Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_and_the_Hurricanes

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They Started a Crossfire Hurricane !

Johnny said he had 300 guys in his band…

Actually, it was 100 or so…

1959- Johnny Paris, saxophone,    RIP 5-2003.

                                    Paul Tesluk, Hammond organ, RIP 8-2022. Paul Tesluk original J&H keyboards, returned a much welcomed call. I called him back and had a great discussion !

 

Dave Yorko , lead guitar, Rip 2017,

Social Media in Toledo Ohio. – Dave starts at 1:12 –

Butch Mattice on bass.

Former Hurricanes get together one last time  2002.

Some Toledo Radio listeners wanted to see the DJs who supported this show…

 

Earliest drummers include Don Staczek, 1959,  seen here with a “much-sought-after” autographed

Tony Packo’s bun !   

Tony Kaye,  

and Bill “Little Bo” Savich RIP  1-4-2002

Tommy Curran, Bass from the Raging Storms.

Louis H Carr, 1959 (guitar)RIP 1-8-2010, also from Raging Storms band.

Dennis Coffey 

( studio guitarist ) played on Mad Mad World and Money Money,

Bucky Pizzarelli,  (studio guitarist),

Bill Ramal Studio sax, producer, who yelled,  “Alright You Guys, Rise and Shine ! …..   On their big hit song “ Reveille Rock ”

Billy Butler (studio guitarist) 1960 plays his big hit Honky Tonk.  All the young guitarists I know were learning it as well as they could. My friend, Bill Stewart, did a very good rendition at the 2002 Former Hurricanes reunion in Toledo…

Johnny Gibson featured on Farewell Farewell, 1962 (studio keyboards)

 

Lynn Bruce (drums) 1960, Below, color picture from 1961

Below, Color photo  from 1964

Jim Pocisk aka Jim Drake 1960 (drums) – Johnny Paris’ Brother, RIP ….

Rod Cox Richards 1960 (future guitar player for the Rare Earth),

Chuck Seiple, 1960, on the bass.

Bobby Ignatowski  1960, on bass. Bobby told me that the Beatles asked him which song they should open with in America. He told them, ” She Loves You “… because, Bobby said, ” He thought that the German version sounded risque when hearing the title sung, and THAT would be ‘catchy’  to Americans.”

Jim Robinson (drums), Eddie Waller (bass),  Chuck -Little Chuck- Chittenden, 1961

Edward Waganfeald, 1961   RIP 2018 (organ),

Billy Marsh, 1961 aka William Wolfe (guitar),

Bruce Sherer, 1961    RIP 1981 (drums). 

Jerry Pynckel 1961  lead guitar,  Butch left the group first, Paul stayed on leaving the group later. Lynn Bruce left the group at an even later date. Butch was replaced with Chuck Seiple, Paul was replaced with Eddie Waganfeald and Lynn Bruce was replaced with drummer Jim Robinson and then Johnny’s brother, Jim-Drake-Pocisk. Chuck Seiple left the group and was replaced for a short time with Eddie Waller. All were from Toledo. This line-up spiral began in early 1961 or late 1960.  [ Leaving Johnny and the Hurricanes, which was something I did not want to do… but had to, has ended up as one of the biggest regrets of my life.  Jerry Pynckel  ]

1964  Paul, Sonny Brickman ( bass )

1964 Ray Whelan ( organ ) RIP 2019

1964 Ron Crosser… Lead Guitar

Hurricanes play in Berlin.  First gig Kiel… then crossing to East Berlin. First American band to play in East Germany, 1964, at the largest venue known at that time.

Johnny and the Hurricanes return to the USA to tour in their new Dodge/trailer vehicle. Three of the guys quit the band,

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        “You got it now…LES !”

The future of the band was going to depend on vocals. Johnny hired two decent singers. If Johnny was going to succeed he needed to perform, write and record vocals like the newest wave hitting the rock and roll scene…

Joining the Hurricanes, as drummer, is

Frank “Butch” Cook ….

then, Les Todd McDonald Sr. [aka Les Long, here],

hired as lead guitar and lead singer,

 to take Ron Crosser’s place, in November of 1964.

 ◾1963 to 1966, Frank “Butch” Cook (drums),

 

■ 1964 to 1966, Phil Crites RIP 11-2022

 

 

(organ),

Les Todd McDonald  Sr.   (guitar), 1964-1966

 

◾ Doug Gifford (drums) 1966 to 1967

     

The Catholic Club, in Toledo, Ohio, was one of the last gigs I played with the Hurricanes. 1966

 

Mike Baginski (guitar) 1966

Tom Turvey (bass) 1966

Larry Hutchison (guitar)

Brian Sauer, 1966 ( B-3 ), 

Bill Stewart, 1967  (guitar)

1967 Paul Cappellety -RIP-   (bass),

1967-Gary Bellaire -RIP- (organ),   

A few decades later, Gary Bellaire, Paul Cappelletty, Bill Stewart and I… played in a very successful rock band in Toledo, Ohio… The fire department shut down our nightclub because of over capacity. lol

John Louicki, 1967  (guitar),

◾1968-Bob Lee Currier (bass),

I went to high school with Bobby Lee. I watched his dad perform at a local country bar when I was 12, and with my parents. Bobby and me got together after we had both played in the Hurricanes, at one time time or another, and we had a great country-rock group for several years. A popular TV show in Toledo, Ohio asked us to be on their feature one day. It was a very fun time in our lives as old, close friends.

