I'll take a shot at starting a new combo thread...
May I now present, The Early Americans, of Tampa FLA...
with another BIG 45rpm fave of mine (jeesh, I got SO many...)
Harry Oleson~~organ, vocals (lead vocal on "It's So Cool Outside")
Richard Alonzo~~lead guitar
Pete Fuentes~~rhythm guitar
Roger Fuentes~~drums (lead vocal on "Night After Night")
This foursome began playing under the moniker the DARK AGES upon forming in mid 1965. No records or recordings exist under that name. Harry Oleson's mom decided the group needed to get a dress gimmick a la the Royal Guardsmen, so she quietly hand sewed the guys revolutionary war outfits. Harry didn't have the heart to tell her that schtick had been done! But they went with it and changed their moniker to the Early Americans, in order to go with the new 'look'. The empressario of Paris Tower, one Gil Cabot, spotted the guys at a teen dance (guess we know what Gil did every weekend in '66/67, eh?) and offered to record the guys at an H&H studios session. Two originals were recorded in early March, 1967 and released a month later.
A waycool pic insert promo shows three of the Early Americans perched on a small ledge overhang next to a waterfall, with the fourth member drenched in the small lagoon, and shirtless (for the boss babes who might be on this list).
Harry was approached by members of Tampa's top guns, the Outsiders, to play keyboards for them later in 1967, but he turned it down to marry his high school sweetheart. He continued to play locally, and remained married to his once high school girlfriend, until he unfortunately passed away in the early 1990's. Roger Fuentes found a gig drumming for Mercy - I like to think that the fuzzoid melter "Fireball", found on the flipside to the huge national hit "Love (Can Make You Happy) came from the Fuentes garage background.
"It's So Cool Outside,
But So Warm In Here..."
RIP Harry O!
Mike
May I now present, The Early Americans, of Tampa FLA...
with another BIG 45rpm fave of mine (jeesh, I got SO many...)
Harry Oleson~~organ, vocals (lead vocal on "It's So Cool Outside")
Richard Alonzo~~lead guitar
Pete Fuentes~~rhythm guitar
Roger Fuentes~~drums (lead vocal on "Night After Night")
This foursome began playing under the moniker the DARK AGES upon forming in mid 1965. No records or recordings exist under that name. Harry Oleson's mom decided the group needed to get a dress gimmick a la the Royal Guardsmen, so she quietly hand sewed the guys revolutionary war outfits. Harry didn't have the heart to tell her that schtick had been done! But they went with it and changed their moniker to the Early Americans, in order to go with the new 'look'. The empressario of Paris Tower, one Gil Cabot, spotted the guys at a teen dance (guess we know what Gil did every weekend in '66/67, eh?) and offered to record the guys at an H&H studios session. Two originals were recorded in early March, 1967 and released a month later.
A waycool pic insert promo shows three of the Early Americans perched on a small ledge overhang next to a waterfall, with the fourth member drenched in the small lagoon, and shirtless (for the boss babes who might be on this list).
Harry was approached by members of Tampa's top guns, the Outsiders, to play keyboards for them later in 1967, but he turned it down to marry his high school sweetheart. He continued to play locally, and remained married to his once high school girlfriend, until he unfortunately passed away in the early 1990's. Roger Fuentes found a gig drumming for Mercy - I like to think that the fuzzoid melter "Fireball", found on the flipside to the huge national hit "Love (Can Make You Happy) came from the Fuentes garage background.
"It's So Cool Outside,
But So Warm In Here..."
RIP Harry O!
Mike
