Epic Cha Cha - Epics - 1963

Today, we will feature The Epics Band from the early 1960s in Birmingham, Alabama. The Epics were a group mostly from the Phillips High School area and were together from 1961 to 1964. The core group members were Ross Gagliano, Rick Hester, Joe Ardovino, Bob Sheehan, and Terry Ryan. When the band broke up in 1964 some of the members joined former Banks High School classmate, Durwood Bright to form The Townsmen. Durwood and Wayne Alexander were probably the best two sax players in the Birmingham area at the time. The Epics were likely the most creative group of all the Birmingham bands at the time as you will see by the two songs presented here, Epic Cha Cha and The Romp. This was at a time when young musicians were encouraged to create new kinds of sound instead of the corporate formula music we have today.
Interestingly, at the time these songs were recorded, The Epics did not have a record contract so they made up a record label name, Anco. The name came from an empty bottle of glass cleaner found outside Boutwell Studios. They had 500 copies made in Nashville and they received them a few weeks later shipped on a Greyhound bus. Like the Vikings and Ramrods, the local DJs promoted the group. I have about a dozen other songs by The Epics so we will visit with them again in the future. The "B' side of this 45 record is The Romp and is a fun song to play so I have added a bass guitar part to the song.