Johnny and the Hurricanes

Johnny and the Hurricanes were an American instrumental rock and roll band from Toledo, Ohio, United States.[1] They specialized in adapting popular traditional melodies into the rock idiom, using organ and saxophone as their featured instruments. Between 1958 and 1963, the group had a number of hits in both the US and the UK, and the band developed a following in Europe. In 1962, they played at the Star-Club in Hamburg, where the Beatles, then a little-known band, served as an opening act. The band continued as a live act through 2005; leader Johnny Paris died in 2006.

Career

They began as the Orbits in Toledo in 1957. Led by saxophonist Johnny Paris (born August 29, 1940 as John Matthew Pocisk, Walbridge, Ohio, died May 1, 2006, Ann Arbor, Michigan), they were school friends who played on a few recordings behind Mack Vickery, a local rockabilly singer. They signed with Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik of Twirl Records, which led to national engagements in 1958; at this point, they were renamed as Johnny and the Hurricanes.[2] The next year, they recorded "Crossfire",[1] in a vacant cinema (the Carmen Theater on Schaefer Road in Dearborn, Michigan) to provide echo. It became a nationwide U.S. hit, and reached No. 23 on the US chart in the summer of 1959.

They followed with "Red River Rock", an instrumental version of "Red River Valley", on Warwick Records.[1] It became a top ten hit on both sides of the Atlantic (No. 5 in the U.S., No. 3 in the UK), and sold over a million copies.[3] The musicians in the band then were Paris on saxophone, Paul Tesluk on a Hammond Chord organ, Dave Yorko on guitar, Lionel "Butch" Mattice on bass, and Bill "Little Bo" Savich on drums.[1]

They specialised in versions of old tunes with a rock and roll beat. They chose these songs because they were well recognized and easier to accept with the beat. Tunes were credited to 'King, Mack' and usually one other name: King and Mack were in fact pseudonyms for Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik, the band's managers.[4] In 1960, they recorded the United States Army bugle call, "Reveille", as "Reveille Rock", and turned "Blue Tail Fly" into "Beatnik Fly".[1] Both tunes made the Top 40 achieving number 25 and 15 respectively. The band also recorded "Down Yonder" for Big Top Records.[1] In the same year, they recorded "When The Saints Go Marching In" as "Revival", but it ranked in the charts for just one week, peaking at No. 97. The record was flipped over in the UK, where "Rocking Goose" reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart.[5]

The band developed a following in Europe. In 1962, they played at the Star-Club in Hamburg, where the Beatles, then a little-known band, served as an opening act. Johnny and the Hurricanes cut records until 1987, with "Old Smokie" (their cover of "On Top of Old Smokey"), and an original tune, "Traffic Jam", both on Big Top Records, being their last releases to chart in America. Johnny Paris, the only constant member of the band, continued to tour with his Hurricanes in Europe and the United States until his death.[1] He had an uncle, a realtor, in Rossford, Ohio, Johnny's home town, who owned a building on the main street and offered Johnny's first wife, Sharon Venier-Pocisk, space for an antique shop. When not on the road he helped out with the antique shop and vending machine business as payment for the store front for his first wife.

Johnny Paris and his band toured Europe occasionally until the end of 2005. He died on May 1, 2006 at the University Clinic of Ann Arbor, Michigan, of hospital-borne infections after an operation. Paris's second wife and widow, the German journalist, novelist, and vocalist Sonja Verena (Reuter) Paris, took over his business (Atila Records, Sirius 1 Music, and Johnny and the Hurricanes Incorporated) and the rights to his songs and trademarks. Paris said that over 300 musicians played in the band in its fifty-year existence.

The band inspired the song "Johnny and the Hurricanes" on the album How I Learned to Love the Bootboys, by the band the Auteurs. They were also namechecked in the Kinks' 1973 song "One of the Survivors", and in "Bridge in Time" on the 1990 Burton Cummings album Plus Signs.

Johnny Paris died on May 1, 2006, Age 65. Drummer Bill "Little Bo" Savich died on January 4, 2002, Age 61. Bassist Lionel "Butch" Mattice died on October 16, 2006, Age 67. Guitarist David Yorko died on February 17, 2017 at the age of 73.[6]

Singles
Year Titles (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated		 Chart positions Album
US US R&B UK GER
1959 "Crossfire"
b/w "Lazy"		 23 — — — Red River Rock
"Red River Rock"
b/w "Buckeye"		 5 5 3 3[7]
"Reveille Rock"
b/w "Time Bomb"		 25 17 14 24[8] Stormsville
"Beatnik Fly"
b/w "Sand Storm" (Non-album track)		 15 — 8 31[9] The Big Sound Of Johnny & The Hurricanes
1960 "Down Yonder"
b/w "Sheba" (from The Big Sound Of Johnny & The Hurricanes)		 48 — 8 32[10] Non-album tracks
"Revival" / 97 — — —
"Rocking Goose" 60 — 3 —
"You Are My Sunshine"
b/w "Molly-O"		 91 — — — The Big Sound Of Johnny & The Hurricanes
1961 "Ja-Da"
b/w "Mr. Lonely"		 86 — 14 — Non-album tracks
"Old Smokie"
b/w "High Voltage"		 — — 24 —
"Farewell, Farewell"
b/w "Traffic Jam"		 — — — —
1962 "Salvation"
b/w "Miserlou"		 — — — —
"San Antonio Rose"
b/w "Come On Train" 		— — — —
"Minnesota Fats"
b/w "The Sheik Of Araby"		 — — — —
1963 "Theme From 'Whatever Happened To Baby Jane'"
b/w "Greens and Beans"		 — — — —
"James Bond Theme"
b/w "The Hungry Eye" (from Stormsville)		 — — — —
"Rough Road"
b/w "Kaw-Liga"		 — — — —
"It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"
b/w "Shadows"		 — — — —
1964 "Money Honey"
b/w "That's All"		 — — — —
"Rene'"
b/w "Saga of the Beatles"		 — — — —
1965 "I Love You"
b/w "Judy's Moody"		 — — — —
1966 "Wisdom's Fifth Take"
b/w "Because I Love Her"		 — — — —
1967 "Red River Rock '67"
b/w "The Psychedelic Worm"		 — — — —
"What Do You Know About Love"
b/w "Yes It's You"		 — — — —

References
  1. Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 678. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  2. http://www.history-of-rock.com/johnny_and_the_hurricanes.htms
  3. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 115. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  4. "Johnny and the Hurricanes". History-of-rock.com. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  5. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 286. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. "David Yorko, 1943–2017: Rocker wasn't 'typical musician'". Toledo Blade.
  7. "Johnny & The Hurricanes – Red River Rock". hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  8. "Johnny & The Hurricanes – Reveille Rock". hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  9. "Johnny & The Hurricanes – Beatnik Fly". hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  10. "Johnny & The Hurricanes – Down Yonder". hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
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