Within six months of its network debut, the success of American Bandstand had established Philadelphia as a major center for rock & roll. This excerpt from Bandstandland picks up the story:
"Having successful national labels like Cameo and Swan in [Philadelphia] proved crucial to the success of Bandstand, which depended on three guest stars each day, Monday through Friday. Whenever [Dick] Clark needed someone on short notice, there were plenty of artists available. A third Philadelphia label also helped — Chancellor Records.
Clark had no official business ties to Chancellor either, but he enjoyed a close relationship to one of the label’s co-founders, Bob Marcucci. Marcucci’s plan to attend medical school at Penn State had been dashed when his parents divorced when he was 17. Instead, he worked at a variety of jobs in South Philadelphia to help support his mother. Ten years later, he borrowed $10,000 from his father to start a record label with a longtime friend and fellow songwriter, Peter DeAngelis.
They set up shop just a couple blocks east of Cameo and Swan, a few stories above the Forge Room restaurant in the Chancellor Hall Hotel. The landmark building provided the name and logo for their new enterprise.
It was a rocky start for Chancellor Records. The label’s first record — “I Love My Girl” by locally popular vaudevillian Cozy Morley — was a bust. They nearly went bankrupt with their second offering — “Calypso Parakeet” by 9-year-old Patty Brandon — when they sent out hundreds of live parakeets to disc jockeys while promoting the disc, which also flopped.
Marcucci and DeAngelis finally turned the corner with a pop song by another Philadelphia singer, Jodie Sands. Sands’ “With All My Heart” was a top 20 national hit in the summer of 1957, landing her a spot on the national portion of American Bandstand in the show’s second week. More importantly, Sands’ success led to a national distribution deal for Chancellor with ABC-Paramount and locked in a spot for Sands in Clark’s Jamboree movie.
Sands not only joined fellow Philadelphian Charlie Gracie on the Jamboree roster but brought along another bonus, the band Rocco and the Saints, which featured two of Sands’ Chancellor label mates — Andy Martin and Frankie Avalon."
Did you know? A vice investigation opened to door for Dick Clark's taking over hosting duties on Bandstand. Read more in this excerpt from Bandstandland. Go here to learn the story behind the writing of Bandstandland or here to listen to the Pennsylvania Cable Network's interview with author Larry Lehmer.
Excerpted from Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll, now available from Sunbury Press. Author Larry Lehmer's book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died -- is available at Amazon.
© 2019 Larry Lehmer
