The Del-Vetts

Last updated
The Del-Vetts
Also known asThe Pride and Joy
Origin Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres
Years active1965 (1965)-1968 (1968)
Labels
Past members
  • Jim Lauer
  • Lester Goldboss
  • Bob Good
  • Paul Wade
  • Jeff Gerchenson
  • Jeff Weinstein
  • Jack Burchall
  • Roger Deatherage

The Del-Vetts were an American garage rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1963. They released five singles and obtained regional success in the Midwest.

Contents

Band

The first lineup of the band consisted of Jim Lauer (lead vocals, lead guitar), Bob Good (bass guitar), Lester Goldboss (rhythm guitar) and Paul Wade (drums), Jeff Gerchenson (vocals & rhythm guitar), originally performing cover versions of Chuck Berry songs and surf rock standards, and developing a loyal following in Chicago. The Del-Vetts' initial membership was not the most well-known incarnation of the band, though they did team up with record producer, Bill Traut, in 1965, to record a rendition of The Righteous Brothers' hit, "Little Latin Lupe Lu", on the small Seeburg Records label. Within a year of performing regularly at popular teen dance clubs such as the Cellar and the Rolling Stone, a solidified lineup emerged, and included Lauer, Good, who swapped to rhythm guitar, Jack Burchall (bass guitar) and Roger Deatherage (drums). [1]

Despite the lack of commercial success resulting from their debut, Traut still felt the band could reach a breakthrough. He signed The Del-Vetts to a recording contract with Dunwich Records, and recorded their most commercially successful, and best known song, "Last Time Around", an original composition by colleague Dennis Delquivist, in early 1966. The song, with a fuzz-toned guitar instrumental performed by Lauer acting as the highlight, was released as the band's second single, and scaled the regional charts to become the most-requested track on Chicago radio stations. However, their later in the year follow-up effort, "I Call My Baby STP", underperformed and could not reach the same success as "Last Time Around". [2]

In 1967, the group changed its name to The Pride and Joy and released the single "Girl", a regional hit, and moved to Acta Records after a corporate restructuring at Dunwich. The group's last single was "We Got a Long Way to Go", written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil; when it failed to chart at radio, Burchall left the group, and The Pride and Joy broke up in 1968.

In 1983, Burchall hit the pop charts again with the Jump 'N the Saddle Band's novelty song hit, "The Curly Shuffle". The Del-Vetts, however, fell into obscurity until the release of the Nuggets and Pebbles series in the late 1990s, when several of their tracks were included on the compilation albums. Lead singer Jim Lauer reportedly ended up in a mental institution. [3]

Members

Original lineup, 1963
Later members

Discography

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herman's Hermits</span> English beat rock band

Herman's Hermits are an English rock group formed in 1964 in Manchester and fronted by singer Peter Noone. Known for their jaunty beat sound and Noone's tongue-in-cheek vocal style, the Hermits charted numerous transatlantic hits in the UK and in America, where they ranked as one of the most successful acts in the Beatles-led British Invasion. At the pinnacle of their popularity in 1965, the group logged twenty-four consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the US Billboard chart, and reached number one with the singles "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and "I'm Henry VIII, I Am". Their other international hits include "I'm Into Something Good", "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", "Silhouettes", "Wonderful World", "A Must to Avoid", "There's a Kind of Hush", "I Can Take or Leave Your Loving", "Something's Happening" and "My Sentimental Friend", all of which were produced by Mickie Most. They also appeared in four films, two of which were vehicles for the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ventures</span> American instrumental band

The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the 1960s. While their popularity in the United States waned in the 1970s, the group remains especially revered in Japan, where they toured regularly. The classic lineup of the band consisted of Wilson, Bogle, Nokie Edwards, and Mel Taylor (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shadows of Knight</span> American rock band

The Shadows of Knight were an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, that played a version of British blues influenced by their native city. When they began recording in 1965, the band's self-description was "the Stones, Animals and the Yardbirds took the Chicago blues and gave it an English interpretation. We've taken the English version of the Blues and re-added a Chicago touch," to which rock critic Richie Unterberger commented: "The Shadows of Knight's self-description was fairly accurate."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Association</span> American pop music band

The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival. They are known for intricate vocal harmonies by the band's multiple singers.

Dunwich Records was an independent American record label started by Bill Traut, Eddie Higgins and George Badonsky in Chicago in 1965. Dunwich was also a production company which licensed recordings to other labels, including Atlantic, Atco, Columbia, Mercury and SGC. The label was primarily known for the release of singles from the emerging Chicago rock scene in the 1960s. Only two artists, the Shadows of Knight and Amanda Ambrose, released albums on the label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Texas (band)</span> American country music band

Little Texas is an American country music band started in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1988. Its founding members were Tim Rushlow, Brady Seals, Del Gray (drums), Porter Howell, Dwayne O'Brien, and Duane Propes. Signed to Warner Bros. Records Nashville in 1991, Little Texas released its debut album First Time for Everything that year. The album's lead off single, "Some Guys Have All the Love", reached a peak of No. 8 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. Little Texas continued to produce hit singles throughout the mid-1990s, including the Number One single "My Love" and six more top ten hits. Their debut album earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while 1993's Big Time was certified double platinum and 1994's Kick a Little was certified platinum.

