Regents

Websites:  No
Origin: Toronto, Ontario
Biography:

The Regents were a Canadian group formed in 1959. They started out as a club band and then reformed as a recording band. They had a Top 20 hit with "Me and You".

The formation of the group came about as a result of Steve Kennedy talking to Peter Groschel in the late 1950s. Kennedy was working for Bache and Co., where part of his job involved answering phone calls from Peter Groschel who worked in the stock brokerage business. Groshel would call Kennedy at Bache and Co. when there were international buy-and-sell orders. During the course of talking to each other over a period of time, and discovering Kennedy played saxophone, a band was formed, and Kennedy came in. The line up consisted of Brian Massey on bass, Tommy Goodings on guitar, Kennedy on saxophone and Groschel on drums. Sometime later singer Kay Taylor came in to front the band.

At some stage, they were invited by a man called Al Steiner for their group, now called The Regents to be the house band for the Blue Note club. Drummer and founder Peter Groschel developed health problems that lasted for six months. As a result, he was replaced by drummer Bob Andrews. The Regents were working as a backing band, playing with artists such as The Righteous Brothers Jackie Wilson, Johnny Nash, Jimmy Reed, Conway Twitty, and Stevie Wonder. They also backed local musicians such as Eric Mercury, Grant Smith, David Clayton Thomas, Ronnie Hawkins, Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm.

Around 1963, The Regents broke up and a short time later was reformed as a recording band with a different line up. Kennedy hung around on the scene, and afterwards joined the replacement house band, The Silhouettes which was Doug Riley's band that included Dianne Brooks in the line up. The new line up of The Regents recorded four singles and an album. One of them “Me And You” became a Canadian Top 20 hit.

Career
After the early club house band line up of the Regents broke up, a new line up emerged. This consisted of Judi Jantzen and Duncan White on vocals, Bob Andrews on trumpet, Russ Strathdee on saxophone, Brian White on organ, Jack Arseneault on guitar, Wayne Harmon on drums and Bruce Staubitz on bass. They recorded four singles and an album.

It was noted by Billboard in the March 6, 1965 issue that their single "Me and You" b/w "Playmates" had been picked up by Red Bird Records in the United States. The single was given a 4 star rating by Billboard in their March 27, 1965 issue.

By May 1, 1965, "Me and You" was charting. It was at #3 in the Billboard Hits of the World, Canadian Records division of the Canadian chart, just behind "Walk that Walk" by David Clayton Thomas & Quintet. The following week both singles had maintained their positions. For the week ending May 3rd, 1965, the song had moved up from #5 to #3 on the R.P.M. play sheet. The single was released in the United States on the Blue Cat record label. Moving forward with the success of their single, Billboard noted it in the May 8, 1965 issue that Quality Records were releasing the album, Going Places with the Regents and that the hit single would be included. One of the first US radio stations to play the song was KYNO in Fresno. The station would later get an award from Quality records for breaking out "Shakin' All Over" by The Guess Who.

Also that year, the group had a full front page article and photo in the May 3rd issue of RPM Weekly.

In 1966, they became a road band, performing as Dunc And Judi And The Regents.

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Canadian band active in the 1960s. Formed in 1959 by Peter Groschel with bass player Brian Massey, and guitarist Tommy Goodings (a.k.a. Tommy Graham) on guitar. Later, Kay Taylor was added as front vocalist. This incarnation worked as house band at Al Steiner's newly opened Club Blue Note on Yonge St. in Toronto. Groschel developed some health problems that lasted about six months, which resulted in his being replaced by drummer Bob Andrews.

Around 1963, The Regents temporarily disbanded, but reformed within a year as a recording band comprised of Bob Andrews (trumpet), Russ Strathdee (tenor sax), Judi Jantzen/Jenson (vocal), Duncan White (vocal), Brian White (organ), Jack Arseneault (lead guitar), Wayne Harmon (drums) and Bruce Staubitz (bass). By 1966 The Regents became a road band, known as Dunc And Judi And The Regents, with some further personnel changes.

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There were several singing Regents in the U.S. during the 50s and 60s. Better known are the doo-wop Regents, who hit it big with Barbra Ann and then followed with Runaround, both in 1961. Canada had its own, sole significant Regents, who are held more or less within the same bracket of success as their U.S. counterparts. The unique, three-way-split history of The Regents (Canadian) began in 1959.

Peter Groschel was the main mover of the group during the first phase. In an interview, he provided this background information: "I started playing drums -- basement stuff -- in 1957 and joined a band called Jay And The Imperials. I was working in the stock brokerage business. Any international buy-and-sell orders had to be called in to a company named Bache and Co. The other end of the phone was usually answered by Steve Kennedy. After talking to Steve so often, conversation soon turned to other subjects and discovered he played the saxophone. We decided to form a band, adding a bass player named Brian Massey who knew Tommy Goodings (Tommy Graham of The Big Town Boys) on guitar.

Later, Kay Taylor was added as our front vocalist. "Impresario Al Steiner (not to be confused with Art Snider and Chateau Records) invited us to be his house band at the historical Club Blue Note, which he was just opening at 372 Yonge St. in Toronto. A lot of U.S. stars ended up at the club. We were featuring a floor show and many entertainers participated. Our house band was so good, we could back up just about anybody and had the pleasure playing with the Righteous Brothers, Jackie Wilson, Johnny Nash, Jimmy Reed, Conway Twitty, Stevie Wonder, along with local musicians such as Jackie Shane, Eric Mercury, Grant Smith, David Clayton Thomas, Ronnie Hawkins, Robbie Robertson and Leon Helm, etc."

Groschel developed some health problems that lasted about six months, which resulted in his being replaced by drummer Bob Andrews. Around 1963, The Regents broke up, but not for long. Reinvented as a recording band brought them wider fame and fortune. The lineup then was made up of Bob Andrews (trumpet), Russ Strathdee (sax), Judi Jantzen (vocal), Duncan White (vocal), Brian White (organ), Jack Arseneault (guitar), Wayne Harmon (drums) and Bruce Staubitz (bass). Bruce Staubitz: "The Regents recordings of four 45 r.p.m. singles (including two fine instrumentals, Night Train From Tunisia and Space Walk) and one album were done in 1964-65. They were all recorded at Hallmark Studios in Toronto. "One lukewarm hit emerged out of this recording phase, Me And You, issued by Quality Records in Canada and Blue Cat in the U.S. The Blue Cat release (label was a branch of Leiber-Stoller-Goldner owned Red Bird Records) was slightly messed up with by the implementation of added overdubs, although not glaringly evident. Bruce Staubitz: "By 1966, The Regents became a road band, as Dunc And Judi And The Regents, with some further personnel changes. "Thus the third and final phase of The Regents played out; another important Canadian band from the musically enriched 1960s.

Footnote: The Yonge Street landmark, Sam The Record Man, is now but a memory. But, back in the day when Sam's was the record centre of the universe, for a time, the third floor was opened to the public. It was a vinyl hound's paradise. There were lots of rare titles, but in those days, money was tight, even for bargain basement LP prices. Many of us teenagers could only afford 45's at 79 cents a pop. I remember looking over albums such as Meet The Majors (The Majors, 1963); It's About Time (The Kit Kats, 1967); Sandy (Ronny and The Daytonas, 1966) and Going Places With The Regents (1965). Did I buy these? Big mistake; only Sandy, which is still in the collection today. I should have grabbed them all. Note: Peter Groschel died earlier this year at age 74, after having almost recovered from a major heart attack.
-Andrew Merey, September 4, 2012