| QUILL RECORDS The Ultimate Chicago '60s Label | |
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WCFL Volume 2, 1976 August 5, 2014
The Little Boy Blues
June 27, 1968 : Edgewater Music Copyrighted
Fontana single
September 7, 1968 Billboard page 49:
September 14, 1968 Billboard:
September 14, 1968 Billboard pages 36 - 37:
September 14, 1968 Billboard:
October 5, 1968 Record World:
October 12, 1968 Billboard page 31:
Ulalume by Edgar Allan Poe (1847):
Produced by Rich Wood
The 54th Grammy Awards
Best Historical Album:
Best Album Notes: November 9, 2010
Billboard, August 16, 1969: CUB POWER, an album featuring the singing of the National League baseball Chicago Cubs and the cheering of the Wrigley Field Bleacher Bums, will be released in about two weeks, according to Peter Wright, Quill Records, Chicago. The album (Quill Stereo LP, Cover: Q-800 1001, Labels: 800Q-1001) consists of songs and player interviews, cheers, sounds of the stadium and a team rendition of 'Take Me Out To the Ball Game.' Wright expects primary Midwest distribution of the $4.98 record, "But we'll go national if the demand is there."
July 26, 2010
The Exception:
THE QUILL RECORDS STORY The Exception's "Business As Usual," "My Mind Goes Traveling" and the unreleased "No Great Potential" were recorded at Ter-Mar Studios, 320 E. 21st St, Chicago, from 1 to 4PM, August 17, 1967. The ambitious 13 musician session was led by Frank Tesinsky. In addition to arranging The New Colony Six's "I'm Just Waiting Anticipating For Her To Show Up" (Sentar 1207, June 1967; WLS #14), Tesinsky arranged Carone Productions' "Tell Him" (Capitol 5861, May 1967; Billboard R&B #22) by Patti Drew.
July 28, 2009 We're Gonna Change The World:
01. The Malibu's: I'm Cryin' Dedicated To Ellery Temple
The Quill Records Story
Liner Notes QUILL Records started with The Drew-Vels (Billboard May 8, 1965) and ended with The Skunks (1967).
Quill's production company had Highwood, IL's Haydon Thompson and the Gill-Singers on Kapp (November 1965+), The Fabulous Flippers on Cameo (November 1966 - July 1967), The Reasons For Being on Fontana, The Commons LTD on Mod, The Delights on Smash & others, through The Rush Hour on Philips (February 1969).
Until December 1965, Quill was distributed by the Royal Disc Distributing Company, 1239 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, Kent Beauchamp, President. Quill was then distributed by Paul Glass' All State (aka Allstate) Record Distributing Company, 1507 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL.
Quill Records was just one of the many interrelated enterprises of Peter H. Wright And Associates, 185 N. Wabash; Suite 609, Chicago, IL .
Peter Wright's primary business was freelance record promotion, that is, dominating midwestern radio playlists, retail inventories & jukebox selections. But he was also seriously involved in music publishing (Edgewater Music), independent record production (VP of Dominic Carone's Carone Productions) & artist management/booking. Throughout the 1960's and 1970's Peter Wright's Edgewater publishing credit appeared on a wide variety of Chicago-related pop, middle-of-the-road and even country releases. Some of the labels involved were Mercury (The Rooks, Mob, Riddles, Exceptions), Smash (The Delights), Fontana (Little Boy Blues, 45-1623 [July] 1968, LP SRF-67578 originally titled 'CAN YOU DIG IT?, issued as 'IN THE WOODLAND OF WEIR' Billboard ad & review September 1968, all songs © Edgewater June 27, 1968), Philips (The Guild, Princetons), Mod (Commons Ltd.), Cameo (The Mob, Fabulous Flippers), Cadet (The Shades), United Artists (Ralph Marterie), Kapp (Haydon Thompson), and, reflecting Wright's close ties with Chicagoan Hugh M. Hefner, Playboy (Chapter Thirteen).
