Emil Stucchio
(This is Emil's Website!)
Al Contrera
(click to visit Al's Website)
In the fall of 1958 Emil Stucchio and his buddy Tony Victor were attending St. Francis Prep in Brooklyn, N.Y. They, along with friends Johnny Gambale and Jamie Troy, formed a group called The Perennials.
They were doing a show in Brooklyn at a place called Club Illusion when the absent minded MC announced "Ladies and gentlemen, how about a nice round of applause for these kids from Brooklyn, New York, the... the... The Classics.". As Emil later recalled, "We all looked around and thought that there was another group coming on. He waved us on, and we did the show. After the show I asked him why he called us The Classics and he said 'If I couldn't remember your name from here to there, who's going to remember your name when they leave here?' From that night on, we were known as The Classics.".
Through friends in The Mystics (who had already released their hit "Hushabye"), they were introduced to manager Jim Gribble in 1959 and subsequently recorded an original tune called "Cinderella". After a month "Cinderella" made the Top 30, and then the Top 20 ! The group went on the record "Angel Angela" and "Life is but a Dream", which, when picked up by Mercury Records, climbed the Rhythm & Blues charts.
In 1963, The Classics moved to the Musicnote label and released their signature song "Till Then" which entered the Top 20 in July. Their next release, "P.S. I Love You", was voted record of the week on New York City radio stations WMCA and WABC, as well as making the American Bandstand weekly sweeps and Cashbox magazine!
While groups like The Classics, The Mystics and The Passions produced an elegant harmony, new styles of music such as the West Coast surf sound and the British Invasion were shifting audience preferences during the mid-1960's.
Through the next couple of decades, Emil was able to juggle his love of music with a career in law enforcement. When the latter concluded, Emil returned fully to his first love music!
Rounding out today's Classics are life-long friend Al Contrera (originally of The Mystics) and Teresa McClean (formerly of The Chicklettes). Emil Stucchio and The Classics remain extremely busy and in demand (in recent years, playing as many as 100+ engagements per year). And in 1986, The Classics formed a joint conglomeration called The Brooklyn Reunion, which today includes John Kuse & The Excellents and Joe Favale & the Emotions. (www.TheBrooklynReunion.com)
Al was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and became interested in music at the age of sixteen while listening to Alan Freed's radio show in 1956. A neighborhood friend asked him to sing with a group called The Overons because Al had a bass voice, which was rare for a teenager.
The Overons became The Mystics, shortly thereafter, when Al found the name in a dictionary. The Mystics met their manager, Jim Gribble, while recording a demo in N.Y.C. and he got them a recording contract with Laurie Records in 1959.
Their first released recording, "Hushabye", became a national hit in 1959. The Mystics introduced The Passions and The Classics to Jim Gribble that same year. Al dropped out of a college engineering program to become a recording artist. He continued to record and toured the U.S. until 1964 when the music industry changed.
Al pursued a mechanical engineering /sales career after The Mystics stopped recording in 1964, but continued to work with the group in the N.Y.C. area on a limited basis. In 1986 he helped form The Brooklyn Reunion that consisted of The Mystics, The Passions and The Classics, who were lifelong neighborhood friends. (Note: Today, The Brooklyn Reunion - www.TheBrooklynReunion.com - consists of The Classics, The Excellents and The Emotions)
In 1988, Al teamed up with Emil Stucchio to re-form The Classics ("Til Then") with whom he continues to perform with today.
and
The Classics
Tom Schizzano
(click to visit Tom's Website)
Teresa McClean
(click to visit Teresa's Website)
Teresa McClean is a Vocalist, an Entertainer, & an Actor
Excitement builds and soars to new heights every time Teresa takes the stage. With the experience of a seasoned entertainer, this young woman takes the audience on a passionate musical journey. With her signature moving vocals and lush orchestrations she sails from standards to pop, country to R&B and from Broadway to those Golden Oldies.
Teresas stage and theatre experience has equipped her with the foundation that allows her to embrace and entertain all audiences. Her act salutes some of the great ladies of song, from Linda Ronstadt, Gloria Estefan and Whitney Houston to Dusty Springfield, Connie Francis, Sarah Vaughn and Dinah Washington.
It is Teresa's unique style that truly captivates the audience.
She has graced the stage of some of the most prestigious and beautiful venues including The Izod Center (NJ), Town Hall (Manhattan) Capitol One Theatre (Westbury, NY), The Tropicana, The Sands, The Borgata, Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods, Westport Country Playhouse(CT) , The PNC Bank Arts Center (NJ) as well as many cruise lines.
Aside from appearing in a number of TV shows, Teresa can be heard as the voice of many characters in popular children's shows and in radio and TV commercials.
Teresa McClean is the perfect blend of style, grace and entertainment.
Tom grew up in the suburbs of New York City - when he was 8 years old his father brought home an old upright piano and Tom discovered he was able to play by ear. He would spend hours playing and soon began studying piano and guitar.
He started exploring other instruments like drums and bass while becoming extremely fascinated with multi-track recording - he built his first recording studio in the 6th grade making recordings of himself playing all the instruments.
After High School, Tom entered The United States Air Force earning the highest musical honor, The Roger for an arrangement with a quartet that he performed in Las Vegas where Joey Bishop and Jimmy Durante presented him with the award.
After being discharged, he, along with a former high school band member and Air Force singing partner were signed to 20th Century Fox to record an album. They would go on the release a Buddy Holly cover song which charted at #48 in Billboard.
After the group disbanded, at 24, Tom would go on to produce his first album for an up and coming solo artist while playing many of the instruments on the album at the then famous Criteria Recording Studio in Miami. His fascination for orchestral instruments soon drove him to study woodwinds, brass and viola by age 30.
Within the next 5 years Tom started a production company with an in-house studio and begin to produce, write and arrange on recording projects. He began writing for TV and radio advertising and in the early 90's, started scoring for various TV projects and studied with Oscar winner film composer, Joe Renzetti.
By the late 90's Tom had written for his first independent Film and by now had composed for numerous TV and radio projects for such networks as CBS, The Speed Channel, PBS and music libraries.
In early 2002, Tom began writing for a Children's Television show called "Kid Fitness" and has since scored his 2nd independent film, "Hell On Earth".
In 2008 he came out of the studio after 20 years and became arranger and musical director for 60's recording artist, Emil Stucchio and The Classics.
Today Tom owns and operates his production studio from Bohemia, New York where he continues to write, arrange and produce.
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