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Peggy Santiglia
Margaret "Peggy" Santiglia (born May 4, 1944) is an American singer of the "girl group era". She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit " My Boyfriend's Back" with The Angels, which she recorded at the age of 18. Biography Santiglia was born in Belleville, New Jersey, to Pietro (Peter) Santiglia and Michelina (Margaret) (née Gallina) where she was raised in a musical Italian family with her two older siblings, Joseph and Anna. Pietro immigrated to the United States when he was 18, bringing with him many musical talents. An accomplished musician, Pietro played clarinet, mandolin and guitar locally and statewide in several community orchestras. Career: 1950s In 1958, while still in elementary school, Santiglia met childhood friends Denise Ferri and Arleen Lanzotti. At the suggestion of a teacher, the three girls performed in their school's talent show to much acclaim, and formed the all-girl group, ''The Delicates''. Starting out at the Brill Building in New York City ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belleville, New Jersey
Belleville (French: "Belle ville" meaning "Beautiful city / town") is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 38,222, reflecting an increase of 6.4% from the 2010 Census population of 35,926, an increase that follows a decline of 2 (0.0%) from the 35,928 counted in the 2000 Census. History Originally known as "Second River" or "Washington", the inhabitants renamed the settlement "Belleville" in 1797. Belleville was originally incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1839, from portions of Bloomfield. Portions of the township were taken to create Woodside Township (March 24, 1869, now defunct) and Franklin Township (February 18, 1874, now known as Nutley). The independent municipality of Belleville city was created within the township on March 27, 1874, and was dissolved on February 22, 1876. On November 16, 1910, Belleville was reincorporated as a to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smash Records
Smash Records was an American record label founded in 1961 as a subsidiary of Mercury Records by Mercury executive Shelby Singleton and run by Singleton with Charlie Fach. Fach took over after Singleton left Mercury in 1966. Its recording artists included Frankie Valli, James Brown, Bruce Channel, Roger Miller, The Left Banke, Bill Justis, and Jerry Lee Lewis. History A dispute with King Records led Brown to release all of his band's instrumental recordings between 1964 and 1967 on Smash. Smash also released three of Brown's vocal recordings, including his 1964 proto-funk single "Out of Sight". Smash shared the numbering system for their singles with other labels that they distributed. The most important of these was Fontana Records. Mercury discontinued the Smash label in 1970. Mercury label owner PolyGram used the Smash imprint for reissues in the 1980s. PolyGram revived Smash in 1991 as an R&B/dance label with its offices located in Chicago. It was first under the Poly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Appell
David Appell (March 24, 1922 – November 18, 2014) was an American musician, musical arranger and record producer born in Philadelphia. Career Appell (pronounced "AP-el") is associated mainly with the Cameo-Parkway record label, in whose history he played a substantial part. He started working as an arranger for several United States Navy big bands in the mid-1940s during his service in World War II, including Jimmie Lunceford's black orchestra. He later arranged for dance orchestras, including Benny Carter and Earl "Fatha" Hines. He recorded for a while on Decca Records as the Dave Appell Four, until Paul Cohen of Decca suggested he change the group name to the Applejacks. Appell also became a publisher, joining ASCAP in 1955, collaborating with Max Freedman. He appeared prominently in the 1956 Alan Freed film, ''Don't Knock the Rock'', and worked for a while as the studio band and music director on the Ernie Kovacs TV and radio shows in Philadelphia. Next Appell and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Tokens
The Tokens were an American doo-wop band and record production company group from Brooklyn, New York City. The group has had four top 40 hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, all in the 1960s, their biggest being the chart-topping 1961 hit single, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" borrowed heavily from the 1939 song "Mbube" by South African singer Solomon Linda. They are also known for having included at first Neil Sedaka, who later pursued a solo career. History The band was formed in 1955 at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, New York, and was known first as the Linc-Tones, a name inspired by the President of the United States' surname. Original members were Neil Sedaka, Hank Medress, Eddie Rabkin, and Cynthia Zolotin, however Rabkin was replaced in 1956 by Jay Siegel. In the same year the band recorded its first single, "While I Dream", with Sedaka on lead vocals: the song was a local hit in New York; Sedaka and Howard Greenfield wrote much of the gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hank Medress
Henry "Hank" Medress (November 19, 1938 – June 18, 2007) was an American singer and record producer, best known for his taking part in the American band The Tokens. Biography Medress was born in Brooklyn, New York City, where he attended "Abraham Lincoln" High School. In 1955 he joined a doo-wop group called the Linc-Tones, from the surname of that President of the United States, which also included at first Neil Sedaka.'Lion Sleeps Tonight' singer dead cnn.com; accessed January 28, 2015.'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' singer dies yahoo.com; accessed May 23, 2017. After Sedaka's departure, the group reformed with a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bell Records
Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 in New York City by Arthur Shimkin, the owner of the children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny Bell who used the Bell name to issue risque novelty records. A British branch was also active in the 1960s and 1970s. Bell Records was shut down in late 1974, and its assets were transferred to Columbia Pictures' new label, Arista Records. 1950s At its inception in 1952, Bell specialized in budget generic pop music, with the slogan "music for the millions". Originally sold on seven-inch 78rpm and 45rpm records for 39 cents (US), this style of music went out of fashion as rock and roll became more prevalent. Sound-alike cover versions of hit records were also issued on 78rpm as well as 45rpm disks priced at 49 cents. One of these records was by "Tom & Jerry" who would later become known using their real surnames, Simon & Garfunkel. Ins ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beggin'
