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Sun
Nov 16
2014Early Days of Rock and Roll featuring The Brooklyn Bridge, The Del Satins and The Earls
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Bethlehem, PASands Even CenterDoors Open: 7:00PM | Showtime: 8:00PM
The Brooklyn Bridge Band was formed in March of 1968 in NY and had their first of many hit records, The Worst That Could Happen, in 1969. They have performed at every major concert venue over the years including Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, The Beacon Theater and Radio City Music Hall…..and shared the stage with a diverse group of legendary artists such as Billy Joel,Tony Bennett, Dion, The Righteous Brothers,The Beach Boys and Steppenwolf. The Bridge has also made many classic television appearances performing on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Mike Douglas Show and The Della Reese show amongst others.
The band consists of vocalist, Les Cauchi, an original member and also a member of the ‘The Del-Satins’. The Del-Satins recorded all the background vocals on all of Dion Di Mucci’s greatest hits which included ‘Run Around Sue’ and ‘Ruby Baby’. They were also regulars on The Clay Cole TV Shows and Murry The K’s Rock and Roll Shows. Other original members are James Rosica ( Bass player and vocalist ) and Joe Ruvio ( vocalist ). Both were members of the local Long Island, NY garage band called ‘The Rhythm Method’. Louis Agiesta ( Drummer ) toured with the cast of the famous ‘Jesus Christ Super Star Show’ before becoming a member of the band in the early 1970s. Joining the band in the early seventies are Martin D’Amico ( Keyboards and vocalist ), and, James Sarle ( Lead Guitarist ) who played on a few of the early Brooklyn Bridge recordings before actually becoming a member of the band in the mid 1970s. Rounding off the ensemble, is lead vocalist Joe “Bean” Esposito. Joe is a Grammy nominated singer/songwriter whose career spans the 1970s to the present day. His songs have been recorded by Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, Labelle, Stephen Stills and others. Esposito was a member of the band Brooklyn Dreams, best known for their collaboration with Donna Summer on “Heaven Knows” and “Bad Girls.” In the 1980s, he’s best known for his performances of the hit songs “Lady, Lady, Lady” from the 1983 film Flashdance and “You’re the Best” from the 1984 film The Karate Kid. Esposito also supplied vocals on Brenda Russell’s 1988 “Piano in the Dark,” as well as a duet with Laura Branigan on “Come Into My Life” from the Coming to America soundtrack (1988). Joe adds a new dimension to the group with his many hit songs and smooth R&B tinged vocals.
Throughout the years, The Brooklyn Bridge had continued to record their sound. From the late 1960s with such songs as ‘Blessed Is The Rain’, ‘Welcome me Love’, and the million seller hit ‘The Worst That Could Happen’ to their most recent CD project entiltled ‘ Peace On Earth / Songs Of Inspiration, the band continued exploring their sound in the recording studio’. The band has kept their music alive. Their live show is the band’s specialty which is evident in their last two DVD projects. Working major venues throughout the USA and Europe, their shows received high critical marks that led them to becoming a major headline attraction amongst their peers.
The Del Satins were formed in 1958 in Manhattan, New York, through a merger of two existing street corner groups, the Yorkville Melodys and the Jokers. The original members were Stan Zizka (lead), Fred Ferrara (baritone), his brother Tom Ferrara (bass), Leslie Cauchi (first tenor), and Keith Koestner (second tenor). They chose the name Del-Satins as a tribute to The Dells and The Five Satins, and built a solid following with their live performances, coming first in a prestigious New York city-wide “Battle of the Groups”. Koestner left before their first recording session and was replaced by Bobby Failla.
In 1961 they recorded their debut single, “I’ll Pray for You”, for the small independent End label, before signing for Laurie Records. There they joined forces with Dion, who wanted to replace his existing backing band, the Belmonts, with a “rockier” sound. The Del-Satins were instantly sent to work on his new song, “Runaround Sue”, which then rose to number 1 in the Billboard charts. Although their contribution to the hit was substantial, the Del-Satins received no credit. They also sang on Dion’s later solo hits, “The Wanderer”, “Lovers Who Wander”, “Little Diane”, “Love Came to Me”, “Ruby Baby”, “Donna the Prima Donna” and “Drip Drop”, as well as on records by Len Barry and Dean and Jean. They released a number of singles under their own name, but had little success until “Teardrops Follow Me” in 1962, after which they found regular work on television and radio.
Zizka left in the mid-1960s and Cauchi and Tom Ferrara were drafted. The remaining members of the Del-Satins continued to play live with the addition of Johnny Maestro (former lead singer of The Crests), Johnny Fielder, Richard Green, and Mike Gregorio. When Cauchi returned, they merged with The Rhythm Method from Long Island in 1968 to form Brooklyn Bridge.
With the loss of Ferrara, Cauchi has focused on re-igniting the Brooklyn Bridge and now[when?] performs in both groups, but keeping the identities and musicians of the two groups separate to thrive on their own merits. Performing the music that keeps the memories alive.
The Earls, sometimes credited as Larry Chance and the Earls, were a popular recording group from the 1960s formed in The Bronx, New York. In 1962, their single “Remember Then” was a hit, and “Life Is But a Dream,” “Never” and “I Believe” also charted. As the oldies revival scene started a strong run in the early 1970s and 1980s, the Earls became one of the most requested groups in the doo-wop genre. They are still actively performing and remain on the oldies circuit.








