The way I've heard it is this: it was actually Reddy Teddy who were first approached by Columbia Records when that label was seeking a tough new sound in the post-Stones vein. The label asked the band to sign, but with one condition: they would have to replace John Morse, their lead singer, with someone that the label liked better. The band, to their credit, declined. Columbia went to their second choice, a band that had recently relocated from Laconia, New Hampshire, featured a hard-edged sound similar to Reddy Teddy's, and shared a close relationship with WBCN DJ Maxanne Sartori. That band was called Aerosmith...and the rest as they say is history.

The story with Mercury, the other label that was following RT, wasn't much happier. Ted von Rosenvinge, the band's original bass player, says of those early days:
After gaining local popularity in Winchester, Mercury came to Boston (Sept. 1972) and whisked us off to New York for a demo at their W. 57th street studios and a gig at the Mercer Arts Center. We subsequently did a demo at Intermedia Studios on Newbury St. where Aerosmith did their first LP... where we recorded a ballbuster version of 'Teddy Boy', 'Moon Out', and a few others including one of mine called 'Its Breaking Me Up' (w/help from Morse and Mackenzie). Also note that a brief predecessor to Reddy Teddy was Cosmos Topper with Scott Baerenwald on drums (Marino was in the army). Scott later replaced me when I quit to go to engineering school. "

Several months after Mercury arranged the September of 1972 demo and Mercer gig, the label signed the New York Dolls, with whom Reddy Teddy had shared bills. The label's Paul Nelson had followed the Dolls closely since their Dec., '72 reformation- with new drummer Jerry Nolan replacing the deceased Billy Murcia. It seems to me that this was a particularly bad bit of timing for Reddy Teddy. I mean, even though the band could play better than the Dolls at that stage, the Dolls were so much more over the top in terms of their image and their stage act. The Dolls also had gotten a shitload of publicity, and they'd generated a substantial industry buzz in NYC. David Johansen has said "it was real easy to take over because there was nothing happening...we were the only band around, really, so we didn't have to be that good". As the only game in town for a year or so, and with Bowie, Lou Reed, the Max's Kansas City crowd, and the veterans of Warhol's Factory scene lionizing the band, they could do no wrong. So it was inevitable that Mercury would put more push into signing and promoting the Dolls, to the detriment of their other potential "glam" band - Reddy Teddy. This of course underscores a major issue with the Boston bands of the period: with no real music industry apparatus in town, you can only guess what would have happened if a band like Reddy Teddy (or the Real Kids, DMZ, Fox Pass, etc.) -had been working out of New York. When you consider the critical acclaim heaped upon the New York Dolls, and the longevity and success enjoyed by Aerosmith, it's painful to see that Reddy Teddy have been largely overlooked.

Matthew MacKenzie talks and tangos- 1977 style -with local DJ Maxanne Sartori. A prime mover in the seventies Boston scene, Maxanne was one of the key people instrumental in promoting Aerosmith, Reddy Teddy and other local rockers.

Columbia probably had a much easier time marketing Aerosmith than they would have with Reddy Teddy. For one thing, Aerosmith's songs have a cohesive feel that is readily identifiable as their own - noticeable Rolling Stones and Yardbirds influences notwithstanding. Reddy Teddy were a far more eclectic band, stylistically, than Aerosmith- or most of their other contemporaries, for that matter. True, like Aerosmith and the Dolls, there is a similar marriage here of 50's rock, British Invasion heavy on the mod, and glam...no surprise given that all three gigged on much the same New England - New York circuit, at venues like the Mercer Arts Center and the Stone Phoenix. "Moron Rock" and "Magic, Magic" could have been Dolls songs, if you removed the trippy bridge from the latter; "Teddy Boy" would have lived happily on any of the first three Aerosmith LP's. But listening to Reddy Teddy's eponymous 1976 LP is like a trip through the family tree of seventies rock styles, although the band never mimicked. It's just that Matthew MacKenzie was a writer with a broad and varied palette, an explorer who wouldn't settle for mining a single vein when there was a whole mountain of pop and rock to burrow through.

