The Musician... see you among the stars

The Cinderella Club is great and we are finally playing in the Village. The owner loved us and after the first week, he wanted us to be the main band at the Cinderella Club. The club had two bands on Friday and Saturday night, but we were the only band during the week. The club was slow and there were not many people strolling through the area. Joey practiced a great deal on the bass, but it wasn´t until our second week, live at the club, that he really got the feel of it. That was all right, because we started on a Tuesday when only a few people showed up. On the weekend everybody was drunk and didn´t care about anything. However, after about four weeks we were packing in a large crowd, but the crowd sucked. It was mostly a laid-back atmosphere type club. Know one dressed-up to come to this club. Our band had to dress down to eventually fit in because normally we always dress well. This is because The Cinderella Club is located on West 4th Street and not on West 8th Street where everything is really happening. West 8th Street is the main drag. That is where we wanted to eventually be.

For now we needed to use The Cinderella Club to try to create the sound for Trude´s. We were just a three-piece group, but we all sang and that alone that made us sound very big. Now that Joey´s playing the bass we needed to work on our vocal harmonies with Joey´s bass in hand. Then we needed to work on better songs and since I´m working for my brother in the day it will take a while for us to accomplish this. We have time and we are all making good money. Most of all we´re having fun.

Since we were now just a few blocks away from Trude Heller´s, Aldo, Joey, and I walked over to West 8th Street on our break to see what was happening. We strolled down McDougal Street toward West 8th Street, and when we arrived to Eighth Street, we saw this massive beautiful crowd standing outside this club called, The Eighth Wonder. We could not get too close to the club because there are just too many people standing in front of the place. Therefore, we walked over to West 9th Street to take a look at Trude´s club, whom ever she is! Believe it or not, the club was not too crowded. It seems the Eighth Wonder club is stealing the show tonight. We walked back up West 8th and there were other clubs. Some located in basements and others one flight up from the street level, but they were all not really happening. Then we proceeded back to the Cinderella and passed the crowd hanging around The Eight Wonder. I told the guys that next week we have to go into The Eighth Wonder to check-it-out. They all agreed.

The next week on Tuesday, which was our night off, we arrived at The Eighth Wonder to check-it-out. We walked in and the bar was located immediately on the left. A man came to us and asked if we wanted a table. We accepted. He walked us to a table and we were seated. Apparently there is a cover charge of five dollars per person to sit at a table. There were only about ten people in the club. The band was good. It was only a four-piece group and they had a very nice sound. The band was called, Joey Greco and the Firelites. We called the manager of the club, the same man who seated us, and began talking to him. I told him that we were a band that was now playing at The Cinderella Club on West 4th Street, and that we wanted to play at this club. The manager smiled and introduced himself as Joel Heller. I said, Holy shit, are you related to Trude Heller Joel laughed at my innocence. He said, Yes, that is my mother. I enthusiastically told him that we wanted desperately to play at his mother´s club. Joel went on to say that the only way an unknown band could play at his mother´s club was to make a mark in his club first. He also said that his mother was very strict about bands. Hearing this, I then asked for an audition. He replied, OK. Come do a couple of sets next Tuesday night. It is the slowest night of the week. Come audition around 9:00pm and if you are good we will talk. Great! I replied. We shook his hand to thank him. He told us that we didn´t have to pay the cover charge. We continued to watch the other band to learn some pointers and then we left. Wow, I said, What a nice guy he is. I told Aldo and Joey that if we get into this club we would only be one step from a dream come true. Joey and Aldo both agreed.

The next Tuesday, we showed up at The Eighth Wonder and set-up our instruments. We played our first set and then we broke and turn the stage over to Joey Greco´s group. I told Aldo to go speak to Joel and ask him if he likes us. I told Aldo that this is where we need your business sense. Go secure a gig here. Aldo sat at the rear bar with Joel Heller for a talk. Aldo returned to give us the good news. Apparently, Joel liked us so much that he booked us to play along side of Joey Greco´s band indefinitely. Joey and I were lost for words. Not bad for a three-piece group! We were now one step closer to playing the main Trude Heller´s club. As it would turn out, it would be a giant step.

