Clinically Proven: The Epic Odyssey of a Band Called The Soul Clinic, Part 9

 THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY TO 

 BECOMING A TOWER OF POWER. 

 WITH THEIR TALENT AND STREET CRED 

 IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN... AS IT WAS 

 FOR CHICAGO... ONLY THE BEGINNING. 

 THEIR NEXT SHOW, THEIR NEXT RECORD 

 MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE TICKET... 

 THEIR VEHICLE TO THE BIG TIME. 

 THEY WERE THE EIGHT... 


 THEY WERE THE GREAT... 


 THEY WERE 

Welcome to Part 9 of my exclusive interview with
The Soul Clinic of York, PA. For the past three weeks I've been playing This is Your Life with the members of the funky R&B ensemble. In parts 1 through 8, the guys entertained us with stories about the band's formation, the making of their record, the venues they played and big name acts with which they appeared. Today they're back to bring you the final chapter of their story including their break-up. Trust me. Before all is said and done there will also be some surprises!

S.D. KNIGHT: Guys, by this time I thought I heard it all: a female fan playing pitch and catch with Clark's shoe; another frisky feline trying to pull Little D's pants off; Rick Terlazzo falling off his seat and never missing a beat; Larry Smith getting roughed up by a pack of rowdy teens after a show; the Midwest tour that never happened; Tony Scott getting injected with a mystery substance hours before your most important New York gig. Turns out those weren't the band's only misadventures. Out of left field, in the top of the ninth, Steve "Crusty" Holder is stepping up to the plate ready to belt another one into the cheap seats. Crusty?

 "CRUSTY" HOLDER: 

 One ugly anecdote that 
 sticks with me to this 
 day was when we were 
 playing in West Virginia, 
 I think in the summer of 
 '69, and went to a fast 
 food place for lunch. 
 We had just gotten 
 back in the car and 
 I remember these rednecks coming up to the car with fists 
 flying thru the open windows. "Go! Go! Go!" everyone yelled 
 and off I went. (How come I was always the one driving)? 
 Was I the only one Kranich trusted with his car? 

S.D. KNIGHT: Reminds me of that scene in Easy Rider, Crusty. I can picture The Soul Clinic gang riding up to that greasy spoon on Harley choppers!

 RICK DILLMAN: You aren't 
 too far off, lol. Here's what 
 happened. We were playing 
 in Charleston, West Virginia, 
 a college town, at a popular 
 college club. After our show, 
 we stopped at some burger 
 joint. By now the white guys 
 in the band had gone all the 
 way over to "hippy" and were dressed appropriately for late 
 60's drug culture. I had on my Hendrix black hat and ruffled 
 pink shirt and miliary jacket from my dads old war wardrobe, 
 homemade bellbottoms with Dingo boots. We sat down to 
 eat and promptly wads of wet tissue came flying at us 
 along with epithets like "hey fags", etc. We decided to take 
 our food out and headed to the cars. Three or four huge 
 Marshall College football players came over to Clark's side 
 of the car where he had the window down. They said "hey 
 man.. we want to appologize" and one guy stuck his hand 
 inside the car like he wanted to shake Clark's hand. As soon 
 as his huge arm was in the window he started pounding 
 Clark in the face. That's when we yelled for Crusty to 
 "Drive Drive Drive." Funny thing is they were probably at 
 our show earlier and loved us. Clark's face was bloodied 
 and his ego hurt, no doubt, but we all made it out alive. 
 Those guys were huge testosterone fueled meat-heads 
 and it could have been worse. We went back to our hotel 
 to lick our wounds and get stoned..lol 

 Only one thing to do, Wyatt. 

 Road trip. Mardi Gras. 

S.D. KNIGHT: Gentlemen, we have traced the entire history of The Soul Clinic from its roots and feeder bands through its triumphs and disappointments. We've come to the end of our road. When, where and why did the band break up?

 LARRY SMITH: I believe it was July or early August 1969. 

