They began as the Orbits in Toledo in 1957. Led by saxophonist Johnny Paris (born John Matthew Pocisk in Walbridge, Ohio, 29 August 1940 - 1 May 2006, Ann Arbor, Michigan), they were school friends who played on a few recordings behind Mack Vickery, a local rockabilly singer.
They signed with Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik of Twirl Records, which led to national engagements in 1959. Johnny and the Hurricanes recorded "Crossfire" in a vacant cinema to provide echo. It became a nationwide U.S. hit, and ranked No. 23 in the U.S. chart in the summer of 1959.
Johnny and the Hurricanes followed with "Red River Rock", an instrumental version of "Red River Valley", on Warwick Records, that became a top ten hit on both sides of the Atlantic (No. 5 in the U.S., No. 3 in the UK), and sold over a million copies. The musicians in the band then were Paris on saxophone, Paul Tesluk on a Hammond Chord organ, Dave Yorko on guitar, Lionel "Butch" Mattice on bass, and Bill "Little Bo" Savich on drums.
They specialised in versions of old tunes with a rock and roll beat. They chose these songs because they were well recognized and easier to accept with the beat. Tunes were credited to 'King, Mack' and usually one other name: King and Mack were in fact pseudonyms for Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik, the band's managers. In 1960, they recorded the United States Army bugle call, "Reveille", as "Reveille Rock", and turned "Blue Tail Fly" into "Beatnik Fly". Both tunes made the Top 40 achieving number 15 and 25 respectively. The band also recorded "Down Yonder" for Big Top Records. In the same year, they recorded "When The Saints Go Marching In" as "Revival", but it ranked in the charts for just one week, peaking at No. 97. The record was flipped over in the UK, where "Rocking Goose" reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart.
The band developed a following in Europe. In 1962, they played at the Star-Club in Hamburg, where the Beatles, then a little-known band, served as an opening act. Johnny and the Hurricanes cut records until 1987, with "Old Smokie" (their cover of "On Top of Old Smokey"), and an original tune, "Traffic Jam", both on Big Top Records, being their last releases to chart in America. Johnny Paris, the only constant member of the band, continued to tour with his Hurricanes in Europe and the United States until his death. He had an uncle, a realtor, in Rossford, Ohio, Johnny's home town, who owned a building on the main street and offered Johnny's first wife, Sharon Venier-Pocisk, space for an antique shop. When not on the road he helped out with the antique shop and vending machine business as payment for the store front for his first wife.
Johnny Paris and his band toured Europe occasionally until the end of 2005. He died on 1 May 2006 at the University Clinic of Ann Arbor, Michigan, of hospital-borne infections after an operation. Paris's second wife and widow, the German journalist, novelist and vocalist Sonja Verena (Reuter) Paris, took over his business (Atila Records, Sirius 1 Music and Johnny and the Hurricanes Incorporated) and the rights to his songs and trademarks. Paris claimed that over 300 musicians played in the band in its fifty-year existence.
The band inspired the song "Johnny and the Hurricanes" on the album How I Learned to Love the Bootboys, by the band the Auteurs. They were also namechecked in the Kinks' 1973 song "One of the Survivors", and in "Bridge in Time" on the 1990 Burton Cummings album Plus Signs.
Drummer Bill "Little Bo" Savich died on 4 January 2002. Bassist Lionel "Butch" Mattice died on October 16, 2006. Guitarist David Yorko died on 17 February 2017 at the age of 73.
San Antonia Rose
Johnny & The Hurricanes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A song of old San Antone
Where in dreams I live with a memory
Beneath the stars all alone
It was there I found beside the Alamo
Enchantment strange as the blue up above
A moonlit pass that only she would know
Still hears my broken song of love
Call back my rose, rose of San Antone
Lips so sweet and tender like petals falling apart
Speak once again of my love, my own.
