Category Archives: CEI

The Runabouts from Havre de Grace, MD “Way of Life” & “All Is All”

The Runabouts, photo taken November 17, 1967
Runabouts CEI 45 Way Of LifeThe Runabouts came from Havre de Grace, Maryland, about 40 miles northeast of Baltimore. The two sides of their single have very different sounds. “Way of Life” is fast-paced with horn arrangements. I’m partial to the slow, moody flip, “All Is All”.

The Runabouts formed in 1966 and expanded into an octet by the time they broke up in 1968.

Members included:

Jim Skrivanek – guitar
Joe Pascuzzi – guitar
Dennis Trimble – keyboards

Don Laye
Lew Rothlisberger
Mike Lynch
Ed Kelly
Tom Vincenti

The Baltimore Sun gave a short history of the group when the Runabouts had a reunion on May 19, 2012:

The Runabouts was originally formed by Havre de Grace area high school students as a five-piece guitar, bass and drum combo in 1966. The Runabouts played local teen dances at venues such as Teen Town at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fiddler’s Green at the old Bainbridge Naval Training Center.

After a couple of lineup changes and the addition of horn, sax and keyboard players, the eight-piece version of the Runabouts was active in 1967 and 1968 playing local dances and events and even cutting one 45 rpm record: “Way of Life,” written by guitarist Jim Skrivanek, backed by “All in All,” written by guitarist Joe Pascuzzi and keyboardist Dennis Trimble, on the independent CEI label out of Ohio.

With graduation, military service and work commitments taking members to far flung locations, the band split up after two years but then got back together for a successful reunion concert in Havre de Grace in 2006.

Runabouts CEI 45 All Is AllRobert T. Brown came from Fremont, Ohio, where he had a recording studio, releasing records on his Courier label. From 1966 to 1968 he was in the Army, stationed in Aberdeen. He continued to record bands, changing the name of the label to CEI Records.

Released on CEI Records CE127, the code RI2521 indicates Recordings, Incorporated in Baltimore pressed the single, published through Bro-Nik. Nashville Matrix did the plating.

The Runabouts had a website that is long defunct, but parts of it are available on the Wayback Machine, where I found the photo at top.

Info on CEI Records from Buckeye Beat.

The Second-Hand Bitter-Sweet

The Second-Hand Bitter-Sweet photo

Second-Hand Bitter-Sweet CEI 45 You're Gonna Be Mine NoMost of the Second-Hand Bitter-Sweet were from the small town of Bainbridge, Maryland. They released one 45 in August 1968, one side an upbeat pop song, “You’re Gonna Be Mine Now”, the other a moody favorite of many garage fans, “Please Don’t Go”.

Both were originals by Burchfield and Deaton, and Robert Brown produced the single on his CEI label.

Vocalist Tom Deaton answered my questions about the band and provided the photo and news clip seen here.

Q. Who else was in the band besides you?

Robert Burchfield, Bill Nelson, Mark Wirth, Mike Burchfield, John Oglevee, and Gary Donovan.

I was in a band in high school called the Cobras. When I went into the Navy, I formed another called the Cobras II. We changed the name pretty quickly to Midnite Mass. It was during that time that I let another drummer take over and concentrated on singing. We folded pretty soon and I loaned out my P.A. system to some Navy dependents. I went to pick it up and they were rehearsing for a show at a Catholic school. They sounded pretty awful – they were all just starting to play and sing. I showed them how to sing one of their songs and they asked me to join so I did.

We came up with the name, Second Hand Bitter Sweet cause of the crazy named bands at the time – Strawberry Alarm Clock, etc. When we played out, the kids made fun of us cause we couldn’t sound like the covers. So I suggested we write a couple of our own songs that the kids couldn’t compare to anything. We did – it worked – the kids thought we were great.

Second-Hand Bitter-Sweet CEI 45 Please Don't GoGot hooked up with some guy nearby (we were in Bainbridge, MD). We went to a big studio in Baltimore and recorded 2 songs.

The producer was supposed to promote the record, but instead he sent us 500 copies and moved to Ohio.

Of course, it’s virtually impossible to promote something on your own. I had one big time DJ tell me that he got hundreds of 45’s a month and threw most of them in the trash. He said if they had a $50. with it, he would play it once…

I think I gave up too early, but I spent a year in Morocco before I got out. I took up guitar over there and formed a band called the Jagged Edge. Jagged Edge was my first attempt at playing guitar. The rest of the guys were jazz musicians so we did mostly rock and a little jazz. It was fun – we were the only American band in Morocco at that time.

Back in the states, I didn’t do much for a while (college, etc.). When I took a job in San Diego, I played lead with a country band called Country Rainbow – great band. I also played acoustic in bars for drinks and tips.

Back in North Carolina I played with several bands – wrote a few more songs. The band I’m in now, Legacy, is a lot of fun. We played as a 3 piece for over a year. Now we have another guitarist and a new drummer. We do about four of my originals – it’s just a helluva lot of fun. I also volunteer at a local hospital where I sing and play acoustic to cancer patients and others who are in bad shape. 64 and still rockin…. what can I say – “I got the music in me…”

Tom Deaton

Be sure to check out Tom’s website N.C. Blues.

Second-Hand Bitter-Sweet news clipping: Tom Deaton, Robert Burchfield, Mike Burchfield, Mark Wirth, Jon Oglevee, Gary Donovan and Billy Nelson

CEI Records

Bob Brown had been recording and releasing records in his hometown of Fremont, Ohio since the early ’60s on his Courier and Empire labels. He continued to produce singles while stationed in the Army in Aberdeen, only 11 miles from Bainbridge. During his two years there he released several records, changing the label name to CEI (Courier-Empire International).

These include:

Sodom & Gomorrah “Flower Children” (written by Caulson, Rudacille and Brown and co-produced by B. Kuhns, D. Bush and G. Gregory) / “Twenty Miles”
The Soulations “Come on Thats Love Baby” (Lester Earl Lee G&J) / “Will You Be Mine”
The Runabouts “Way Of Life” / “All Is All ” (is this the same group from Cincinnati that cut “I Need Time” / “The Chase” on Vox?)
The Hamilton Peach “With the Girl That You Love” (Jeff Yost) / “One Way Ticket Down”
The Souls of Britton “Make a New Light” / “I’ll Be on My Way” (this group had an earlier 45 from 1966, “JJ (Come Back to Me)” / “Can’t Be True” (both by Heiberger / Bumgarner, produced by C.M. Bartlett) on Ed Kennedy’s Ken-Del label out of Wilmington, Delaware).
Sites n’ Sounds “The Night Is So Dark” (R. Taylor, D. Blankenship)

Back in Ohio in late ’68, R.T. Brown became even busier, releasing a good light psychedelic 45, the Majority of Six “I See the Light” / “Tears Like Rain” and a rare private press LP by “Eric”.

Sources include: Background on the CEI label from Buckeye Beat and 45rpmrecords.com.