Johnny and the Hurricanes was an American instrumental rock band from Toledo, Ohio, United States.

[1] They specialized in adapting popular traditional melodies into the rock idiom, using organ and saxophone as their featured instruments on their hits, and guitar lead on the B sides.

Led by saxophonist Johnny Paris (born John Matthew Pocisk on August 29, 1940, in Walbridge, Ohio),[2] they were school friends who played on a few recordings behind Mack Vickery, a local rockabilly singer.

They signed with Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik of Twirl Records, which led to national engagements in 1958; at this point, they were renamed as Johnny and the Hurricanes.

[3] They then recorded "Crossfire",[1] in a vacant cinema (the Carmen Theater on Schaefer Road in Dearborn, Michigan) to provide echo.

They chose these songs because they were well recognized and easier to accept with the beat, as well as many were in public domain and the composer royalty could be paid to management people.

Johnny Paris, the only constant member of the band, continued to tour with his Hurricanes in Europe and the United States until his death.

When not on the road he helped out with the antique shop and vending machine business as payment for the store front for his first wife.