. He did not perform on the band's only hit, "Black Betty", as it had been recorded by Bill Bartlett's band Starstruck and credited to Ram Jam following Starstruck's disbandment. [5]

Following a period of inactivity in music, Scavone joined a reformed version of The Doughboys in 2000 and still performs with them. The reunion was originally intended to be a one-off. It ended up being a full-time reunion and resulted in the recording of five new albums, Is It Now? (2007), Act Your Rage (2010), Shakin' Our Souls (2012) and Hot Beat Stew (2015), "Front Street Rebels" (2017), and Running For Covers (2019).

In 2015, Scavone joined The Yardbirds. He was recruited to play harmonica, percussion and backing vocals. [1] He continues to tour with them. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Ralphs</span> English musician

Michael Geoffrey Ralphs is an English musician, vocalist and songwriter, who was a founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ram Jam</span> American rock band

Ram Jam was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1977, known for their hit song "Black Betty", which was released in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Bogert</span> American musician (1944–2021)

John Voorhis "Tim" Bogert III was an American musician. As a bass guitarist and vocalist he was best known for his powerful vocal ability and his fast runs, fluid agility and ground-breaking sound on his Fender Precision bass. He was one of the pioneers of using distortion with his bass to help it cut through the mix with the low-powered amps of his time which also imparted a very sharp-edged sound to it. He was a frequent collaborator with drummer Carmine Appice; the duo performed in such bands as Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice.

<i>Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds</i> 1965 studio album / live album by the Yardbirds

Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds, or simply Having a Rave Up, is the second American album by English rock group the Yardbirds. It was released in November 1965, eight months after Jeff Beck replaced Eric Clapton on guitar. It includes songs with both guitarists and reflects the group's blues rock roots and their early experimentations with psychedelic and hard rock. The title refers to the driving "rave up" arrangement the band used in several of their songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Betty</span> 20th-century African-American work song

"Black Betty" is a 20th-century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations of earlier folk material.

<i>Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram</i> 1978 studio album by Ram Jam

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram is the second and final studio album by American rock band Ram Jam, released in 1978. It was re-released in 2006 on Rock Candy Records. The title is a play on James Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

<i>Birdland</i> (The Yardbirds album) 2003 studio album by the Yardbirds

Birdland is a studio album by the reconstituted English rock group the Yardbirds, which was released in 2003, and the band's fifth studio album overall. Original drummer Jim McCarty and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja reformed the group in 1994 and, for the album, the Yardbirds lineup included lead singer and bassist John Idan, lead guitarist Gypie Mayo, and harmonica player Alan Glen. The album features contributions by several guests, including Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Slash, Brian May, and original group guitarist Jeff Beck.

<i>Ram Jam</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Ram Jam

Ram Jam is the debut studio album by American rock band Ram Jam in 1977. The first track on the album, the single "Black Betty", is Ram Jam's best known song. It went to #7 on the UK singles chart in September 1977. The album reached No. 34 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart in the United States. The band was re-christened "American Ram Jam" for the UK market to avoid confusion with a UK band bearing the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Ford</span> American guitarist

Marc Ford is an American blues-rock guitarist. He is a former lead guitarist of the rock and roll band The Black Crowes, the former lead guitarist of The Magpie Salute and the leader of his own bands: Burning Tree, Marc Ford & The Neptune Blues Club, Jefferson Steelflex, Fuzz Machine and Marc Ford & The Sinners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Idan</span> American guitarist and singer

John Idan is an American guitarist and vocalist from Detroit, best known for his work with the Yardbirds, the McCarty Band, and his own bands, the John Idan Group and the Top Topham – John Idan Band.

North Plainfield High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grade from North Plainfield, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the North Plainfield School District. The school is fully certified by the New Jersey Department of Education and has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1929, with the school's accreditation extended for seven years in Spring 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Train Kept A-Rollin'</span> Song first recorded by Tiny Bradshaw in 1951

"Train Kept A-Rollin'" is a song first recorded by American jazz and rhythm and blues musician Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. Originally performed in the style of a jump blues, Bradshaw borrowed lyrics from an earlier song and set them to an upbeat shuffle arrangement that inspired other musicians to perform and record it. Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio made an important contribution in 1956 – they reworked it as a guitar riff-driven song, which features an early use of intentionally distorted guitar in rock music.

Anthony "Top" Topham was an English musician and visual artist who was best known as a blues guitarist and also for being the first lead guitarist of The Yardbirds. Topham left the band before they achieved mainstream popularity and was replaced by Eric Clapton, the first of three lead guitarists from the Yardbirds to gain an international reputation.

Harry F. Leahey was an American jazz guitarist and teacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Glen</span> British blues harmonica player (born 1951)

Alan Glen is a British blues harmonica player, best known for his work with The Yardbirds, Nine Below Zero, Little Axe, and his own bands, The Barcodes and The Incredible Blues Puppies.

The Doughboys are an American rock band from Plainfield, New Jersey, United States, who were active in the mid-1960s, and re-formed in 2000. They have been active ever since, and have cut three albums of newly recorded material since their reunion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Yardbirds</span> English blues and psychedelic rock band

The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja, and bassist/producer Paul Samwell-Smith. The band started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, all of whom ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 greatest guitarists. The band had a string of hits throughout the mid-1960s, including "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul", "Shapes of Things", and "Over Under Sideways Down".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sloths</span> American garage rock band

The Sloths are an American garage rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. Although short-lived, the band had a profound presence on the Sunset Strip's live scene, and their lone single, "Makin' Love", while not very commercially successful during its original release, has been heavily praised since its inclusion on the Back from the Grave series. The Sloths, after their re-discovery by music historians, are now considered to be one of the "great lost garage bands", and surviving band members have been conducting reunion tours since 2012.

Roderick Demick is a British guitarist and bassist who has played with many leading musicians.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Makin, Bob. "Makin Waves with Myke Scavone of Doughboys, Yardbirds", Courier News , June 19, 2016. Accessed September 30, 2016. "Q: What are you looking forward to most about playing the North Plainfield High School class reunion on Sept. 9? A: That's my 50th high school reunion."
  2. ↑ "The Doughboys @ North Plainfield High School in Plainfield, NJ". Facebook.com. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  3. ↑ "Myke Scavone – About". Facebook.com.
  4. ↑ "Charismatic singer Myke Scavone talks about Ram Jam, Doughboys, Blues, 60s, and his long career". Blues.gr.
  5. ↑ "Ram Jam – Biography – Billboard". Billboard.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.