The Portraits

The Portraits in New York, 1968, from left: Gary Myers, Jerry Tawney, Stan Ray and Phil Alagna
The Portraits in New York, 1968, from left: Gary Myers, Jerry Tawney, Stan Ray and Phil Alagna

The Portraits, by Gary E. Myers

Milwaukee Roots

The Capitol, Liz, Nike, RCA, Sidewalk and Tri-Disc record labels all released singles by groups called the Portraits between 1959 and 1968; I was a member of the Portraits on Sidewalk.

The Portraits, 1967
The Portraits, 1967
The roots of the band began in January 1964 in Milwaukee, when rhythm guitarist Duane Smith put together a new lineup for his band, the Cashmeres: singer/guitarist Doug Weiss, bassist Tom Hahn, and myself on drums. The new Cashmeres landed their first gig backing Tommy Roe in the Skyroom at Monreal’s on 16th & National, and soon moved into the regular six-night-a-week gig there. Hahn and I had recorded for Tide Records in Los Angeles the previous summer (’63) while working with Milwaukee’s Darnells in Orange County. Around April 1964 Tide contacted Hahn about cutting two more sides for them. The Kingsmen had placed Tide’s copyright, “Mojo Workout” on their “Louie Louie” album, and Tide wanted to put out a single with one of their signed artists. We cut the song and a B-side at Dave Kennedy Studios (augmenting our session with three members of the Skunks) and changed our name to the Mojo Men to help promote the record.

Nothing happened with the record, but the Mojo Men worked steadily in and around Milwaukee, along with gigs in Grand Rapids and Detroit. We backed Johnny Tillotson and Chuck Berry, and worked opposite Jerry Lee Lewis. In summer 1965 Doug Weiss was hit with a 30-day jail term (driving with a suspended license, I believe), so the Mojo Men had to make a move. Guitarist John Rondell (Beilfuss) and bassist Phil Alagna were looking for work, having returned from a Southern California trip along with singer Billy Joe Burnette. (Rondell and Burnette had also worked with Milwaukee’s Legends on their 1964 Florida trip). Duane Smith and Tom Hahn had begun to be at odds, so the Mojo Men let Hahn go and added Rondell and Alagna, expanding to five pieces when Weiss was released,

Move to Los Angeles

In August 1965 the Mojo Men relocated to the L.A. area. On the drive out we heard “Off The Hook” by another Mojo Men, but it didn’t chart nationally so we paid little attention to it. By October, however, that same San Francisco band did chart with “Dance With Me”. We were not happy about that, but the record only reached #61, so we took no action – except that an agent booked us on a few of their gigs. (We later learned that the record got airplay in Milwaukee on our reputation). Doug Weiss adopted the stage name of Doug Masters and left to join a Las Vegas style review. The Mojo Men briefly replaced him with Billy Joe Burnette and then Tim Welch, but Paul Stefan (Stefaniak), an excellent singer and another old friend from Milwaukee (where he had regional hits with the Royal Lancers and the Apollos), was also in the area. He joined around March 1966.

During a steady gig at the Tip Top in Inglewood we backed the Coasters, Penguins, Rivingtons, Dick & Dee Dee, and Jerry Wallace. The schedule included Friday and Saturday after-hours sessions where many musicians and music-biz people hung out, and we were getting a good local reputation. One of the frequent sit-in’s (possibly Bobby Mason) was a Mike Curb protégé and he convinced Curb to come and see us. Curb liked what he heard and we signed a record deal with him and a management contract with Clancy Grass, who had an office in Curb’s suite and some sort of connection with him.

This was not the most opportune time for the band to head back to the Midwest, but Smith’s wife was pregnant and wanted to be near her family back home, so off we went. By the end of the summer everyone but Smith was itching to be back in California; the four of us decided to make the move while Smith stayed. Phil Alagna became the new leader mostly by default, being the only one interested in handling the business aspect.

Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs Tower soundtrack LP

Portraits Sidewalk 45 Let's Tell the World

Devil's Angels soundtrack LPName Changes

The Mojo Men went back into Curb’s studio, and returned to a five-piece lineup with the addition of another old Milwaukee friend, B3 player Pat Short (Cibarrich). John Rondell had written “Runaround Girl” and we cut it with Paul Stefan’s lead vocal. We also recorded the vocal for “Hiding From Myself”, a filler song for the Dr. Goldfoot & the Girl Bombs soundtrack LP. By this time (fall 1967) the San Francisco Mojo Men had hit Billboard’s top 40 with “Sit Down I Think I Love You”; now we needed to change our name. Stefan wanted it to be “Paul & the (something)”, so at a meeting in Mike Curb’s office, we began tossing out names. We thought it would be good to have another “P” word, and it got down to Paul & the Pack. I didn’t like it, but I was the lone dissenting voice so it won.

I had been a subscriber to Billboard Magazine for several years and, within a day or two of the Curb meeting, I discovered that “I (Who Have Nothing)” by Terry Knight and the Pack was edging its way up the Hot 100. This was no good! After our gig that night I began looking in the dictionary under “P” for another name. When I got to “picture” I noticed the synonym “portrait” and thought, “That’s it!” I called a couple of the guys at 3 AM (having just gotten off the gig at 1:45) and they agreed that Paul & the Portraits would be a good name. The next day I called Curb’s office and he understood, but said he had already ordered 20,000 record labels showing Paul & the Pack. So, the Dr. Goldfoot LP bills the Portraits as Paul & the Pack, while the photo on the back cover shows us holding a picture frame to go with the name Portraits. Members depicted (L-R) are Phil Alagna, Gary Myers, Paul Stefan, John Rondell and Pat Short.

Then came another typical 60’s setback – Paul got drafted. We did a few gigs, and even another recording session, as a four-piece band, but we were lacking a strong lead singer, and then Pat Short also left. Clancy Grass had previously managed singer Jerry Tawney, who had come to L.A. from West Virginia and released a 1966 single on Liberty. Tawney had since gone back to WV, but Clancy convinced him to return to the coast to join our band. We re-recorded “Runaround Girl” with Jerry and we did the vocal for “Devil’s Angels” (as “Jerry & the Portraits”) over the same track used for Davie Allan’s instrumental version. We also cut a remake of “A Million To One” along with one of Jerry’s songs, “Let’s Tell The World”.

Recordings

The Portraits always used much vocal harmony, influenced by the Four Seasons, the Happenings, the Buckinghams, Jay & the Americans, and others. Most of the band’s sessions began with a basic track of bass, guitar and drums (Phil, John and me), and then instrumental overdubs: Phil on piano or organ, John with a second guitar part, and I sometimes added acoustic rhythm guitar. On one or two sessions I added vibes, and we used studio horn men on a few songs. The four of us would lay down our background vocal parts and then double them before putting Jerry’s lead on top. Once, when John was gone, we used our friend Larry Carlton, who went on to become one of the top studio guitarists in the business. Phil Alagna and I also played on two sessions for the Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band, another group managed by Clancy Grass. The Portraits recorded several unreleased songs and we sang on a Curb-produced commercial that was never used.

The Four Seasons had hit with their update of Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” in 1966, and Jerry came up with the idea of re-doing “Over The Rainbow” in a similar fashion. We incorporated a bit of the arrangement from the Demensions’ 1961 hit, but added much of our own, along with the switch to the up-tempo rock beat. I did the group arrangement and studio guitarist/arranger Don Peake wrote the charts for the “sweetening” – French horn, chimes and strings.

The record was released December 1967 and everyone involved was excited about it. However, we were not happy about coupling it with “Runaround Girl”; we felt that both songs were A-sides. This turned out to be a valid belief, as each side got airplay in different areas. One or the other charted in several cities, but neither charted nationally. There was also some talk that December was not a good time to release it. Airplay was more limited that month because of Christmas music, and perhaps by January some stations would have already put it aside. The Portraits did a Beverly Hills show with Mike Clifford, Ian Whitcomb, Boyce & Hart, and Don & Goodtimes, and appeared on TV8 Dancetime in San Diego, but little else developed. The band probably should have toured, especially to the cities where the record was played.

In early 1968 John Rondell left to join a San Diego band and Stan Ray (Hartford) replaced him. Around March I saw a trade ad for the Schaefer Talent Hunt, a large advertising promotion seeking new talent to record the Schaefer Beer jingle in New York. Without even mentioning it to the other members, I filled out the entry blank and sent it along with our two Sidewalk singles. To my great surprise, a few weeks later I received a telegram stating that we were one of the 10 winners. We were flown to New York and, because our selection was based on our “Over The Rainbow” vocals (they didn’t know that we were a self-contained band), studio musicians (including noted drummer Mel Lewis) cut the tracks, which were arranged by Peter Matz in the style of our “Over The Rainbow” version.

