The Younger Brothers' roots go back to 1962, when Paul Yoculan formed The Fabulous Epics. In 1963 The Epics moved to New York City and became the house band at the world-famous Peppermint Lounge.
Years later Tom Hanks would call them "The Wonders" and tell their story in his film That Thing You Do.
Singer Paul Yoculan and Vinny Frazini formed The Fabulous Epics while living in Erie. The Band performed routinely at the Sons of Italy, which had a club at 621 West 18th Street. After a little over a year the Epics moved to New York, where they quickly won a slot as house band at The Peppermint Lounge.
The Peppermint Lounge opened in 1958 at 128 West 45th Street in Manhattan, New York. It had a lengthy mahogany bar running along one side, lots of mirrors and a dance floor at the back, with a capacity of just 178 people. The club had a gay and celebrity clientèle. Celebrities swarmed into the Peppermint Lounge: Audrey Hepburn, Truman Capote, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Liberace, Noël Coward, Frank Sinatra, Norman Mailer, Annette Funicello, even the elusive Greta Garbo. In 1964, the Beatles were filmed visiting the club during their first visit to the United States.
While the band was performing at the Peppermint Lounge on the evening of February 09, 1964, the Beatles had just finished their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show and were eager to visit the Peppermint Lounge to see the Fabulous Epics, whom had developed a Beatles parody as part of its act. They had wigs cut out and fake noses on while playing fake instruments, including a wild stand-up bass with door knobs, a rear-view mirror, towel racks, and a built-in phone that rang with a long-distance call from England.
The Epics were aware that the Beatles might stop in, so they didn't want to do the spoof, worried that the Beatles may take offense, but the club owner insisted that they perform the act. Accompanied by DJ Murray the K. and a big press contingent, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon visited the club, George Harrison was ill. Club Security and Police cordoned off the whole club, and eventually the block as the word got out about the Beatles impending visit to the club. The Beatles arrived, watched the show and loved it, and from the audience gave the band the thumbs up.
The entire Fab Four visited the club again the following night, where they told the New York press that they liked the Younger Brothers, which made the papers the next day.
Ironically, the Epics didn't think much of the Beatles before meeting them, but after meeting them they learned two Beatles' songs and added them to their act.
The Fabulous Epics was the house band at the Peppermint Lounge for three years. During that period, they opened the American Hotel in Manhattan and performed for President John F. Kennedy at Carnegie Hall. The Fabulous Epics were the first show band of its kind, in history, to play Carnegie Hall. The Beatles were so entertained by the Fabulous Epics that word reached England about the Epics as the British Invasion continued. Groups like the Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Dave Clark Five, Gerry And The Pacemakers, all came to the lounge to sit and play with the Epics.
When the Fabulous Epics broke up, Paul Yoculan and Vinny Frazini, the band’s founders; with Vince Hopkins, formed the Younger Brothers at the suggestion of Warner Brothers, who had signed the Epics to a recording contract while they were playing at the Peppermint Lounge in the early 60s.
Walt Slivinski, with Neil Myers and Larry Parker, left the Epics and formed the band, Orange Colored Sky, which erroneously has been linked to the Fabulous Epics.
Around 1967, Walt Slivinski, along with Neil Myers and Larry Parker, moved to San Francisco looking to attract a broader audience. San Francisco was in the middle in of The Summer of Love and Psychedelic Music got top billing in the city. There, they formed the band, Larry Younger and The Epics, where they worked out of a club called "The Rock Garden" as an opening act for bands like Country Joe And The Fish, and Buffalo Springfield. Soon they would discover that San Francisco wasn’t their niche.
In 1968 the band opted to relocate to Southern California. Hitting the Los Angeles club circuit, they quickly attracted the attention of Universal Studios, which signed them to a recording contract, along with a brief cameo in the Don Knotts film, The Love God. They also appeared in TV commercials with Petula Clark, as well as The Steve Allen Show.
At Universal's insistence they adopted the name, Orange Colored Sky. Teaming the sextet with producer Norman Ratner, fronted by singer Larry Parker and keyboardist Walter Slivinski, who is credited with penning all 11 tracks, the band produced their first and only album.
Members of the Fabulous Epics:
Paul Yoculan
Vinny Frazini
Vince Hopkins
Walt Slivinski
Neil Myers
Larry Parker
Loren Cope
The Fabulous Epics meets the Beatles at the Peppermint Lounge
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| Front row, Left to Right: George Harrison and John Lennon. Back row, Left to Right: Larry Parker, Walter Slivinski, Vinny Frazini and Paul McCartney. |
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| Front row, Left to Right: George Harrison and John Lennon. Back row, Left to Right: Neal Myers, Larry Parker, Walter Slivinski, Vinny Frazini and Paul McCartney. |
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| Left to Right: Neal Myers, Paul Yoculan, Larry Parker, Paul McCartney, Vinny Frazini, Walter Slivinski and John Lennon. |
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| Left to Right: Neal Myers, Paul Yoculan, Larry Parker, Paul McCartney, Vinny Frazini and Walter Slivinski. |
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| Left to Right: Paul Yoculan, Loren Cope, Paul McCartney, Vinny Frazzini and John Lennon. |
