So, one day in about 1964, when I was walking to school, I bumped into a neighborhood friend, Allen Condeluci, also making his way to morning classes at Stowe High School. Al was a couple of years older than me, and very friendly and readily capable of starting up the conversations. As Al was aware that I was always involved in some musical activity and had played with several local bands, so the easy startup question from Al was, what is the latest in your musical life?
I stated that I wanted to start my own band, had a couple of people lined up to play in it, but was having trouble finding a bass player. I ask if he knew anyone. He responded by saying, well, I’m a bass player. This was a surprise to me, but it made sense since Al’s uncles and his dad were known professional musicians to us younger inspired musicians in the local area. And, Al’s dad, Sinbad Condeluci, played upright jazz bass fiddle!!
Al said, yeah, my dad taught me how to play bass. With that, I knew Al had to be a fine bass player, so I asked, do you want to form a band with me? I continued with, we’ll need to start right away and I can set up the first rehearsal with the other guys for tomorrow or the next day. Al, being very quick on his feet said, I have some commitments in the next couple of weeks that I have to accomplish first, but we can rehearse in two weeks at my house. I was a little disappointed, but what the heck, I didn’t have any gigs lined up, so I agreed and the plant was set.
Al actually did use words like “accomplish” and “commitment” back in those early teen days. I might have said, yeah, “I gaught some stuff to do,” but Al’s intellect came though with every sentence. He was cool though and he never corrected my half sentences and wrong usage of words! There was immediate respect, and little did I know that the walk to school that day would strike up a lifelong friendship. BUT, Al really didn’t have “commitments.” He pressed his father to teach him how to play the bass in two weeks!
The first rehearsal. On Condeluci’s Hill, at 112 Caldwell Street, with me on tenor sax, Al on his dad’s upright bass, Tony Giammarco on accordion and Phil Serretti on drums, the first rehearsal began. There was a tremendous bonus that I didn’t think about when and I first talked, Sinbad was there and while helping Al maneuver on the big bass, he also helped us get through songs. He was the veritable coach that we all needed and we were honored to be guided by him.
Sinbad told us the names of standard songs that we should know, tunes like “Misty” that people expected to hear at functions like weddings and night club dates, and he taught us the roles that each of us played as members of a musical combo. As a lot of our songs were swing tunes, Sinbad taught Al to either play on beats one and three, or on all four beats to the measure. I was the melody guy, Tony (by the way, we called him “Harpo” because he hair was so curly) was the chord man and Phil provided the beat in conjunction with the bass. Although only having played the bass for two weeks, Al did a great job. And wow, what an incredible first rehearsal. I remember coming home so excited and telling my family about the great musical experience I had at the new bass player’s home.
It was after we learned about twenty tunes, Sinbad said he had a gig for us! He always got called for gigs, but he was happy to turn gigs over to us that he thought we could handle at the time. Wondering if twenty tunes would be enough, the plan was that we would repeat them if needed, and hopefully not three times during the evening! We were cool, ideas and plans were flowing, but we needed a name. I don’t know how it came up, but someone shouted out, “The Chantels.”
None of us were old enough to drive, so this logistic detail had to be solved with every gig until we reached the age of 16. I was the youngest, so....... Anyway, our parents and in my case, my sister, Rosanna, drove us to gigs. With the bass fiddle straddled across the front and back seat, four musicians, driver, a sax case, accordion case, complete drum set and music stands, we made our way to each gig.
In the approximate 3-4 years that the group existed, we played for a lot of weddings, local club dates and were featured at many high school shows and events, such as the annual “Variety Show” at Stowe High School. By this time, we were playing all of the pop tunes of the time, as well as the musical standards. We were in demand and seemingly worked multiple gigs each week. Not bad for four local kids....
The four of us eventually went our own separate ways. “Harpo” went on to Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics and became an airplane mechanic. Later, the union boss for Allegheny (now American) Airlines. Phil got his credential in sound technology and moved to California. Later, his company produced the sound for films and popular television productions. Al went to college majoring in Psychology. his bio will be posted on here but he enjoyed an incredible career, and to this day he is a sought after lecturer and author of many books. He recently retired as the CEO of CLASS (Community Living and Social Services), formerly United Cerebral Palsy, in Pittsburgh, an organization that he started which provides services to handicap individuals and is known worldwide for its innovative work and support. I auditioned for the US Navy’s Music Program and left town in 1968. I had the good fortune of traveling the world, playing and directing music. After 30 years, I retired from the Navy as the Commanding Officer and Conductor of the Presidential Navy band in Washington DC. I then took a position at Rowan University as the Director of Band and retired as the Dean of Performing Arts in 2017.
Al and I, and our families have remained close friends, more like family, through all these years. We have partied and traveled the world together on many occasions - and we still continue to this day.
When I returned to Pittsburgh, after 49 years, Al and I agreed to start our band again. Only thing is that Al had to learn how to play bass again since he was doing “other things” since his last gig!
True to form, quick to learn Al did it again and is rockin' the bass again.
Now, we are both Doctors, me with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree, and Al with a PHD in Psychology. We bring the sounds from the Chantels to those who remember the great music of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s to our audiences!
