Johnny & The Hurricanes

about

Johnny and the Hurricanes were an American instrumental rock and roll band from Toledo, Ohio, that had a number of hits, especially in the UK, in the 1950s and early 1960s. They began as the Orbits in Toledo in 1957. Led by saxophonist Johnny Paris (born John Matthew Pocisk in Walbridge, Ohio, 29 August 1940 - 1 May 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 1959. Johnny and the Hurricanes recorded "Crossfire" in a vacant cinema to provide echo. It became a nationwide U.S. hit, and ranked No. 23 in the U.S. chart in the summer of 1959. Johnny and the Hurricanes followed with "Red River Rock", an instrumental version of "Red River Valley", on Warwick Records, that 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. 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. 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. In 1

top songs

albums

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The Best Rock'n'roll Album In The World ... Ever !

Beatnik Fly

Red River Rock

Rockin' & Rollin' (Volume 1)

Rock 'N' Roll Legend: Johnny and the Hurricanes

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At The Hop

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Red River Rock (Original Album Plus Bonus Tracks 1960)

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Late Night Tales

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Johnny & The Hurricanes' Red River Rock

Stormsville

Johnny & The Hurricanes - Their Very Best

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The Very Best Of Rock'N'Roll C

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