Peter Wright managed, booked & produced The New Colony Six (15 Billboard chart items on Sentar, Mercury & SunLight). See Colonized! Best Of The New Colony Six (Rhino CD 71188, 1993). Three Quill artists joined The New Colony Six: Ronnie Rice, The Night Flight's Ellery Temple & The Exceptions' Billy Herman. Ronnie Rice (vocals, rhythm guitar, organ) was in The New Colony Six from August 1966 to April 1972 and co-wrote "Things I'd Like To Say" (Mercury 72858, Cash Box #13; WLS #2).
The Night Flight signed a group recording agreement with Quill on May 12, 1967: Ellery Temple (age 21; Waterloo, IA; vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, songwriter), Dave Coombs (age 19; Waterloo, IA), Luke Kjolhede (age 19; State College of IA, Cedar Falls) & Larry Koch (age 19; Webster City IA Junior College).
In late August 1967, Ellery Temple became a member of The New Colony Six, replacing bassist/Northeastern IL University senior Wally Kemp. Temple only appeared on The Colony's "Treat Her Groovy" 45 (Mercury 72775, September 1967; WLS #12). Two months later, Temple was replaced by Leslie S. Kummel (d. December 19, 1978).
In 1974, Ellery Temple resurfaced as a member of Sweet Nothin', writing "S.B. Special" (Big Tree 1602 B, October 1974). Sweet Nothin' was produced by former New Colonist Pat McBride. From 1990 to August 12, 1996, Ellery Temple performed & recorded with the Cedar Falls, Iowa-based Bob Dorr / Molly Nova and the Blue Band (Hot Fudge Records).
Before signing with Quill on August 4, 1966, The Exceptions had a single on Ardore: Kal David & The Exceptions: and two singles on Vee-Jay subsidiary Tollie: Tollie T-9007 (1964): Tollie T-9043 (1965): Exceptions Marty Grebb (tambourine, percussion, cymbals, misc. instruments), Peter Cetera (bass) & Jimmy Vincent (12 string guitar) & also, Paul Butterfield (harp) & Mike Bloomfield (guitar) played on Dick Campbell's 'Sings Where It's At' LP (Mercury album SR61060, 1965; Prod Lou Reizner): Dick Campbell 45:
Dick Campbell
The Exceptions then cut four songs for Mercury Ask Me If I Care The Girl From Chicago (unreleased) &
The Quill Exceptions, managed by William A. McLaughlin, consisted of Peter P. Cetera, Jr. (vocals, bass guitar, Blue Island, IL), James Vincent Dondelinger (vocals, guitar, Riverside, IL), Marty Grebb (vocals, keyboards, Blue Island, IL) & William Robert Herman (vocals, drums; Chicago, IL).
In August 1967, The Exceptions' Quill 45 "As Far As I Can See" was re-issued on Capitol Records, credited to "The Exception." By this time, James Nyeholt (Harvey, IL) had replaced Marty Grebb. The Quill & Capitol labels of "As Far As I Can See" listed the composer as "M. Grebe." The Library of Congress Journal Of Copyright Entries assigned "As Far As I Can See" to "Martin J. Grebe." A signature on the Exceptions' August 4, 1966 Group Recording Contract read "Martin Grebe." So considerable evidence supports the spelling that has been branded "misinformation."
The Exception's "Business As Usual," "My Mind Goes Traveling" & the unreleased "No Great Potential" were recorded at Chicago's Ter-Mar Studios, from 1 to 4PM, August 17, 1967. The ambitious 13 musician session was led by Frank Tesinsky. In addition to arranging The New Colony Six's "I'm Just Waiting Anticipating For Her To Show Up" (Sentar 1207, June 1967; WLS #14), Tesinsky arranged Carone Productions' "Tell Him" (Capitol 5861, May 1967; Billboard R&B #22) by Patti Drew.
