Here is Frank Fox and myself in the KVMR-FM studios during an interview on November 17,2007. Frank Fox, on the left, was part of Vito And The Salutations. Their biggest hit was "Unchained melody", which Frank takes credit for arranging. Frank also helped write the Salutations songs, including the flip "Hey Hey Baby". Frank was also with the Possessions on their Britton / Cameo Parkway release of "No More Love". We had a great time talking about so many of Frank's memories and his artistic work, and we played a bunch ofsongs that he had stories about. To listen to the whole show,I divided it into two parts: Part 1 and Part 2.
The first record released by Vito And The Salutations,"Gloria". Fine outing on the classic Doo-Wop song released in 1962. The"B" side,"Let's Untwist The Twist". Must have been a revolt against Chubby Checker and the Twist craze.
"Unchained Melody" was their biggest hit, peaking at number 66 in 1963. A decent flip for the group, written (mostly) by Frank Fox, called "Hey,Hey Baby".
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This is the follow-up to Unchained Melody. "Extraordinary girl" was poised to make the charts, but due to certain circumstances, it died before it's time. "Eenie Meenie" is the flipside on this 1963 recording. It really was a nice second effort for Herald. |
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A very cool promo card for Vito And The Salutations. This photo is the classic pose that was featured throughout the 1960's. This was for a performance in Keansburg New Jersey in 1965.Notice the songs they are promoting. "Gloria" was very big on the east coast, and their first regional hit. "Unchained Melody" was their biggest seller, and "High Noon" would be their latest release in 1965 when this card was printed. Ray Russell is doing the split on the right bottom of the photo, and Frank Fox is on the top row, right.
Their 5th release from 64', "Girls I know" is a mid tempo song with the usual Vito And The Salutations style. On the flip is their version of the Silhouettes "Get A Job", and I really like it!
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Taking a brief side trip to one of Frank Fox's other projects, this was an uptempo 1964 recording called "No More Love". Originally issued on the Britton label, it was pressed in both black and blue colored wax. On the flip was "You And Your Lies". Frank was on this record and can be heard very easily. |
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The previous record on Britton made enough noise on the east coast that the Philadelphia based Cameo Parkway label decided to take a chance and distribute it. The disc sold fairly well on the right side of the United States. The promo copy is shown above. |
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Release # 6 on a record label (Wells) distributed by Fargo (See The Aquatones). "Can I Depend On You", was another very good Vito and the Salutations effort. Released in 1964,the flipside, "Liverpool Bound" was just an average song, probably aimed at the Beatles and the dreaded English invasion. Vito and the group felt the heat just like most other US. groups.
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One of at least three releases on the Red Boy label, this is a reissue of the pairing that originally came out on the Rayna label. "Gloria" and "Let's Untwist The Twist". This was from 1966. |
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| The third Red Boy record was a reissue of "Unchained Melody and "Hey Hey Baby" that was originally released on Herald records in 1963. This Red Boy disc was Re-introduced in 1966 or 1967. | |
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Apparently, the last release by the group, at least in the 60's.They tried their hand with a popular show tune, "Hello Dolly".The promo version of the Rust label 45 RPM released in 1966, is shown. They flipped it with the same song they released on the earlier pictured Wells label release, "Can I Depend On You".Nice uptempo from the group. Sounds like the exact same take. |
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I Know,I know,I'm not in the picture. I think I actually took the picture! It was taken backstage at the Johnny Otis concert I mention on the Johnny Otis page, in 1989. The concert was an outing of the now defunct Northern California Doo Wop Society. We saw a few artists in concert in the San Francisco bay area, and as an offshoot, there was 6 or 7 classic Gospel groups that came to perform in Nevada City. Groups like the Highway QC's, The Dixie Hummingbirds, etc. |
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Frank Fox was involved with several other recordings, including the Possesions "No More Love", on Britton and Cameo Parkway and other releases for the salutations including I'd Best Be Going, So Wonderful, I Want You To Be My Baby, and Bring Back Yesterday. He currently has a group called Frankie and the Fabletones, and performs in Northern California.
