Rock band from the Hillendale-Parkville area featuring Terry Taylor (lead vocals), Jimmy Eder (lead guitar), Johnny Mohn (guitar, vocals), John Bald (bass ex-Lexingtons, Ambassadors), and Ron Ecke (drums). They performed throughout the teen dance circuit. Bald was replaced with Tom Carr. Guitarist Kirk Walton later joined the group.
Mohn went on to play for the Grapes of Wrath, Gyro, Joanne Dodds Band… Bald later played for the Loved Cowboys in the ‘80s, and the Results blues band which evolved in the ‘00s to become the Susan Armiger Band.
In mid-1974 the band split up. The Starleigh Agency matched then Ozz guitarist Kirk Walton together with the band Ooh-La-La who had been going through some personnel changes. The combination of Walton along with Robin Jarvis (vocals), Joe Flaherty (bass), Jim Frado (keyboards ex-Opelika), and Ben Kaplan (drums ex-Opelika) continued as the new Ozz playing the local club scene.
Butch Roche (g), Dennis Dehart (b,v). Courtesy of Dennis Dehart
Toward the end of 1975 Flaherty quit and was replaced with Dennis Dehart (bass ex-Fatty, Levee). Walton soon left and guitarist Tom ‘Butch’ Roche (ex-Parts Unknown, Joshua) took his place. Roche was also working at Randallstown Music doing amplifier repairs and building PA systems. Around this time bassist Dehart quit and Frado began adding the bass sounds on synthesizer to his keyboard repertoire. Roche wanted to add another guitarist and invited Denny Romans (ex-Maypole) into the band, but this line-up lasted only very briefly before Butch’s cousin Ronnie Roche joined the band.
In 1976 Butch Roche and Kaplan left the band and with Butch’s wife Marguerite Clark they formed the band Catwhistle.
A late 1978 lineup featured Jarvis (vocals), Frado (keys), with Ronnie Malvaso (guitar ex-Black Hat), Jack Travis (bass), and Ricky Vane (drums ex-Black Hat).
Among many club engagements Ozz performed at the Eastwind on June 1, 1975 along with the New Diablos. Opened for ZZ Top at Johnny Walker’s… Kaplan later became a member of the Lotus Band, and the Jim Sellers Band. Robin (Frado) and Jim Frado were later with the 5th Avenue Band. Dehart played with Spiral in ‘00s…
and (front) Dave Parks. Photo courtesy of Ronnie Malvaso.
