Man, I tell ya, New Jersey sure has to fight for its status as the acting heel of the tri-state area (Fuck Connecticut anyway!). Even in matters of music we are often outshined by NYC, not to mention areas like Texas & the Pacific Northwest (Sorry Sister), whereby out meager contribution to the un-arts is reduced to the likes of Springsteen. In spite of such jaundice, people often forget that Jersey has spawned monsters in the guise of such acts as the Inmates, the Werps, Ugh, the Viscounts and Ralph Neilson & the Chancellors, to name but a few. In the spirit of reconciliation, I’m gonna take this opportunity to highlight some grade-A Jersey mashers - The Del-Aires.
Whether hung under the shingle of the Treble-Tones, Ronnie & the Del-Aires, the Dynamic Del-Aires, or just plain ole’ Del-Aires, these high school gawkers sure do know how to wail! Most of you will probably recognize the name from the 1964 cinema classic ‘The Horror of Party Beach’, not to mention the endless punishment these musicians-cum z-list actors continually suffer at the hands of several wise-ass robotic hand-puppets who shall remain nameless. Most people are surprised to learn that this combo did actually exist outside of the 2nd dimension, and in fact, had quite a following in the early 60’s in their native Paterson, as well as the surrounding Jersey shore.
Mixing Doo-Wop, Pop-Corn pop and Surf 'N' Drag, the Del-Aires proved a versatile act in the Garden State, weathering the late instro-manic 50's w/ a brief Elvis-esque sojourn before managing to wiggle' 'n' wobble their woefully underage asses into the likes of the Atlantis Club, and NYC's Peppermint Lounge (Momma tells me that the 'Peppermint' was a complete shit hole). Full o' crisp guitar work, honky sax breaks and the kinda loose Leslie sound that makes the girls go gooey, it was only a matter of time before some chicken hawk come a courtin'the boys with promises of fame and/or fortune.
The band managed to wax three singles (Two mom & pop and one on Coral Records) before making the leap to superstardom w/ ‘Party Beach’. They eventually managed to round out their recorded repertoire with two more stragglers on Coral records before getting tangled up in a pesky double homicide in Lodi and subsequently imploding in the face of the British Invasion in late 64'.
(Note: for the full scoop on the Dynamic Del-Aires and the Angel Lounge Massacre, dig the new issue of Weird N.J. (#30) for a missive by yours truly)
So there you have the short of it peoples. As long as insomniacs somewhere are cruising basic cable in the small hours of the dawn, the Del-Aires will always be dishin' rock to the masses at the business end of a Fender Jaguar, and that my friends, is straight up Jersey.
Just Wigglin' & Wobblin' - Del-Aires
Elaine - Del-Aires
Drag - Ronnie & the Del-Aires
I'm Your Baby - Del-Aires
2 comments:
Great post and cool pix. btw, Kicks gave the Del-Airs some ink back in issue no 6, or was it 7? Somewhere back there.
Thanks. Glad you dig. I do indeed remember the Kicks article from the 90's. It was an interview w/ Ronnie Linares right? That sure was a good rag (kinda like 'Ugly Things'). Keep a look-out for another Del-Aires post commin' soon (Treble Rock, Someplace Else, Arlene, Etc...)
Post a Comment