New Carl Bonafede Web Site Features both The Buckinghams and The Centuries

Carl Bonafede, original manager of The Buckinghams and The Centuries (Carl Giammarese, Nick Fortuna, Gerald Elarde, and Curtis Bachman) features musical memories from The Centuries and The Buckinghams on his web site, http://www.carlbonafede.com.

Chicago radio fan favorite commercial track, "Get with the Go Group" that The Buckinghams recorded for Norm Kraus' Grand Spaulding Dodge (Mr. Norm) is included.

Bonafede also produced and managed The Daughters of Eve, the Rail City 5, The Delights, Thee Prophets, among others, and booked bands, including Mickey, Larry & the Exciters, The Lost Souls, Lincoln Park Zoo, Ral Donner, Gene Pitney and more, into clubs across Chicago. If you heard or saw Carl and Nick as part of The Fabulous Centuries or The Buckinghams, anywhere in the Midwest in the early 60s, you saw firsthand the management and production of Carl Bonafede.

Also check out two of Joseph Pytel, Jr's. blogs and learn more about Carl Bonafede's own vocal stylings on USA Records, Cadet, and Impala records, among other labels.

Carl Bonafede is better known to Chicago radio audiences as "The Screaming Wildman" because of his rapid-fire speech and delivery for commercial spots on the air. He also recorded some singles under that name.

The blog addresses are:
www.carlbonafede.blogspot.com
www.thescreamingwildman.blogspot.com

Comments

Remembering Frank Tesinsky, Beloved Chicago Musician, Key to The Buckinghams' Characteristic Sound

Each time the opening notes to “Kind of a Drag” come on the air, whether it’s your car radio, your phone, or choice of streaming media, the first 23 notes you hear inform you immediately that not only are you hearing “Kind of a Drag,” but you are hearing The Buckinghams. That instant recognition, in turn, is thanks to the talent of musician Frank Tesinsky, who arranged the iconic tune for producers Dan Belloc and Carl Bonafede in a 1966 recording session in Chicago’s Chess Studios. The Buckinghams family was greatly saddened to learn of Frank’s passing on November 9. Catherine Johns, his wife of 32 years, was a beloved part of his life and part of Chicago radio as well. In February 1967 "Kind of a Drag" was #1 on the Billboard charts for two weeks, and it forever defined the sound of five young men from the northside of Chicago. Just 27 notes, right? And yet, it defined the magic of what would become known as “the horn sound” that The Buckinghams are b

What Celebrating 50 Years Since Reaching #1 on Billboard Means in the World of The Buckinghams

Everyone who is a fan of the band The Buckinghams can easily name all the songs that were Top 10 hits, Top 20 hits, and Billboard Top 100 chartmakers. You have several songs that have personal, special meaning for you. But the song that took the native Chicagoans out of the basements of the band members' homes was the one USA Records released last, almost as an afterthought. "Kind of a Drag" has the distinction of being the song that took this band to the national level. Many wonderful bands are part of Chicago history, and they are as beloved today as they were in their time. But this one song, "Kind of a Drag" took flight and went to #1 on Billboard 50 years ago today, February 18, 1967. Imagine what it was like for five young men to hold a copy of "Billboard" in their hands. For a few years, Carl and Jon-Jon had gone to the newsstand each week, buying a single copy of "Billboard" and reading it cover to cover. These days you hear about

In Memory of John Poulos, March 31, 1947 - March 26, 1980

Five days before his 33rd birthday, we lost John Poulos, a dear friend who was like a brother to us, as well as The Buckinghams’ drummer. Often described as the heartbeat of our band, he was known to most Buckinghams’ fans of the 60s simply as Jon-Jon. To know John was to love him. With his outgoing personality, he never met a stranger. His talent is remembered best in the style he displayed on drum fills and riffs on our hits, including “Don’t You Care,” “Hey Baby, They’re Playing Our Song,” and “Kind of a Drag.” It’s not surprising that Jon-Jon was included as one of the Top 10 drummers in Modern Drummer Magazine. Contemporary MySpace profiles of aspiring amateur and professional musicians today include the name John Poulos among their musical influences. That’s an honor both fitting and accurate for a musician who was truly one of a kind. Nick and I recall that one of John’s own musical influences was Bobby Elliot, drummer for The Hollies, whose signature beret and tossing of his he

The Buckinghams in Concert

Search This Blog