At A&R Studios in New York, from left: unidentified, arranger Peter Matz, Stan Ray, Jerry Tawney, Gary Myers and Phil Alagna.
At A&R Studios in New York, from left: unidentified, arranger Peter Matz, Stan Ray, Jerry Tawney, Gary Myers and Phil Alagna.

Beyond the 60’s

For the remainder of 1968 into 1969 the Portraits had a six-nighter at the Water Wheel in West Covina with little or no involvement from Clancy. However, we were still under contract to him and, when he learned of our beer commercial, he wanted a cut. We disagreed, but at some point, Jerry went back to him for more recording sessions without telling the rest of the band; the esprit de corps was fading. John Rondell had rejoined the band, but in August 1969 he and I left to join Duane Smith (original Cashmere’s leader from 1964), who now had a Nevada-based show group, the Cee & Dee Review.

The Portraits continued with more changes under Phil Alagna (now going as Phil Anthony). In December 1972, after I had left Duane Smith and worked many other gigs back in SoCal, I rejoined. The band had just joined forces with Sanetti & Rueda, a Stockton-based music/comedy team. Over the next few years we worked Reno and Lake Tahoe several times, along with Las Vegas and many other showrooms in California, Oregon and Arizona. I was replaced in March 1975 when a drummer who had previously worked with two of the other members was looking for work.

I continued playing full time in and around the greater L.A./Orange County areas until March 1982, and then joined a “casual” band led by Stan Ray, the guitarist from the Portraits’ beer commercial period. Phil Alagna kept the Portraits going through many more personnel shifts until that summer, when he disbanded the group and joined Stan and me on the casuals. By summer 1983 I was also doing occasional gigs as a leader, for which I exhumed the Portraits name. One day that summer, as a surprise to Phil and Stan, I called Jerry Tawney to see if he could come to our gig. He made it down and the four of us got together for the first time in 15 years.

Epilogue

Duane Smith, always a hard-working businessman, quit performing in the 80’s and opened a studio rental business in Portland, OR. That venture grew into West Coast Event Productions with major clients and a second office in Las Vegas.

Doug Weiss (Masters) gigged for many years in the Twin Cities and then returned to Las Vegas, where he was the Bobby Hatfield part of a Righteous Brothers tribute act. He died October 2007 (b: 8/3/42; Milwaukee).

Tom Hahn (b: 1939; Tipton, IN) had left the music business by 1970 and settled in Michigan.

Phil Alagna (b: 1943; Milwaukee) worked in piano sales and later as a piano tuner, while continuing to gig part-time. He was still playing in 2009 as the Phil Anthony Band, mostly for senior dances and functions.

John Beilfuss (Rondell) (b: 1945; Milwaukee) returned to Wisconsin in the 70’s and continued playing until 1996. He subsequently began a wedding photography business in the Eau Claire area.

Billy Joe Burnette had releases on many labels from at least 1965-79. He scored a big success in 1976 as the co-writer of Red Sovine’s “Teddy Bear” during the CB radio boom.

Tim Welch (b. 7/41; Wichita, KS and was shot & killed in W. Hollywood in 2/72) had previous releases on Edit and Reprise and a later release on Attarack.

Paul Stefaniak (Stefan) (b: 1941; Milwaukee) had rejoined the Portraits after his military duty, but left the music business by the mid-70’s. He was last known to be living in the Yuma, AZ area.

Pat Cibarrich (Short) had relocated to Louisville, KY in the late 60’s and subsequently returned to Milwaukee, continuing to play music. He died January 1998.

Jerry Tawney connected with writer/producer Jerry Fuller in the 70’s and had several solo releases on Bell. One of his songs appeared on Al Wilson’s La La Peace Song LP, and he was also in Yellow Hand on Capitol. Tawney left the music business in 1982 and became a mortgage loan consultant for Countrywide.

Stan Ray became a successful attorney in Los Alamitos, CA, specializing in estate planning.

Gary Myers (b: 1942; Milwaukee): I worked for a large music store in Arcadia, CA from 1985-2006, while continuing to play a variety of gigs in the greater L.A./O.C. area, including occasional work with Phil Alagna. As of 2009 I had written and self-published four books (see here for more information); still playing, and as recently as January 2008, had used the name “The Portraits”.

