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The Vagrants were an American, Long Island-based rock and blue-eyed soul group from the 1960s. [1] The group was composed of Peter Sabatino on vocals, harmonica, and tambourine, Leslie West on vocals and guitar, Larry West (Leslie's brother) on vocals and bass guitar, Jerry Storch on organ, and Roger Mansour on drums. [2]
Formed in 1964, [1] by the following year, the group had developed a professional press kit, had gained the interest of the semi-professional Southern Sound record label and soon released a single: "Oh Those Eyes" b/w "You're Too Young". The single gained the attention of directors Vince Scarza and Douglas Hickox, who were directing a Beach Party film called Disk-O-Tek Holiday , which featured various music artists performing songs throughout the film. The clip that featured The Vagrants performing "Oh Those Eyes" is now considered a classic piece of mid-1960s history. The Vagrants were best known for their regular appearances at The Action House in Island Park; one of the late 1960s premier rock clubs on Long Island. The Vagrants often appeared on stage with such other iconic bands of the period as The Doors, The Who, Vanilla Fudge, The Rascals, The Illusion [3] and The Hassles (with Billy Joel on keyboards). The band's rock/cover of the theme from Exodus was often the highlight of each performance. Best known for their powerful covers of "Gimme Some Lovin'" (The Spencer Davis Group), "Hold On I'm Comin'" (Sam and Dave), and other Motown hits; there are no known recordings of these songs in the limited Vagrants' catalogue.
The Vagrants then signed to the Vanguard label, [1] something of a departure for them as their roster consisted mainly of folk and jazz artists. Vanguard released their first minor hit "I Can't Make a Friend", [1] which is frequently found on garage band compilations and is one of their most recognizable early efforts. Record producer Felix Pappalardi, who would later work with Cream, The Youngbloods, and Jack Bruce, worked to sign the group to Atco Records, then a subsidiary label of the Atlantic Recording Corporation, and their cover of Otis Redding's "Respect" became a hit on the East Coast in 1967. In 1969, guitarist Leslie West left to form the post-Cream power-band Mountain, that became famous with Felix Pappalardi, on bass and vocals. [1]
A compilation of all of the group's singles (excepting both sides of the "Oh Those Eyes" 45) was issued on an Arista Records release titled The Great Lost Album in 1987, [1] on which both Leslie and Larry West are credited by their birth names, Leslie and Larry Weinstein.
In the 1990s, singer Peter Sabatino decided to reform the group with new members to create The "New" Vagrants. The new lineup featured Tony Pinisi on organ, Eli Brown on bass guitar, Tom SanFilippo on guitar, and Joe Forgione (formerly of The Soul Survivors) on drums. The group has played many gigs throughout Long Island, especially at the OK Club and the Odyssey Club in Amityville, New York. The group started to record a new album called 21st Century Vagrants in 2002 at Electric Randyland Studios in Manhassett.
Drummer Joe Forgione died of a heart attack onstage at the Downtime Club, New York on October 20, 2003. On December 20, 2020, Leslie West suffered a heart attack at his house in Florida, and died on December 22.
The Four Seasons is an American rock and roll and doo-wop quartet formed in 1960 in Newark, New Jersey. Since 1970, they have also been known at times as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The band evolved out of a previous band called The Four Lovers, with Frankie Valli as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals, and Nick Massi on bass guitar and bass vocals. On nearly all of their 1960s hits, they were credited as The 4 Seasons. The band had two distinct lineups that achieved widespread success: the original featuring Valli, Gaudio, DeVito, and Massi that recorded hits throughout the 1960s, and a 1970s quintet consisting of Valli, Lee Shapiro, Gerry Polci, Don Ciccone and John Paiva, with Gaudio and Long providing studio support.
Felix A. Pappalardi Jr. was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bassist. He is best known as the bassist and co-lead vocalist of the band Mountain, whose song "Mississippi Queen" peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has become a classic rock radio staple. Originating in the eclectic music scene in New York's Greenwich Village, he became closely attached to the British power trio Cream, writing, arranging, and producing for their second album Disraeli Gears. As a producer for Atlantic Records, he worked on several projects with guitarist Leslie West; in 1969 their partnership evolved into the band Mountain. The band lasted less than five years, but their work influenced the first generation of heavy metal and hard rock music. Pappalardi continued to work as a producer, session musician, and songwriter until he was shot and killed by his wife Gail Collins in 1983.
