Chairman Ralph's Ministry Of Truth

While writing my advance story about the Five Emprees' 9/13/07 reunion at Lake Michigan College, I learned of the Arf! Arf! Records reissue (THE COMPLETE STUDIO RECORDINGS: 1965-1968), which rounds up the relevant singles, selected one-offs and, of course, the band's complete LITTLE MISS SAD album. (For selected photos of the 2007 LMC reunion, click on the above CD image, and scroll through the rest.)

The Five Emprees remain best-known for their #74 national "Billboard" chart hit, the Addrisi Brothers-penned "Little Miss Sad." The song kicked up some dust in quite a few unlikely places -- ranging from Albany, NY, to major cities like Chicago, IL; Miami, FL; San Francisco, CA: and even several cities in Canada, too.

For six glorious weeks during the summer and fall of 1965, five guys from Benton Harbor -- Don Cook (vocals, guitar), Tony Catania (guitar), Ron Pelkey (bass), William Schueneman (keyboards), and Michael DeRose (drums) -- had the world by the cojones. (DJ Hosbein deputized for DeRose on the 2007 and 2008 reunions.)

And even though no other single reached those heights again -- and the draft's demands claimed Cook, DeRose and Pelkey, stifling what momentum still remained -- the Five Emprees' slice of rock 'n' roll immortality is secure, thanks to that single.

The reissue producer (and label head) Erik Lindgren got me in touch with Gary Burns, who wrote the liner notes outlining the Emprees' whole amazing story (the anecdotes about the recording of LITTLE MISS SAD are priceless, but you'll read them for yourself in the booklet).

Armed with that suggestion, I duly contacted Gary -- naturally, this being a newspaper article, there was no way in hell to include all of his comments...so here is the complete interview now, from fall 2007, in all its glory...crank up that CD, and enjoy!


WE ALL KNOW THAT IMPRESSIONS CAN CHANGE WHEN WE BELOW THE DUST OFF OUR FAVORITE RECORDS, YEARS DOWN THE LINE. HOW DID YOUR OWN IMPRESSIONS CHANGE (OR NOT) WHEN YOU WERE WRITING THESE LINER NOTES?

GARY BURNS: I hadn't heard all of the Emprees' records, but I knew several of them. When I sat down to listen to their body of work, I was blown away. They made some really great records. It's amazing how good a lot of local bands were in the '60s.


WHAT MAKES THE FIVE EMPREES STAND OUT FROM THEIR BRETHREN, SOUND-WISE (AND EVERYTHING ELSE-WISE)?

GARY BURNS: I think the Five Emprees were on the cusp of the transition from pop to rock. They were mainly a cover band, and that probably hurt their prospects for survival and success at the time. They were also very young and very unlucky with the draft. I'm not sure I would call them garage rock. They started slightly before that and never exactly fit in with that scene. They were a working band and they did a lot of blue-eyed soul.


HOW DO THE FIVE EMPREES STACK UP AGAINST THEIR PEERS OF THE TIME -- ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE SEEMED TO BE A MINI-MOVEMENT (IN CHICAGO, ANYWAY) OF BANDS THAT WORKED MANY OF THE SAME MUSICAL AVENUES?

GARY BURNS: The Five Emprees rank right up there with the New Colony Six, Ides of March, and Cryan' Shames. They just weren't as lucky. It's too bad, but Benton Harbor is just a little too far away from Chicago. They didn't get the opportunity to record as much as some other bands and some of their unreleased recordings are lost.


WHAT DO THESE RECORDS SAY ABOUT THE MUSICAL CULTURE OF THE TIME, AND HOW THE BAND RESPONDED TO IT, ESPECIALLY SINCE SO MANY OF THEIR SONGS WERE COVERS (AS WAS TRUE OF COUNTLESS OTHER BANDS IN THAT ERA)?

GARY BURNS: The thing that impresses me about the Emprees is that they still get together and play in their home town. I heard a recording of their last reunion and they put on a terrific show. They love what they do and they still connect with their fans.


IN HINDSIGHT, MANY PEOPLE REGARD THE BAND AS A CLASSIC ONE-HIT WONDER, ON THE BACK OF "LITTLE MISS SAD". WHAT EVIDENCE WOULD YOU CITE TO MAKE THE OPPOSITE CASE, AND WHAT MAKES THESE RECORDINGS RELEVANT FOR A MODERN LISTENING AUDIENCE?

GARY BURNS: They actually had two hits in the Chicago area. The second one was "Hey Baby." That was not as big a hit as "Little Miss Sad," but I remember hearing it on WLS. The Emprees should have had at least three more hits--"Hey Lover," "Gone from My Mind," and "Shake." They're excellent records. They may have gotten some airplay in some markets, maybe even some chart action. They weren't national hits, but fortunately you can hear them today on the CD. They are as good as anything you heard on the radio in the 1960s. And "Little Miss Sad" is one of the all-time greats. (UPDATE, 10/23/08: I've since been advised that BigOldiesChicago is playing "Little Miss Sad" in hot rotation: for more info, visit BigOldiesChicago.com, or www.bigoldieschicago.com. And don't forget to turn it up!)