The Bell Notes were an early
American rock and roll group from the
East Meadow area of
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
The Bell Notes were regular performers in
The Bronx in the 1950s, and performed at a bar owned by the father of
Ray Tabano; he and
Steven Tyler
Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...
(of
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
) occasionally played between Bell Notes sets, and covered their song "
I've Had It". New York DJ (WADO)
Alan Fredericks
Alan Fredericks (September 11, 1934 – July 31, 2005) was an American disc jockey and award-winning travel editor and journalist.
Fredericks was born Alfred Paul Israel in Bronx, New York City, New York. He graduated from Bronx High School of Sc ...
saw the group play at a record hop on Long Island and saw the group's potential. In 1958, he recorded "I've Had It" at a recording studio in
Times Square, New York.
The session cost a total of $50. He peddled the song around town and the group was eventually signed by Bob Shad. He was starting up a new label and thought the band would be ideal, because of the raw sound of the recording and the catchy tune. "I've Had It", released on
Time Records, was a nationwide hit in the U.S. in March 1959, peaking at No. 6 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
They released four further singles in 1959 – "Old Spanish Town", "That's Right", "You're a Big Girl Now", and "White Buckskin Sneakers & Checkerboard Socks" – but only "Old Spanish Town" charted, peaking at No. 76.
The band was managed by Natalie Fredericks.
In 1960, they signed with
Madison Records
Madison Records was an American record label. It was founded in 1958 by Larry Uttal. It lasted until 1961 when Uttal absorbed the label into his newly acquired Bell Records.
Artists
*The Bell Notes
*Dante and the Evergreens
*Nino and the Ebb Tid ...
and released two singles,"Shortnin' Bread" and "Friendly Star" followed. "Shortnin' Bread" hit No. 96 in the U.S. and was their last hit; they broke up by 1962.
In 1964, the group appeared in the series of Nu-Trading Rock 'n Roll Trading Cards.
Members
*Carl Bonura – vocals, saxophone
*John Casey – drums
*Ray Ceroni – vocals, guitar
*Lenny Giambalvo – bass
*Peter Kane – piano
Discography
Singles
References
;Footnotes
;General references
*
The Bell NotesAt
AllMusic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell Notes, The
Musical groups from Long Island
Rock music groups from New York (state)