1960s TEEN BEAT

THE DESERT KINGS (MA)

The Midnight Hours were Anthony Parente (v), Archie Smith (o), John Smith (g), Mark Ropi (g), Allen Smith (b) and Dave Bernard (d).

Bernard, Smith and Ropi were soon replaced by David Catman Fuller (d), Allen Campbell Haig (b) and the Sobieski brothers (ho). 

When Tony was a senior in Framingham high school, he was approached by a group of under classmen, asking if he could sing and if he wanted to play in a band. Framingham by then sported a couple of local combos. Tony remembers the Rendells, One Way Out, and Apoplexy. The newly formed group assembled their instruments, sporting mostly Fender and Vox gear, and was set to go. Tony recalls their PA system was "trash".
 
Tony: "We usually played Metro West, MA, colleges in Boston, most notably the Saturday Night Cop Hops sponsored by the Framingham Auxiliary Police. It was our regular gig".