Cryan' Shames

Biography

It all began in Hinsdale, Illinois with a band called "The Travelers." Comprised of Tom Doody (Toad), Gerry Stone (Stonehenge), Dave Purple (Grape) from the Prowlers, Denny Conroy and Jim Fairs from the Roosters, and Jim Pilster (J.C. Hooke), the band later changed its name to The Cryan' Shames in 1966. J.C. Hooke was responsible for naming the group because of the problem they had coming up with a name ... "being a Cryan' Shame." As told to us by Tom Doody, "Gerry was the founder of the group...

It all began in Hinsdale, Illinois with a band called "The Travelers." Comprised of Tom Doody (Toad), Gerry Stone (Stonehenge), Dave Purple (Grape) from the Prowlers, Denny Conroy and Jim Fairs from the Roosters, and Jim Pilster (J.C. Hooke), the band later changed its name to The Cryan' Shames in 1966. J.C. Hooke was responsible for naming the group because of the problem they had coming up with a name ... "being a Cryan' Shame."


As told to us by Tom Doody, "Gerry was the founder of the group,it was his vision and persistence which gave the group it's direction. He was the producer of the Shames".


After playing in the Chicago area for a bit, they captured quite a following which included Dex Card, the DJ from WLS radio. This led to them meeting and signing with Bob Monaco, the promotion manager for Destination Music. Their first hit single was "If I Needed Someone", which was not released in the US. It was soon followed by "Sugar and Spice," a Tony Hatch song that was done prior to their version by an English group called The Searchers in 1964. The flip side of the single, "Ben Franklin's Almanac," was an example of Jim Fairs' genius as a songwriter/musician. "Sugar and Spice" was promoted by Clark Weber on WLS radio and sold over 400,000 copies. Soon after, they were signed to Colombia Records, and released another single featuring two more Fairs' originals, "I Wanna Meet You" and "We Could Be Happy." They had a strong English Influence and first recorded at Sound Studios in Chicago.


Their first album, also titled "Sugar and Spice," showcased the prior two singles as well as new material. Its cover was a photograph of the band that was taken at Piper's Alley in Old Town, Chicago. This album held my favorite version of "Hey Joe," which was done earlier by The Leaves. Also on the album were versions of "Heat Wave," formerly by Martha and the Vandellas, and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," formerly by The Animals. These songs were all remarkable versions, but what made the group stand out from the start was their incredible vocal harmonies that featured Tom Doody as lead vocalist.


Their August 1966 version of "You're Gonna Lose That Girl" was the last song they recorded during the Sugar and Spice album session at Sound Studios.It was recorded for a personal collection and was never intended to be released.It later appeared on Happy Tiger's "Early Chicago" compilation album.


Shortly after its release, Grape left the band and was replaced by Isaac Guillory, formerly of The Illusions, and The Revelles. Guillory was a talented songwriter who had already written over 70 songs. Stonehenge followed and was replaced by Lenny Kerley from The Kingmen, The Galaxies, and the Squires. Lenny and Jim Fairs combined their songwriting talents, and Lenny wrote the song "Mr. Unreliable" which quickly became their third single. They had a UK version of the "Sugar and Spice" 45 that was released under the name "The Shames."


Around June of 1967, they released another single entitled, "It Could Be We're In Love" that skyrocketed to number one that August. The following December they released their second album, "A Scratch In The Sky," which contained even more Fairs and Kerley originals such as "A Carol for Lorelei," "Sailing Ship," "In the Cafe (French Verse)," and "The Town I'd Like To Go Back To." The group's musical ability was exemplified on this album, highlighting their complex vocals, harmonies, and guitar arrangements. It also brought about their use of bag pipes, mandolin, horns, and acordion. Next came their singles "Up On The Roof," and "Young Birds Fly." They made their nationwide TV debut on NBC-TV's "Showcase '68."


In June of 1968, Jim Fairs and Denny Conroy left the group and were soon replaced by Dave Carter of Saturday's Children and Alan Dawson from The Boston Tea Party, and The Squires. The Fall of 1968 brought a single "Greenberg, Glickstein, Charles, David Smith, and Jones." Followed by "First Train To California," and in early 1969, their third album "Synthesis". Synthesis featured original songs by Kerley, Guillory, Carter and Fairs, with Dawson appearing on the lead vocal for "let's get together". Later that October, they released their last single "Rainmaker." In January 1969 Alan Dawson left the group to finish his college education, and was replaced by Denny Conroy. Ron Kaplan, replaced Denny Conroy when he left again in 1969. Ron finished the last six months, and played the reunions at the Wild Geese, Chicagofest, etc..

The group disbanded in December of 1969, with each member persuing their own intrests. From 1969-1986, The Cryan' Shames did reunion shows, as they continue to now. The band members varied during those years, but Tom Doody and Jim Pilster continued performing with the group until Tom retired in 2002.
Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.