The Castaways are an American rock band from the Twin Cities in Minnesota, United States.

The Honeydrippers were an English rock and roll band of the 1980s, deriving their name from Roosevelt Sykes, an American blues singer also known as "Honeydripper". Former Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant formed the group in 1981 to satisfy his long-time goal of having a rock band with a heavy rhythm and blues basis. Formed originally in Worcestershire, the band was also composed of fellow former Led Zeppelin member Jimmy Page; Jeff Beck ; and other friends and well-known studio musicians including original Judas Priest guitarist Ernest Chataway. The band released only one recording, an EP titled The Honeydrippers: Volume One, on 12 November 1984.

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

The Leaves were an American garage rock band formed in San Fernando Valley, California, United States, in 1964. They are best known for their version of the song "Hey Joe", which was a hit in 1966. Theirs is the earliest release of this song, which became a rock standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. P. Lovecraft (band)</span> American psychedelic rock band

H. P. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1967 and named after the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Much of the band's music was possessed of a haunting, eerie ambience, and consisted of material that was inspired by the macabre writings of the author whose name they had adopted. Combining elements of psychedelia and folk rock, the band's sound was marked by the striking vocal harmonies of ex-folk singer George Edwards and the classically trained Dave Michaels. In addition, Michaels' multi-instrumentalist abilities on organ, piano, harpsichord, clarinet and recorder provided the band with a richer sonic palette than many of their contemporaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Detroit Wheels</span> Mitch Ryders backup band

The Detroit Wheels were an American rock band, formed in Detroit in 1964. They served as Mitch Ryder's backup band from 1964 to 1967.

Ricochet is an American country music band from Oklahoma. The band was founded in 1993 by brothers Jeff Bryant and Junior Bryant, along with Heath Wright, Greg Cook, Teddy Carr, and Eddie Kilgallon, After several years of playing throughout the Southern United States, Ricochet was signed to a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1995. Their self-titled debut album produced three straight Top Ten hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, including the Number One single "Daddy's Money"; the album was also certified gold in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The American Breed</span> American music group

The American Breed was an American rock band from Chicago in the 1960s. The band was originally called Gary & The Knight Lites before adopting the name The American Breed in 1967. The band had a number of charting songs in 1967–68, the best-known of which was "Bend Me, Shape Me". The band broke up in 1970, and members went on to form Rufus after the split.

<i>Down for the Count</i> 1985 studio album by Y&T

Down for the Count is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Y&T, released in 1985 by A&M Records. The album marks the band's change to a lighter sound to find success in the hair metal scene. It contains the band's biggest hit "Summertime Girls", which charted at #55 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song had initially appeared as the only studio track on the band's live album, Open Fire, released earlier in the year. The album itself peaked at #91 on the Billboard 200 on December 14, 1985. It was the last album with the original line-up of Meniketti, Alves, Kennemore and Haze, as Haze left the following year.

Left Out was a Chicago, Illinois Christian punk supergroup that was active from 1995-2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Joel Band</span> Supporting band of Billy Joel

The Billy Joel Band is the band that backs singer-songwriter and pianist Billy Joel on both studio and live recordings. The band began with the recording of his first album as a solo artist in 1971; it stabilized around 1975 and underwent several lineup changes in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Joel's touring band as a whole did not begin playing on his records until he recorded the album Turnstiles in 1976. This line-up included Richie Cannata on saxophones and organ, Liberty DeVitto on drums, Russell Javors and Howie Emerson on guitars, and Doug Stegmeyer on bass.

Aorta were an American psychedelic rock band from Chicago who recorded two albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

<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 Banshees (band)</span> American garage rock band

The Banshees were an American garage rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1966. The group is best remembered for its sole single, featuring the dissonant proto-punk anthem, "Project Blue". The song has become a classic of the musical genre of garage rock and is featured prominently on several compilation albums.

<i>Oh Yeah! The Best of Dunwich Records</i> 1991 compilation album

Oh Yeah! The Best of Dunwich Records is a garage rock compilation issued by Sundazed Records featuring music made by acts who recorded for Dunwich Records in Chicago during the 1960s. Dunwich quickly became one of the top independent labels in Chicago and, with national distribution through Atco Records, enjoyed hits by artists such as the American Breed and the Shadows of Knight, who were some of the best-known acts in garage rock, and are included here, along with the Del-Vetts, another well-known act. The set represents the stylistic diversity of the genre, featuring cuts that range from harder-edged and blues-based numbers to more pop-oriented fare. Some of the tracks display folk rock and psychedelic influences and there are a few advertising jingles, which appeared local radio stations, as well as an interview with the Shadows of Knight thrown in for good measure. The packaging includes thorough and we-researched liner notes by Jeff Jarema that provide information for the acts and their songs.

References

  1. Ankeny, Jason. "The Del-Vetts - Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  2. "The Del-Vetts and the Pride & Joy". officenaps.com. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  3. Joynson, Vernon (2007). Fuzz Acid and Flowers Revisited. Glasgow, United Kingdom: Borderline Productions. p. 240. ISBN   978-1-899855-14-8.