THE CITY BOYS ALLSTARS

Mike Merola started up his r&b-jazz-rock band The City Boys Allstars in the early 1990s. The members included Lew, Lou, Jim, Tom, singer Bil Kurz, trumpeter Tony Kadleck, drummer Nick Saya, keyboardist Rob Clores and singer-bassist Billy Troiani, who would be replaced by Keith Lambeth. Then vocalist Frankie Paris came onboard. So did another talented singer, Angel Rissoff. Saxophonist Andy Snitzer, recommended to Mike by Jim, would sub for Lou when he had other commitments. The Allstars’ exciting performances were well-received by club audiences. The band recorded at two sessions between 1990 and ’94; the best of these tracks can be heard on the recently issued album Look Out, Here We Come. The Allstars kept rolling along until calling it a day in 1996 when Mike needed to attend to his seriously ill mother. The deaths of his Allstars friends Frankie Paris and Keith Lambert a bit earlier were tough read more...