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

Ram Jam Ram Jam was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1977, predominantly known for their hit single "Black Betty". Overview The band consisted of Bill Bartlett (guitar and lead vocals) born 1946 in South Harrow, London, England, Howi ...

and

The Yardbirds 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 ...

Early life and career

Scavone grew up in

North Plainfield, New Jersey North Plainfield is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It is located within the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 21,936,North Plainfield High School 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 Scho ...

, graduating as part of the class of 1966, where he would meet the other future members of his first successful band, The Doughboys.Makin, Bob
"Makin Waves with Myke Scavone of Doughboys, Yardbirds"
''

Courier News The ''Courier News'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Somerville, New Jersey, that serves Somerset County and other areas of Central Jersey. The paper has been owned by Gannett since 1927. Notable employees *John Curley, former presid ...

'', 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." 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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

(which featured

Leslie West Leslie West (born Leslie Abel Weinstein; October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain. Life and career Early years: 1 ...

on guitar) and

The Hassles The Hassles were a rock group in the 1960s, most notable for recording the first releases to feature Billy Joel. The group released two full-length albums (United Artists Records) and a number of singles. History The original line-up of the group ...

(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. 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 Jerry Kasenetz is an American bubblegum pop producer who worked with Jeffry Katz, the two working together as the Super K Productions company,Clarke, Donald (ed.) (1998) ''The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', Penguin Books, , p. 182 to manu ...

and

Jeffry Katz Jeffry Katz (born May 20, 1943, Brooklyn, New York) is an American music producer, one of the first exponents of bubblegum pop. Music career He is one half of a hitmaking duo with Jerry Kasenetz, the two working together as the Super K Productio ...

when he joined the newly formed

, led by guitarist Bill Bartlett, in 1977. The band had found success with a cover of the song "

Black Betty "Black Betty" ( Roud 11668) 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 ...

". Scavone performed on both of the band's albums, ''

'' and ''

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram ''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 ' ...

'' 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. 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

. He was recruited to play harmonica, percussion and backing vocals. He continues to tour with them.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scavone, Myke Living people Musicians from New Jersey The Yardbirds members Garage rock musicians American harmonica players North Plainfield High School alumni People from North Plainfield, New Jersey 1949 births