Dave Metzker                         Brian Sauer (Sour)                         Mike Miller       1968

Arnie Elton- Keyboards 1968

1969- Osie Bucklin  (drums) RIP August 25, 2013

1969- Jim Butler (lead guitar) RIP 2006

◾1970-Ken Sahadi RIP 4-8-2015 (bass),

1970, Dave Shofar (Keyboards),

■ 1970- Scott Covrett, (guitar)

Chuck LeVally, (drums), 1970 RIP 8-1-85

Ken, Dave, Scott and Chuck were featured in the Rolling Stones Magazine Picture !

◾1971-Dennis Scarbrough (drums)

1974 Jeff Eggert (drums)

Hal ” CHOPS ” Hedges, 1973 keyboards RIP at 43…

Jerry David Stoval, 1973 

Perry Palmer, 1973 (drums)

◾1973-Duane Thomas   (guitar),

Vince Perna (organ) Gary Bellaire and Vince Perna

Ralph Terrana, 1973  (keyboards)  ,

Doug Perkins, 1973 (guitar),

Bob Nyswonger, 1973  (bass),

Rob Shannon, 1973 ( drums )

Dave Athanas, 1973 (second guitar),  Dave, drums,

◾Tom Martin, 1973  (guitar) ,

Dwight Grifka, 1973  (organ )

Mike Counterman, 1975   Lead guitar… RIP July 12, 2016,

Timothy Richter ,1977    (bass) ,

Mike Shaw (organ)◾1978-Marc Kruger (guitar),  

Ted Sotnyk, 1978 (drums)

◾1980-Tony Raw (bass) , Johnny Paris, Mick Brady (drums), Steve Clark [Eddy] RIP 10-14-2012 (keyboards), Ricky Gee (lead guitar, backing vocals and lead vocals), Peter Franken (keyboards)

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◾1981-Terry Clemson,      

◾1983-Klaus Wecker (bass), Manfred Noll (drums), Werner Grabowski (lead guitar) and Steven Getten (keyboards)

◾1990-Edwin Hettinger (keyboards), Bernd Ohnesorge (bass),

Joja Wendt (piano),Dick Byrd (lead guitar),

Roy Dyke (drums).

They played many gigs with a keyboarder AND a pianist for a fatter sound.

◾1993-Bernd  Ohnesorge (bass),

Thomas Meltzer   (lead guitar),

◾2005-Edwin Hettinger (keyboards),

 Mick Brady, Heiko Siebert (lead guitar),

 

Here’s the long list of the Hurricanes musicians…

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John thought HE was the Hurricanes…and never again, had the fame the earlier guys created.

 

Waylon played bass for Buddy Holly.

Here’s an amusing tale of woe…

Some great shows were Using Johnny and the Hurricanes media tune on Planes Trains and Automobiles

You can hear Red River Rock in the background on the Sopranos…

Sopranos The Ride…

Once the 2020 decade started, there were still quite a few former Hurricanes surviving. Three of the original guys had  passed on… Johnny, Butch and Dave… Here is the 1965 group singing their Kinks version of  ‘You Really Got Me’ ( Which, by the way, was one of the songs on the J&H ‘Star-Club’ album ).

Kinks Words about Survivor Johnny and the Hurricanes

Wikipedia has the information about their ‘Rock Opera’… 

This was, most certainly… A Bridge in Time !

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Elton John included Johnny and the Hurricanes’ sound in his recordings.

 

◾” It was in the 80’s… Johnny’s dad dies… brother drowns… he was being called an imposter… divorce… suicidal thoughts… he slept in empty European studios ON TOP on the drum riser or amps, so the rats and roaches wouldn’t get him… and he played for spare change in the subways there. “

◾He had gotten to the point of not even acknowledging former members years later when returning to some country or other. “Oh…hi”, he’d say, and look away. And he took to calling everyone “Hey Bass!”…and,  “YOU ! Guitar man !”

◾To be fair…his Swedish “Hurricanes” version, he stated, were the best musicians he’d ever had…and they lasted over 10 years.

◾One of the very last performances was Nov-Dec 2005 at the London Palladium. 

[D. Thomas, SAXMAN]

(London radio features Hurricane’s popularity)

The bouncer and friend to all the Star Club musicians…   Horst Fascher

 

 Long Lost Honkers & Twangers

Johnny and the Hurricanes… Hurricane Force…

Werner Voss (r.i.p) had Johnny Paris on Radio ‘NDR Hamburg’ a Rock and Roll show called Rock And Roll Museum. -1987

Dave Yorko was always worried about leaving this world. He talked about it often to his close friends. When Johnny died in 2006 Dave got even more anxious…

Yeah…. we were all kickin’ it…..

Les Todd McDonald Sr.  and Jerry Lee Lewis …

With many THANKS to….This is Johnny getting a commemorative Album from his producers and directors. Harry Balk stopped by later to reminisce.

◾Johnny toasted his band…his new wife…told everyone how happy he was….and passed away in 5 months.

           It’s time to go…