The Exception's third Capitol 45 featured the soul cover versions "You Don't Know Like I Know" & "You Always Hurt Me" (Capitol single 2120 released February 1968 ~ Cash Box review March 9, 1968). The band's Capitol contract expired July 31, 1968. After The Exception(s), Peter Cetera joined the outfit that became Chicago (Chicago Transit Authority LP, April 1969). Marty Grebb moved to The Buckinghams, transforming "As Far As I Can See" into "This Is How Much I Love You" (Composer: M. Grebb, Columbia 4-44790, February 1969). Grebb later formed The Fabulous Rhinestones (with pre-Quill Exception Kal David), toured with Chicago & worked with the Band, Fleetwood Mac & Bonnie Raitt.
Billy Herman, Jim Dondelinger & Jim Nyeholt (plus Robert R. Jones) became Aorta ("Shape Of Things To Come," Atlantic 2545, July 1968; Aorta LP Columbia 9785, March 1969, Billboard #167 & "Ode To Missy Mztsfpklk," Columbia 4-44870, June 1969).
Jim Dondelinger played guitar on The Electronic Concept Orchestra's "Aquarius" / "Grazing In The Grass" 45 (Limelight 3090) and Moog Groove LP (Limelight LS86070, June 1969). The engineers of the Moog Groove LP, Bruce Swedien, Doug Brand, Hans Wurman and Chuck Lishon, were nominated for Grammy awards (Best Engineered Recording). Jim Dondelinger did not play on the (Eddie Higgins-led) Electronic Concept Orchestra's Electric Love LP (Limelight LS 86072), Cine Moog LP (Mercury) or "The Girl I Never Met" (Mercury LP SR61279, 1970), but Dondelinger arranged Coven's Witchcraft LP (Mercury SR61262, September
1969) and continued with Aorta ("Willie Jean"/ "Sand Castles," Happy Tiger 567, 1970).
Billy Herman joined The New Colony Six in April 1969. He appeared in trade ads for "I Could Never Lie To You" & co-wrote "Barbara, I Love You" (Mercury 73004; Billboard Easy Listening #37), "Free," "Ride The Wicked Wind," "Roll On" (SunLight 1001; WLS #10), "Someone Sometime" (SunLight 1004; WLS #13) & the previously unreleased "Muddy Feet On The Mississippi." Herman remained in The Colony through 1972 & participated in the 1988 reunion at Chicago's glamorous Park West.
Ray Graffia, Jr., founder of The New Colony Six, produced The Prophets' "Yes I Know," "Sad On Me" & the unissued "Twelve" (Tom Kubazek-Doug Vanderbilt) for Peter Wright's Twin-Spin label in April 1967. The Prophets' Twin-Spin songs were cut at Ter-Mar studios immediately after Syl Johnson's scorching "Come On Sock It To Me" session. "Come On Sock It To Me" (Cash Box R&B #5) became the first release on Peter Wright's TwiLight / TwiNight soul label. See TwiNight's Chicago Soul Heaven 1967-1972 (Kent CD 131, 1996) and
ECCENTRIC SOUL
Tony Teresi, first 'manager' of The New Colony Six (& nephew of Chicago Sun-Times columnist Irv Kupcinet), produced Jimmy Watson & The Orginal Royals' "I Wanna Do It." Surprisingly, Teresi did not produce the flip side, "A Heart Is Made Of Many Things," originally on The New Colony Six's Breakthrough LP (Sentar 101, July 1966).
"The Graduation Song" by Quill's "girl group," The High-Schoolers, featured Jean Carone's lyrics & the melody of Elgar's "Pomp And Circumstance." The Exterminators' Quill 'A' side, "Voo-Doo," was derived from their "Worms (Yeeck)," © August 11, 1965. The Ricochetts are now known as Ar Stevens & The Richochettes.
Chances R's Quill 45, "I'll Have You Cryin'"/"Winds and Sea," stemmed from Edgewater contracts signed by Gary, IN's Daniel Ross White & Henry A. Farag III on May 26, 1966. According to the lead sheet: "I'll have you cryin' like I want you / I'll have you dying like I want you / You'll pay so good little girl / I'm cutting out on you." Chances R's "Winds And Sea" was re-recorded by The Enchanters (Atco 6775, April 1970). Henry Farag & his brother, Omar, provided a valuable public service by booking falsetto superstar Lou Christie into Merrillville, IN's Holiday Star / Star Plaza Theater ten times from April 23, 1982 to October 23, 1993.
