The Fabulous "DUPREES"..My Own True Love!
The
Duprees
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Duprees was a doo wop group which had a series of hits during the early
1960s.
Contents [hide]
1 Band history
2 Band members
3 Discography
4 Chart performance
4.1 Album Charts
4.2 Single Charts
5 References
Band history
The group was founded in the early 1960s in Jersey City, New Jersey by Michael
Arnone, Joe Santollo, John Salvato, Tom Biagelow, and lead singer Joey Canzano
(later known as Joey Vann). George Paxton, a former big band leader was impressed
by the group's style and signed them to his Coed Records label. Their first
single "You Belong to Me" had previously been a hit for Jo Stafford
in 1952. The Duprees version was given a big band backing by Paxton and reached
the US top ten in 1962.
The band had more top 40 hits in the next couple of years. "My Own True Love" was a vocal adaptation of "Tara's Theme" from the soundtrack of Gone with the Wind and became the group's second hit. "Have You Heard" and "Why Don't You Believe Me" also reached the Top 40 charts, and, like "You Belong to Me," were originally early 50s female vocal hits (Joni James, in this case). The band became known for mixing doowop vocals with big band arrangements. Tom Biagelow left in 1963. Mike Kelly, who had recorded on the group's original demos for George Paxton, replaced Joey Vann as lead vocalist in 1964.
The Duprees became unfashionable after the Beatles spearheaded the British Invasion in 1964 although they continued to record, turning in a more "pop" direction, and reached the Top 100 as late as 1975. The band still performs today on the oldies circuit, but with no original members. Joey Vann and Joe Santollo died in 1981, and Mike Arnone in 2005.
Band members
The groups current lineup is:
Tommy Petillo;
Jimmy Spinelli;
Phil Granito; and
Tony Testa.
Petillo has been with
the group since 2002.
Mark Baron, Musical Director, Keyboard
Marty Bound, Trp
Peter DiCarlo, Alto/ Tenor Saxophones
Elliot Stern, Tenor/ Bari Saxophones
Danya Lane, Keyboard
Bob Mariner, Bass
Rob Romeo, Drums
[edit] Discography
You Belong to Me 1962
Have You Heard 1963
Total Recall 1968
The Duprees Sing
Christmas with the Duprees 1998
Live From The Sands vol-1 2003
Live From The Sands vol-2 2003
Duprees Go To The Movies 2004
Merry Christmas From The Duprees 2005
As Time Goes By 2005
