Norman Marzano
Peter "Anders" Andreoli
Vincent Poncia
Bobby Calitri
Jimmy Bouchard soon steps aside assuming a managerial role and relinquishing his place to Frank Bianchini. The group makes quick headway into the local music scene and within the year, Peter convinces his friend and on-the-side collaborator, Vini Poncia, to join The Videls as vocalist, musical director and guitarist replacing Corsi. Bianchini departs shortly after that leaving the group in its classic five-piece lineup.
The Videls steadily increase their fan base and make fast progress musically. They become one of the top acts on the Rhode Island teen scene performing at school dances and proms, CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) gatherings, private functions and occasionally (though underaged) in nightclubs.
It was around this time that Peter adopts the anglicized version of his surname as his stage name: Peter Anders. In the summer of 1958, the group’s manager, Jimmy Bouchard, secures a record deal with a local label, Rhody Records, run by building contractor Joe Criscione. Their first record, “Place In My Heart” backed with “Be My Girl , becomes a local smash selling over 5000 copies and reaching #1 on the local charts toward the end of the year.
The Videls become the area’s top attraction performing at larger and larger venues to bigger and bigger crowds. They continue to progress musically and it was during this time that Peter and Vini form their song writing partnership. At this point, Dino Amaral leaves the group to join another local doo-wop group, The Corals, with the Mancini Brothers (Joe and Richard) and Louie Camp (later one of the area’s top saxophonists). He was replaced by Herbert Rickey.
This final Videls lineup lasts until the breakup of the group. Encouraged by the Rhode Island-based hit songwriter Jimmie Crane and armed with a connection to Lucky Carle, a Rhode Island native then working for the large music publishing firm Peer-Southern in New York, the boys begin to make frequent forays into the city to hawk their wares as performers and writers. This quickly pays off in the form of a contract with JDS Records, a division of the powerful Kapp Records empire.
Their first national release, “Mr. Lonely”, an Anders & Poncia original, becomes a big hit while Vini is still in high school and the group is whisked off directly after his graduation ceremony to join Dick Clark’s Caravan Of Stars tour which includes an appearance on American Bandstand. The Videls never charted another single, but two of their members became reasonably successful songwriters and charted regularly for much of the rest of the '60s. Andreoli, who changed his last name to Anders, and Poncia, found much greater success during the early '60s as songwriters in association with Phil Spector, co-authoring such future classics by the Ronettes as "Do I Love You?" and "(The Best Part Of) Breaking Up."
