The Valadiers experienced an
unexpected turn as they were
about to sign their contract.
Because they were only teenagers,
they had to get parent approval
and were shocked that Frenkel was
pulled out of the group by his
father, who wanted his son to
devote his attention to school.
"I was devastated at the time,
but I got over it," says Frenkel,
who went into the same business
as Light and Avig and lives in
Waterford. "I don't think my dad
did the right thing. He got some
bad advice from a DJ. Being with
the group was a good time in my
life, but my father ended my
musical career."
"Greetings," which reached 61
on the national recording charts
and sold close to 300,000 copies,
topped the charts in Baltimore,
Cleveland and Washington, D.C.
VOLUME I
The group wrote the song based
on a headline about President
TITLE — DICITALLY R,EAST
Kennedy drafting large numbers
This CD of Motown hits includes The Valadiers' "Greetings (This Is Uncle
of young men.
Sam)," which topped the charts in Baltimore, Cleveland andWashington, D. C.
Besides singing a cappella at
small parties, the Valadiers went
"The fact that we were white and had a black
on to perform on a small tour circuit. They played
sound was very different," says Avig of Farmington
the Jewish resorts in South Haven for room and
Hills, the only member who continued singing solo
board.
and with other groups,
The early Valadiers did a lot of personal pro-
including the Latin .Counts,
moting to get their recordings played on radio
after the original Valadiers
stations.
split up in the early '60s.
"Performing was an outlet for something we
At times, Avig used the
felt," says Glasser, a commercial artist in Detroit.
name Valadiers as he joined
"There wasn't a lot of money. We used to go down
with other singers.
to Motown and rehearse with the Supremes and
"We loved the music
the Temptations. We loved the excitement and
and the expressiveness, now
never experienced any racism."
called Urban, and that's
Without the follow-up success they anticipated,
why we sang it," Avig says.
the original Valadiers stopped working on records
"We followed the
before their three-year
basic rhythm and
contract expired.
blues and
While the former
thought it sound-
group members, now
ed good."
in their 50s, seem to
Avig, now a
have lost touch with
scrap dealer like
Coleman, they have
Light, recalls how
not lost their interest
the record pro-
in performing. With
ducers gave the
the start of a new cen-
Valadiers a lot of
tury, they look back on
encouragement
that special time in
and slotted them
Clockwise from top:
their lives and awaken
into other numbers
Art Glasser: "Performing was an a bit of their teenage
before "Greetings,"
dreams.
outlet for something we felt."
which was written by
"We've been talking
Jerry Light : "Its like magic
the group.
to
each
other a lot
when we get together"
They performed
lately," Light says.
Stuart Avig : "The fact that we
songs that had been
"And we've even been
were white and had a black
written by Smokey
wondering what would
sound was very different."
Robinson, and at one
happen if the Valadiers
point, Marvin Gaye sat
Gary Frenkek 'Being with the
performed together
in as their drummer.
group was a good time in my lifi." again." ❑
Good
Mickey's
Monkey
%memories'
Taking a stroll down memory
lane with the songs
that shaped our lives.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News
Wormer Oak Parker Elliot Michael Gold
recently has governed his life by one
statement: "Nothing returns a memory as
clearly as a song."
The thought came to him while he was on
a car rental return bus in Las Vegas watching
a couple react to the 1950s rock n' roll hit
“At the Hop," recorded by
Danny and the Juniors.
The woman could recall
details of the evening
when they first heard it.
Gold, with musical
o wn, L . car-
mtv. wit to his
t i
s
iaalt%2
thoughts a crush
had on girl who lived
down the block.
A technical writer spe-
cializing in teleconferenc-
ing and a freelance pho-
tojournalist, Gold decid
Elliot Michael Gold
ed to test the statement
today and at age 17,
on celebrities. If he could
a member of the
trigger some strong reac-
Oak Park High
tions, he would turn
School Class of '62.
them into a book through
his own company, Gold
Mustache Publishing.
Gold is happy to say he got the reactions
he wanted. He wrote them into Rememories:
The Music and the Memories That Shaped Our
Lives (Gold Mustache Publishing; $12.95).
Among the 49 notables telling about their
"rememories'' are singing star Fabian, Celestial
Seasonings founder and chairman Mo Siegel,
People magazine president Nora McAniff and
Jefferson Airplane vocalist Grace Slick.
Barry Gordon, a former child actor turned
cantor, remembers Janice Ian's "Society's Child."
"I came up with a list of people to interview," Gold
`REMEMORIES' on page 74
1/7
2000
73