The Del-Vetts

The Del-Vetts (or The Del-Vettes) were a rock band from Chicago, Illinois suburb of Highland Park, Illinois.^[1]

The Del-Vetts formed in 1963 as a surf rock cover group, playing mainly in the greater Chicago area. In 1965, the group recorded a cover version of The Righteous Brothers's "Little Latin Lupe Lu" with producer Bill Traut for Seeburg Records. While the single went nowhere, Traut saw potential in the group and signed them to his label, Dunwich Records. Following lineup changes, the group recorded the song "Last Time Around", written by Dennis Dahlquist, in 1966. The tune was a regional hit, but the follow-up single, "I Call My Baby STP", was not successful.

In 1967, the group changed its name to The Pride and Joy and released the single "Girl", a regional hit, and moved to Acta Records after a corporate restructuring at Dunwich. The group's last single was "We Got a Long Way to Go", written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil; when it failed to chart at radio, Burchall left the group, and The Pride and Joy broke up in 1968.

In 1983, Burchall hit the pop charts again with the Jump 'N the Saddle Band's novelty song hit, "The Curly Shuffle". The Del-Vetts, however, fell into obscurity until the release of the Nuggets and Pebbles series in the late 1990s, when several of their tracks were included on the compilation albums.

Lead singer Jim Lauer reportedly ended up in a mental institution.^[2]

Members

Original lineup, 1963

• Jim Lauer - vocals, guitar
• Lester Goldboss - guitar
• Bob Good - bass (later guitar)
• Paul Wade - drums
• Jeff Gerchenson-vocals, guitar

Later members

• Jeff Weinstein - guitar
• Jack Burchall - bass
• Roger Deatherage - drums

Discography^[1]

Singles

• "Little Latin Lupe Lu" / "Ram Charger" (1965)
• "Last Time Around" / "Everytime" (1966)
• "I Call My Baby STP" / "That's the Way It Is (PS)" (1966)

References

• The Del-Vetts at Allmusic.com