B and W copy of LP front/back covers (the real cover is in color)
L to R: John Morse, Bug Witt, Matthew MacKenzie, Scott Baerenwald

Spending 39 minutes with the Reddy Teddy LP is a very worthwhile use of your time. "Boys and Girls" combines elements of Richie Valens and the Champs with pure power pop. "Shark in the Dark" recalls Peter Townsend's classic mid-period writing for the Who, as do the verses in "Moron Rock" and "Magic Magic". Not all of the Teddy tunes recall earlier or contemporary influences, to be sure. There are tunes like "Ooh-Wow!" and "Novelty Shoes", which are pure Reddy Teddy, quintisential Boston rock; these are tunes referential only to fellow Beanscenesters like Willie "Loco" Alexander and the Boom Boom Band. Other elements of Rt's recorded work point solidly towards the future. "Ooh-Wow!" predates and harkens to Meatloaf's later (and best) material. Bits of "Magic Magic" sound like LA's great X, and the song "Romance" would be just as comfortable in a set by Oasis, Buffalo Tom, Dinosaur, Jr. or any other 90's band. The guitar interplay of songs like "Magic Magic" and "Romance" point the way towards groups like Television, and match the intensity of Todd Rundgren's work with the Nazz. Indeed, it's no surprise that years later, when Richard Lloyd left Television, he recruited Matthew MacKenzie to play guitar on the very solid "Alchemy" LP.

John Morse and Matthew MacKenzie, 1977.

The band's headquarters, located at a rented house in Alston, was known universally as the Reddy Teddy House. It was the scene of infamous rock hijinx involving the creme de la creme of Boston's underground scene, as well as most of the more important New York bands that would later go on to make their mark. It was Billy Cole, the Record Garage's manager and a roadie for the Teddy's, that introduced me to them in the late mid-70's. My first out of body rock and roll experience was at a party at the Teddy House. I think the bash was thrown to honor the Ramones, who were in town to play one of their earliest Beantown shows. I remember arriving with Billy and Tony Cozzone (rhymes with "baloney"), a loveable wiseguy who also worked selling guitars over at the Record Garage. Besides being my earliest get-high partners, Billy and Tony were guys who I admired a lot, both a few years older than me, both with the look and lifestyle of true rebel rockers. Within fifteen minutes Billy had disappeared into an upstairs bedroom with a tiny, very cute blonde seemstress who worked for Aerosmith, while Tony was dragged into a bathroom, from whence he emerged a while later with a satisfied smile, and a young lady whose extremely red nose and chin all but screamed "blowjob". I myself had none of the all-important rock cachet that made for such spontaneous eruptions of groupie affection, but I was amazed that there really were such things as "groupies" in real life. Before long I was in a conversation with some New Yorker about the infamous couch in the Teddy's living room: "that fucking couch had seen more teenage ass than a high school proctologist", he told me, "but watch out- the bass player for the Dolls crashed on it last week and a few days ago he found out he got the crabs". I couldn't tell whether he meant that the crabs had been passed to or from the Dolls, but it didn't really matter. Here were all these cats talking about the bands that I had heretofore only known as larger-than-life photos on a record sleeve or magazine, but most of these people seemed to know those bands as regular people. There was a magic about the Teddy house, an excitement that was palpable. I was sold on the whole local scene immediately.

John Jules (Foxpass), Willie "Loco" Alexander and Matthew MacKenzie share a laugh and a brewski, 1977.The shy fellow highlighted in the circular inset in the background is the Cars' bass player Benjamin Orr.

One thing that I have to point out, as a producer and audio engineer: Reddy Teddy had a command of the recording studio that far outstripped any of their local contemporaries. The Teddy LP has a plethora of creative techniques used throughout. Tape speeds are messed with, sound effects are introduced, the multitracking of the guitars is solid and clean. The arrangements are orchestral in many ways, with lush vocal harmonies on all the songs, and tape edits a-la Beach Boys and Beatles in a few spots. The LP credits note "Production Supervision by Maxanne Sartori, Willie Alexander and Matthew Mackenzie at Northern Recording, Maynard, Massachusetts". I can't recall a better produced or mixed record made by any Boston band during this period- even Jack Douglas's wonderful work with the first Aerosmith LP rates "as good as", not "better then".

