Magnificent Memories of Magnificent Moments

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WRITTEN BY B. Derek Shaw THE MAG MEN WERE THE MOST RENOWNED R&B group to emerge from Central Pennsylvania in the late 1960s and early 1970s. magnificent memories of magnificent moments nostalgia

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THE MAG MEN WERE THE MOST RENOWNED R&B group to emerge from Central Pennsylvania in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Transcript of Magnificent Memories of Magnificent Moments

Page 1: Magnificent Memories of Magnificent Moments

WRITTEN BYB. Derek Shaw

THE MAG MEN WERE THE MOST RENOWNED

R&B group to emerge from Central Pennsylvania in

the late 1960s and early 1970s.

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Ask anyone who grew up in Central

Pennsylvania during the mid- to late 1960s

where some of the successful teen dances

were held, and you would find The Raven

Teen Club, Middletown; the Hershey

Ballroom; and White Oak Park in North York

as some of the top spots. Ask that same

group of people who the quintessential blue-

eyed soul group from the region was and

they’d all tell you the Magnificent Men. Of

course, this same group would also be able to

spout off their songs, including “Peace of

Mind,” “Stormy Weather,” “Misty,” “I

Could Be So Happy,” and “Sweet Soul

Medley,” just to name a handful.

This York/Harrisburg-based septuplet

played all the aforementioned places and

more, including the famed Apollo Theater in

New York—a place previously and since only

headlined by black artists and groups. As

lead vocalist and songwriter Dave Bupp puts

it, “We went into the Apollo Theater, blew

’em away, and came back as a co-headliner—

no white group was ever a headliner at the

Apollo Theater.”

Their journey to critical acclaim and

moderate national success began earlier that

decade with two bands separated by 30 miles.

In York, the Del-Chords (not to be confused

with a similarly named Harrisburg act) was a

diverse group playing the local clubs, hang-

outs, and school functions, noted for their

outstanding vocals, fronted by Dave Bupp and

Adrian “Buddy” King. They were fortunate to

achieve local success with a 45 rpm record in

1964 called “Everybody’s Gotta Lose

Someday” (Impala and Mr. Genius labels).

At about the same time, another

integrated group, the nine-member Endells,

led by drummer Bob Angelucci, was

following a similar path with the Harrisburg

music scene. In fact, they scored their own

record a year earlier with “Vicky,” a single

on the Heigh-Ho label.

Both racially mixed bands were finding

their situation an unwritten obstacle when it

came to landing bookings. The merger came

about when both groups were ready to call it

quits. “I was looking to put together a full-

time road group,” stated Angelucci. “I was

Artwork froman earlyMagnificentMen albumcover.

What blows

me away the

most is what

an effect

we had on

people.

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looking for seven guys on a full-time

basis who had the talent, interest, and

wanted to do it. What made it work

was that both groups had the same

musical interests.” The vocalists (and

songwriters) from the Del-Chords

merged with the rhythm component of

the Endells to form the all-white

Magnificent Seven. The name later

became The Magnificent Men, a

result of band manager Ron Gittman

catching a glimpse of a billboard for a

new movie with a similar title.

The local jobs led to regional gigs

and their first New York City audition:

The Peppermint Lounge, playing with

Johnny Maestro and the Crests. Add

to that a Motortown Revue tour that

ultimately led the group to being

signed by the prestigious Capitol

Records label for a triple-album

contract. (That same label had Frank

Sinatra, Dean Martin, the Beach

Boys, and the Beatles in their stable

of artists.)

The trio of releases—the self-titled

Magnificent Men, Magnificent Men

Live, and World of Soul—all are a

testament of the genuine quality and

craftsmanship this polished act

brought to the table. However, Bupp

is quick to point out, “If I had my

way, we would have signed with a

black label. Capitol did not get radio

to accept us.” Okeh, Brunswick, or

Motown were all strong R&B labels

at that time. Had the group recorded

on one of those labels, acceptance by

black and white radio stations would

have been easier to achieve.

The group easily had impressive

credentials that proved to be the

necessary ingredients for blue-eyed

soul success—they played with such

acts as the Temptations, Patti Labelle

and the Bluebelles, Billy Stewart,

Curtis Mayfield’s Impressions, Gladys

Knight and the Pips, and Smokey

Robinson and the Miracles.

The Mag Men (as fans refer to

them) were the most renowned R&B

group to emerge from Central

Pennsylvania in the late 1960s and

early 1970s. They also had a cult

following on the college campus

scene. Co-lead singer and co-

songwriter Buddy King said he was

not well known in high school (during

the Del-Chords days); however, “the

high school snobs were the very first

ones waiting for the tour bus to pull

up, saying, ‘Hey, we know those

guys!’”

In addition to numerous

appearances at the Apollo Theater in

New York, other venue credits include

the Howard Theater in Washington,

D.C., and the Uptown in

Philadelphia—all part of the “Chitlin’

Circuit.” Regionally they appeared

more than a dozen times with Jerry

Blavat, Philadelphia radio DJ and TV

host of the Discophonic Scene. The

group played out west as well,

including Caesars Palace in Las

Vegas. National television credits

include appearances on the Merv

Griffin and Mike Douglas shows and

with Jerry Lewis during his annual

telethon. A non-televised stint with

Johnny Carson at Ohio State was

another outstanding performance

credential.

