Monday, January 18, 2010

THE FOUR GRADUATES aka THE HAPPENINGS

Group from Patterson,NJ. formed in the spring of 1961 by Bob Miranda(Lead),Ralph DeVito(Baritone),Tom Giuliano(Tenor) and Dave Albert(Bass).they decided to name themselves The Four Graduates since they had recently graduated from their respective high schools.by the summer of 1961 the group acquired a manager Chuck Rubin who send the group to singing in hotels as Crossingers and the Raleight Hotel.
In the spring of 1963,Rubin send a demo of one of Bob's originals_Step Into The Future. to Laurie Records but this label decided to take a chance on The Four Grads with a rhythm version of The Ink Sopts 1944 hit_A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening. finally released in the summer of 1963 on the Laurie subsidiary label Rust Records with the B side_Picture of An Angel.

LISTEN_A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening.



The record receive little radio attention and the group was back to bookings and a short six month army forces.In early 1964 Rust Records issued one more Four Grads single_Candy Queen. written by Laurie Staffer Ernie Maresca,the flipside_A Boy In Love. was a Dion & The Belmonts soundalike.

To Listen or Download please visit;http://www.box.net/shared/ssmhjyi6hd

In late 1964 the group signed with Bob Crewe of The Four Season's fame as back up group for some recordings artists as Mitch Ryder or Eddie Rambeau.

In 1965 Bob Miranda written some songs for The Tokens and the members of this group signed The Four Grads for their own label B.T. Puppy Records the boys change the group name to The Happenings and recorded the song_See You In September. originally by the Pittsburgh groupThe Tempos(see in this blog) this song burst onto the american charts by July,9,1966 it went to slot nÂș 3 in August. the group continue recording until 1969 and have another hit in 1967 with the tune_I Got A Rhythm.

See in this blog The Happenings_See You In September. at;
http://whitedoowopcollector.blogspot.com/2011/05/happeningssee-you-in-september.html

The Four Gradutaes have many unreleased tunes written by Bob Miranda as_May I Have This Dance/Your Initials/Caught In A Lie/Every Year About This Time.

LISTEN...

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