 MIKE EADS: 

 That's right. The Cheetah 
 was in the Summer of '69 
 cause we went to Boston 
 after that ... well, Lynn, 
 Massachusetts ...and that 
 was the last gig(s) of the 
 group. We broke up. I say 
 that because I ended up 
 driving a Mr. Softee truck 
 for the rest of the Summer 
 and my girlfriend Sally had 
 started the Summer term (69) at Penn State. 
 Then I started Penn State/York campus in the Fall of '69 
 (draft deferment!)  There no longer was any Soul Clinic 
 in the Fall of 1969. 

 RICK DILLMAN: I can't remember the date but it ended for 
 The Soul Clinic at the Aquarius Club. As Mike mentioned the 
 place was in Lynn, Mass. We think it was a mafia owned 
 club as we could smell hash smoke coming out of the base- 
 ment under our dressing room. The Aquarius was populated 
 by a lot of older ethnic men with very hot young ladies. All 
 of the men wore a pinky ring. We were under the stress of 
 having played for two weeks straight on the road. We had 
 just come from the Cheetah gig in New York and Lynn was 
 the complete opposite. I think I went through a cultural 
 crisis.  We were doing LSD at night after playing till 2 am 
 6 nights in a row. Tony and I got into a fight on stage and 
 he demanded that I be removed from the group. I decided 
 that it was time to drop out, which I did. The band broke 
 up after that. 

S.D. KNIGHT: As is the case with many bands, one of the issues that led to the break-up of The Soul Clinic was the debate over its future direction. Was it driven more by the generation gap that existed within the band or were you divided along the lines of race?

 LARRY SMITH: It was 40-ish (Tony) vs everyone else! 
 I think Ted & Bruce could have been persuaded to stay. 

 RICK DILLMAN: Toward the end our differences in musical 
 taste became apparent. I think it was mostly the white 
 guys wanting to go more rock and fusion and the black 
 guys wanting to stay in R&B. Some of the white guys 
 got into light drug use and gravitated towards acid rock, 
 Hendix, Led Zeppelin, Blue Cheer, etc. We wanted to 
 move the band more toward where Chicago Transit 
 Authority and Blood Sweat & Tears were heading. I also 
 wanted us to write more of our own stuff while others 
 just wanted to stay a cover band.  The pressures of 
 travel, musical differences and eight strong person- 
 alities finally took their toll.  We had played with some 
 of the greats, rubbed elbows with some of the best 
 musicians in the world and got close to our dream. 
 These were days that none of us will ever forget. 

S.D. KNIGHT: Rick, you said you got close to your dream. Larry was also quoted in an old news article as saying that the Soul Clinic had a dream. What was your dream?

 RICK DILLMAN: I think my dream was to be a player in 
 the music business. To make records and to be recognized 
 as a band. I felt like we got so close to getting signed and 
 making records on a big label that I thought my future was 
 in performing.  As we began to have more and more 
 demands on our time and started playing clubs 6 nights a 
 week, the dream kind of faded for me. But for one summer 
 we felt like we were on our way to stardom. 

 LARRY SMITH: 

 A few weeks after we broke up, 
 Clark and I were hanging out at 
 his place. The phone rang and it 
 was our Manager/Agent from NYC, 
 Ron Gitman. He said, "You gotta 
 get the guys together to do one 
 last gig!" "What?"  It was at 
 Madison Square Garden with an 
 All-Star line-up. The only one 
 I can remember was Donovan. 
 (We'd make an odd combination!) 
 I talked all the guys into it... except... TONY ABSOLUTELY 
 REFUSED REPEATEDLY. Hell, it would have been the biggest 
 venue we'd ever played!! I wanted to do it just to say we 
 PLAYED THERE!! 

S.D. KNIGHT: After the break up of The Soul Clinic did any 
of the guys wind up in other bands?

 RICK DILLMAN: Yeah, in 1969 Mike Eads, Larry Smith and I 
 joined Eric Qutierez and his brother Alan from the Loose Enz 
 to form my last professional band Trained Labor.  The Loose 
 Enz were a psychedelic pop band from York that The Soul 
 Clinic met in battle of the bands several times. 

