John Kuse (Lead / Second Tenor)
George Kuse (First Tenor)
Phil Sanchez (Falsetto)
Joel Feldman (Baritone)
Denis Kestenbaum (Lead / Baritone)
Chuck Epstein (Bass)
Discography :
Biography :
Starting out as "The Premiers","The Excellents" were first formed in early 1960. The members consisted of John Kuse-Lead and Second Tenor; George Kuse-First Tenor; Phil Sanchez-Falsetto; Joel Feldman-Baritone; Denis Kestenbaum-Lead/Baritone and Chuck Epstein-Bass. All members came from The Bronx, New York. In June 1961, they recorded "Red Red Robin" and "Love No One But You" for the Sinclair Record Corporation.
These two sides were released on Mermaid Records(a division of Sinclair Record Corp..) in late June 1961. The record received no promotion and was aired by DJ Slim Rose on his Time Square radio show heard only in the New York area. "The Excellents" signature song, "Coney Island Baby" was arranged at the time thought to be the flipside of their next release.
They had already planned on their own uptempo cover of "The Cleftones" smash hit "You Baby You" to be the 'A' side. "You Baby You" and "Coney Island Baby" were recorded in February 1962 for Blast Records (a division of Sinclair Record Corp.) and released in April 1962.
Sinclair Records started promoting "Coney Island Baby" and, it won DJ, Murray the K's 'Boss Record of the Week' contest. With prominent local concerts and a rising reputation, the Excellents looked set for a promising career until record business skulduggery intervened. Booked for an appearance on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand television programme, their record company refused to pay their travelling fees.
