The Choir (Cleveland band)

The flipside, "I'm Going Home" was included as a bonus track when the Pebbles album was reissued as a CD, and it can also be found on a garage rock compilation LP on Ohio bands, Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 9.

Dann Klawon began as the drummer for the band, Dave Smalley and Dan Heckel were the guitarists, and Tom Boles served as lead singer.

Not long after the single was recorded, however, Dann Klawon and Dave Burke left the band, and a succession of line-up changes ensued.

Ironically, considering that he would later front the Raspberries with three core members of the band, Eric Carmen's audition to join The Choir did not go well; Kenny Margolis was selected instead.

[4] The Choir re-formed in late 1968 – for the second time, with the bandleader also being the drummer (Jim Bonfanti) – and regained much of their earlier popularity in the local scene.

According to Denny Carleton: "The new Choir's repertoire encompassed jazz, R&B, ballads and classical rock, and about 20 original songs.

"It's Cold Outside" is an example of early power pop and, unlike many garage rock classics, is unabashedly Beatlesque, with fine songwriting and strong harmonies.

One of the few covers of "It's Cold Outside" was released by Stiv Bators in 1979, the same year that the song was reissued on the Pebbles, Volume 2 LP.

Although it had been a longtime favorite of Bators,[5] the punk band the Dead Boys – which he had fronted earlier in the decade – had wanted to record their own version but were unable to figure out how to play it.

Don Krider, in a long article on The Choir, dubbed "I'd Rather You Leave Me" (written by Wally Bryson) "Raspberries '67 – it's that good!"

"[7] Besides competing head-to-head, Cleveland bands were frequently luring talented musicians from other groups in order to improve their sound.

This is as true of The Choir as of any other band in the Cleveland area in that time period; as one reviewer put it: "The Choir turnstile saw the entrance and exit of a number of Cleveland's best musicians, including Dave Burke, Jim Skeen, Bob McBride, Randy Klawon, Rick Caon, Denny Carleton and Jim Anderson.

The original band featured many local musicians including founding members Steve Doman (lead vocals), Randy Klawon (Dann's brother) on lead guitar, Dan Klawon on bass, Dave Thomas (second guitar and vocals), and Todd Weaver on drums.

After Doman left Peter Panic, Dave Thomas took over lead vocals and they were joined by Wally Bryson (Choir and Raspberries) and Rick Bell on sax (the Cleveland Horn, a.k.a.

[10] Dann Klawon lives in Painesville, Ohio and works as an electrical contractor; he also sings and plays piano at Lakeside Baptist Church there.

Wally Bryson is a community employment specialist with the Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation; he lives and works in Euclid, Ohio.