LOU CHRISTIE
LOU CHRISTIE &
The Delights, Chicago's answer to The Zombies, signed an exclusive representation contract with Quill associate Ralph Marterie on September 14, 1966. The Delights: Gregory Grimes, Vincent Schraub, Norbert Soltysiak, Robert A. Bluff, Louis Sanjurio & manager Gerald Germansen. Eddie Mascari, General Manager of Mercury's Near North Music publishing, was involved in The Delights' deal with Smash. Earlier in the year, The Delights had released a Carl Bonafede/Ron Malo-produced 45 on Mascari's Chicago-based Delaware label.
Managed by Lyle Gillman, The Riddles signed with Carone Productions on February 15, 1967. The Riddles: Patrick Harper (leader, vocals, lead guitar; Addison, IL), Lee Adams (vocals, subterranean bass guitar; Elmhurst, IL), Weston Dobson (rhythm guitar; Villa Park, IL; b. Liverpool UK; moved to US at age 12) & Ronald Fricano (drums; Oakbrook, IL). The Riddles' "Sweets For My Sweet"/"It's One Thing To Say" peaked at #19 on Chicago's WLS survey the week ending April 21, 1967. The Riddles & New Colony Six played a concert in Chicago's Grant Park for ALSAC (Aiding Lukemia Stricken American Children) on September 27, 1967.
The Skunks' alien soundtrack, "Don't Ask Why" Copyright July 26, 1967, was co-written by Wayne Proctor, composer of The Chocolate Watch Band's "In The Past." The Milwaukee-based Skunks were managed by actor/producer/Teen Town label owner Jon Hall. The Skunks, Tygers & New Colony Six rocked Milwaukee's Performing Arts Center on November 6, 1969.
Reviewing these notes, Peter Wright jokingly exclaimed, "It's all lies!" But the moving Quill writes; and having written, moves on.
THE QUILL RECORDS STORY CD
THE QUILL RECORDS STORY
1. The Exterminators: Voo-Doo *
2. The Exterminators:
3. The Ricochetts: Losing You *
4. Chances R: I'll Have You Cryin'
5. Ronnie Rice & The Gents:
6. Ronnie Rice & The Gents:
7. The High-Schoolers:
8. The Proper Strangers:
9. The Proper Strangers:
10. Jimmy Watson & The Original Royals:
11. Jimmy Watson & The Original Royals:
12. The Exceptions: As Far As I Can See (First-time Stereo) *
13. The Exception: Business As Usual **
14. The Commons LTD:
15. The Delights:
16. The Delights: Just Out Of Reach
17. The Riddles: It's One Thing To Say *
18. The Prophets: Yes I Know *
19. The Prophets: Sad On Me *
20. The Night Flight: Without You (First-time Stereo) **
21. The Night Flight: To Color Turn (First-time Stereo) **
22. The Skunks: Don't Ask Why **
COLONIZED! BEST OF THE NEW COLONY SIX
THE NEW COLONY SIX: AT THE RIVER'S EDGE
THE NEW COLONY SIX: AT THE RIVER'S EDGE
THE NEW COLONY SIX: FOUR BY SIX
THE NEW COLONY SIX: COLONIZATION
SUNDAZED SAMPLER
SUNDAZED SAMPLER #2
BEST OF NEW COLONY SIX
THE QUILL RECORDS STORY THE NEW COLONY SIX: THE NEW COLONY SIX:
THE NEW COLONY SIX
THE NEW COLONY SIX
RAYMOND JOHN MICHAEL
JUNIOR
THE NEW COLONY SIX
THE GRAFFIA BROTHERS "I Confess" by The Chimps (CD & Vinyl, 1999)
Things I'd Like To Say: (R. Rice / L. Kummel) 1989 REM member Bill Berry solo 12" Single entitled "13 1 11" under the pseudonym "Stashus Mute" according to:
http://home.c2i.net/meatscience/T.html New Colony Six inducted into Iowa Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2002 In 1968 the first release on former Mercury VP and Acta GM Kenny Meyers' Amaret (American Association of Recording Talents) was purchased from Bill Traut's Dunwich Productions starring child prodigy Ginny Tiu.
