The Band
The date was sometime about 1962, after I had completed working on “West Side Story,” and I attended a local dance held at the Monterey Park Gymnasium. I was outside talking with my friend Leon and a gentleman named Mike Aversa.
Mike Aversa was the father of Mickey, whose band was playing that night. They were called “Mickey and The Invaders.”
Leon and I had noticed that the band did not have a bass player and Mike went on to tell us that they were looking for a bass player, and of course Leon suggested me. Mike took notice of Leon’s suggestion and began to ask me about how long I had been playing. I didn’t really know what to tell him but apparently it was enough to meet Mickey and the Band.
During this time, the boys in the band were Mickey Aversa, John Ortiz, Barry Ward, and Denny Robinson. There was also a girl named Linda Robinson (Denny’s sister). Well things must have gone well at my audition because they offered me the job as bass player.
Now I was a member of Mickey and the Invaders. I discovered that Mickey, John, and Barry had already been playing together for a couple of years. Now it was my turn.
We played a lot of dance spots. Places like Skate-O-Rama and the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and we started backing up many acts. We played with the Righteous Brothers, Sonny & Cher, Dorsey Burnette, April and Nino Tempo and a whole bunch of others.