Darryl Vincent (1942 - 1975) The Original Flares started out in the late '50s. The band recorded a series of 45 singles for Sandy Records in Mobile, AL., Crash Records in New Orleans, La., Chess Records in Chicago, Ill. and one single and one 10 song album on Astro Records in Mobile, Al.
These singles have been released on eight compilation (multi-artists) CD's world wide through the '90s (Darryl Vincent Music Link). on the early records were Darryl, Jimmy Pasquale, Sonny Roth, Denny Powers and Zack Martin, all from Meridian, MS. George Cummings (later Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show) was hired when J Pasquale had to go to camp to take his place in '58. After Jimmy returned, the band got a job in Gulf Shores at the Canal Lounge, 5 nights a week. Zack couldn't leave Meridian, so the band recruited Austin Phillips to drum. The Flares got another gig in Mobile at the big Melody Club next to Brookley Field Air force base. The Club seated hundreds of people and Darryl & The Flares from Meridian packed it out. Two black guys were hired to play with the band, Eddie Connors on vocals who had a regional hit at the time with" World of Make Believe", and Prince Connelly on blues guitar and vocals. One of the first integrated band in the South in '58.
Austin had to go back to high school so the band drafted Knobby Lowell to replace him on drums. They loaded up Darryl's Volkswagen bus and drove to Chicago, our first big trip to a large city. the band landed an audition at Chess Records and followed with two singles with Etta James, Larry Williams and Harvey Fuqua of the Moonglows (Etta's husband at the time) singing background vocals.(see below) One song was "Shed No Tears". Darryl Vincent was already signed to Sandy Records in Mobile which caused some complications with the Chess recorded singles and the Chess recordings were not released. While in Chicago doing the Chess Records recordings the band rented a big room with 5 beds across the street from the record company. One day when the old black maid came in to clean, she told the band that the room they were staying in was Al Capone's main hotel suite. The next day the band went to record and left the VW bus outside the door of the studio in broad daylight. After hours of recording in the studio the band returned to find someone had broken into the bus and stolen everything they had brought to Chicago clothes, shoes, luggage, etc. and Jimmy's shotgun which they had brought along. Totally wiped out! Luckily the band had left their instruments and amps inside and they survived. the band told Leonard Chess ( the owner of the record company) and he wrote a check for $150. The band later learned that a ring of Chicago policemen had been busted for breaking into cars. Darryl passed in 1975 and is buried in Meridian. He was 33 years old.
