Happy Daze with Tommy and the Rivieras: 1960S Rock and Roll

By Tommy Janette

In 1963, author Tommy Janette and his neighborhood buddies in West Haven, Connecticut, were looking for something to do. And that something was starting a band and playing music. He had no idea what the future would hold for this group that originally was formed to impress the girls.

In Happy Daze with Tommy and the Rivieras, Janette narrates the bands more-than-twenty-year history. It follows Tommy and the Rivieras through the years they opened for and worked with the Coasters, the Temptations, the Beach Boys, and many others. This memoir tells the true story about Jim Morrisons arrest, as Janette was the complainant in 1967 when the group opened for the Doors at the New Haven Arena.

Sharing an eventful journey, with plenty of quirky moments, Happy Daze with Tommy and the Rivieras goes backstage and offers insights and stories about the venues they played, the records they recorded, and some of the stars Tommy and the Rivieras worked with and the stories about them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 21, 2017
• ISBN: 9781532038815

Tommy Janette

Tommy Janette grew up in West Haven, Connecticut. He was a professional entertainer for more than thirty years and was the leader of a well-known band that performed under the names Tommy & the Rivieras, the Riviera Show Band, and the Riviera Family. The band performed with, opened for, or backed up more than 100 nationally known bands and artists. They also recorded and released Messin With Kid and Gonna Make It To Detroit City. Janette has a daughter, a son, and a grandson.

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 Tommy Janette.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

iUniverse

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5320-3880-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-3882-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-3881-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017919319

iUniverse rev. date: 12/15/2017

Contents

Foreword

1963 -1964

1964

1965

The Third Show

The Oakdale Musical Theatre

1965 & 1966

Danny & The Juniors

The Coasters: The Crowned Kings Of Rock & Roll Comedy

The Paiva Brothers (Bob & John)

The Paiva Brothers (1965-1966)

1965-1966

1966 - 1967

Who’s Jim???

Goffe Street Armory Soul Show

The Contours - Wesleyan University Middletown, Ct (1967)

The Angels - 1967

1967

Aaron Neville

1967-1968

After The Album

You Want Us To Go Where? Where The Hell Is Newfoundland??

The Flat Tire

Getting To Newfoundland

The Ferry Boat Ride

Argentia Naval Base In Newfoundland

Argentia Naval Base Military Courtesy

The Cpo Mess Slot Machine

Oh My God! We’re Going Over!!

Somebody Help Us!!

The Beach Boys Show!

The New Haven Arena - New Haven, Connecticut

1967 -The Doors Concert

Then There’s More

The Verification Of Ji M Morrison’ S Arrest On

Pal Joey’s

Two That Got Away

New Haven & The Good Fellas

Danny Thomas

The Ultimate Show

The Four Tops Show!

After The Four Tops Show

The Artists

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Chris Edwards, Joanna Dillon Sanford and my daughter Samantha Nave for all their work and support on this book!

FOREWORD

IN DECEMBER OF 1967, The Doors had a hit single. The band was becoming famous, but one event in New Haven, Connecticut made the lead singer infamous. A lot of people think they know what happened the night Jim Morrison was arrested. I’m a reporter for a local TV station. As I researched a story about the 50th anniversary of the arrest, I realized most people had the story wrong. Some had the wrong venue, some had the wrong charge, many had the wrong data because the mug shot wasn’t taken until after midnight.

I went on a local radio station’s morning show to ask listeners if they knew anybody who was there that night. It’s the kind of station that still plays The Doors. A caller said his father had passed, but was in a band called Tommy and the Rivieras that opened for The Doors that night. Then he told me that the lead singer was still alive, and still around New Haven.

Fifty years later, Tom Janette still walked into my TV studio with the swagger of a band’s front man. He may have opened for the Doors, but his band mate opening a door in the dressing room that night started a series of events that made history. Tommy was only twenty-two then. He had no idea that what he witnessed that night was forever going to be a piece of rock and roll folklore, but he did keep scrapbooks of his band’s adventures. For a reporter piecing together what happened a half century ago, there was nothing better than seeing the newspaper articles, the tickets, even the police report with Tommy’s name front and center as the complainant.

I read a lot of things to prepare for my story, and I thought I had a pretty good idea what happened in December of 1967. Once I talked to Tommy, though, I found out there were a lot of details I had never heard. If you never sat down with Tommy, you’ve probably never heard all the details, either. – Kent Pierce, Reporter WTNH/WCTX of New Haven, CT

1963 -1964

THE TRANSITION FROM 1963 into 1964 was a big one. A bunch of guys from the neighborhood who wanted to just do something over the summer of ’63 was transforming into a serious band. Paul the drummer was the first to go. He and I were dating two sisters at the time, Shirley and Nancy Perrone, which is probably why we came up with the Let’s do a band idea. It was initially to impress the sisters, but it got out of hand. We were getting well known and began developing a following, which was not good for staying in the good graces of the sisters! Paul got tired of all the practices and work, as did Nancy, and quit in late ’63. We replaced him with Lenny Petrocelli from Wallingford. Lenny was a polished drummer, but what made him stand out was that he played the drums standing up! I’ve never seen a drummer do that since Lenny, and it caused a lot of talk; it drew in new people to watch us. Lenny lasted a while but then we acquired Billy Cartier, who was one of the best drummers in Connecticut at the time.

Ron Powell left in early ’64. He came back for a few special dates, but his mom was really pushing him on his studies and going to college, so he faded away. Johnny Ferreira replaced him on keyboards and lead vocals. He had a good voice especially for the heavier rock material. Johnny would be the lead vocalist on our first serious record. Lightning sometimes does strike twice. Similar to my situation with Paul, it happened again with Johnny! I was seeing Joanne the vocalist on and off, and Johnny was getting serious with her sister Rosie. Damn lightning! Rosie would, in time, talk Johnny into giving up music to be with her.

Probably the biggest change for the band was when John Heil, the sax player, called it a day. However, we struck gold when we found a guy who would become the band arranger and played all three saxophones - Tony Vespoli. Tony would stay with me for nine years through the big band days and arranged for up to a six-piece horn section. When Bob Gerenscer called it quits, we replaced him with Pete Ream a tremendous guitarist. That’s when I switched to bass guitar! Pete was so good we didn’t need two guitars. I don’t remember exactly when the name change happened, but these guys were the original personnel in the brand new Tommy & The Rivieras!

1964

1964 WAS A turbulent year. After the original members of the Ascots moved on, the new guys were much more professional. Johnny Ferreira became a very good front man. Pete Ream was