 RICK DILLMAN: In the newspaper clipping above the guys 
 from the Loose Enz were identified as Eric Chester and 
 Alan Jackson because the two were half brothers. They 
 took Gutierez as their name when their mother remarried. 
 The new group, Trained Labor, was a five piece rock band, 
 two guitars, bass, drums, and I switched to electric flute 
 and we did covers of Jethro Tull, Hendrix and Traffic. 
 Unfortunately, Trained Labor broke up after six months. 
 Two weeks later Dave Bupp called us to try to sign us 
 with Oceanic Productions. He and Ron Gitman thought 
 we had a chance at national attention. 

In May of 1971 Larry Smith and Mike Eads moved to Boston and attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music. The following year they moved to an apartment in Cambridge which they soon shared with Ted Saxon who took weekly private lessons at Berklee on upright bass. After Ted moved out, another fugitive from The Clinic moved in: Rick Terlazzo. Rick had been accepted at Berklee but ended up not enrolling because he joined a Boston band called New England Smoke which included Larry, Mike and other Berklee musicians.

--------------------  Mike Eads  

Mike Eads stayed at Berklee two or three years then left for a touring gig with The Platters, later becoming the group's guitarist and music director. Today Mike is still playing guitar and working as a Musical Director in Seattle. Mike's credits include backing actress/singer Connie Stevens in her guest appearances on The Tonight Show.

--------------------  Larry Smith 

Larry Smith graduated from the Berklee College of Music, 
Cum Laude, in May 1975, with a Professional Diploma in Instrumental Performance. Today Larry continues to demonstrate his proficiency on drums, playing occasionally with several bands in and around New Hope, Pennsylvania. Larry has jammed with the keyboard player for Blood Sweat 
& Tears, the guitar player for Ween, and George Laks, Lenny Kravitz's keyboardist of eighteen years.

S.D. KNIGHT: Mike Leash, the other day you explained that you missed the glory days of the Soul Clinic while you were away from York stationed with the U.S.A.F. Did you get back into bands following your military service?

 MIKE LEASH: 

 Yes. After the Air Force I went 
 on the road with a band out of 
 Texas. Through of series of un- 
 expected, yet well-connected 
 events I ended up back in York 
 in the mid-70s as a DJ at Q106 
 (105.7FM) and ended up spen- 
 ding 10 years in radio, moving 
 into sales and station manage- 
 ment. In 1986 I opened my 
 lifelong dream of a multi-track 
 recording studio, primarily pro- 
 ducing jingles and ad campaigns 
 for various local and regional 
 clients. In 1995 I took a break 
 from commercial production and began what I thought 
 would be a one-and-done studio project called the Class 
 of '60 Somethin'. The goal was to record some classic 60's 
 R&B with some of the area's best talent. After rounding up 
 various members of the Mag Men, Del-Chords, Custer's 
 Last Band and Class Act featuring Rita, we logged in over 
 100 hours of studio time and released Volume 1. 

 Now, 17 years later, this one-and-done studio project has 
 blossomed into Volumes 2, 3 & 4 and features live dance 
 parties every year. While a few of the original members of 
 the Class of '60 Somethin' have retired or moved on, the 
 great memories of White Oaks, Shady Dell and the Raven 
 still come alive twice a year at the York Expo Center. 
 Thank you, Soul Clinic, for a soul injection that has lasted 
 a lifetime! 

S.D. KNIGHT: Thank you for being here, Mike! Meanwhile, Concords founder and original Clinician Rick Terlazzo is still actively involved in music and performing in a popular band.



As noted earlier Rick (above) is currently playing keyboards for The Sting-Rays, a fine group of veteran musicians and vocalists that performs classic doo-wop/soul at venues in York and York County.

------------------   Rick Terlazzo 

 RICK TERLAZZO: One of the greatest benefits of playing 
 music with others, be it rehearsal or a gig, was that it 
 melted away all my problems. I missed that when I went 
 to the other side of the desk and started booking groups 
 from Maine to Key West and then for 12 years in Las 
 Vegas. Now after booking groups for 36 years I started 
 playing again, back in York, with "The Sting-Rays". 
 What's next ? 