I did some 8-track work at my first home studio (So-So Studios) with Matthew's group the Roosters in 1984, and then 8-track sessions at my "real" studio, Fort Apache in 1986. They were both a blast, and I could see that Matt had a tremendous natural feel for the studio. Both in '84 and in '86 I was frustrated that we only had eight tracks to work with, and no budget whatsoever. I think I charged Matt $100 to record two songs at So-So, and the Fort sessions were on the sleeve- though I never seriously expected to get paid for them. By 1986 Matt had a growing dope addiction to add to his alchohol problems, and money was always tight. I didn't really give a shit. I loved Matthew's playing, and I dug his mind bigtime. With the exception of a few occasions when he was so out of it that I couldn't understand what he was saying- not an uncommon event amongst folks in our circle - I always had a great time hanging out with Matthew.

I was intrigued by Matthew's stories about the LP sessions he had done for Mercury Records. These late seventies, 24-track recordings were made without time restrictions at Todd Rundgren's state-of-the-art Bearsville Studios. They amounted to a full record's worth of tunes, over which Matt had full creative control. He said they were the best sounding sessions he'd ever done. In classic bonehead fashion, the label didn't pick up the contract, but wouldn't relinquish rights to the material, either. So the tapes languish in the vaults somewhere. As this was after the Reddy Teddy years, right around the time Matt was doing such fantastic playing on the Richard Lloyd record, it's a huge frustration to know that what promises to be a seminal Boston rock recording is just gathering dust.

Foxpass' guitarist Jon Macey and Teddy drummer Bug Witt kicking back, 1977.

Willie "Loco" Alexander shields drummer Bug Witt from prying eyes at a 1977 party.

Willie "Loco" Alexander, Scott Baerenwald, John Jules of Foxpass, and Matthew MacKenzie.

A benificent velvet Hendrix watches over Maxanne and Matt.

Here's a recent (Oct. 99) email message I got from Wendy Massey:
"Was trying to locate one of my best friend from the 70's, Marnie MacKenzie (Matthew's sister) when I came upon your article. The memories came flooding back. Marnie and I spent many a day watching them practice in Joe Marino's garage (Joe was the original drummer), many a night in various clubs around town being the dance ringers and were with them from high school gym gigs to the trip to New York to cut their demo record. It was quite a scene for two high schoolers from Winchester. Do you know where all the guys are now? Are they still involved in the music scene in Boston or safely tucked away on a vermont farm?"

I get a good deal of mail for this web site, which is great...it's the best (well, only) perk I receive for doing the work. Certain bands generate a lot of that mail, and Reddy Teddy is one. Some messages are really funny, a lot of the ones recalling Matt are poignant- it seems that noone that knew or met the guy had anything but great memories of him. Bob Voges, an early fan of the band, sent me some cool stream-of-consciousness memories, a bit of which I'll include now:
"In Milwaukee, going to technical school my first year out of high school, 1972-73, convinced that any minute now, I'm gonna hear a Reddy Teddy song on the radio, 'cause they're that good, and there's no way they're not gonna make it -- hearing Radar Love by Golden Earring for the first time and thinking 'hmm ... could this be the Teds?' Coming back from Milwaukee in the fall of '73, newly able to drink legally in Massachusetts (they lowered the age here while I was in Milwaukee) one of the first things on my list being to see the Teds, finding them playing at some Kenmore Square dive called the Rat . Then in '78 I ran into Karen (Randall Gibson's sister) at the Club - I knew her slightly from some mutual friends in Winchester, and spent the next few years going to the clubs with her and her family. There are some moderately colorful stories there, but her dad is still alive and it might not do to be publishing the sex-drugs-rock'n'roll antics of a (then) middle-aged bisexual Unitarian minister. Seeing the Roosters at Chet's in about 1985; probably the last time I saw Matthew and definitely the last time I saw him play. Going to a party in about 1987-88 where I got into a conversation with some young women -I think maybe one of them was in the Ex-Girlfriends and was Matthew's girlfriend when he died (ED. NOTE: he means Robyn Vaughn) -who were, like 'Wait, you SAW Reddy Teddy?!? Wow, I wish I could have seen Reddy Teddy! Were they really as great as people say?'... Sometime in the late '70s, sneaking my girlfriend's 16 year old little brother in to the Club on New Year's Eve to see his first club gig, Reddy Teddy and maybe Thundertrain; he drank too much and got way sick, and, I think, got kicked out of the club. The little brother's name: Randall Lee Gibson IV, later of the Flies and Scruffy the Cat. One of Randall's best friends, who was always hanging around the house at the time: Jay Parham, later of the Flies and the Titanics. Seeing Cheap Trick at the Paradise just before they got huge; they played two shows that night and we saw the second show; while waiting in line outside, as the crowd from the first show was coming out, we saw Matthew and John from Reddy Teddy (and maybe Maxanne?) coming out and somebody said 'Hey Matthew, how was it?' and Matthew grinned and said 'Aw, it was a cheap trick', so we could tell he dug it... "
When I asked Bob if I could reprint parts of his message, he figured out of politeness he should ask Randall first. Randall said it was a-ok.