We had to finish our week with the Cinderella Club. We told the owner that we were leaving, and the owner looked very sad. He asked why, and we told him that we were going to start at The Eighth Wonder next week. The owner was so very wonderful to us, but he understood and wished us well. Now we have another full time gig, Tuesday through Saturday at the Eighth Wonder. I told Aldo that we should now think about expanding the band. We all agreed, and decided to look for a sax player.

We started our gig at the Eighth Wonder and everything went fine. Everyone liked us and we were beginning to become very comfortable. Joey Greco and his band are real helpful to us. They made us feel very comfortable. However, we were anxious to meet Trude Heller herself. In talking with Joey Greco´s band, we were confronted with a few disturbing answers to some of our questions. First we learned that Joey Greco´s band was working at The Eighth Wonder over a year. They were called to fill-in at Trude Heller´s six times in the past year, and each time they were returned back to The Eighth Wonder the next day. They never had the opportunity to play there more than one night. Second, that Trude Heller is gay and she is very mean and strict with bands. If the band did not lower down their sound when she told them to, she would fire them on the spot, and were told to pack their gear and get out. This was while the whole club is jammed packed with people. Wow! To make things worst, we learned that she rarely ever comes to visit this club The Eighth Wonder. It was a club to keep her son Joel out of her hair and keep him busy. Thus it seemed to be pretty depressing news if you ask me. We had hoped that somehow she would get wind of us, but I also must say that Joel Heller is a very nice guy and enjoyable to work for.

Joey Greco´s band was indeed correct! We have been playing at the Eighth Wonder now for over a month, and we had never seen or heard anything about his mother Trude Heller. However, we are meeting and playing with many beautiful girls. The club hired these cute little female dancers named,
The Salisbury Twins. The girls looked identical. The twins thought that Joey and I were twins. In fact, most of the girls we were meeting at the club had been mixing us up. A girl that Joey knew would come up to me thinking I was Joey, and a girl I knew would come to Joey thinking he was I. I do not know why, I don´t think that Joey and I look alike at all, but apparently the girl´s seem to think so. When we would correct this mix-up, the girls would say to us, Oh, Well you must be brothers. We would tell the girls that we weren´t brothers, but they would never believe us. It was such a confusing issue, that Joey and I decided to tell them that we were indeed brothers. Everyone believed us and therefore the confusing issue was resolved. The Salisbury Twins thought we were twins and of course we told them that we were. This made it easy for Joey and me to date them. We needed to change our names because Joey and I were fooling around so much that we thought it would be good to develop a stage name. Therefore, I changed my name to Chuck Harris, and Joey changed his to Joey Martino.

It was easy for Joey and me to fool around with the Salisbury twins. We looked like double twins when we were all together. The Salisbury twins were very young in their brains, maybe about 13 years old, but they were very sexy and hot. The twins had the day off on Tuesday night so they decided to be with us at the club. I had my car parked in front of the club so that Joey and I and the twins could hangout in it during our break. That night we were all in my car. I am sitting in the front seat with one of the twins and Joey was in the back with the other. The twins a spray can from their purse. They then began spraying this white foam type junk throughout the interior of the car. I began yelling at them to stop, but they continued spraying it all over Joey and me, and everywhere throughout the car. It looked like shaving cream. The twins were uncontrollable. I quickly grabbed the spray can from them and I began spraying the white foam on the twin´s faces. The twins began yelling and screaming as Joey and I were laughing. Suddenly, a man came up to the car and knocked on the window. I looked, and he presented a gold police badge at me. I lowered the window to learn that they are two undercover police detectives. They asked us all to exit the car. I was pissed! This is Tuesday night and there is hardly anyone walking on the streets, and these two dicks come out of nowhere and spoil our fun with the girls. They asked me for my license and registration. I asked them, What´s up, were not bothering any one. They did not like that, so they asked to see everyone´s ID. The twin´s shuffled around through their purse, which was all covered with the white foam, and handed the police their ID´s. Meanwhile, Joey is only 17 years old. I was hoping that the detectives would not notice our band photo on the clubs window. One must be 18 to perform in a club, and have in possession a cabaret license. Joey told the detective that he did not have his ID. I tried to steer the cops thought a pattern away from the club window, and then they asked us what we were doing here. While we were explaining that we were just having a little fun, the other detective looked at the marquee and noticed we were the band. After learning that Joey was underage, the cop called Joel Heller out front and told him about Joey. That triggered a set of problems for Joel, but after a long discussion they agreed to let Joey play at the club as long as he did not drink. The cops then walked on their way. Mutherfuckering cops. That is what they were. Give them a badge and they will play God. Joel used excellent diplomatic tack to get us out of that unexpected situation. Joel then told us all to get inside, and as we apologized to him. Joel told us not to worry. Joel loved us, because he finally had two excellent bands playing in his club. He definitely did not want to loose that. Joel has a warm heart.