Broken song, empty words I know
Still live in my heart all alone
For that moonlit pass by the Alamo
And Rose, my Rose of San Antone
Deep within my heart lies a melody,
A song of old San Antone
Where in dreams I live with a memory
Beneath the stars all alone
It was there I found beside the Alamo
Enchantment strange as the blue up above
A moonlit pass that only she would know
Still hears my broken song of love
Moon in all your splendor know only my heart
Call back my rose, rose of San Antone
Lips so sweet and tender like petals falling apart
Speak once again of my love, my own.
Broken song, empty words I know
Still live in my heart all alone
For that moonlit pass by the Alamo
And Rose, my Rose of San Antone
The lyrics of Johnny & The Hurricanes's "San Antonio Rose" are a poignant and nostalgic ode to lost love and memories of the past. It speaks of the singer's deep-rooted attachment to "old San Antone," where he once found enchantment and a passion that still lingers within him. The song evokes the image of a moonlit pass by the Alamo, a setting that seems to be embedded in the singer's soul, and which he hopes will call back his lost love, the Rose of San Antone, with her sweet and tender lips, which he longs to feel once again.
The singer's broken song is a symbol of a relationship that has ended, leaving him alone to reminisce about the past. The use of the phrase "broken song, empty words" emphasizes the emptiness and melancholy that he feels now that his love is gone. However, the memory of his Rose still lives in his heart, and he can't let go of the past, which he yearns to relive once again. The song is a poignant reminder of the power of love and the way it can intertwine with our memories of a particular time and place, becoming almost inseparable from them.
Line by Line Meaning
Deep within my heart lies a melody
In the depths of my heart, there is a tune that plays.
A song of old San Antone
It's a melody from old San Antonio.
Where in dreams I live with a memory
I dream of a memory that takes me back to San Antonio.
Beneath the stars all alone
I am all by myself under the stars.
It was there I found beside the Alamo
I discovered something precious next to the Alamo.
Enchantment strange as the blue up above
It was a strange yet enchanting feeling, like the blue sky above.
A moonlit pass that only she would know
A path lit by the moon that only my loved one knew about.
Still hears my broken song of love
My love is still aware of the song that I wrote for her, even though it's incomplete and broken.
Moon in all your splendor know only my heart
The moon only knows how I feel in its own glory.
Call back my rose, rose of San Antone
My love calls to me to remember her, the rose of San Antonio.
Lips so sweet and tender like petals falling apart
Her lips are delicate and tender like falling flower petals.
Speak once again of my love, my own.
I wish she would speak to me of her love once again, as she did before.
Broken song, empty words I know
I realize that my song for her is incomplete and my words seem empty.
Still live in my heart all alone
Even though I am alone, my feelings for her still remain in my heart.
For that moonlit pass by the Alamo
I hold onto the memory of the moonlit path next to the Alamo.
And Rose, my Rose of San Antone
She is the rose of San Antonio, and she means everything to me.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PAULLONDEN
A-MAZING Glorious sound...Could set this on repeat for an hour..
Although this band was highly popular in West Europe at the time, still feel they haven't received due recognition for their totally original sound...They influenced artists from Roxy Music to Bowie......
@rockindaddy6535
Das war eine geniale Band, LOVE IT !!!
@RossCompose
Fab, one of my favorite groups & songs. Great photos. Johnny's very retro sharp. Compares well to the version by another cool group, the Sons of the Pioneers. :)
@ivanhectordemarez1561
Beautiful melodie.
@makjac46
interesting photos of the sleeves, they look so normal compared to the "over the top" groups of today, excellent stereo sound, thank you.
@MrTroughton
Bob Wills goes Rock'n'Roll? Love it :)
@jameslynn3702
WOW!!! Nice - Now, let me say this: Have been to London, Paris and Rome. Now, let's go to the "Greatest Place on Earth" San Antone, the River Walk, why I say this is because the song is that good, to have you go there and have a lot of fun along the River Walk!!! Let's Go!!! Amen!!! We must Go to San Antone and have a lot of Fun in the Sun!!!