21 thoughts on “The Portraits”

  1. This is terrific work! If, hypothetically, the stories of ALL ’60s bands could be told from within, and with such clarity and detail, this would be a far better world to live in. Plus, the photos are hilar- … I mean, excellent!

    Keep beatin’ those traps,
    –Phil M.

  2. That was so good Gary.You do a great job relating those days.Excitement was around every corner.Success was elusive but so worth the effort.Most of the time we didnt have a nickel but come showtime our wealth was unmeasurable.Thanks as always.

  3. hello there Gary,

    i came across this web site and saw Sanetti and Rueda and saw all this… and thought i’d let you know that Mel and I are still living Mel has his bicycle shop and im here painting houses.
    hope all is well,
    Paul Rueda

  4. Hey Paul, great to hear from you. I have spoken with Mel occasionally in recent years, and I was in Modesto (very briefly) around ’02. I’m still gigging, although ’09 was my slowest year ever (but I still managed a little over 2 per wk). I’m at gem777@earthlink.net
    Gary

  5. I stumbled upon this page and was delighted to read about some of the bands I used to dance to in the Milwaukee area. To my surprise, I saw the picture of John Rondell and realized that was a guy I went to grade school with at Underwood School in Wauwatosa. However, I knew him as Bill Beilfuss. Bill live in a house next door to the school and as I remember, his mother had a cooking show on one of the local TV stations. My family moved after the sixth grade and I never saw Bill again until I went out to Muskego Beach (one of my favorite haunts) to see the Everly Brothers play and to my surprise, Bill was playing guitar for them. Somehow, I didn’t get a chance to talk to him and always wondered what became of him. Great site! Keep up the good work.

      1. Alynn, John has been back in WI since about ’69, 1st in Milwaukee and then near Eau Claire, where he’s been for many yrs. He had continued playing for many yrs, then did some teaching and had a photography biz for a few yrs. I’ve seen him a couple of times on my trips back there and we’ve stayed in touch throughout the yrs.

  6. Hello Gary. I just wanted to let you know how much a part of my childhood you and all the other Portraits were. So many great memories I have of seeing you guys and my dad on so many different stages in, what I thought at the time, all those glamorous, upscale clubs. Everyone was like my extended family. Anyway, great job! My email is twohands67@yahoo.com.

  7. A bit of an update:
    Phil Alagna died on 5/30/12 while on a golfing vacation in Puerta Vallarta.
    Paul Stefan was known to have appeared on a show in Yuma in fairly recent years.
    In 2011 I released a CD, “The Portraits ~ 1966-68”, which includes all of our singles & LP cuts, the 2 versions of our Schafer Beer commercial, and 4 unreleased cuts. For more info: http://www.music-gem.com/music-available.html
    If I may, I’d like to also mention that my 2 books on music from WI in the 50’s & 60’s are now at clearance prices; more info: http://www.music-gem.com/wisconsin-music-books.html
    For whatever reasons, the past 2 months have been my busiest for gigs since 1982. 🙂

  8. And yet another small update: Summer/fall of 2013 were my busiest months for gigs since my last full-time year, 1982. I issued my own CD, “Change Comin’ On” by Gary E, in fall 2012. It contains 11 originals and one re-write of a previously unreleased Jerry Tawney that the Portraits cut in ’68. It’s on my own gary-e site as well as itunes, etc.

    1. Hi Gary,
      Fun to read about the history of a group that I played in for a brief but exciting time. I and two other guys I’d played with throughout the 60s were part of The Portraits. The band was Phil (Anthony – the only name I knew him by) on the Hammond B3, me (Rick Clingman on bass guitar, Steve Wolfenbarger on guitar and Jim Thompson on drums. We all sang. Also we had a revolving door of lead vocalists and Jerry Tawney was the only one I recall. We were the lineup that played the Water Wheel gigs and also had a great run at The Playgirl club in Garden Grove (a gorgeous nightclub). I got drafted late in ’68 and the group scattered. Great to hear what happened afterwards. I’ve always wondered. I really loved making music with Phil. Man some of the solos he played on that B3 were SMOKIN’. I’m so sorry to hear he’s passed. I would have loved to catch up with him.

