Ribitones

The Ribitones, from Brooklyn, NY, USA, were formed in 1978 by Freddy ‘Frogs’ Toscano, a veteran of Fourth Dimensions, an offbeat vocal pop group who had recorded for Columbia Information within the 60s. Then joined up with many jazz and fusion rings within the intervening years, however the Ribitones was meant as a car to permit him to come back to his early rock and roll ‘n’ roll origins. To the end he recruited Lou Benevento (lead), Fil Spina (baritone), Anthony Carbone (1st tenor) and Carmine De Sena (second tenor) in the beginning, until Jim Speed and Frank Russo changed De Sena and Spina. Russo, Benevento and Carbone experienced already worked collectively on the roads of Brooklyn in the first 60s performing amateur doo-wop harmonies. This fresh cooperation sparked into existence using the 1979 launch of ‘Many Of All’, an a cappella treatment of the aged Moonglows standard, supported with a edition of the Un Dorados’ ‘At My Front side Door’ – rechristened ‘Crazy Small Mama’. It had been about this period that critics began to cite the Ribitones because the first ‘rock-apella’ group, due to their usage of a tempo guitar behind a solid vocal presence. Another single with the group was acknowledged to Freddy Frogs AS WELL AS THE BMTS when Toscano re-released ‘Crazy Small Mama’ by himself OFF THE BEATEN TRACK Information (it became a shock minor hit in the united kingdom). Nevertheless, by 1984 the group was forget about, as Toscano shaped an offshoot group with Lou Ligreori (ex-Riffs), Mike Paquette (ex-Dedications) and Larry Critelli and Costs Walsh (both ex-Velvet Riffs).