In 1967 The Ginny Tiu Review nearly recorded for The New Colony Six's Sentar Records, performing the New Colony Publishing composition Love Of My Own (Dan Di Silvestro - Phil Schultz) on NBC TV's Today Show (August 15, 1967) and The Jim Conway Show (August 25, 1967).
The New York Times
Luiz Bonfa, a guitarist and composer who was one of the originators of
Brazilian bossa nova, died on Friday in Rio de Janeiro. He was 78.
The cause was prostate cancer, said Arnaldo de Souteiro, his longtime record
producer.
Mr. Bonfa, who recorded more than 50 albums, was the composer of hit songs
like "Manha de Carnaval" and "Samba de Orfeu." For these melodies and for his
quiet, meticulous, samba-based guitar rhythms, he would forever be associated
with bossa nova, even though in some ways he predated the movement. He and
Antonio Carlos Jobim were already well known in Brazil when the fad swept the
country as a late-1950's youth craze.
Mr. Bonfa's style of bossa nova was fuller and more commercial than the
inward, stripped-down essence Joao Gilberto made of it, and he lent himself
naturally to all sorts of American jazz and pop projects with slight Brazilian
flavors. During his career, he recorded with Stan Getz, Quincy Jones, Frank
Sinatra and Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, and wrote a song for an Elvis
Presley movie ("Almost in Love" from the 1968 film "Live a Little, Love a
Little.")
Mr. Bonfa, the son of an Italian immigrant, grew up in Rio and took up the
guitar at 11. He studied with the Uruguayan guitarist Isaias Savio. In the
late 1940's, he joined a vocal group called the Quitandinha Serenaders, named
after the Quitandinha Hotel in Petropolis, a town near Rio. The group performed
on Brazil's Radio Nacional in 1946 and was somewhat successful. But Mr. Bonfa
quit the group in 1953 to work alone, mostly as a songwriter and guitarist. He
was a delicate, fluent samba player, and in the mid-1950's was used extensively
both as a musician and as a composer by Dick Farney, the Brazilian Sinatra-like
crooner.
He was already well known in Brazil when he left for New York in 1957. Before
his departure, Mr. Bonfa played guitar on the soundtrack recording for what
would be "Black Orpheus." "Manha de Carnaval" and "Samba de Orfeu" were the two
compositions he offered to the film's director, Marcel Camus. Better known to
English-speakers as "A Day in the Life of a Fool" and "Orpheus' Samba" after the
movie came out in 1959, they became some of the most widely recorded and
performed Brazilian songs of the bossa nova era. The film's soundtrack also
included work by Jobim and Vinicius da Moraes.
In New York Mr. Bonfa worked with Mary Martin, the Broadway singer,
accompanying her on a solo tour. He returned to Brazil in 1959, when bossa nova
was in its ascendancy. In 1962, Mr. Bonfa appeared at a historic bossa nova
concert at Carnegie Hall, performing "Manha de Carnaval," which was the
best-known song of the evening. He stayed on in New York, living in hotels and
returning to Brazil for a few months a year.
Mr. Bonfa lived in New York with his second wife, Maria Helena Toledo,
performing and writing, often working in the late 1960's with the Brazilian
keyboardist and composer Eumir Deodato, whose passage to New York was paid for
by Mr. Bonfa. He wrote music for the soundtrack of the 1966 movie "The Gentle
Rain," and built a reputation in the United States that was not equaled in his
homeland.
Through the 60's and early 70's, he recorded a series of albums with the
producer Creed Taylor, including "Bossa Nova" (1962) and "Jazz Samba Encore"
(1963). His work for other producers included "The New Face of Luiz Bonfa"
(1970), the solo-guitar album "Introspection" (1972) and "Jacaranda," an
adventurous record with a jazz and Latin-music cast (1973).
