Lonny Fame and the Belltones

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Lonny Fame and the Belltones was an obscure but often copied rock 'n' roll band from the 1950s. The band had a large local and regional following in the Midwest.

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[edit] Band history

Originally fronted by Lonny Fame, the band was best known for its original hit, "Break Up With Freddy". From their inception, the Belltones were mired in controversy as well as tragedy. On April 12, 1955, Lonny Fame, just days prior to the release of "Break Up With Freddy", was killed when his girlfriend, Tammy Sue Provolski, inadvertently kicked the release lever on the jack that was holding up his car as he lay underneath installing new brake shoes and socks. Fame instantly died.

Without skipping a beat, the Belltones replaced Fame with Rance Thurston, (best known for his 1952 pro-Korean War song, "If You Carry the Gun, We'll Carry the Tune") as front man and lead singer.

From 1955 until 1958 the band consisted of Rance Thurston, "da’ Moose", Dizzy Turpentine, Lamont Kooch, Buzzy Hunk, Hugo Igofornabisco, and Shiv DelGredo. In 1958 Thurston and Kooch left the band, and DelGredo was asked to leave. Thurston was replaced by Sneakers Levine, who proved to be a formidable visionary and front man, taking the Belltones to new and uncharted territories of musicianship and childish behavior. Kooch was irreplaceable. In an attempt to replace DelGredo, Romeo Self was hired, but soon left the group under very mysterious circumstances. To this day, Self will not talk about his tenure with the Belltones, although he does refer to a restraining order he initiated against DelGredo in 1958. In his autobiography,"For Whom the Belltones Toll", the Reverend Shiv DelGredo discusses this time in his life and his disputes with the other Belltones, which resulted in his departure from the group. DelGredo reports, "It was a trying time for all of us, we were growing as a group, and growing apart as musicians. From my perspective, the rest of the Belltones were putting way too much importance on knowing what notes to play next."

[edit] Disbanding

The band finally broke up New Year's Eve 1959. In his (never published) Belltone Trilogy, ("Sniffing Elmers", "Year of the Knife", and "Turn Down the Music,"), Richard Epelstein, Belltone chronologist, cited creative differences, the inability to remember the words to the songs, and the numerous impending lawsuits - all reasons the Belltones broke up in 1959. Those close to the Belltones also cite glue-sniffing and reckless abandon as additional reasons the band called it quits. Referring to his autobiography again, Reverend Shiv DelGredo put it simply, “Ever try singing "Little Darlin' while your nose was clogged with Elmers glue?” Historians and critics ask, "Was it a coincidence or a blessing that the Belltones career ended as the 1950's came to a close?"

[edit] Life after disbanding

With the exception of Lonny Fame, all of the Belltones are still alive today. Rance Thurston, after pursuing an illustrious comedy career performing in the Catskills as Shecky Thurston, now owns Rance’s Take a Chance With Romance Dating Service in Ethiopia. After studying with Guru Baba Louie Louie throughout the 1960's, da’ Moose and his wife now operate Stella's Finishing and Manners Academy For Young Ladies in New Jersey. Dizzy Turpentine, a retired wood shop teacher (Calumet City Industrial High School) is now a ticket taker at Disneyland. Sneakers Levine plays in a Tony Orlando and Dawn tribute band. Lamont Kooch is in prison. The Reverend Shiv DelGredo is the Choir Director for Boys State in Augusta, Georgia. Buzzy Hunk is a motivational speaker for the Republican Party. Hugo Igofornabisco, had a successful career performing as Jerry Lewis' stunt double, (Hugo received an Oscar nomination for the work he did in Lewis' Bell Hop),and now runs Sex Without Partners Support Groups.

Between the Belltones, there are eight children and three grand children - all of which are either unemployed or in reform school. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has made it illegal for a Belltone to reproduce in the state of California. Thirteen other states have similar legislature pending. This is in direct contrast to Puerto Rico's Lonny Fame and the Belltones Day, held whenever it snows.

Thurston, Kooch and DelGredo rejoined the group for the 2006 Lonny Fame and the Belltones Reunion, held in Lawrence Kansas [1]. Kooch was temporarily released from prison for the event and performed flawlessly in cuffs and leg irons. Negotiations between Levine and Thurston, including the use of knives and broken bottles, resulted in these two talented and strong personalities equitably sharing front man responsibilities. The "Reunion" was attended by literally 10's of fans hungry for the Belltone experience, and was filmed in preparation for the yet unnamed Belltone Documentary. Bootlegged footage of the Reunion is available online and at the Berkowitz twins' Kool-Aid stand on the corner of Freemont and Excelsior in Pasadena, California. In addition, and greeted with both speculation and concern, it is rumored that the Belltones will release their never finished album, "The Band The Blood" in 2009.

[edit] The Belltone Mystique

For fans and critics alike, the Belltones' musicianship was only half of what their fans tried desperately to avoid. The other half was the paranormal-like connection the members of the group had with each other. “It was uncanny, it was like we all remembered the chords to the songs we were playing – almost simultaneously!” Lamont Kooch fondly remembers. In the second book of his Belltone Trilogy, Richard Epelstein ponders, “What brought these ‘souls’ together, kept them together, and to this day begs for an explanation why the Belltone legacy is so omnipresent?" Some say the music, some say, "what music!"

It is an undisputed fact that the Belltones were born in the same year, and coincidently were the same age. As they grew older some of them even attended the same voctechs. But, other than the infamous meeting between Lamont Kooch and Shiv DelGredo, at the Richard Simmons Correctional Facility, none of the members crossed paths until the formation of the band. But yet, like the partnership between heat and humidity, it was like the Belltones, from day one, breathed the same air, had eaten the same food, and worn the same type of underwear. “It was like each of us were one of the chords in that perfect C-Am-F-G progression”, reports Dizzy Turpentine. When reminded that there were 8 Belltones, and only 4 chords in that progression, Buzzy Hunk quickly comes to Turpentine’s defense, “Hey not the way we played it!”

[edit] References

  1. ^ Picasa Web Albums - rick - Belltone Wiki
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