After Bebop A Lula: Utica Bands 50's 60's

[jon hynes]

[jon hynes]

Jimmy Porter-Guitar Edson Collins-Bass Jon Hynes-Lead

[dgriffin]

Sept 20, 2008 22:09:03 GMT -5 jon hynes said:

Dave in case you missed it . . .

In reply to your question of where the Dolphin Inn was located in post #176. I was mistaken in my original answer and changed the reply to show it was actually in Yorkville where Thomson's had been. The fire took place when the building was the Dolphin not Thomson's which confused me. The building was across from Tripp's on the corner of Whitesboro and Main Street and where the Post Office was built after the fire. The Post Office has recently moved across the Blvd from Holland Farms.

Thanks, Jon. I didn't see your change, but that makes sense.

[kit]

Just jumped on board. I'd like to straighten out a few things about a band in the late 50s early 60s. The band was "The Nitecaps." Jim Gaylord - drums, Ken Aikin - guitar, Dale Ryder - Bass - Dick Stone - organ. Dale left the group to go with Eric & the Chessman and I became the bass player (Kit Temple) owner and leader. We booked through Gene Kipper (GMK Attractions) before Tony C took over. Dick Stone left later on and we became a trio.

We did Sylvan Beach and a lot of bars and frat houses, then the band (with various members) did 1-1/2 years on location at a night club in Ogdensburg*. Jim and Ken both got their draft notices and left. I had Gary Flagg for a while, teamed up with a couple of The 4 Frenchmen when they split, and finished up with Al Yates (from Schenectady but married a New Hartford gal) and Jimmy Fallavino (who had also worked with Al). Jim Gaylord, Ken Aikin and I are still good friends, but we're getting old, gray and grumpy.

I still have my original 1959 Gibson Les Paul Special (solid body, 2 pickups, cherry red, double cutaway) with factory installed Bigsby tailpiece. It's worth a fortune today. Maybe I should sell it and go live in Jamaica. What do you think?

*We went into the nightclub following Fran Loucks - bass, Bill LePara - guitar, and a guy from Rome whose name I can't remember right now. He married a gal from Ogdensburg. He got cancer later and had one or maybe bott legs removed.

I could go on and on but won't right now. Probably nobody saw this anyway.

[kim]

Sept 24, 2008 13:01:32 GMT -5 kit said:

Jim Gaylord, Ken Aikin and I are still good friends, but we're getting old, gray and grumpy.

I still have my original 1959 Gibson Les Paul Special (solid body, 2 pickups, cherry red, double cutaway) with factory installed Bigsby tailpiece. It's worth a fortune today. Maybe I should sell it and go live in Jamaica. What do you think?

You've been old and grumpy as long as I've known you, Kit. ;-) And yes, you should sell it, but don't move to Jamaica, we'd miss you at the summer cookouts. Just give me the money instead. ;-)

[Clipper]

Well Kit, Jim Gaylord is my Uncle. He married a girl named Peggy that he met at the Hotel McConnville when you guys played there, but since divorced and married my Aunt Pat, who is younger than I am, haha. I call her my "senile old aunt Pat". Jim is only 3 years older than I am. He is my mom's baby brother.

[jon hynes]

Kit Temple. I certainly remember your name but don't know if I ever met you. I was good friends with Eddy Temple. Any relation?

Happy to have you here.

I just looked through all the posts here but didn't notice any for the Nitecaps. There was another group The Nite Caps (2 words) Gary Walker was the String Bass player and inspired me to start playing Bass in bands. They had played for a dance when I first started UFA in '59.

I have an article on your group I try and post tonight.

The Frog sound familiar?

[jon hynes]

Sunday - July 18, 1965 - Utica Observer Dispatch - Part 1

'KEEN-O', TEENS PREEN, DREAM, SCHEME By Peter Calish

This is the year of belonging for Utica and area teen-agers and this is their summer of identity.

In talks with them, their parents, adults who cater to them and adults who don't, the message comes across loud and clear. "We want to be something. It's our turn."

In their quest for recognition, they've formed groups and bands. Musically, they are searching for an American sound to succeed Britain's Beatlemania. They haven't found it yet.

Teen-agers of recent generations formed gangs and staked out territories. Today's teens seem more philosophical and chquish. They're in huge groups, rather than gangs as such the Diddy-Boys and the Collegians.

