1964 - The USA Tour - Les Mégatones

We all know that 1964 was the year that the Beatles toured North America.  Being one of Canada's most popular bands, we were approached by several booking agents and managers who wanted to take advantage of Beatlemania by having their own Canadian answer to the Beatles.


We chose to sign up with New York City agents, John Mack as our manager, and Johnny Brown as our booking agent .  Promises to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show appealed to us, even though we never got to do it !  Little did we know that we were not the only North American band hoping for instant success in the good old USA !  

Top row:  Denis Champoux, Guy Martineau, Michel Verreault

Bottom row:  Ralph Angelillo, Jean Poiré, Réjean Careau

We did end up doing the U.S. club scene for nine months in 1964, which gave us more and more experience in our careers.   Not always good moments, but, mostly good and interesting.     
We ended up being the house band in Jersey clubs, as well as in St. Paul, Minnesota, Detroit and even Washington, DC.


Highlights were being the club band for well-known stars such as Dionne Warwick, Tony Orlando, the Del Satins and Frankie Lymon, among others.

1964 was the year the Beatles first toured in North America.  So, as you can see in this photo, we just had to look like the Beatles in some way !  This is me in my room in Seaside Heights, NJ where we stayed whenever we played the Jersey coast ! 

TWIN DRUMS


This 1964 version of our band had something special.  Two drummers !  Before leaving for the U.S. tour,  drummer Réjean Careau joined the band to give us a unique drive and look on stage, with my drums next to Réjean's.  Combining two different ways of drumming, the result from the audience was a very original percussion sound backing up the band.  Réjean had solid timing and along with my way of playing, we created a locomotive-like groove giving the rest of the guys a solid foundation.  We had found out later that only James Brown played with two drummers .  


The band broke up in February 1965 while in Washington, DC, this is when we realized that we were still kids, lonesome from being away from home, and like many bands on the road, the arguements and fights between some of the guys, became sort of unbearable.  All in all,
a great experience of life, being on the road at an early age.

The Glory Years: Les Mégatones 1962-63

In most musicians' lives, there is a period where it feels good doing what we do.  In my case, playing with Quebec's top band, Les Mégatones in 1962-1963, touring Quebec and Ontario backed by a couple of best seller record albums was that moment.  How good it was being 19 years old in 1963 !

photo: Jean Poiré, bass & sax; Michel Roy, guitar & vocals; Ralph Angelillo, drums; Denis Champoux, guitars, sax & vocals; Claude Patry, guitar & vocals.


The band was recorded by Apex Records and tunes ranged from instrumental compositions by Denis Champoux, to the Ventures to Elvis to Ricky Nelson, etc.  I was very proud of my Ludwig silver sparkle drums and metal snare drum.  

 photo: Me at 17 years old in my basement with my new Ludwigs !

Being a popular band at the beginning of the 60s, highlights were gigs like at Le Centre St-Sacrement in Quebec where we would play every Saturday to a full auditorium.  Then came the gig on St-Jean street in the Old Quebec City region at La Boîte à Chansons .  Sold-out crowds at every gig.  The tour across Quebec and Ontario brought us to many smaller towns in sold-out venues.   We had it all, and I was driving the 1963 car of the year, a Ford Falcon Convertible !  


Some strange gigs came our way, like two weeks at Montreal's famous Esquire Show Bar, Le Casa Loma, and a Country music club in Pembroke, Ontario.  The Esquire was a miss-match for us, being a Rhythm 'n Blues mecca, while our repertoire was Ventures-style music and pop rock.  Happily for us, Denis Champoux was able to switch to a more funky style, along with Michel Roy, who sang blues tunes like "I got a Woman" and other blues-oriented songs.  We managed to get through these two weeks, and learned a lot about other styles of music !  The opposite happened in Pembroke.  Our first set was 100% Rhythm 'n Blues until the bartender told us, if we didn't play Country and western, we were out !  Again, because of our knowledge of classic Johnny Cash and Ricky Nelson songs, we switched to Country in one minute, to the surprise of the audience !  Great memories !

My School Years, the Nuns, the Brothers and Football

Growing up in the 40s and 50s in Quebec City where I was in the 1% English population in a 99% French town, my parents did not have much choice in grade and high schools.

photo: Grade 10, St. Patrick's High School, Quebec City. I am at the left, top row.

St. Stephen Catholic grade school with the nuns, yes, those frustrated bitches who used to scare us with the possibility of going to hell for minor sins or wait a while in purgatory where there was a possibility of reaching heaven one day !  One nun got her kicks in explaining the torture martyrs went though, you could see the goose bumps on her skin when she told us these stories !

The worst was to come !  The Catholic Brothers ! I realize today that these assholes were brothers because they were not smart enough to be priests !  St. Patrick's High School !
If you didn't play football, you were nothing !  And on top of all that, the brothers in their black robes smelled bad odor (BO) .  Ah, was I anxious to drop out of this portion of my life !

Guess what saved me ?  I became a drummer at the age of 17 and starting touring with bands.  What a change !  Even knowing that leaving high school would make my life tough,
I didn't mind, I was free from this nun and brother insane asylum !  LOL !

MY FIRST MUSIC GIG:  THE FLYING CYMBAL


We all remember our first gig. Stories of nerves and mistakes abound. Mine, in particular, was an embarrassment. And therefore I just had to share it with you.

Sitting in the back of my high school class, guitarist/singer Johnny Farago and I decided to put

together an eight-song Elvis Presley set for the upcoming prom dance with just one week of practice. On stage, Johnny, guitar in hand, and me, with my Olympic three-piece drum kit and one cymbal (no hi-hat), were ready to start the first song. As Johnny sings, “you ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog”, I hear my cue and hit my eight-inch cymbal on “hound dog”. As I hit the cymbal it leaves

the stand and, to everyone’s astonishment, goes flying into the audience. Although inexperienced,

Johnny and I knew that the show must go on, so I continued without my cymbal. Then, just before

the second song, a dancer approaches the stage, bent cymbal in hand, and asks “is this yours?”.

Let me introduce myself

Hello everyone,

I was born in 1943, Raphael Victor Angelo Angelillo, in Quebec City, Canada, my parents being of Italian origin.  Having passed my life in the Arts, I've travelled ten years with different rock bands, mostly with Les Mégatones, a Quebec-based instrumental band.  About twenty years as a graphic artist specializing in printed magazines, before launching my own musician magazine, Musicien Québécois .  I met Serge Gamache, who became the perfect business partner, he, on the business/administrative side, and me, handling the artistic side of things, the perfect match !   The magazine later changed name to Muzik Etc / Drums Etc, distributed across Canada , a bilingual publication catering to student and pro musicians alike .

My baby is the Montreal Drum Fest, now in its 18th year !
A festival which presents the best drummers in the world.
Motivation for all drummers, including myself !
www.montrealdrumfest.com

I have a great family, met my wife Michelle in the 60s, two great kids, a son Jim, a daughter, Catherine, and four great grandkids !  Michelle passed away on September 11, 2008, battling cancer.  She taught me that life goes on .  Life is a day by day thing !  Enjoy each day.  C'est la vie !

With this blog, I will keep you posted on my activities as well as post photos of my favourite moments . I might even share my views on several subjects like the music industry, world politics, etc.  It might get hot in here !

Ralph Angelillo