The Knockouts (North Bergen / Bayonne, New Jersey)
Personnel:
Bob D’Andrea (Lead)
Eddie Parente (Guitar)
Harry Venuta (Drums) (replaced by Pierre LaSalle in 1960)
Bob Collada (Piano)
Discography :
Singles:
1959 - Darling Lorraine / Riot In Room 3C (Shad 5013)
1960 - Rich Boy - Poor Boy / Please Be Mine (Shad 5018)
1961 - You Can Take My Girl / Fever (MGM 13010)
1964 - Mo Jo (Part 1) (Got My Mo Jo Working) / Mo Jo (Part 2) (Tribute 199)
1964 - What's On Your Mind / Tweet-Tweet (Tribute 201)
1964 - Don't Say Goodbye (instrumental) / Ecuador (Tribute 203)
1965 - Falling From Paradise* / Ecuador* (Tribute 216)
*credited to Bob D’Andrea & The Knockouts
Unreleased:
1960 - Please Be Mine (Allegro acetate)
N/A - Stormy Weather
N/A - Jungle Mambo
Album:
1964
-Go Ape With The Knockouts (Tribute LP 1202)Mo Jo Pt. 1 / Darling
Lorraine* / Tweet Tweet / Ecuador / Poor Boy - Rich Boy** / I Got A
Woman Pt. 1 / What’s On Your Mind / Give Me A Chance / Number One Girl /
Molly Malone / Don’t Say Goodbye / I Got A Woman Pt. 2
*re-recording, **re-recording of Rich Boy - Poor Boy
Biography:
The
Knockouts hailed from North Bergen and Bayonne, New Jersey and
consisted of Bob D'Andrea (vocals), Eddie Parente (guitar), Bob Collada
(piano) and Harry Venuta (drums). In 1959, their manager Chic Salerno
persuaded Bob Shad of Time/Brent Records, who'd just come off two hits
with "I've had it" by the Bell Notes and "It Was I" by Skip and Flip, to
sign his boys.
Aware
of their limitations as vocalists, The Knockouts hedged their bets by
placing "Darling Lorraine", which sounded like a bunch of leathery-faced
cowboys breaking into an impromptu doo-wop session around the camp
fire. Shad heavily hyped "Darling Lorraine" in New York area in the
autumn of '59 and the song ascended to #45 on the charts just before the
payola bandwagon came to a crashing halt amid a welter of
recriminations and investigations.
During the 60's, The Knockouts used to perform in Seaside, NJ at the Parrot Club, Luciano's in Lodi, NJ, in Lyndhurst, NJ and also up at Greenwood Lake, NY on weekends. Bob Catucci (aka Pierre LaSalle) replaced Harry Venuta in 1960.
left Eddie Parente, right Bob D'Andrea; back: left. Bob Collada, right
Pierre LaSalle
Pierre was with the group in all the recordings that followed
Lorraine and stayed with them until the group started to decline in the
early mid sixties. Bob D’Adrea went on to form a comedy duo called Andre
and Cirell which still performs around the Jersey Shore.
Songs:
Darling Lorraine / Riot In Room 3C Rich Boy - Poor Boy / Please Be Mine
Fever / You Can Take My Girl