Alive N Kickin'
Encyclopedia
Alive N Kickin’ is a Brooklyn
band
, led by singers
Pepe Cardona and Sandy Toder, known mainly for their 1970 hit
single
"Tighter, Tighter" which reached #7 in the US
Billboard Hot 100
chart
. Members of the band included Bruce Sudano
, Woody Wilson (bass guitar
), John Parisio (guitar
), Ron Pell (drums) and Vito Albano (drum
s, live only).
, Rich Luisi when they were teenagers
. They reached success when they began recording
for Tommy James
on the label
he was signed to, Roulette Records
.
The major hit for the group was written
and produced
by Tommy James and Bob King and arranged
by Jimmy Wisner. Both James and Alive N Kickin' were signed to Roulette
and James originally considered having his friends record "Crystal Blue Persuasion
," but he liked it so much he decided to record it himself, so he then wrote "Tighter, Tighter" for them.
"Tighter, Tighter" was released in May 1970 and stayed on the US
chart
for 16 weeks. It sold over one million copies and received a gold disc
awarded by the R.I.A.A.
After lack of success with their next two singles, "Just Let It Come" and "London Bridge," and difficulties with Morris Levy and Roulette Records, the band broke up at the end of 1971.
The group reunited in 1976, and is still active, specializing in parties and weddings, although Woody Wilson is not a part of the band.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, led by singers
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Pepe Cardona and Sandy Toder, known mainly for their 1970 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Tighter, Tighter" which reached #7 in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. Members of the band included Bruce Sudano
Bruce Sudano
Bruce Charles Sudano is a singer/songwriter/producer best known for his collaboration with and marriage to singer Donna Summer, and the group he co-founded, Brooklyn Dreams....
, Woody Wilson (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), John Parisio (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Ron Pell (drums) and Vito Albano (drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, live only).
Career
The band originally formed in 1968 in the basement of the original bassistBassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, Rich Luisi when they were teenagers
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
. They reached success when they began recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
for Tommy James
Tommy James
Tommy James is an American pop-rock musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as leader of the 1960s rock band Tommy James and the Shondells.-Early life and career:...
on the label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
he was signed to, Roulette Records
Roulette Records
Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...
.
The major hit for the group was written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Tommy James and Bob King and arranged
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
by Jimmy Wisner. Both James and Alive N Kickin' were signed to Roulette
Roulette Records
Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...
and James originally considered having his friends record "Crystal Blue Persuasion
Crystal Blue Persuasion
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" is a 1969 song originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells and composed by Eddie Gray, Tommy James and Mike Vale....
," but he liked it so much he decided to record it himself, so he then wrote "Tighter, Tighter" for them.
"Tighter, Tighter" was released in May 1970 and stayed on the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
for 16 weeks. It sold over one million copies and received a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
awarded by the R.I.A.A.
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
After lack of success with their next two singles, "Just Let It Come" and "London Bridge," and difficulties with Morris Levy and Roulette Records, the band broke up at the end of 1971.
The group reunited in 1976, and is still active, specializing in parties and weddings, although Woody Wilson is not a part of the band.
Discography
- "Tighter, Tighter" / "Sunday Morning" - Roulette R-7078 (1970) #7 US
- "Just Let It Come" / "Mother Carey's Chicken" - Roulette R-7087 (1970) #69 US