The picture above shows Rick T in the back row, gray jacket, posing with the Sting-Rays. In front of Rick is The Professor, Dave Bupp, lead singer of the Magnificent Men, who made a guest appearance with the band at one of their gigs.

 Gentlemen, at this time I am delighted 

 to welcome back as my surprise guest 

 the Magnificent Man himself, Dave Bupp! 

 Dave is with us again today because 

 he has a few words to say about a 

 band called The Soul Clinic. Dave? 

 DAVE DUPP: I really liked the guys 
 in the SOUL CLINIC. They were a 
 bunch of great guys with talent to 
 match. After the Del-Chords split 
 up and Buddy and I hit the road 
 with THE MEN, the SOUL CLINIC 
 took it from there. They became 
 the local stars. I think they should 
 have recorded more songs. But 
 SO SHARP is a classic!!! 
 Somewhere between me and Buddy 
 leaving town, the guys in the CLINIC 
 became hippies LOL!!! It was actually Larry Smith who 
 turned me on to CTA (Chicago), Blood, Sweat & Tears, 
 Hendrix, etc. They, like all of us, thought we had to 
 change with the times. Looking back now, I realize that 
 both the MEN and the CLINIC should have continued doing 
 R & B. No telling what the two groups could have 
 accomplished during the 70's. 


 How 'bout a nice round 

 of applause for Dave? 

...aaaaaw YEAH! 


S.D. KNIGHT: Crusty, I noticed you grinning like a Cheshire cat as Dave spoke. Do you know something we don't know? 

 STEVE "CRUSTY" HOLDER: I thought I had thrown out 
 all of my old Soul Clinic memorabilia but, as I mentioned 
 Wednesday, Patty had saved some in a scrapbook that 
 I located just this week in our storage unit here in good old 
 York, Pa. The greatest find of all is a set of pictures taken 
 at York College when the Soul Clinic played there along 
 with the Magnificent Men. The crowd shot above shows 
 Dave Bupp on stage during the Mag Men part of the show. 

 All these years I remembered playing in a show that also 
 featured the Magnificent Men and now I finally have the 
 picture to prove it. This means the York College event 
 that brought together the Mag Men and the Soul Clinic 
 probably took place in the fall of '68 instead of the spring. 

S.D. KNIGHT: Amazing, Crusty! Thanks for the updated info and for digging up those long lost, super rare pics just in time for today's finale! As you look at those pictures, Steve, and reflect on your year long stint with the band, what is your interpretation of the Soul Clinic experience?

 STEVE "CRUSTY" HOLDER: It was a great time overall 
 and a wonderful, unique experience that I feel privileged 
 to have had. The only regret I have is how suddenly it 
 ended. In some respects I feel like we blew a great 
 opportunity but then other times I think we were just a 
 victim of the changing music scene at the time. 

---------------   Steve "Crusty" Holder  

 I've got amazing memories of playing with the Soul Clinic. 
 I mean, the list of groups we got to open for and some- 
 times backup was incredible. Who would have thought 
 that Patty LaBelle would go on to be a superstar and one 
 of her backup singers, Cindy Birdsong, would move on to 
 the Supremes? 

 And the places we got to play! Just Google The Village Gate 
 in Greenwich Village and look at the list of performers that 
 played there. As Little D explained, we were there to be 
 heard by talent scouts from record studios. My memory of 
 the Village Gate show includes Tony running behind the 
 stage and barfing in the middle of a set because he shot up 
 something that day. I'll repeat what Rick said. Tony was 
 not a druggy. He just hooked up with someone in New York 
 who pushed him into it. That was the same weekend my 
 car ended up impounded at a pier because I left it in a 
 no parking zone. 

 I recently read an article in a history magazine on the 
 disco era and found that the Cheetah Club in NYC was 
 considered the granddaddy of the big discos (ie. Studio 54, 
 etc.) so we got to play at two of the most iconic venues 
 of that era. 

S.D. KNIGHT: Bruce Delauder, we haven't heard from you in
a while. What do you remember most about The Soul Clinic?

