Sunday, October 10, 2010

See You In September

The Tempos - Jim Drake top right, and clockwise are Tom Miniti, Mike Lazo, and Gene Schachter. (photo from Ann Lazo Shapiro)

The Tempos were the epitome of a one-hit wonder. But boy, what a hit it was: "See You In September."

They started in 1954 as a quartet called The Hi-Lites, consisting of Clairton's Mike Lazo, Gene Schachter,  Canonsburg guy Bobby Vinton, and Jim Drake from Leetsdale, a graduate of Leetsdale (now Quaker Valley) High School, who arranged their songs (he also wrote for the CLO). .

They never recorded, content to play the hop and club circuit. Lazo and Schachter had served together in the Army, stationed in Korea, where they sang in U.S.O. shows together. The pair started the group after their 1953 discharge.

In 1957, they became The Tempos. The band featured Four Freshman style harmonies, the hot genre of the era. And they sang those harmonies pretty well.

Beside playing local club gigs, they attracted the ear of David Kapp of New York City's Kapp Records. The connection was likely through the good graces of record producer Jack Gold, who gave the group their name. (Jack Gold Records had another local artist under personal contract by the name of Lou Christie). At the time, Kapp was a MOR operation, with artists like Jane Morgan and Roger Miller, and were looking for a more youthful sound.

The label released three singles from the Tempos: "Kingdom Of Love" b/w "That's What You Do To Me" (1957 - Kapp 178), "Prettiest Girl In School" b/w "Never You Mind" (1957- Kapp 199) and "Strollin' With My Baby" b/w "I Got A Job" (1958 - Kapp 213), a response record to 1957's "Get A Job" by the Silhouettes.

The band made one change after the Kapp sessions, bringing in saxman Tom Minito to replace Bobby Vinton, who was now in the service. Minito was a buddy of Drake's from their college days at Duquesne.

The Kapp records never took off, but it did get the band's foot in the Big Apple door. That connection would come in handy after a session between Brill Building writers Sid Wayne and Sherman Edwards. On a June Friday in 1959, Wayne and Edwards hooked up. Wayne had a working title of "See You In September," and before the end of the work day, the tune was a finished product.

They made the rounds to pitch the song that same afternoon. After one rejection, the tune was snapped up by the Tempos' angel, Jack Gold. Things happened that quickly back in the day, before lawyers and label suits held sway.

Gold called the Tempos that night, and the next day they were in NYC. By Monday, the record was cut, backed by the Billy Mure orchestra. It was released by Climax Records (which issued a grand total of ten records between 1959-60 before closing), and on the following Friday, the song was on the turntables of WNEW.

Wayne and Edwards were happy; they got $500 to split for their day's work. Gold got credit for producing the song and held its rights. And the Tempos were back on wax.

Surprisingly, the Tempos "See You In September" failed to become a hit in the New York City area. But it grew on the public. The record broke big in San Francisco, and the single reached the national charts in July, peaking at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the end of August.

One reason the record took awhile to make its mark was that "See You In September" was originally the flip of the uptempo "Bless You My Love" (Climax 102). It took the DJs a few spins to correct that little marketing error, not a particularly big deal back in an era when B Sides commonly became the hits.

They followed it with "The Crossroads of Love" b/w "Whatever Happens" (1959 - Climax 105). Billboard's October Spotlight column said it could have "hit sequels with either side." They were wrong; both songs flopped. Many thought that the flip was the side that should have been pushed by the label, much like "September."

And with that, the Tempos had their 15 minutes. The group appeared on American Bandstand on October 12, 1959, and made local TV and club appearances afterward.

They released the much covered "Look Homeward Angel" b/w "Under 10 Flags" (1959 - Paris 550) without Lazo. The originals reunited to record "My Barbara Ann" b/w "When You Loved Me" (1965 - Ascot 2167) and "My Barbara Ann (re-release) b/w "I Wish It Were Summer" (1965 - Ascot 2173).

"My Barbara Ann" was not the Regent/Beach Boys "Barbara Ann," but a song Lazo wrote for his wife, Barbara. Ann Lazo Shapiro, their daughter, wrote in and added that "my mother's maiden name (she passed away in 1990) was Rechichar. Her cousin was Belle Vernon's Bert Rechichar, the famous All-Pro Colts player of the fifties who held the NFL field goal record many moons ago." Music and football - how more Steel City can a family get?

After that, the Tempos faded away. Mike Lazo, Jim Drake and Tom Minito are still alive and kicking, while Gene Schachter just passed away. Gene co-wrote Bobby Vinton's "Mr Lonely" under his professional name of Gene Allan: Allan was his middle name.

But their song, "See You In September," may outlast them all.

It was covered by the Quotations and Shelley Fabares in 1962, The Chiffons and Frankie Valli in 1966, and Debby Boone in 1979, among many others over the decades. You might remember a 1966 upbeat version by New Jersey's Happenings that reached #3 on the charts.