From left,Tom Pane and

Buddy King signautographs at a

recent reunionconcert.

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Another highlight occurred at the

Apollo Saturday midnight show, touted

as having the most difficult audience to

please. James Brown stopped in earlier

to visit with some of the acts and was

asked to fill in for headliner Tommy

Hunt (formerly with the Flamingos, then

on his own), who became ill. Brown

asked if the house band knew his music

and the response from performer J.J.

Jackson (But It’s Alright fame) was:

“See the Magnificent Men; they know

your stuff.”

Brown approached the group, and

they confirmed they knew the entire Live

at the Apollo album. That was all he

needed to know. For 45 minutes, the

Mag Men backed the “Godfather of

Soul.” He was so impressed that he

applauded them when the set was over.

“It was wonderful. We pulled it off,”

said Bupp.

However, all good things

unfortunately come to an end. Since

their first single release five years prior,

they were never able to get national

chart success on AM radio, which was

the dominant source for fueling careers

at that time. Of the 11 singles released,

two enjoyed a brief time at the lower

end of the charts: “I Could Be So

Happy” and “Sweet Soul Medley.” King

points out, “‘Peace of Mind’ remains

our anthem. It’s our first and our best.”

The 1970 Mercury label album,

Better Than a Ten Cent Movie, took a

different musical direction, heading into

a more progressive arena. So had R&B

music—to a more self-examining, socio-

political style, leaving this critically

acclaimed and under-promoted band out

in the cold. The Mag Men played on,

leaving their R&B roots for progressive

rock—disenfranchising the faithful. In

1973 they went their separate ways.

However, all is not lost.

Over the years, various members of

the group would get together for reunion

concerts/dance parties throughout

Central Pennsylvania. The first one

came about in 1983 with nominal

acceptance. Full Circle was a short-lived

reincarnation of part of the band

(1986). For the past 10-plus years, a

semi-annual dance party dubbed the

“Class of ’60 Somethin’” has taken

place on the York Expo Center grounds.

That is when their popularity came

around again. This always sold-out event

combines the talents of three defunct

bands—the Magnificent Men, the Del-

Chords, and Lancaster’s Custer’s Last

Band—with the currently performing

Class Act featuring Rita. The latter is

Bob Angelucci’s band fronted by his

exceptionally talented wife, Rita, and six

other equally talented members

including two Mag Men: Angelucci and

bassist Jim Seville. The show features

updated stylings of 1960s and 1970s

R&B cover tunes and Mag Men

favorites.

History was made last November

when Class Act featuring Rita

performed their annual show at

Harrisburg’s Whitaker Center. Dave

Bupp and Buddy King were scheduled to

appear. Also scheduled, but not

announced in advance, were the other

three members: guitarist Terry Crousore,

saxophonist and third vocalist Tom Pane,

and keyboard player Billy Richter (Tom

Hoover, the original keyboardist, left

after the first album was released). This

was the first time all the Magnificent

Men played together on the same stage

since 1970! “I always wanted this to

happen for one of our annual shows,”

said Angelucci. “I was overwhelmed

that everyone agreed to do it.”

Class Actfeaturing Rita,from aNovember2007performancein Harrisburg.

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What makes the Magnificent Men so memorable?

According to King, it is the “credibility and authenticity of

the songs we perform.” “What blows me away the most

is what an effect we had on people,” said Bupp, reflecting.

Regarding the recent shows bringing him and others out of

musical retirement, Bupp said, “If people care as much as

they do about and for us, why should we not do it?”

Future plans include the eventual release of a 90-

minute documentary called This Magnificent Moment—

The Story of the Magnificent Men. Spearheaded by social

historian David Zang, a professor at Towson University in

Maryland, the project will be a reality once proper

funding is secured. Interested parties can visit

www.magnificentmen.org.

Back in the day, there was a blue-eyed soul band in our

area that had the right sound at the right time. Soon that

sound will be documented for all to relive or get

acquainted with for the first time.

What a magnificent moment! ) ) )

B. Derek Shaw has been an avid music collector since the ripe old

age of 8, as well as a freelance writer. He serves as KEY-NOTES

editor, communications specialist for the Keystone Record

Collectors, and host of the monthly Pennsylvania Music Expo.

Visit www.recordcollectors.org.

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Album coverforMagnificentMenLIVE!

Your one-time private audition may be performed at the location of your choice. (Limited number of auditions at each location. Act now!)Participants must be a Pennsylvania resident and at least 50 years of age as of January 1, 2008.

Solo participants only – no groups, please.Finals will be held June 9, 2008 at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, 510 Centerville Road, Lancaster.

For more information or an application, please visit www.SeniorIdolPA.com or call (717) 285-1350

The Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg915 South York Street

Mechanicsburg, PA

Auditions at 5 Locations!

The Inn atReading

1040 Park RoadWyomissing, PA

Strand-CapitolPerforming Arts

Center50 North George Street

York, PA

Hampton InnDowningtown/Exton

4 North Pottstown PikeExton, PA

Park Plaza Hotel & Resort500 Centerville Road

Lancaster, PA

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