The
Hassles, Continued
After
The Hassles
Later,
after the demise of Attila, mutations and permutations developed based
upon the growing respect the better musicians held for each other.
Billy contacted his old partner, Howie Blauvelt, and offered him a
role in a new group he was assembling. This collection of local stars
going under the name, El Primo, was culled from the ranks of The Hassles
(Billy and Howie), The Phaetons (Gerard Kenny), The Rich Kids (Denny
Belline) and Man (Jeff Schwartz).
Gerard
Kenny, Howie Blauvelt, Jeff Schwartz, Jimmy Santoro
With
this wealth of talent, they naturally composed and performed originals.
No music ever found its way onto wax but the ensemble thrilled
audiences during its short existence. Howie Blauvelt: "We were
booked to play Chesney Wolds, a club in Island Park right across
the street from The Action House. I showed up to the gig late
and they threw me out of the band. Of course, I was pissed but
my dismissal only lasted one week. One week later, they played
the club again with a new bass player. After the first set, the
owner told them, "Get Howie or get out!" and I was back in El
Primo."
The Hassles,
The Echoes, The Lost Souls, The Commandos, The Hassles (again), Attila,
El Primo are all faded names of Long Island history. The members moved
on, sometimes writing history along the way.
Billy Joel
became a star of the highest magnitude. "Just The Way You Are" will
be sung well into the next century and beyond. Billy never left Long
Island, he remains our favorite son. "Charity Begins At Home" was
a philanthopic organization that Billy started way back in the mid
'70's, its generosity is still felt. For many years, Billy led a parade
of motorcycles the length of Long Island as a fund-raising stunt.
He can frequently be seen hanging out at The Stephen Talkhouse or
dining out in Amagansett, his home. Of course, anytime Billy opts
to tour, it is a standing-room-only crowd.
John Dizak
lived on Long Island for many years. A born-again Christian, he was
the choir director of The Upper Room Tabernacle in Deer Park. In 1992,
he moved to Pennsylvania to continue his good works.
After The
Hassles disbanded, Richie McKenna played with several bands but never
achieved success. It embittered him to see his bandmates succeeding
while he floundered. McKenna began to run with a bad bunch. He spent
some time in jail after he was caught during a gas station holdup.
His whereabouts today are unknown.
Jon Small
became a successful producer and director of concert films and video
clips. During the '80s when MTV was starting to explode, Small directed
over 4000 videos for such stars as Madonna, Aerosmith and Van Morrison.
His full length concert video for Van Morrison is considered a classic
of the genre.
While Billy
Joel became an international superstar, Howie Blauvelt became a true
Long Island legend. After El Primo, Howie hooked up with Ram Jam.
"Black Betty", an aggressive version of Huddie Ledbutter's song, became
a bar band staple and a heavy-metal response to disco fever. The song
still gets much airplay around the world. Ram Jam recorded the song
for Kastenetz & Katz, the kings of "bubble gum" music. It was a dramatic
departure of style and its' success surprised them. (Ironically, in
1992, they remixed the track as a disco-ish dance single and it became
an international hit all over again. The members of Ram Jam did not
share in the financial reward, though.) Ram Jam toured pushing the
track until personel changes and the lack of a follow-up hit yielded
to boredom. However, Howie's driving bass affected an entirely new
generation of hard and heavy rockers. His bass shook walls, floors,
ceilings and souls. After Ram Jam, Blauvelt appeared in several bands
always bringing his booming style to the fore. During the early 1990's,
he was a member of Spitball, a funk-blues band that was just starting
to come to fame when he suffered a heart attack and died.
Rich Arfin,Howie Blauvelt,Jim Santoro,Jack Morelli,Shasta Bridges,Joel
Sugarman
It must
be noted that Howie Blauvelt's old amigo, Billy Joel, often dedicates
his hit, "We Didn't Start The Fire," to Howie Blauvelt when he performs
the song in concert.
It is a fitting tribute to the creative artist that was Howie
Blauvelt. |
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©
Richard Arfin 1987 Revised 2004 All Rights Reserved