The next Tuesday night was very special evening. Guess who showed up at the club? Trude Heller herself! She came in on this quiet night and sat in the back where it was dark. She watched our performance carefully and left just before we were preparing to break. We were very happy with that, because now she knows who we are. Joel didn´t mention anything so I guess she came to see the new boys on the block. Great news! Now at least we know that she knows who we are. Everyone in our band was ecstatic.

Meanwhile, The Beatles music is changing the world. Music had never been the same since they came about. There are many England rock bands that are being exposed, and trying to follow The Beatles footsteps. These new bands are very good. They call it the English Invasion. However, Rhythm and Blues is also gaining momentum. It is a wonderful time to be alive and enjoy music. You could see the attitudes changing throughout the country. More and more clubs are starting to form, and people are starting to get out more to enjoy themselves in the clubs and the girls are very easy to be with. It seems that everyone has their guard down feeling very good and comfortable about their lives, but something is about to drastically happen that would destroy it all and change the world and America forever.

My life is very good now. I´m very happy. I love the positive progression of the band and the way life is moving with it. I'm also making some good money too so things are moving very well. If I could just move and get away from this negativity toward music and my being in this business from members of my family at just my home, things will be about perfect. So the next thing to do is that I need to concentrate on moving out of my house.

I was at home learning some new songs when I heard that President Kennedy was shot and killed. I could not believe my ears. I continued to learn songs as though nothing had happened. I unconsciously developed a mental block toward it. The music scene, my life is so wonderful and happening that I did not want any thing to disturb it. Nothing was on my mind on November 22, 1963, but the excitement of waiting to get back up to the stage and play.

Still not grasping the ramifications of this day or hour, I jumped in my convertible and turned left on Avenue V to West 6th Street. I made a right and proceeded up West 6th Street, then another right on to Avenue W, and a quick right on 86th Street. When I got to Barney´s candy store, I made a left and traveled around the streets curving around the Marlboro projects, which shortly becomes Avenue Z. When I hit the light at Stillwell Avenue nd Avenue Z, I make a quick left and right on to Bay 50th Street, which leads me onto the Belt Parkway entrance on te other side of Cropsey Avenue. Once on the Belt Parkway, the ride takes me past the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, which is the largest span bridge in the world. The bridge connects Brooklyn to Staten Island. I pass under it and the view is just beautiful. As I pass the Bayridge area of Brooklyn.... O´shit! ...A fucking cop....he´s sitting along the side of the road on the grass.... Here he comes.... His lights are on.... I get a fucking ticket. 62 in a 50! They see new cars and they love to nail you. I am off again; let me read this ticket...$20.00. Fuck¦Thank God I am making good money. Another three points! Now I´ll have nine points altogether. If I get another speeding ticket I´ll loose my license.

