The Trade Winds was an American pop group formed in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. The group's members were singer-songwriter and record producer Peter Anders (né Peter Andreoli) (April 28, 1941 – March 24, 2016) and

Vini Poncia Vincent "Vini" Poncia Jr. (born April 29, 1942) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Life and career Early life Poncia was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He is of Italian ancestry. The 1960s In the 1960s, Poncia formed a ...

, who previously had a hit single (with a third member, Norman Marzano) under the name "The Videls" with a song titled "Mr. Lonely", which hit #73 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in 1960. After a few further single releases, The Videls folded. Anders and Poncia began writing tunes with

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

for groups such as The Lovelites (whose lead singer Joanna DeClemente later became Poncia's second wife),

the Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of the lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Ta ...

and

the Crystals The Crystals are an American vocal group that originated in New York City. Considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era in the first half of the 1960s, their 1961–1964 chart hits – including " There's No Other (Like My Baby)", ...

. The Innocenceat Allmusic.com Recording under the name "The Trade Winds" in 1965, they released several singles and scored two more U.S. hits, "New York's a Lonely Town" (#32, 1965) and the psychedelic-tinged "Mind Excursion" (#51, 1966), along with two other songs that bubbled under the U.S. charts, "The Girl From Greenwich Village" at number 129, and "Catch Me in the Meadow" at number 132. In 1966, they changed their name to "The Innocence", recorded a full-length eponymous album, and had two further hit singles, "There's Got to Be a Word!" (U.S. #34, 1966) and "

Mairzy Doats "Mairzy Doats" is a novelty song written and composed in 1943 by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston. It contains lyrics that make no sense as written, but are near homophones of meaningful phrases. The song's title, for example, is a ...

" (U.S. #75, 1967). Following the LP release, the duo released another album under the name

Anders & Poncia The Trade Winds was an American pop group formed in Providence, Rhode Island. The group's members were singer-songwriter and record producer Peter Anders (né Peter Andreoli) (April 28, 1941 – March 24, 2016) and Vini Poncia, who previously had ...

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

in 1969, and shortly after broke up. Poncia later went on to produce material for artists such as

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

Melissa Manchester Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been played by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage. Early li ...

, and

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

. The group was mentioned in the ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American historical drama, period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on cable network AMC (TV channel), AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons ...

'' Season 5 episode "

Tea Leaves ''Camellia sinensis'' is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae. Its leaves, leaf buds, and stems can be used to produce tea. Common names include tea plant, tea shrub, and tea tree (unrelated to '' M ...

" where Harry accidentally signed them instead of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

for a

Heinz The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. ...

commercial.AV Club
/ref> Anders died at Kent Hospital in

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately south of downtown Pr ...

, on March 24, 2016, at age 74.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trade Winds, The Musical groups from Rhode Island Kama Sutra Records artists