* * *

[jon hynes]

Sunday - July 18, 1965 - Utica Observer Dispatch - Part 2

MANY PARENTS don't know about them, but their children do. The "Diddies" are the suave set with thick hair, tailored clothing, pointed shoes -- the so-called New York look. The Collegians have adopted the Madras style of dress, plaids, loose clothing, sneakers or sloppy shoes, and way-out colors.

They are not from any particular geographical area, but each group shuns the other's hangouts and styles. Sometimes they mix at dances, and sometimes there is talk of "rumbles"; police know about them but report few incidents.

Collegians may be found on Friday nights doing "recitations" at the Parkway. They also hang out at downtown and in Whitesboro and New Hartford.

Diddies sometimes congregate Sunday mornings in North Utica for breakfast and drive in shiny "big tops" or convertables. They also hang out downtown and in eastern fringes of the city.

Those who belong to neither group are called isolateds or independents, or nothings. Groups tolerate each other, but with sneers.

TEEN LIFE revolves not necessarily around school or church, but music. Empathy spins constantly on a 45 r. p. m. The younger the wilder. Diddies prefer the softer sound.

"You know where the big record market is?" a dealer asked. "It's for kids between 8 and 15. After 18, it tapers off."

"I've got a daughter 18." said Gene Kipper, ex-vaudevillian now agent for many teen bands. "She has more records than I've got hair on my head."

Bands feature the twang and rhythem of guitars and the frantic beat of drums. Some sing harmony, others chant the same notes. All inject the "Yeah, yeah," "who, whoa" sounds. Quartets and trios are "big."

* * *

[jon hynes]

Sunday - July 18, 1965 - Utica Observer Dispatch - Part 3

THE DIDDIES grew last winter after a dull dance night. Thomas Migliaccio, leader of the Royals, was at a microphone. "Okay you diddy-bops." he urged, "lets go." The name stuck and the Royals were on their way -- Tom and brothers Ralph and Frank, and Sal Aversa.

Other bands joined in, or countered. Scores of teens found a willing market for loud voices and shrill twangs. The younger teens cornered the school and church hall dances, the older ones the restaurants and resorts.

You're supposed to be 18 to perform where liquor is served. Sometimes, performers acknowledge, the law is winked at.

Bands frequently splinter, change names, add new faces, and make money. The Royals, for instance are drawing four-figure salary this season at Lake George. So are the Nitecaps at Ogdensburg.

James Gaylord, Whitesboro heads the Nitecaps trio with Gary Flagg and Ken Temple. They feature their own dance, the Frog.

* * *

[jon hynes]

Sunday - July 18, 1965 - Utica Observer Dispatch - Part 4

During the summer, bands tour the circuits of lakes and mountains. In the winter here, one leader said, "It's brutal; where are you going to go?"

A NEW GROUP is trying to buck the trend, to "make it big." Promoter Thomas Bach, 606 Emily St. tried out many and after weeks picked organist Frank Vescera, 20 a teacher's son, guitarist Ed Rutkoff, 21 salesman's son, harmonica-guitarist Tom Ciola, 20, a merchant's son; and Perry Goodspeed, 22, drummer son of a Norwich engineer.

He called them The Bards. They rehearsed nightly for weeks. They tried out their "combo" sound at Norwich and clicked. Their extra gimmick of wearing "Bardibops" (beanie hats) also was a smash. They moved into the Utica area, and are trying for a record date in New York.

"The Bard's are ready." Bach said, You know the demo (demonstration). If you don't cut it, you're out, the big boys won't look at you."

Some groups "cut it," but didn't make it. The Daytones, for instance. "You know why? We were too good," said Ben Delorio. "That's what they told us."

"You gotta have showmanship," agent Gene Kipper said, "to get to the people. Today, you don't have to be a pro to play. Get the sound. If you've got it, you're in."

Some of the bands are well known, others are just starting or are confined to one part of town or another for various reasons. They include:

The John Angels, Chordels, the Marvelles, Classics, Rogues, Four Stars, King Beats, Bardo's, Jumping Jacks, Dominos, the Synns, Del-Phis, Fortunes, Willie & the New Yorkers, Susie & the Nobels, Contracts, Cousins, Va-Dells, Suedes, Mercy Side Five, Chantel 4, The What, Chantelles, Blazers, Belaires, and Mark Anthony and the Pyramids.

