Rock Top-40 group included members from Towson, Ruxton, and Homeland area of North Baltimore. Hoi Polloi prided themselves on their tight vocal harmonies covering hits by Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Byrds, as well as Cream and other popular rock groups. They performed primarily at teen centers and frat parties.
December 1968
Originally a Motown, R&B, pop group with Bill Phelan (guitar), Frank Murphy (bass), Rick Behles (drums), C.H. Lears (vocals), Dave Tilley (organ), John Tilley (trumpet), Leo Nechamkin (trumpet), and John Imhoff (tenor sax). Lears left and was replaced with dual lead vocalists Charlie Matthews, and Geri Imhoff. Trombonist Rick Heil was added to the group. Early managers were Tim Shanklin, and Chuck Dailey. By 1968 members split off to form the Outbursts. Phelan and Murphy added Herb Kuenne (lead guitar), and Bess Armstrong (violin, vocals). This Hoi Polloi lineup was managed by Gerry Blair. They opened for the Byrds at Loyola College on Nov. 5, 1969.
In 1970 Behles was replaced with Rocky Cox (ex-Cabbage). Also that year Kuenne left the group and was replaced with Ralph Reinoldi (ex-Prime Movers).
Bess was later replaced with Lorain Alexander, who was in turn replaced with Pat Scally (vocals, percussion, guitar), adding Lynn Hondo for PA gigs.
In summer of 1973 the group broke up with Phelan and Murphy joining Elf Park through 1975, then re-formed Hoi Polloi with Phelan, Murphy, Reinoldi, John Strausbaugh (vocals, percussion, harmonica), and Rick Martinkus (drums). Reinoldi was replaced with Bob Smith. Strausbaugh replaced with Cindy King, then Jeanne March. Martinkus replaced with Jay Hutchison.
Phelan later played in Irish folk groups Wry Whiskey, and Tara. In ‘00s he could be seen with Bad Neighbors. Armstrong studied violin and later played for the Columbia Chamber Orchestra based in Ellicott City. She went on to become a Hollywood actress starring in many movies as well as roles in the mid-’90s television hit series “My So-Called Life” and more recently in the 2002 series “That Was Then.”
