Vondells - Hey Girl & Airtown ?'s

[Simon T]

1) Has anyone ever made contact with a member of the Vondells

2) Were they definitely from Dayton Ohio?

3) What year was 'Hey girl you've changed' released?

4) Are all the records released on Airtown on vinyl?

5) Are there any other releases on Airtown Custom?

[Sheep]

Mr Manship, i believe found the first 5-6 copies together, ask him.

[Simon T]

Mr Manship, i believe found the first 5-6 copies together, ask him.

John's not on here anymore is he?

[The Tempest]

Great record Is the group on Marvello the same lot

[Simon T]

Great record Is the group on Marvello the same lot

I don't think so, King Kolax was recording in the fifties and the Marvello recordings were between 61 and 65.

[Dennisoul]

Vondells - hey girl.......was released on styrene not vinyl

[Ted Massey]

manny had 10 copies and there were some about before he had those

[Simon T]

manny had 10 copies and there were some about before he had those

If my memory serves me right he got those in 89 or 90 from a man sporting a toupee from Dayton Ohio. Where did Gary Rushbrooke get his from years earlier?

[George G]

1) Has anyone ever made contact with a member of the Vondells

2) Were they definitely from Dayton Ohio?

3) What year was 'Hey girl you've changed' released?

4) Are all the records released on Airtown on vinyl?

5) Are there any other releases on Airtown Custom?

2. No, Union City IN is what I'm told

3. 1968/9

4. No...some pressed at QCA (vinyl). Vondells are all styrene though, pressed at Richmond IN (Mercury records contract pressing plant)

5. Yes

https://www.buckeyebe...om/airtown.html

Airtown custom was for acts not promoted by Tommy Wills and Airtown for their jukebox business. Wills' main objective was making records for jukeboxes, covering hits of the day, standards, etc. Since he ran a recording operation (he was not the studio engineer though) artists would walk in wanting to use the studio. Those acts were on the 'custom' label.

Edited December 6, 2012 by George G

[Simon T]

2. No, Union City IN is what I'm told

3. 1968/9

4. No...some pressed at QCA (vinyl). Vondells are all styrene though, pressed at Richmond IN (Mercury records contract pressing plant)

5. Yes

https://www.buckeyebe...om/airtown.html

Airtown custom was for acts not promoted by Tommy Wills and Airtown for their jukebox business. Wills' main objective was making records for jukeboxes, covering hits of the day, standards, etc. Since he ran a recording operation (he was not the studio engineer though) artists would walk in wanting to use the studio. Those acts were on the 'custom' label.

Thanks for the info. So they were AKA the Fantastic Vondells too.

[George G]

Thanks for the info. So they were AKA the Fantastic Vondells too.

The band in the pics are a different group, from a Dayton suburb. The song on the LP is their only recording

[Simon T]

The band in the pics are a different group, from a Dayton suburb. The song on the LP is their only recording

"We're the Vondells & so are our wives!"

Edited December 6, 2012 by simon t

[Lawman]

i was in the shop in ohio where john got the five vondells owned by a little black guy. who wouild not let guy hennigan in the shop but thats another story for another time, he had one of the best collection of b and w original photos i have ever seen got a few of him and some records very hard to deal with that was around 1987

[boba]

please do not confuse the Chicago marvello group with the Ohio airtown group

[Ted Massey]

Chris Plant ended up with Garys copy i think

[Dave Rimmer]

Chris Plant ended up with Garys copy i think

My understanding is that Gary Rushbrooke's copy went to Paul Everton (At least that's what Paul said), I then bought it from Paul, and Keith Money now owns it

[Ted Massey]

I bought one of the manship ones it was on his list at 200 quid had to call him from a phone box must have been before 1986 as i had the first mobile phone in that year . i moaned at him when i found out he had a few and nearly sent it back he still reminds me now

[Soulman]

Sold my copy to Trev Thomas for a meer snip (think it was something like £200 or thereabouts. I'm sure he'll verify it when he reads this. Don't know if he still has it but if I were still collecting, it would be one I'd want back without a doubt. Happy memories of Gary Rushbrooke giving it it's first spins.

Steve H

[Trev Thomas]

Sold my copy to Trev Thomas for a meer snip (think it was something like £200 or thereabouts. I'm sure he'll verify it when he reads this. Don't know if he still has it but if I were still collecting, it would be one I'd want back without a doubt. Happy memories of Gary Rushbrooke giving it it's first spins.