I am now heading on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway that elevates above 3rd Avenue. It is a long straight stretch, which eventually curves to the left and trestles high over Redhook, Brooklyn. There is nothing on the radio except information about the President Kennedy killing. Then after about 1000 yards, the BQE trestles down again and I now have a choice.... Go straight to enter the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, which exits into the lower Wall Street area of Manhattan. It is a $1.00 toll. Or bear right on the continuation of the BQE. I always go that way. Fuck the toll. I continue on the BQE as it now descends below street level until we hit Park Slope. Then the BQE glides along the coast of Park Slope with a magnificent view of the East River and lower Manhattan. As we pass under the Brooklyn Bridge, we take the next exit, which is the entrance ramp on to the Brooklyn Bridge. Once on the bridge we pass over the East River, which separates Brooklyn from Manhattan. As I come off the Brooklyn Bridge, I enter Chambers Street, and after three blocks west, I make a right on Church Street. I head north on Church Street, which connects directly to 6th Avenue, also known as Avenue of the Americas. I travel north on Sixth Avenue. I then pass Soho, which is a short term for South of Houston Street, then I cross Houston Street and pass Noho, and then into the West Village. I drive to West 8th Street make a right and there is the Eighth Wonder. I have to get a shirt. I left my house too fast. I must look good tonight.

This Kennedy killing is now becoming very serious. I am just starting to feel the effect it is having on me. Joey and Aldo arrived at the club in a state of ultimate confusion as well. There are no patrons inside the Eight Wonder. Everyone is in a continuous state of shock. We performed. But Joel let us go home early. The club was empty and no one ever arrived.

The next day, I spent the entire day with my father watching the TV and following the events of the killing of our president. It was horrifying. I can remember that day with vivid detail. I was walking up the steps in my house, which leads to the bedrooms.

Halfway up the stairs, I heard that they were transferring Oswald. I hesitated, thinking of turning around to go back down the stairs to watch this part on the TV. I turned around to look at my father watching the TV and as I was walking down the steps, I heard a shot. I saw my father´s body jump in shock. I paused for a few seconds and my mind was in wonderland. Then I ran down the stairs to look at the TV again. My father and I were devastated. I will never forget that jump my father did when the gunshot sounded, but most importantly the facial reaction he had. It was as if his world had ended. For the next two weeks, every one in the world would be in morning. A depressing state for the world.

It was the day America died ...forever!

Nothing is or will ever be the same again! My music career just went down the drain. This country called America that I grew up and lived out in thus far is now has been officially designated as ENDED!. I will never know or see that country I knew and loved again. Things will move along very slowly, but within a few years, nothing I lived through or experienced will ever exist again, because something inside of me (my sense) is telling me that this ia a takeover. This event is bigger than anyone can even imagine, except for myself.

OK now, I must try to go on with my life. What else can I do? The band is happening, and I was enjoying the way my life is progressing up until now. It seems that every year there is another improving progression in my life. I feel that life itself was improving and people were becoming more loving to one another and happier. The only thing on my mind right now should be progressing more effectively with the band, and improving my guitar playing. I must think positive and stand above it all. That is all that matters right now. However, this killing of our president is fucking everything up including my thought process, and I'm also aware that in reality now, everything I said is actually going to regress.

A few weeks later, I was sitting in front of my house relaxing and strumming on my guitar. Suddenly, a very strange thing happened. I became inspired by Jose Feliciano record, "Light My Fire". I had learned how to play that song, and I was fooling around on my guitar picking with my fingers thinking of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Sometimes, when I was with a girl in my car, we would go park in the parking area located near the Verrazano Bridge. The girl and I would make out in the car or we would exit the car and walk around under the lights of the bridge. It is a very beautiful sight and very romantic. Anyway, I was thinking of this and a song and melody just shot into my head from out of nowhere. In just five minutes, the song was completed, as if someone just transferred the lyrics and chords right into my head. It was the first song I had ever written. To my surprise, I could not believe that I wrote it. I was always wondering how to write songs, but this way was ridicule´s. Anyway, I played the song for Joey the bass player and he loved it. Thus, my first written song was, "The Verrazano Bridge".