It made a revival in 1973, when the Tempos version was featured in the movie and soundtrack of "American Graffiti." It revived their legacy, but didn't fatten their pocketbooks. The "Godfather of Music," Morris Levy of Roulette Records, ended up with the rights, and that pretty much took care of the royalties. The song still gets dusted off to this day and spun to greet the fall.

So for the Tempos, it was a one-hit career. But for their song, it was pop immortality.

(The picture above is an original promo shot by Climax Records, from Ann Lazo. Watch carefully for any look-alike shots - there's a widespread photoshop fraud of the original. The man at the top of the fake is NOT Jim Drake, but features an impostor who replaced Drake's image with another.)



"See You In September" - The Tempos
 

11 comments:

Ann (Lazo) Shapiro said...

Hi. Just some corrections:

My name is Ann Shapiro--my father is Mike Lazo (yes, he's still alive, as are Jim and Tom--Gene just died).

The picture? It's a photoshop fraud of the original. The man at the top is NOT Jim Drake, but an impostor who has been using the orig. group picture with his head photoshopped in-- I have had the original in my wallet since I was little. If you give me your e-mail, I can forward the REAL photo.(My father, by the by, is at the bottom.)

Jim did not write their songs. He was an arranger (a damned good one who did work for Pittsburgh's CLO).

The flip side of "Crossroads of Love" was "Whatever Happens"--a terrific song that SHOULD have been pushed as the single.

"Look Homeward Angel" was the one single by the Tempos w/o my father--he left the group, and they replaced him (I don't know the replacement's name, my father would). The remaining singles were after the group reformed, and my father was back.

"My Barbara Ann" was not a re-release of the "Barbara Ann" song you're thinking of. It was a totally different song ("Barbara Ann," no "My" in the title)that my father wrote for my mother (check the credits, you'll see it was written by Mike Lazo). Interesting sidenote--my mother's maiden name (she's deceased since 1990) was Rechichar--her cousin was Bert Rechichar, the famous Colts player that had the NFL field goal record many moons ago.

All that aside--I appreciate your comments re: the record-- I thank you.

Sincerely,

Ann (Lazo) Shapiro
annelsha@aol.com

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to say how good I think the Tempos were on See You in September. Great song and arrangement, superb harmony, perfect lead voice. I'm an old doo-wop singer, so I listen for the vocal notes on songs. This one is a gem. Really dig how tight the group was, and their first tenor in the three part harmony, directly above the lead. Love it. The recording is timeless.

Steve
krell44@earthlink.net

Unknown said...

I'm a little late to this party but just wanted to make another minor correction: Jim Drake is not from Canonsburg; he is a Leetsdale native and a graduate of Leetsdale (now Quaker Valley) High School.

Ron Ieraci said...

Ann, Jean - thanks; you guys have info that I'd never find. Appreciate it - Ron

Observer said...

Thank you so much for the background information about this song. I remember it from my high school days, probably playing on some golden oldies station. Not sure which version though. Lately I heard the Tempos' original version and love it. The singer who sang the solo lines really got my attention. "Here we are..." & "Have a good time...". He has a very charming voice. Who was the singer and did he has other recordings?

Ann (Lazo) Shapiro said...

Observer:

My father, Michael Lazo, is the singer on the solos, as well as the top tenor on the harmonies. In his youth, he had a range of 4 octaves.

Sadly, my father passed away on April 12th of 2016, after a long battle with emphysema, pneumonia, and cardiac issues. 2016 really WAS a bad year for the entertainment community.

Ann (Lazo) Shapiro

Tom said...

Just wondering if anyone knows the name of the impostor, as someone named Frank L. "Frankie Burke" Bergquist has passed away, who had claimed to be in a trio called the Tempos that recorded "September" (obviously, that is false information).

brentphm said...

I don't recall Roger Miller ever recording for Kapp. Are you thinking of Roger Williams who had "Autumn Leaves" on Kapp?

Gary Allan Knight said...

Gene Allan was my partner and lyricist from 1970 to 1981. He was a "Natural Major Talent" during all the years we partnered together. The man had a HUGE heart, helping others no matter their background or motives. He gave the start to hundreds of Barbers throughout the Long Island, NY area. He wrote such incredible lyrics as "I've Been Two-Timed-One Time, Too Many Times" ... or a question from a blind boy, "What is Black"? His songs will surely live on and my admiration for my best friend will never die! I cherish the memories which continue to fill my head ... forever! Thank you Gene for your wonderful imagination, talent and your phsycological understanding of life and all the individuals you helped along the way.

Unknown said...

Hello Ann, I'm sorry to learn of the passing of your dad.
I have some questions concerning Jim Drake. Nothing alarming, but personal. , If you feel comfortable, please contact contact me privately.
Eric

Unknown said...

elv3366@gmail.com