"Beggin" is a song composed by Bob Gaudio and Peggy Farina and first released as a single by American band the Four Seasons in 1967. Initially charting at number 16 in the US, the song became popular in the Northern soul scene in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. It has been covered multiple times, with versions by covers by Norwegian hip-hop duo Madcon and Italian rock band Måneskin topping music charts in Europe and beyond. The Four Seasons' version was also remixed in 2007 by French DJ Pilooski and re-released as a single, reaching number 32 in the UK and commercially outperforming the Four Seasons' original release there. Original version Keyboardist-songwriter Bob Gaudio had not written a Four Seasons single since 1965's "Girl Come Running", although he had written or co-written almost every Four Seasons hit up to then. "Beggin, the second single from the Four Seasons' ''New Gold Hits'' album in 1967, marked Gaudio's "return" as the Seasons' songwriter, with a combinatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Calello
Charles Calello (born August 24, 1938) is an American arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, and singer born in Newark, New Jersey. Calello attended Newark Arts High School and the Manhattan School of Music, in New York City. His track record of successfully collaborating with various artists to produce or arrange Billboard hit songs led to his nickname in the industry as the "Hit Man." In the late 1950s, Calello was a member of Frankie Valli's group The Four Lovers, but left before the group was transformed into The Four Seasons. In 1962, he became the group's musical arranger. In 1965, he joined the Four Seasons' lineup as bassist, replacing Nick Massi (who was Calello's replacement in The Four Lovers five years earlier). Calello departed the group, becoming a staff arranger/producer at Columbia Records. In 1968, he became an independent producer and arranger and a year later arranged Frank Sinatra's album ''Watertown'', written by Bob Gaudio. He has worked and record ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Crewe
Robert Stanley Crewe (November 12, 1930 – September 11, 2014) was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. He was known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for the Four Seasons. As a songwriter, his most successful songs include "Silhouettes" (co-written with Frank Slay); "Big Girls Don't Cry", " Walk Like a Man", " Rag Doll", " Silence Is Golden", "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and " Bye, Bye, Baby" (all co-written with Gaudio); "Let's Hang On!" (written with Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell); and "My Eyes Adored You" and "Lady Marmalade" (both co-written with Kenny Nolan). He also had hit recordings with the Rays, Diane Renay, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Freddy Cannon, Lesley Gore, Oliver, Michael Jackson, Bobby Darin, Roberta Flack, Peabo Bryson, Patti LaBelle, Barry Manilow, and his own Bob Crewe Generation. Early life Born in Newark in 1930 and raised in Bel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Four Seasons (band)
The Four Seasons are an American rock music, rock and pop music, pop band formed in 1960 in Newark, New Jersey. Since 1970, they have also been known at times as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The band evolved out of a previous band called The Four Lovers, with Frankie Valli as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito (musician), Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals, and Nick Massi on bass guitar and bass vocals. On nearly all of their 1960s hits, they were credited as The 4 Seasons. The legal name of the organization is the Four Seasons Partnership, formed by Gaudio and Valli, and was taken after a failed audition in 1960. While band members have come and gone, Gaudio and Valli remain the band's constants, with each owning 50% of the act and its assets, including virtually all of its recording catalog. Gaudio no longer plays live, leaving Valli as the only original member of the band who still tours . The band's original line-up wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Gaudio
Robert John Gaudio (born November 17, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the pop/rock band the Four Seasons. Gaudio wrote or co-wrote and produced the vast majority of the band's music, including hits like "Sherry" and "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)". Though he no longer performs with the group, Gaudio and lead singer Frankie Valli remain co-owners of the Four Seasons brand. Biography Early career Born in the Bronx, New York, Gaudio was raised in Bergenfield, New Jersey, where he attended Bergenfield High School. Rotella, Mark"Straight Out of Newark" ''The New York Times'', October 2, 2005. Accessed October 9, 2007. "Originally from the Bronx, Mr. Gaudio had, at age 15, written the hit "Who Wears Short Shorts", which he made up while driving with friends along the main drag in Bergenfield." His mother worked for the publishing house Prentice Hall and his father in a paper factory. He showed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lightnin' Strikes
"Lightnin' Strikes" is a song written by Lou Christie and Twyla Herbert, and recorded by Christie on the MGM label. It was a hit in 1966, making it first to No. 1 in Canada in January 1966 on the ''RPM'' Top Singles chart, then to No. 1 in the U.S. on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February, No. 3 on the New Zealand ''Listener'' chart in May, and No. 11 on the UK ''Record Retailer'' chart. RIAA certification on March 3, 1966, garnering gold status for selling over one million copies. Personnel The song was arranged, conducted, and produced by Charles Calello and was recorded on September 3, 1965. The song featured backing vocals from Bernadette Carroll, Peggy Santiglia and Denise Ferri of The Delicates. Session personnel included Joe Farrell and George Young on baritone sax; Ray DeSio on trombone; Stan Free on piano; Lou Mauro on bass; Charlie Macy, Ralph Casale, and Vinnie Bell on guitar; and Buddy Saltzman Buddy Saltzman (born Hilliard Saltzman; October 17, 1924 – April 3 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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