That evening, when I arrived at the Eighth Wonder, I decided I was going to hang out at Trude Heller´s club when I was on my breaks to observe. I did this for two weeks and everyone who works there now knows me. I have been watching everything that goes on in the club. I definitely know what Trude Heller looks like now, and I have been watching her actions. She is tough all right and a good business person! She sits in the corner table near the back by the bar. I watched her one night get up, and walk silently down the little isle between the tables and looks at the band as she holds her ear lobe. That is her key for the band to lower down. She then would walk back to her table and sit down again. I've been watching the movement in the club and everyone s actions and I'm picking it all up and learning it. If a band did not respond to her silent hand requests, she would fire them immediately on the spot. In the middle of the evening, with the place packed, the band would have to pack up and leave swiftly. Then she would call up the next band and tell them to play a double set while she summoned a replacement band from The Eighth Wonder. The band at the Eighth Wonder whom she chose would have to take their guitars without the cases, walk around the corner, enter Trude Heller´s, and proceed in the kitchen to wait to be called to perform, which was usually after the next song after they arrived. Now after playing a set at Trude Heller´s, the replacement band would then go back around the corner to The Eighth Wonder and play another set. The band would have to do this, play contiuously all night without a break untill 4am in the morning. Joey Greco had explained it all to me at one time before. It seems that is the only way a band is going to play a night at Trude Heller´s unless you are a well-known accepted group.

Sure enough, the following week, she fired a band, but instead of calling us, she called Joey Greco´s band as the replacement. We were very disappointed of course, but we were patiently hanging in there. Meanwhile, Aldo found a sax player named Ritchie whom he met somewhere in New Jersey. Ritchie came to the Eighth Wonder for an afternoon rehearsal. We asked Joel Heller if he would tell the janitor to let us in for practice. He agreed and Joel also showed us how to turn on the lights and PA system. Joel instructed the janitor to let us in the club for rehearsal. Ritchie the sax was fucking great! He also was a wonderful young guy and he had a great voice. He loved to sing background. He knew music and music theory like the back of his hand. I could tell him to play a part a certain way, and he would do it instantaneously without a problem. As a bonus, he also played the flute very well. He was a long standing musician in demand. He was a free-lance musician and making a good living. We asked him if he wanted to join our group and he quickly replied yes without any hesitation. Wow! We now have a wonderful new addition to the band, a sax, flute, and a forth voice.

That night at the Eighth Wonder our first set with Ritchie on the sax, flute and voice blew everyone away, including Joel Heller. Joey Greco´s band felt very helpless. We were below them in standing and experience ever since we arrived in this club, but tonight we jumped way ahead of them all in one moment. In the following two days getting tighter and tighter the band was smoking. Our vocal harmonies had become much richer and full with a forth voice. With another lead instrument and lead singer, not to mention the flute, we expanded our repertoire. We were now concentrating on learning and playing more R&B tunes. We had quickly expanded our horizons. What a difference the right person makes. The right type of musician added.

It did not take long for Trude Heller to hear about our new sound, and doing something that she is never known to do, she quickly and secretly arrives at The Eighth Wonder to hear our new expanded band, and she made herself very noticeable to us. She even asked Joel to invite us to her table for an introduction. We all went to her table and shook hands with her, but that was all, because her vibes felt very distant. However, things are looking great! She complimented us on our new sound and we just smiled. We were still waiting for that big break, even though we somehow knew now it was eventually coming, and we were very excited about it. The point now is when and where she will call for us.

