“The band was started by sax player Jerry Meyers, and had Bruce Decker and Richard Benke on guitars, Sonny Lombardo on drums. I (Greg Burgan ex-Impalas) was their first real bass player. Soon, Bruce and Richard left, and were replaced by a steady stream of guitar players – most notably Harry Herzog, and A.C. ‘Budd’ Hensel (stage name Buddy Lee, ex-Adjectives). Jerry took up singing and between the two, Jerry and Buddy, fronted the group for a few years. We also went through a few drummers after Sonny quit – Rick Litzinger, Dave Hooper (ex-Holidays), and Bill Reiber. We gradually drifted away from two guitars to one guitar and a keyboard. Ed Weaver had the longest stay on organ.” He was later succeeded by Jim Peters.”
The Del Satins performed at the Sunset Lounge, the Hideaway, the Green Door, Cardinal Club in Laurel, as house band at Carl’s Club 33, and the California Inn in Laurel.
“When hard rock groups started to proliferate with names like Led Zeppelin, and Iron Butterfly, we thought the name sounded a little too 50-ish, so for a brief period we called ourselves the Del Satin Concrete and Cement Company. No foolin’! We used that name as a fill-in until we could agree on a better permanent name for the band. Finally, around ‘68, we changed our name permanently to Renaissance. The band kept that name until it died in late ‘72.” Renaissance was seen at California Inn, Stardust, Frigate…“
“Long about 1970, the band entered its final stages – with Jerry still fronting the group, singing and playing sax. I was on bass, but also trading off on sax, flute and trombone on horn tunes, like “Vehicle” and “Color My World”. Barry Sachs, previously of The Upsetters was then on guitar. Chick Zuwalick on organ, and Danny Sullivan on drums rounded out the group. I was ousted in mid-1972 due to personality conflicts, and soon after that the band folded entirely.”
Burgan also sat in with LC Smith & the Smith Brothers “We did a live radio show from Zebelean’s in SW Baltimore several nights a week. I went by ‘Mister Greg’, not wanting to be cast by my friends as a country player.” “Additionally, he was a member of folk recording group The Colony Singers in 1964, and signed to ABC Paramount. After Renaissance split, he joined Tapestry, Red Wolf, Thrain, Associates, and the Don Roberts Orchestra before retiring in late ‘70s due to decline in club work…”