Steve H

hi steve

it was indeed £200, in 1991 deal done over a pint at the carlton club (normanton) with the McPhails causing madness and mayhem in the background...happy days, alas, i no longer have it, sold it to steve chadwick circa 1996

[Gene-R]

Chris Plant ended up with Garys copy i think

I remember reading Black Echoes in March 1983, and "Hey Girl You've Changed" was No. 2 in Chris Plant's playlist ("Bring Your Fine Self Home" by the Soulettes was No. 1). But I heard Gary Rushbrooke play it a couple of months later, so maybe Chris obtained his copy elsewhere? Keb Darge and Ian Clark were also playing it at the time, so that would have made at least 4 copies in circulation when it was a 'newie'.

As well as Tommy Wills's dubiously named single "Man With A Horn" (and an LP of the same name on the Terry Gregory label which, like some Airtown releases, had the saxophone logo on the label), there are at least two other soul singles on Airtown. "That's The Way" by the Casinos and "I Still Care" by Virgil Murray (also released on Kool Kat). The copy of the Casinos I once had was pressed on vinyl. Not sure if these were local issues before the Terry and Kool Kat releases respectively, though.

Of the three Airtown 45s listed on 45cat, the numbers all seem to have a prefix of JB (presumably meaning 'Juke Box'): https://www.45cat.com/label/airtown

Edited December 7, 2012 by Gene-R

[Steve Foran]

Believe it or not around 1980/1 used to DJ at a cellar club called Brewsters in Manchester on a weeknight, maybe a Tuesday. Brian Rae was the main man I was just local ( ish) support. Gary used to lend Brian The Vondells, but he did,nt seem to like it so I got to play it. Strange world of NS eh?

[boba]

I remember reading Black Echoes in March 1983, and "Hey Girl You've Changed" was No. 2 in Chris Plant's playlist ("Bring Your Fine Self Home" by the Soulettes was No. 1). But I heard Gary Rushbrooke play it a couple of months later, so maybe Chris obtained his copy elsewhere? Keb Darge and Ian Clark were also playing it at the time, so that would have made at least 4 copies in circulation when it was a 'newie'.

As well as Tommy Wills's dubiously named single "Man With A Horn" (and an LP of the same name on the Terry Gregory label which, like some Airtown releases, had the saxophone logo on the label), there are at least two other soul singles on Airtown. "That's The Way" by the Casinos and "I Still Care" by Virgil Murray (also released on Kool Kat). The copy of the Casinos I once had was pressed on vinyl. Not sure if these were local issues before the Terry and Kool Kat releases respectively, though.

Of the three Airtown 45s listed on 45cat, the numbers all seem to have a prefix of JB (presumably meaning 'Juke Box'): https://www.45cat.com/label/airtown

https://www.ohiosoulrecordings.com/a.htm

[Blackpoolsoul]

On 06/12/2012 at 21:49, George G said:

 

 

The band in the pics are a different group, from a Dayton suburb. The song on the LP is their only recording

 

On 07/12/2012 at 11:46, Trev Thomas said:

 

 

 

hi steve

it was indeed £200, in 1991 deal done over a pint at the carlton club (normanton) with the McPhails causing madness and mayhem in the background...happy days, alas, i no longer have it, sold it to steve chadwick circa 1996

 

On 07/12/2012 at 09:52, Ted Massey said:

I bought one of the manship ones it was on his list at 200 quid had to call him from a phone box must have been before 1986 as i had the first mobile phone in that year . i moaned at him when i found out he had a few and nearly sent it back he still reminds me now

 

On 07/12/2012 at 09:36, Dave Rimmer said:

 

 

My understanding is that Gary Rushbrooke's copy went to Paul Everton (At least that's what Paul said), I then bought it from Paul, and Keith Money now owns it

Here you go guys from local paper.

Uptights ?

Edited May 30, 2021 by Blackpoolsoul

[Soul-slider]

I always presumed the 'Airtown' Vondells were a white group? 

[Benji]

I too guess they were. Though they don't sound obviously white do they? Discogs lists three releases on Airtown, the other two are Garage.

[Soul-slider]

On 01/06/2021 at 21:51, Benji said:

I too guess they were. Though they don't sound obviously white do they? Discogs lists three releases on Airtown, the other two are Garage.

Tommy Wills is a white saxophonist, but there's no photos anywhere of the 'Airtown' Vondells.

[Soul-slider]

EDIT: Had a photo but found out it wasn't them, so removed.

 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by Soul-slider
wrong photo

[Soul-slider]

Found this, ties in with Blackpoolsoul's clipping, this is the 'Airtown' group.

7 members including 2 brothers...

Edited June 9, 2021 by Soul-slider