The next evening, Trude had secretly returned to the Eighth Wonder once again. I noticed her sitting in the back end of the Eighth Wonder in a darkly lit corner table. However, I also noticed, as I was playing that Trude had some personal company with her. I was straining my eyes to distinguish who was sitting with her. It looks like Xavier Cugat and some young blond female. I whispered to the guys on stage that Xavier Cugat was sitting with Trude at the back table. When our band finished our set we were quickly escorted by her son Joel to Trude´s table. We were introduced to Xavier Cugat and this young foxy Spanish girl named Charo. We all could not take our eyes off of her. Her big breasts were popping out of her dress. Then Trude told us that Charo is an up-and-coming-singer. Trude asked us if we would like to back Charo in performing some songs here at The Eighth Wonder. We all quickly agreed. We didn´t want to refuse any requests by Trude. The only problem was that Charo spoke no English and she was new to America. We had then set-up rehearsal schedules. I told Trude that I would be happy to pick Charo up at her apartment on East 34th Street and drop her off there after rehearsals. Everyone agreed. I wanted to get into Charo´s pants so badly. She had a most beautiful little tightly shaped body. Although Charo didn´t speak any English, I was going to try and put the make on her. The next week as scheduled, I arrived at Xavier Cugat´s apartment waiting for Charo to enter my Chevy impala convertible. I had the top down to create a special mood. I bopped the horn, and shortly thereafter she arrived and sat in my Chevy. She looked fucking hot! Here I was¦driving downtown toward the West Village with this beautiful Spanish blond in my car. I tried to communicate with her, but it was extremely difficult. She was so actively alive and fresh with enthusiasm, and she was extremely friendly and happy. I wondered, as well as the band members, how she became the girlfriend of Xavier Cugat. I guess in a way it is simple¦Hey girl; I´ll make you a star routine.

Charo and I arrived at the Eighth Wonder and the band had been waiting for us. We had a most difficult time trying to find a song that we could do with her. She then took out her classical nylon string guitar and sang us a song in Spanish that she had already knew. We tried to develop an arrangement to her song, but it was not in tune to our style of music. We had eventually developed some sort of guideline, but time had passed very quickly so we had to continue our rehearsal with her the next day. I had to return her home. Charo and I entered my convertible and I took a long route back to her apartment. I wanted to make it with her badly!

The next day, I again picked Charo her up at her apartment. This time I decided to show her a little of the city during our trip downtown. We drove around through the Wall Street area. Charo was digging it with much excitement. We tried communicating with one another, but again it was almost impossible. I knew that if I would pick her up and drop her off everyday that I eventually would get much closer to her, and she to me. Oh, would I love to do her.

After about a week of escorting Charo to rehearsals, we were going to perform our first engagement together on Saturday night. Xavier Cugat and Trude Heller attended, and both were anxiously observing. As Charo sang, she would often turn to me and smile. She and I had now developed a nice friendship even though there was a language barrior. Xavier, watching closely, quickly noticed the little bond that we had both developed. He showed some jealously as he watched his little sweetheart perform. The next day, Charo and Xavier were gone. We never ever heard anything from them again. Trude also had never made a mention about they´re whereabouts or they´re future intentions. I expected Xavier to sweep Charo away from our band. We were all about the same age as her, and our band was very handsome. As far as the band was concerned, Charo actually did not fit in our style of music. With the language barrior it was more of an aggravation than anything else. The lack of communication and the undeveloped musical ability of Charo was more of a hindrance to us. We were actually glad that she was gone. However, she was one of the most beautiful and friendly young woman that we had ever seen, and what an incredible body she has!

Meanwhile, I am digging this new girl Barbara who has been hanging out at the Eighth Wonder every weekend with her girlfriends. These girls came from and live in New Jersey. Barbara has got a cute little body and some nice tits. She not great looking but I think she likes me too. It is something I need to investigate further.

Our band´s sound is progressing better and better. A month and a half had gone by very quickly and after Charo, we didn't see her much. We were thinking that her interest in us was only for Charo and not for her big club. We were feeling a little disappointed. We thought that something would have happened by now. In the meantime, our contiuing great improvement is deteriorating Joey Greco´s band very rapidly. It´s not that Joey Greco´s band sounds any different. It´s just that we sound ten times better. It is beginning to become an embarrassment for Joey, and as such, we are feeling kinda sad that we are doing this to his band because he such a wonderful inspirational guy and a wonderful guitarist.