He is survived by his third wife, Ruth de Oliveira, of Rio de Janeiro; a son,
Luiz Novaes Bonfa, of Los Angeles; and three sisters.
Mr. Bonfa was less productive in the 70's, recording a few albums that were
little known in the United States, among them "Manhattan Strut" (1974), made
with New York jazz session players, and "Bonfa Burrows Brazil" (1984), made with
the Australian saxophonist Don Burrows.
He had a short burst of renewed recognition in New York during the late 80's,
playing a successful two-week run at Fat Tuesday's in 1987 and recording an
album for Chesky, "Nonstop to Brazil" in 1989, with a group that included the
American jazz guitarist Gene Bertoncini. His last full album project was "The
Bonfa Magic" in 1991. Liquor Giants version of "Things I'd Like To Say":
Los Angeles Times
LIQUOR GIANTS
After 17 years fighting the alterna-rock wars in Gun Club, the Pontiac
Brothers and Liquor Giants, Ward Dotson has established himself both as the
most consistently excellent songwriter the Orange County punk-alternative scene
has produced, and as the one least-suited to vault into modern-rock's winner's
circle. On four previous Liquor Giants albums, Dotson's mix of sumptuous,
'60s-based melodies and harmonies with garagey playing just hasn't found its
commercial niche.
With "Something Special for the Kids," he and his mates, including former
Pontiac Matt Simon on drums, look back fondly on an era when a catchy tune and a
feisty performance were enough to rock the charts.
It's an all-covers collection of nuggets from the '60s and '70s--mostly
British, mostly obscure, with the more familiar choices being far from obvious.
It's also a showcase for the "oohs" and "la-la-las" that bassist Mark McGroarty
and guitarist Mark McNally supply nonstop in resurrecting the lost art of
bringing background vocals to the fore.
Liquor Giants' unabashed love of catchy pop comes through in their handling
of Tom Jones' silly-fun nugget, "What's New Pussycat?" They start it as a
drunken sing-along--just what you'd expect from so-cool modern-rockers looking
down their nose at oldies kitsch. But that's just a feint; Liquor Giants
quickly shifts to an exuberant, straightforward, harpsichord-festooned
performance that shows a full appreciation for the winking cleverness and lusty
liveliness of this number by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
Elsewhere, Dotson pays faithful homage to the Move, one of his leading icons,
with covers of Roy Wood's "Fire Brigade" and "Days of Broken Arrows" from the
Idle Race--the Move sound-alike band that Jeff Lynne led before he finally got
promoted to the Move itself.
Aching, yearning, pure-pop splendor comes alive in covers of "Led Along" (Del
Shannon), "Toast and Marmalade" (Tin Tin) and "Things I'd Like to Say" ( New
Colony Six) . Fast-forwarding from the dominant '60s and early '70s time frame
to 1979, Liquor Giants close with a romping take on "Boys Keep Swingin," David
Bowie's ode to being cool (and, if you want to read it the way Bowie likely
intended, to being gay and cool).
"Something Special for the Kids" is both a companion volume to, and a
stylistic cheat-sheet for, the Liquor Giants' excellent current album of
originals, "Every Other Day at a Time," in which Dotson runs his influences
through the blender of his own distinctive underdog's sensibility. If Dotson's
beloved Angels can prosper, maybe there's hope for the Liquor Giants, who keep
swinging and connecting with juicy pop-rock that honors both the melodic
emphasis of its sources and the rawness of the players' alternative-rock
backgrounds.
("Something Special for the Kids" is available from Blood Red Vinyl & Discs,
2134 NE 25th, Portland, OR 97212. E-mail: bloodred@transport.com)
Ratings range from * (poor) to **** (excellent), with three stars denoting a
solid recommendation.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO: (3 photos) Three live tracks serve 22 Jacks well. My Superhero's
first three songs are highlights. Liquor Giants fondly recall nuggets from
'60s, '70s.
Liquor Giants' web page: By Carole Eddington
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