      Rick Clingman
      misc@songseeds.com

      1. Ah, interesting to hear from someone who was in the band during the time I was gone. I think Jim Thompson was the guy who replaced me and I think he remained until I returned. But one thing on your timeline doesn’t match – your leaving the band in late ’68. I was with them until 8/3/69. Could your “68 be a typo?

  9. Welllll, not a typo but a foggy brained wild guess! Your reply got me doing some digging. Turns out I really missed the mark.
    After talking with some of the other guys from that period, it turns out our Portraits stint was actually AFTER I was discharged from the service (according to my discharge papers: August 1970).
    Considering this revised timeline, our gig at the Water Wheel then was not the same as you mentioned, rather a return engagement. Also, Jim Thompson could not have been the drummer that replaced you. When our iteration of the Portraits came together, I believe Phil was putting the group together from scratch. It was Steve that had already joined who got me the audition and then Steve and I got Jim the audition. Note that Steve, Jim and I had a long history of being in bands together dating back to ’65. I am still in touch with both of those guys. Also note that it is very possible that Jim stayed on with Phil when we left; we lost contact with them at that point. So you may have replaced him in ’72!
    Also, the end of our Portraits stint wasn’t draft-related as I initially guessed. Instead Steve Wolfenbarger and I left to join a different group called Everything Under the Sun. They had a serious songwriter (who was a long time friend) and he was generating major label interest. We actually began tracking an album at A&M but then contract negotiations broke down. I have a newspaper clipping about Everything Under the Sun dated Sept. 8, 1971. So our iteration of the Portraits looks to be right around one year.
    As I look through your Epilogue, I’m wondering if Paul Stephaniak might have been one of the other lead singers I can’t recall during my stint. Is that possible? Jerry, I remember. He did a drop dead cover of 3 Dog Night’s Joy to the World!
    Glad I could fill in some of the missing timeline of the group. Really enjoyed reading about the full history, most of which I didn’t know.

    1. Thx much, Rick. It was my understanding that the drummer who replaced me had previously been with a Detroit-based punkish band (name escapes me, but it’ll prob come to me while I’m doing something unrelated). I had thought he was still them until I rejoined, but that was only a guess. Whoever it was didn’t want to go on the rd with them when they formed the show group w/Sanetti & Rueda, which is why Phil called me.
      Paul Stefaniak DID rejoin them at some point during the period I was gone, but I think he might not have stayed long. I THINK I saw them one night at a club in Downey. It was probably the Staircase at the time (previously the Pink Carousel, later Mississippi Moonshine Co.

  10. Gary please forgive the previous
    attempt. As I started to say, I just heard from Rick Clingman about you and just finished your group bio and read Rick’s comments. I can’t add much to his recollections
    except Jim Thompson introduced
    me to Phil and I introduced Rick.
    Jim didn’t like the guitarist they had and the band didn’t have a bassist at that time. I learned a lot
    about music from Phil am sorry to hear of his passing. The Portraits
    was my first professional gig and I
    had a blast during my stint with them
    Steve

  11. Hey Gary,
    I haven’t communicated with you for a long time. I’m trying to piece together the time frame when I played with Phil for awhile in the summer after I started teaching. I just remember that Phil wanted me to join a group made up of Brad McKay(guitar),Stu Mobus(drums)and Phil. Sam McCue was with the group but was leaving to play with the Everly brothers and Phil asked me to to play because He had several gigs booked in Milwaukee. I know we played at Monreals’ several times, Gallegers(questionable spelling)downtown, and several other jobs. I did drive back to Milwaukee to play even though I was teaching full time and started coaching. I can’t thank you enough for the tremendous effort you put into your books.I often go back to using them for references. I talk to Denny Geyer often and think of how fortunate I was to have Denny, Phil, and Harry in my life. Ace Bauman of the Crossfires

  12. What a wealth of history here. Great job on this website.
    My cousin (Karen Nohl (Thiel) and I, Tom Schwerm are in search for an old friend Brad McKay mentioned in the responses above. Brad McKay along with Stu Mobus were part of the Saints Five a popular Milwaukee group. He once worked with my uncle Len Thiel in Milwaukee. Brad, a gifted guitar player and also my uncle a great guitar player in his own right, our families had many enjoyable times together.
    Time slips away from us far too fast and it would be good to find an old friend.

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