------------------   Bruce Delauder 

 BRUCE DELAUDER: There are many memorable occasions 
 with the group.  As Crusty mentioned one of them was 
 playing with Patti LaBelle and later seeing Cindy Birdsong, 
 one of her Blue Belles, become a member of the Supremes. 
 Other top memories include seeing the O’Jays, Manhattans, 
 Intruders, David Ruffin and the Parliaments on national TV 
 after having backed them up on stage. One of my most 
 memorable moments was playing at that Village Gate show 
 in New York City while Nina Simone was the main attraction 
 in the upstairs lounge. 

 Perhaps the most rewarding and heartfelt experience 
 playing in the Soul Clinic and all the groups has been 
 the camaraderie we had and how it exists to this very 
 day even though we don’t see or speak to one another 
 on a regular basis. And moreover how our love for music 
 hasn’t diminished at all over these years. 

S.D. KNIGHT: What's up with you these days, Bruce?

 BRUCE DELAUDER:  I’m still a music enthusiast, regularly 
 attending concerts in the metropolitan Washington DC 
 area. I have a family member who is currently in the music 
 business playing at the international level. My cousin, 
 Scott Ambush, is bass player for the jazz fusion band 
 Spyro Gyra. When Scott’s in the area I can't wait to 
 get my family tickets for the show. 

 S.D. KNIGHT: Ted Saxon, as far as you're concerned what 
was the best part about being a member of The Soul Clinic?

--------------------   Ted Saxon 

 TED SAXON: For me the best thing about being in 
 The Soul Clinic is the lifelong friendships that I made. 
 These are the best friends of my life. Traveling with the 
 guys was a brotherhood that has lasted through all 
 these years. When we talk or get together, it seems 
 time has stood still. The only thing I regret is that we 
 didn't get pictures with all the wonderful musicians 
 we played with. No one carried cameras back then. 
 We lived in the moment. 

 Ted Saxon & the Clinic at the 

 York College, Mag Men show 

 RICK DILLMAN: I'd like to add something about Bruce 
 and Ted. They are both humble gentlemen and reluctant 
 to blow their own horns if you will, but I can sum up their 
 relationship with The Soul Clinic by telling you that they 
 both loved this band and we all feel like brothers to this 
 day. I love these guys and have shared something that a 
 lot of people never get to share with anyone let alone 7 
 others. 

S.D. KNIGHT: Daddy C... any final thoughts to share about The Soul Clinic?

 THOM "DADDY C" COLSON: 

 I LOVED THE SOUL CLINIC! 
 I don't think there was ever 
 a better band to come out 
 of York, PA. I say that 
 because Dave Bupp and 
 Buddy King were the only 
 members of The Mag Men 
 to come from York. Don't 
 get me wrong...I loved 
 The Magnificent Men, but 
 The Soul Clinic was com- 
 pletely different from them 
 in that their sound was 
 grittier and somewhat funkier. It's amazing how all these 
 years later, I can still see and hear The Soul Clinic in my 
 head. Hard to believe they never got further than the local 
 "teen scene" because they certainly deserved to. Their 
 recording of Dyke & The Blazers' "So Sharp", backed with 
 "No One Loves Me Anymore" on Bay Sound records, is a 
 fine example of how talented these gentlemen were. But, 
 the record doesn't compare to the impact of their dynamic, 
 live performance. I feel so fortunate to have seen this 
 wonderful band as many times as I have. I'm 60 years 
 old now, and many memories of that era are beginning 
 to fade. My memories of The Soul Clinic have not. 
 I hope they never do! 

S.D. KNIGHT: Larry, If you'll excuse the pun, this has been an interview of Epic proportions. What's the one thing that you want people to remember about the Soul Clinic?

 LARRY SMITH: 

 We were always excited to 
 get out and play. It was very 
 important for us to move an 
 audience and always "bear 
 down" and go beyond what 
 you thought you were capable 
 of. Consistency was very 
 important. We wanted to be 
 the best we could be and 
 hopefully, one day make a 
 comfortable living doing 
 what we loved. 

