Bocky

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Bocky was the name used by Robert J. DiPasquale, lead singer of Bocky and the Visions, arguably Cleveland, Ohio's most popular pre-British Invasion rock and roll band. Bocky and the Visions had several regional hits in the early 1960s, most notably "I'm Not Worth It", a cover of James Brown's "I Go Crazy" and "Spirit of '64".

Born in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood in 1941, DiPasquale began his musical career in the 1950s with a doo-wop band called simply The Visions. The band's manager, Redda Robbins, recognized DiPasquale's talents and changing tastes in music. She repackaged DiPasquale as the front man for a rock and roll band.

Bocky and the Visions opened concerts for some of the biggest names in music during the early-mid 1960s including Leslie Gore, The Animals, the Rolling Stones and the Dave Clark Five. After Bocky and the Visions' popularity waned DiPasquale fronted a band called Little Caesar and the Empire in Cleveland. His last musical endeavors were as a vocalist with a psychedelic band called Wazoo.

DiPasquale was the victim of an unsolved homicide in February 1988. His body was discovered in East Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland Plain Dealer, newspaper, February 22, 1988). The case remains open and is once again being actively investigated (Cleveland Plain Dealer, article by Damian Guevarra, December 24, 2005).

[edit] External links

• New Investigation into 1960s Cleveland Rock Star's Murder?, Joseph Neely

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