DOO-WOP : PRETENDERS (2)

The Pretenders (2) - ref : The Dell-Mates

The Pretenders (2) (New York)

ref The Dell-Mates

Personnel :

Johnny Hanrahan (Lead)

Billy Thompson (Second Tenor/Baritone)

Freddy Comas (First Tenor)

Ralph Sabatino (Bass)

Discography :

The Pretenders (2)

Singles :

1961 - Smile / I'm So Happy (Power-Martin 1001)

1976 - Could This Be Magic / A Very Precious Love (Power-Martin 1006/1007)

Unreleased :

1961 - The Seven Teens (Rome)

1961 - Guardian Angel (Rome)

1961 - She's Gone (Rome)

1961 - Teenager's Dream (Rome)

The Dell-Mates

1962 - Angela / Cross My Heart And Hope To Die (Fontana 1934)

Biography :

In the late 1950s and early 1960s Johnny Hanrahan & his friends spent most of his time working on perfecting their vocal harmonies. To achieve richness in their harmonies, Street Corner Harmony practice was accomplished in the Saint Columba church vestibule, the Chelsea NYC Housing project hallways, in brownstone hallways on 25th street between 10th and 8th avenues, the hallways of Charles Evans Hughes H.S. and under the 25th street elevated train tracks between 10th and 11th avenues (the elevated tracks are now part of The Hi-line). Neighborhood groups practicing nightly helped Johnny and the other Pretenders become good at the craft, and one Saint Columba 8th grade student, Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis (Tony Orlando), who was two grades ahead of John, was a role model and inspired Johnny even further.

The Pretenders (2) - ref : The Dell-Mates

The Pretenders (1976 ) L to R Freddy Comas, Billy Thompson, Johnny Hanrahan, Ralph Sabatino.

The Pretenders consisted of Johnny Hanrahan (Lead Vocalist), Billy Thompson (2nd Tenor/baritone), Freddy Comas (1st Tenor) and Mike Skoran (Bass). Mike left the group early on and was replaced by Ralph Sabatino. At fifteen Johnny Hanrahan and the Pretenders recorded "Smile" b/w "I'm So Happy" released by Power-Martin, a Rome Records' subsidiary owned by Trade Martin and Johnny Power. The Pretenders had won a Murray the K radio station week-night contest, and then on the Saturday ending the week, The Pretenders won the run-off contest against all the previous daily winners of the past week. “Smile” took the neighborhood by storm and it climbed the charts until another established artist bumped them off the airways but soon thereafter Timmy Yuro released her version of the song and she got all the airplay.

Dennis Genovese (Dell-Mates)

In 1962, John Hanrahan and Ralph Sabatino teamed with Daniel Marsicovetere (from the Youngtones) & Dennis Genovese. They are called The Dell-Mates and are produced by Artie Ripp. They recorded “Angela” and “Cross My Heart” released by Fontana Records in early 1964. In 1976, In 1976, the original group of Pretenders reformed and recorded "Could This Be Magic" b/w "A Very Precious Love".

Songs :

The Pretenders (2)