One night, while we were performing on stage, I saw Joel Heller suddenly pick-up the telephone. He doesn't answer the phone unless mother is calling. While he was on the telephone, he was continuously looking at us and smiling. I knew that something was up. I turned to Joey and told him that I think that something is brewing. Joey asked What? I told him to look at Joel. I then turned to Aldo and said, This could be the shot that we have been waiting for, as I nodded to Aldo to look at Joel Heller talking on the phone. We just knew that the next time Trude requested a band that it would be us, but the phone had never rang up until now. No doubt about it! Joel then hung-up the telephone and gave us the cut sign by sliding his hand across his neck. In sign language, I asked Joel, You want us to cut? Joel then put out his arm and pointed to Trude Heller´s. Oh man, we went crazy! We got so excited. We quickly ended the song in extreme happiness, grabbed our instruments, and before we went out the door, we each slapped Joel´s hand with a high-five. Joel told us with a big smile on his face, Well, this is the moment you guys have been waiting for, knock´em dead! It seems that a top band showed up at Trude Heller´s incomplete, and she got pissed and told them to pack up and leave. She called us in to take their place. The big break! We are now about to play a performance of a lifetime.

Trude Heller´s is known as the biggest and most exciting happening club in America. Hollywood stars and the jet setter´s frequented her club daily. All the big names in the business, as well as, the most important and influential people attended her club. It was the place to be. However, just because a band is filling in from The Eighth Wonder doesn´t mean that the band would play there again, or full-time. Almost every band from The Eighth Wonder who had to fill-in at Trude´s had returned to The Eighth Wonder the following day. However, this is our chance to get down and boogie and show her what we got and what we can do. It was the moment we have been waiting for it is a Friday night. The biggest night of the week! We grabbed our instruments and ran around the block to Trude´s club.

As we exited the club, West 8th Street was jammed with people, and as we were running through the crowds, with our instruments in hand, everyone stared at us and thought that we were nuts. Imagine walking along on a busy street in Manhattan and seeing a band all dressed in blue sparkle jackets running with guitars and a sax pass you. What would you think? It was weird.

We entered the club and all the workers were waiting for us to arrive. We noticed the great pleasing expression on Trude´s face that we made it to the club very quickly, and wasted no time. We were shocked to see that there was no band playing. We got up on the stage plugged in while everyone in the audience was quietly waiting and watching, and we quickly began to play. Everyone at first just stared at us for a moment until they started to feel the groove. As soon as they felt the strong groove we were laying down, everyone began to move. Once they started to move they began to smile, and then the place was began jumping. As we got to the third song instantaneously, (Instantaneously means, As soon as the song ended, one had to quickly start the next song so that the momentum was never lost, and Trude loved this.) We were prepared for this moment, the club was jumping and Trude began to smile openly. I could see that she was very impressed at our attitudes and quickness. Then in the middle of our fourth song, she did her famous, to the ear lobe, lowering-down-act. However, we were all prepared for this and she didn't know that we knew. She got up from her table walked silently down the narrow isle and put her hand to her ear lobe as if she was going to train us to follow her comands. We had practiced to instantaneously lower down on command at The Eighth Wonder many times to get an instant simultanious lower down. Before she could take her hand away from her ear we freaked her out by instantly lowering the sound a few notches. We can see the happiness in her expression as she walked back to her table. It was as if we were playing there for years. After we finished our set we quickly headed back to The Eighth Wonder to do another forty-minute set then it was back to Trude´s to perform a forty-minute set again. We did this going back and forth thing for the remainder of the evening. It was extremely tiring! As soon as we finished our last set at Trude´s, Trude requested to talk with Aldo in her private office. A good sign! Aldo was in her office for about a half-hour so we all thought that this was a positive reaction and something good could come of it! We were all hoping! Aldo finally exited her office and said, "Well boys, as of the following Monday, we are now playing full-time at Trude Heller´s!" Bam!!!! We are in!!!! Not only are we playing at Trude Heller´s, but she wants us to be the main house band. We get one week off every month, and we all would be earning $500.00 cash a week each. That is $1,500 a month each! It is our dream coming true. Tomorrow night at The Eighth Wonder our band will have a great going away celebration with Joel Heller and Joey Greco.

