Tell Me Something Good: “The Critics Choice”
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — This is a tale that could almost have come from a fortune cookie.
It’s about a band that was in a predicament. They were short a musician.
The group drummer, Pete Procopio, pulled together the band that became “The Critics Choice.”
And they may be the best band you’ve never heard of.
Their good fortune continued for much of the ’70s across the Northeast. With Glenn Drewes, Andy Fusco, John Mahoney, and vocalist Adele Durham, Pete’s group made magic.
They might have been forgotten, if not for some very low-tech recordings made by a band member.
“John used to tape on a reel-to-reel. We weren’t aware of this, wherever we went, different venues., with one mic, OK? He would tape it. And then, when our group broke up, Peter took all his reels, put them in his office for 20 years.”
Adele Durham, vocalist for “The Critics Choice”
In a business where relationships can come and go like that, this band produced friendships that have lasted to this day.
50 years later, the Critic’s Choice is ready for a renaissance. Frank Malfitano will hand them the Founder’s Award at this year’s SAMMY Awards. And Ron Keck at SubCat Studios is cleaning up the tapes for a new CD release. It’s named for one of their favorite songs from the old days, and who knows? This really could be the start of something big.
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