Mountain was an American hard rock band formed in Long Island, New York, in 1969. Originally consisting of vocalist-guitarist Leslie West, bassist-vocalist Felix Pappalardi, keyboardist Steve Knight, and drummer N. D. Smart, the group disbanded in 1972, but reunited on several occasions prior to West's death in 2020. They are best-known for their 1970 smash hit song "Mississippi Queen", which remains a staple of classic rock radio, as well as the heavily sampled song "Long Red", and their performance at Woodstock Festival in 1969. Mountain is one of many bands commonly credited with influencing the development of heavy metal music during the 1970s. The group's musical style primarily consisted of hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal.
Wheels of Fire is the third album by the British rock band Cream. It was released in the US in June 1968 as a two-disc vinyl LP, with one disc recorded in the studio and the other recorded live. It was released in the UK on August 9. It reached number three in the United Kingdom and number one in the United States, Canada and Australia, becoming the world's first platinum-selling double album. In May 2012, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it at number 205 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It was voted number 757 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).
Go Jimmy Go was an American ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul influenced band from Honolulu, Hawaii. Although chronologically, the band belongs to the third-wave, their mellow, slower tempo sound is reminiscent of the classic style of the original 1960s Jamaican first wave of ska.
West, Bruce and Laing were a Scottish–American blues rock power trio super-group formed in 1972 by Leslie West, Jack Bruce, and Corky Laing. The band released two studio albums, Why Dontcha (1972) and Whatever Turns You On (1973), during their active tenure. Their disbanding was officially announced in early 1974 prior to the release of their third and last album, Live 'n' Kickin'.
Bert Sommer was an American folk singer and songwriter. He appeared in the musical Hair and at the Woodstock Festival, and released several albums as a singer-songwriter.
Leslie Abel West was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain. West was named the 245th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023.
Climbing! is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Mountain. It was released on March 7, 1970, by Windfall Records.
Flowers of Evil is the third studio album and first live album by American hard rock band Mountain. The title track concerns drug abuse in Vietnam. The first side of the album includes new studio material, while the second consists of live material recorded on 27 June 1971 at the Fillmore East in New York City. It was released in November 1971 by Windfall.
Twin Peaks is the third live album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in February 1974 by Columbia and Windfall Records. It contains recordings from the band's performance at Koseinenkin Hall in Osaka, Japan on August 30, 1973. The album was produced by the band's bassist and second vocalist Felix Pappalardi, while the artwork was created by his wife and collaborator Gail Collins. It was Mountain's first release since returning after a year-long hiatus.
The Best of Mountain is the only compilation album by American hard rock band Mountain. It consists of material recorded throughout 1970-1971, culled from their first three LPs. On 15 April 2003, the album was remastered and reissued in an expanded edition with new liner notes and four bonus tracks, two of which are taken from Leslie West's first solo album, 1969's Felix Pappalardi-produced Mountain, the project which eventually led to the formation of the band.
The Fifth Estate, formerly known as The D-Men, is an American rock band formed in 1963 in Stamford, Connecticut.
The Devil's Anvil was a 1960s hard rock band based in New York City. They released one album, entitled Hard Rock from the Middle East, in 1967, showcasing a mix of 1960s hard-rock sound with Arab, Greek and Turkish songs and melodies.
Colin Hicks & The Cabin Boys were a British rock and roll band, led by Colin Hicks, the younger brother of singer Tommy Steele.
Mountain is the debut album by American rock guitarist and vocalist Leslie West, released in July 1969 by Windfall Records.
Avalanche is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in July 1974. It featured the return of drummer Corky Laing and was the band's only recording with second guitarist David Perry. It was their final album of the 1970s and the last to feature bassist/producer Felix Pappalardi.
Mystic Fire is the seventh studio album by American hard rock band Mountain, released in 2002. It is their final album of original material, as their following album, Masters of War, would consist solely of covers.
Elizabeth was an American psychedelic rock/progressive rock band that were active from 1967 to 1970. They were based out of Philadelphia and known for their unique musical and sonic blend of baroque, classical, folk, American rock, British rock, country, and ragtime. Elizabeth's members were: Steve Weingarten, who died in 2007; Bob Patterson ; Jim Dahme ; Steve Paul Bruno ; and, Hank Ransome (drums).
The Rockin’ Ramrods were an American garage rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, who were active in the 1960s and early 1970s. Along with the Barbarians, the Remains and the Lost, they were one of the most popular acts in the Boston area. While they did not achieve national success, their work is today well-regarded by garage rock collectors and enthusiasts. They are perhaps best remembered for the 1964 protopunk anthem "She Lied." Though best known as the Rockin’ Ramrods, they recorded under other names. They recorded one single as the GTO's. In 1968, Ronn Campisi left to form Puff who recorded one album, but the Rockin' Ramords subsequently reformed as the Ramrods, but with a different lineup, and released an album in 1971.
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