Vanilla Fudge's hit "You Keep Me Hangin' On" came two years after the release of the band's self-titled, very successful first album. The hits continued-"Ticket to Ride," Good, "Good Lovin"-as did their influence on rock music. Vanilla Fudge's Mark Stein and Vince Martell have embarked on a Let's Pray for Peace Tour with a stop at The Ridgefield Playhouse on Saturday, August 8 at 8 p.m. Special guest is Peppy Castro, leader of the Blue Magoos.
Mark Stein, lead vocalist, keyboardist, composer and arranger of Vanilla Fudge, wrote the song "Let's Pray for Peace" as he was recuperating from surgery, and as he says, "I sat at the piano and the lyrics started to come, along with the melody-'What a world we live in, Lotta pleasure, Lotta sin.' It all started to make sense when the verse built into the chorus 'Let's Pray for Peace.'"
Let's Pray for Peace is now-to go back a few decades, during the 1960s, Vanilla Fudge was one of rock's most exciting high-energy touring bands, setting the stage for the likes of Jimmy Hendrix, Deep Purple and even Led Zeppelin. After the demise of the Fudge, Mark Stein took a hiatus from the Rock Wars and developed his writing and playing skills even further, resurfacing with The Tommy Bolin Band in the mid-70s.
Vince Martell, is the lead guitarist whose riff on "You Keep Me Hangin' On" is ranked the number four heaviest guitar riff of all time by Guitar Magazine.
Peppy Castro's fame and first hit record came at the age of 17 as one of the founding fathers of the rock group, The Blues Magoos, whose hits include "We Ain't Got Nothing Yet" and "Tobacco Road."
For tickets ($45/$40) and further information about The Ridgefield Playhouse, call the box office at 203-438-5795; tickets may be also purchased online at www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Playhouse is located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street.