The next day, I told my family the good news, but they were not impressed in the least. My sister Jeannette again reiterated that if I continue doing music I would regret it in my older life. My mother kept asking me to get a real job and specifically stressed that I should have remained working for my brother. A slight argument erupted as I tried to defend myself in the mist all this negative energy. All I know is that I must get away from this house. The TV was on at my house and the news was very disturbing. It seems that our new President Johnson is escalating the war in Vietnam. Since the past and current new musical revolution had made the country happier and more outgoing, no one wants this war.
Anti-war demonstrations are beginning to pop-up all over the place. Everyone is now talking against his bad actions, and this Vietnam War. I´m sure that if enough people stand against this thing, and it looks as thought this is happening, the War will dissipate or or I hope it will.

That evening, we all celebrated our last night at the Eighth Wonder. Trude gave us Sunday evening off so that we could start at her club on Monday. Joel Heller surprisingly bought us a cake and he gave our band free drinks on the house. Joey Greco´s band was very happy for us. They were actually glad that we were leaving, because then they would have their number-one position back at the Eighth Wonder again. So, everyone was happy! We all had a wonderful time that evening. I grabbed the girl Barbara and gave her a big kiss, and I asked her to come to Trude´s to hangout and see me. Barbara pleasantly agreed!

We opened at Trude´s on Monday night. We needed a professional photo of our group for the Marquee located out front just as the other bands had. I had noticed that the name Bruno of Hollywood was on all the professional photos of bands. Therefore, I suggested to Aldo that we do the same. Aldo would set it up!

We were now extremely better than The Jimmy Castor Bunch; in fact, no band could come hear to us except for Benny Gordon & the Soul Brothers. They were playing elsewhere and occasionally they would be available for Trude Heller´s. Benny Gordon´s band was originally a church group. They knew how to get down and swing and they had two horns. They enjoyed performing in church vesus a club. When they were not playing at Trude´s, they mostly performed at black clubs. They were the only band we knew that could out-perform and out-groove us on stage. The Van-Dells had made the transition. When we obtained Ritchie the sax, we began focusing on performing more R&B tunes recorded by Wilson Picket, Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, and Booker T & the MG´s. So now that we´re playing full time at Trude´s, we must concentrate on adding a trumpet. I believed that if we added a trumpet, then no one would be able to touch us. It would be the next step in competing with Benny Gordon´s band when they would arrive.

Trude occasionally had independant guest vocalist that came on the stage to perform a couple of songs. One of these singers was Monte Rock the III. Monte Rock is a gay, rich, former hairdresser turned artist/vocalist. I liked Monte. He was very mysterious unique character. He would get his only fame ten years later when he received a part in a movie as the DJ in, Saturday Night Fever. Anyway, Monte Rock and I became pretty good friends.

The next and immediate step was to take professional pictures to place on the Trude Heller marquee in front of the club. Aldo had set-up a session with the best theatrical photographer in the business, Bruno of Hollywood. They have taken photos of all the well known stars. I wanted to look my best for the shoot so I asked Monte Rock the III, who was also, and originally, a hairdresser, if he would style my hair for the shoot. Monte said yes and he invited me to his apartment and proceeded to restyle my hair. I had no idea what he was going to do with my hair. I just had to trust his theatrical sense. I wanted something unique. When he finished it, I looked in the mirror and got pissed off and shocked at what I had saw. He had cut it way too short. I didn't say anything to him. I smiled and just thanked him, but I was extremely disappointed. I really didn't need him to get a short haircut like that. I just could have went to a regular barber for a look like that. I had no other alternative now, but to make it grow back again and continue with the new photos looking like this. Anyway, we arrived at the studios of Bruno of Hollywood and the photographic session went well. It was very expensive, but we are playing the big time now so we had to do it. The following week, the new photos were obtained, and our new look was born, but I hated my short hair style in the photos.

A few weeks later, Benny Gordon arrived to perform at Trude Heller´s to knockout The Van-Dells, the new R & B white kids on the block. Benny and his band played the first set and they tore the house down. Our band was no match for Benny´s group, but we did stand head to head with them. When we played, we were a great contrast for the crowd. After a few nights of playing together, Benny and his band developed a great respect for us, because he could not knock us out. They out grooved us and created a storm, but when we played, we had the crowd almost equally pleased. When Benny finished his two-week span, it was an unforgetable experience to remember for us because we stood along side the best R & B band in the city.

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