 RICK DILLMAN: We were linked by music, laughter and 
 love for each other and will never forget the time we 
 shared trying make great music. 

------------------   Rick Dillman  

 I would like people especially in York to know that we were 
 one of them, that we played for them and appreciated all 
 their support. That we played as hard as we could to make 
 the fans have a good time every time we played. 

 LARRY SMITH: I am so grateful for the opportunities I've 
 had and the life long bond & shared experiences with my 
 comrades. I certainly never got "rich" playing music, but 
 music made me RICH in other ways. Even though I don't 
 play as much as I'd like to, I still play. I was fortunate to 
 have studied with, played with, or met some of the biggest 
 stars in the r n' b and jazz worlds. I love playing any style 
 and making it "groove". Especially rewarding is improvisation 
 between players.  When it happens just right, it can be 
 remarkably spiritual and satisfying! And...thanks to all of 
 you out there who enjoyed our performances and gave us 
 your energy!!  God bless! 

S.D. KNIGHT: On that note I will say thank you very much Larry Smith, Rick Terlazzo, Rick "Little D" Dillman, Mike Eads, Ted Saxon, Bruce Delauder, Clark Miller, Mike Leash, Barry Shultz, Steve "Crusty" Holder, Ed Furst, Steve Kranich, Thom "Daddy C" Colson and Dave Bupp for sharing your memories of The Soul Clinic!

 RICK DILLMAN:  I want to tell you that we love your blog 
 and are honored to be mentioned on it. It's a wonderful trip 
 back to some of our fondest memories. 

S.D. KNIGHT:  Thank you very much, Rick. I assure you that the honor is all mine!


 Special Comment: 

44 years ago, The Soul Clinic recorded and released their rendition of "So Sharp." When the record hit the street, it ramped up the excitement for eight guys who were already enjoying the heady perquisites of an up-and-coming band. During its lifespan The Clinic played at venues large and small, performing with some of the greatest names in Soul, R&B and Rock. In doing so, these eight got the chance to live a fantasy shared by many young men... to join a band, make a record, play on stage in front of an audience and experience the cheers and applause of appreciative fans.

A proud product of Soul Mecca York, The Soul Clinic emerged from the same primordial soup that wrought The Del-Chords and The Magnificent Men. There must have been something in the water supply back then. So many young people in Central Pennsylvania were drawn to soul music and R&B. Some, like the guys that I have introduced to you over the last three weeks, were compelled to join bands and make their own sweet music. Soul is a feeling. There's no way to teach it... no way to preach it. It's inside you. It was inside many of us back in old York. It was inside the Magnificent Men and The Soul Clinic. Soul flourished on the bandstand
at White Oaks and dominated the jukebox at the Shady Dell. I wouldn't trade that feeling for the world. None of us would.

The Soul Clinic had the right stuff to attain national stardom but the big break never materialized and they fell short of their dream. They might not have made it all the way to the top but they left an indelible impression on the minds, hearts and souls of their many fans including me and the rest of the Shady Dell's Rodentia Intelligentsia.

Clinically proven to provide fast, effective relief for anyone mired in the muck of musical mediocrity, The Soul Clinic was the real deal, a local dream team of musicians, singers and songwriters with a love of the music and a determination to make their mark by producing their own authentic brand. The Soul Clinic heeded the call, took up their instruments, hit the road and turned the function out.

The Soul Clinic meant something to me in my youth. I saw them perform. I bought their record and I still own it. The Soul Clinic means even more to me now. I idolize each and every one of these guys. It was a distinct pleasure getting to know them over the past year and working with them to produce this unprecedented 9-volume blog series. It wasn't easy...(more like a difficult birth, right guys?)...but nothing worth doing ever is. Now at long last their story has been told and everyone involved has a deep sense of satisfaction.

 They are the eight... 

 They are the great... 

 They are  The Soul Clinic. 

 They are a band of brothers to me 

 and we will be friends for life. 

 More than forty years after 

 they last performed together 

 legend lives on... 

 remembered... respected... 

 and ever  So Sharp. 

Have a Shady day!