* * *

[jon hynes]

Sunday - July 18, 1965 - Utica Observer Dispatch - Part 5

THEIR MUSIC has helped to breed the teens' language. "Cool," "crazy" and "hep" are outdated, though only a few years old. Today, it's "tough" (great), and "boss", (swell) And "keen-o." a catch-all for cool, craazy, hep and so on.

Detractors consider teens lazy, vandels and impudent, and wonder where the good old days went. Phychologists point to changing times, the war, baby crop and growing up in a faster world.

Police Chief Vincent A. LaFleur has the final word:

"Ninety percent of these kids are okay; It's always the small percentage that gives us trouble. The same with adults."

"We had more parental discipline when I was a kid, I think. We had to provide our own recreation, we had to work for our spending money, and we didn't have cars. But this is 1965."

* * *

[Clipper]

I just sent off an email to my Aunt Pat (Jim Gaylord's wife) I am hoping that she will get my Uncle Jim involved in this thread. He played in the band with Kit Temple and others, and now lives in Kennesaw Ga with my aunt. I jokingly call her my senile "old aunt" but she is actually a very attractive Southern Belle, and is younger than I am, LOL.

I saw Sal Aversa's name in one of the posts tonight. I went to school with him in N Utica at Seymour school. I lost track of him when we were teens, and didn't realize he played music. We were not "friends", but we did go to the same school and I was acquainted with him.

I find this particular thread to be very interesting and the ongoing nature of it keeps on bringing more and more names from the past to light.

Thanks to all of you that keep it alive, and that made the music that I danced to as a teenager.

[kit]

Sheesh! You guys don't waste any time with the memories, do you? I've been a professinal photographer for 47 years since I graduated from high school and know a lot of these guys not only from playing in a band back then, and booking through Gene Kipper, but I took many of their pictures here in the studio when they were young. Eric and The Chessmen, The Bards, The 4 Synns, The Rogues, The Hatfields, The Cordells, as well as a few folk singers and some of Gene Kipper's private stock of "go-go girls" that Marian (Gene's wife) didn't know about. Remind me to tell you the story about when we (The Nitecaps) first met Gene Kipper.

Jim Gaylord married Peggy English in Ogdensburg. Ken Aikin played guitar and I played bass. Jim did most of the singing and Ken and I back him up with harmony. Oh, and by the way, Jim wasn't the leader of the group - I was, and the band is registered in my name. Not because I'm great, but I was the new kid on the block when Dale Ryder went with Eric Thorngren and I got roped into it. We did most of the local watering holes, college fraternity parties and did a summer at the Forest House in Sylvan Beach. Then Gene put us on the road with a 2 week contract at the Hotel McConville in Ogdensburg. We put a lot of naughty lyrics in the straight songs and they loved "the dirty group from Utica." We kept renewing our contract and the management said why don't we just stay for as long as the people keep drinking. I was there for a year and a half with different band members. Jim got his draft notice and joined the Air Force. He and Peg were married in the Burg and moved away and Jim did his Air Force thing, and typical of an Ognedsburg girl, she did him wrong and took off with Jim's best friend and everything Jim owned (nice gal, huh?). So they split and he met Pat later. I'm not familiar with that, but have met Pat a couple of times - once here and once in Georgia. She's a great gal. Anyway, with Jim gone, we teamed up with a couple of the guys from The 4 Frenchmen who had recently split up. Bill LaRue on guitar and Billy Evans who was without a doubt the best drummer I have ever played with and tops anything I've heard around her. He's from Schenectady. Another guy, Dave Boucher played guitar and went with The 4 Satins, a local group, who were our biggest competitors at a place called Oscar's. No competition really, both places were packed every night and we all became good friends. Then Ken and Bill got caught doing a bit of naughty with a couple of girls from Canada and were immediately kicked out of the hotel. They packed their stuff and headed for California and Billy Evans went with them. So there I am by myself holding my... er... em... bass in my hands when in steps Gene Kipper. After all, that's what he was getting paid for. Without getting into the whole thing right now, and who followed who, Gary Flagg became our guitar player for a while. He had just gotten out of the Air Force and had married a girl from Eindhoven Holland. She live with the 3 of us in 1 big room at the hotel. They fixed up a little "privacy" area for them with a folding screen and everything. But that didn't cut out the sound, and believe me - Dutch Love was properly named. Well that's about it for now. My eyelids are at half mast and it's time for bed. I'm sure your memories of that era will jog some more of my own. See you later.

[jon hynes]

You CB'ers should remember this guy. Art Rasuchi.