The youngest band to record an album in Canada was a rock instrumental trio formed of NDG residents Roberto and Danny Orsini.
The brothers were aged just 13 and 14 when their band the Melody Makers cut their first and only album, accompanied by drummer Robert Perron, who was three years older.
The brothers grew up at 1031 Prud'homme in St. Raymond's Parish in NDG, in a part of town later demolished for the Decarie Expressway.
Danny and Roberto, born in 1949 and 1950, were still tiny when dad signed them up at the LaSalle School of Music on Sherbrooke and Oxford where a Mrs. McBride taught them to play an electric Gibson that dad had purchased.
They soon got booked to play in regular gigs in Verdun for Hal Wardell's content-hungry CKVL radio program creepily called "Call Me Uncle."
Their real uncle owned Orsini Hall at Decarie and St. James Street West, which was demolished for the Decarie Expressway, so they played there as well as a women's prison, the Lion's Club and even the Douglas mental hospital - where they heard screaming patient.
They also gigged for prisoners at the St. Vincent de Paul Prison in Laval - where they met an inmate who they later named their song Leo's Twist after.
Other strange spots they performed at include the Veterans Hospital, Plattsburgh Air Force Base and Frontier Town and WCAX TV.
The Melody Makers sat down at Plaza Studios in 1963 to cut an album, recording all cuts in a single take.
Thus they became the youngest Canadian band to record an album.
It sold well when launched in April and record label owner Tony Choma treated them fairly, paying them 20 cents a record, which was considered good at the time.
The band recorded seven more songs at the Wesley United church near NDG park in the fall of 1964 but that record never came out.
The boys did gigs at the Black Bottom, the Maidenhead Inn, Rockhead's Paradise and several months at the Little Cozy Club. They played Rockhead's Paradise where they admired a topless (except for tassles) dancer named China Doll.
Danny quit the band in about 1966, while Roberto kept playing jazz but finally called it quits officially in 1967 when they were aged just 17 and 18.
Thanks to the excellent Alex Taylor for the tip.
The Orsinis were a ppoular name in the West End around this time. I seem to recall a Mr Orsini being principle of St Richard's School in the late 60s,
ReplyDeleteHal Wardell was my dad. He used to tell me stories of some of the interesting acts he had on his show.
ReplyDelete