Johnny Maestro and the Crests - Live at the Academy of Music - 1974

One of the classic vocal groups from the first generation of rock’n’roll, the Crests were formed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the mid-1950s. Originally, the group consisted of two African-American teenagers (J. T. Carter and Tommy Gough), one member of Puerto Rican descent (Harold Torres), a black female (Patricia Vandross), and an Italian-American (John Mastrangelo). The group’s first release, “My Juanita”, issued on the small Joyce label, became a national hit. In 1958, the group signed on with Coed Records. Pat ultimately had to drop out when her mother refused to let her tour with the group to promote their releases.
Featuring Maestro’s dynamic lead voice, the Crests scored ten national hits in a row including “16 Candles”, “Six Nights A Week”, “The Angels Listened In”, “Step By Step”, “Trouble In Paradise”, and “Isn’t It Amazing”, before Johnny left to embark on a solo career. The reorganized Crests and Maestro recorded with limited success until Johnny and the Del Satins formed the Brooklyn Bridge in 1968 and hit with “The Worst That Could Happen”, “Welcome Me Love”, and “Blessed Is The Rain”. J. T. Carter was the mainstay of the Crests and kept the group active as a trio, performing with James Ancrum, who had replaced Maestro as lead singer in 1961, and Gary K. Lewis, who would later work with Charlie Thomas’ Drifters and the Cadillacs. This trio continued on until 1978. A popular and long-running series of revival concerts held at the Academy of Music in New York brought dozens of pioneering artists back to the stage, beginning in 1970. The producers first persuaded Johnny Maestro and J. T. Carter’s Crests to perform together in November of 1971. No less than six additional reunion shows followed over the next few years at the Academy of Music. At least one other took place in Boston in 1972. For the record, the four original male members of the group performed one special reunion show in Peekskill, New York, in 1987. Throughout this entire span, Johnny also led the Brooklyn Bridge as they performed across the country.
Beginning in the early 1970s, Boston-area disc jockey, concert host and producer, historian and enthusiast, Little Walter DeVenne began documenting the pioneers of vocal group harmony, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll using Super 8 movie film, reel to reel tape recorders, and whatever means were available to him. Concerts in New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and other locations were preserved. Sadly, Walter died in 2021, and the films were feared lost or destroyed. Through the efforts of Walter’s friend and longtime disc jockey, Mike Bollea, many of these recordings have been preserved.
Through Mike’s generosity and a desire to see Walter’s historic films shared with fans and devotees of this music, we present the Little Walter’s Time Machine Official Archives series, remixed and synched by Todd Baptista, from the original source material.
At the 17th Original Rock& Roll Show, held at the Academy of Music on East 14th Street in New York City on June 22, 1974, Johnny Maestro and the Crests shared the bill with the Flamingos, Monotones, Dubs, Mystics, Diamonds, Cleftones, Larry Chance and the Earls, and Dee Clark. Walter’s color film of the Crests' performance is approximately 15 minutes in total and contains complete performances of “Trouble In Paradise”, “Six Nights A Week”, “The Angels Listened In”, “16 Candles”, and “Step By Step”. Johnny Maestro is joined by J. T. Carter, James Ancrum (the original lead of the Crests' "Little Miracles"), and Gary K. Lewis. Bobby Jay is also briefly shown at the end as emcee. Copying, reuploading, distributing, selling, or any unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.