Rock and roll group originated in the Belair Rd./Harford Rd. area of East Baltimore. Early lineup featured Frank Adams (guitar), Charlie G (bass), Joe Pente (Wurlitzer electric piano), Fred Winterling (tenor sax), Leonard Wink (vibes, drums formerly on The Collegians TV show), and Joe Vogt (drums). The Crystals rehearsed in Adams’ garage and sometimes at St. Leo’s in Little Italy. This noted lineup is the group (see photo) that recorded for Mercury Records (a Roz Ford-Flax production).
Later coming in were Louie D’Eugenio aka Louie Dee (sax), Joey Adams (sax), Joe Rubino (drums), and Ralph Emmel (lead vocals)…
Wink, who left in 1961 for military service, recalled “I played the vibes, drums and sang a few tunes, and I was that sinister “laughing guy” on the record “Vampire”…. And I was the vibes player on the flip side “Tropical Illusion”, a cha cha type tune. Frank Adams did the screaming though on “Vampire”….
“I’m the guy in the middle with my hand on my ear listening to Joe’s sax.” The Crystals that appeared on the Buddy Deane show are the guys in the photo, and it was also this group of guys that played the Milt Grant TV show in Washington DC.”
When Emmel left to form the Counts, vocalist Al Hoffman auditioned at the Overlea Teen Center and was hired as his replacement. Hoffman recalled that “one night at the Surf Club working two bands the Crystals and the Counts, Frank told the group that Louie and Rubino were leaving, so we switched Louie for Al Rossi (sax) and Rubino for Artie Kay (drums). (With this lineup) we went on to cut records and play all the best clubs in town and D.C.”
During the ‘50s they could be seen at the Surf Club, Rhapsody, Lee’s Musical Bar, house band at D’Mitry’s on Belair Rd., Bitner’s on Fayette St. (also Sunday jams with the Hi-Five), Harbor Room with the Hi-Lites, Rhapsody, Surf Club (on double bills with the Versatiles, Improvisors, and the Esquires), Pier Ballroom in Ocean City, Old Mill Inn, Hollywood Park, Keystone, Gussie’s Downbeat on Eastern Ave., Homeland House billed as “the Crystals featuring the voice of Marty Thompson.” The group shared stages with Mickey and Shirley Fields & the Tilters, the Gliders featuring Little Katz, soon to be called Peaches and the Upsetters…
In 1959 the Crystals did recordings at Monumental Studios and released the single “Theme from The Man with The Golden Arm” b/w “The Saddest One” released on their own JAFCO label. JAFCO stood for the initials of Joe, Al, Frank, and Company. There were some legal wranglings over the rights to use the A-side song and subsequently the record received very little airplay.
L-R: Joe Adams-sax, Al Hoffman-vocal, Frank Adams-bass, Al Rossi-sax (behind bass). Group members not pictured: Joe Pente-keys, Artie Kay-drums
In the ’60s the Crystals lineup included Al Rossi (sax), Kenny Hanlon (trombone), Joe Pente (piano), Wayne Grimm (guitar), Artie Kay (drums ex-Ralph Emmel’s Counts), and Marty Thompson (vocals ex-Jay Rockers) joined in 1962 replacing Hoffman who had left that year to form the Esquires. Kay soon left and was replaced with Danny Sapanero. Hanlon left the band to teach music and Mickey Mezzanotte (sax ex-Jay Rockers) joined. Additional members included Tony Eckhart (keyboards ex-Emmel & Counts), Mike Farinacci (sax)…
Marty recalled that “Frank would also do a show called ‘Premier Lamumba’ where he’d come out wearing a grass hula skirt, a mask with an African headdress with big Ubangi lips and an outrageous chicken bone vest. He carried an African shield and for a spear he used a toilet plunger. He was a sight to behold and every time he did this bit the clubs would be filled to the max. Frank was some kind of a showman. He would run around the club in this get-up and eventually run into the ladies room and emerge with a woman’s bra hanging from his spear. I can still see him performing this act in my mind. Another thing we’d do is I’d act like I was going off to take a break and instead I would sneak back and climb under the stage with a microphone. Then Frank who was a good singer himself would stand at the mic and pantomime a big ballad that I would sing under the stage. He would make all kinds of funny faces like he was imitating Johnny Mathis but when I got to a high note at the end of the song, I’d quit singing and he would open his arms, close his eyes and make out he was hitting the note which I didn’t sing. Then there would be a big drum roll and Frank would set up again to hit the note and again I wouldn’t sing it. The faces he made and his actions which I couldn’t see while under the stage must have been hilarious, because the crowd was hysterical with laughter. Finally, I’d hit the note when Frank wasn’t quite ready and this act always ended with applause and whistles. It was one funny bit.”
Eventually, Frank Adams left the band to concentrate on his beauty shop business and was replaced with Wayne Grimm (ex-Galaxies). Not long after Sapanero left and was replaced with Lou Hinkle. Al Rossi was next to leave being replaced with Butch Wagner. Then Joe Pente was replaced with Tony Bravo.
Members of the group later formed the Charades. Al Rossi, Bruce Weston and Danny Sapanero later became members of Tommy Vann’s Professionals. Joey Adams went with the Delrays, and the Goodtimes. Kay later with ABC Trio, Bruce Westcott Band…), Thompson later sang for U.S. Male. Hanlon earned a degree at Peabody. He taught music in Baltimore and performed with club bands, as well as pit orchestras at the Painter’s Mill Music Fair. In the late ‘60s he moved to Las Vegas where he joined the Si Zentner Orchestra, and backed many top musicians at night clubs on the strip.
1957 Mercury 71381 Vampire / Tropical Illusion
1959 JAFCO 1041 Man with The Golden Arm / The Saddest One