Just to give you a sense of how influential one band- even one gig -can be, check out this message from Sam Berger, who started the extremely important indie label Homestead Records after Reddy Teddy started him along on the road to rock:
"I live in sf now, but grew up in newton and discovered boston rock'n'roll in '75, when as a freshman at northeastern was introduced to the great reddy teddy at a mixer. shortly thereafter, caught the mezz, willie alexander, and the real kids, and was hooked. attended countless gigs at cantones, the rat, the birdcage, the club, etc, where i had my ears blown out, drank more than somebody who's still living has the right to, and became a lifelong boston rock'n'roll fan. bought indie and import records for the harvard coop, and after getting out of school, i worked at the late great rebop records on newbury st., and started my own band (the wayouts/way out west). moved to nyc in the early 80's, and started homestead records, where i signed the blackjacks and salem 66 before moving on and creating the beast now known as gerard cosloy, for which i will always hang my head low."

Not that all the news is bad. Before he became bass player for Reddy Teddy, Scott Baerenwald had been chosen to tour as one of the Archies, a real-people version of the television cartoon characters that had a major hit with "Sugar, Sugar". Scott does not consider this a highlight of his career. He went on to a busy lifetime of live music and studio recording after Reddy Teddy, and he still plays- I'm told -out in San Francisco, where he now resides. It was in great part due to Scott's vocal abilities that Reddy Teddy were able to integrate their polished harmonies into their material. He remains one of the finest singer/bassists ever to come out of the Boston rock scene. Scott was a member of the short-lived but extremely popular Robin Lane and the Chartbusters, along with ex-Sidewinder drummer Tim Jackson and former Modern Lover bassist and Mickey Clean and the Mezz guitarist Asa Brebner on six string. Leroy Radcliffe, another Modern Lovers alumni (and one of my all-time fave guitar players), was the other guitarist for Robin Lane. The band released three LP's, and garnered significant airplay with a number of songs, notably "When Things Go Wrong", "Don't Cry Baby", and "It'll Only Hurt A Little While". Later, after the Chartbusters broke up, Scott played and recorded with Robin for a number of years, on and off, as a duo and in other configurations. In 1988, I was booking the Middle East Restaurant along with my partners in Helldorado Productions, with whom I'd started the music series at this now-infamous club. I wanted to try to record a live 16-track LP at the club, which was still fairly new to bands. I put together the One Rehearsal All Star Band, basically a pick-up band made up of my dream ensemble. The members included: accordionist Brother Cleve (Del Fuegos, Combustible Edison); harmonica ace Jim Fitting (Treat Her Right, Sex Execs, The The); drummers Howie Ferguson (Real Kids, Lyres, Barrence Whitfield) and Billy Conway (Treat Her Right, Morphine); guitarists Asa Brebner, Eric "Rose" Rosenfeld (Sidewinders, Paley Brothers), and myself; vocalists Greg "Skeggie" Kendall (Lifeboat, Tackle Box), Michael Cudahy (Christmas, Combustible Edison), and Kelly Knapp (Bristols, Darlings); bassists Mark Sandman (Treat Her Right, Morphine) and Scott Baerenwald. Scott was the first guy I called. Scott's brother Kent, also a bass player, is remembered as a rakehell scenester who played with the Lovelace Lads, the One and the Mindless Fucks- it was from the former group that he obtained his stage nom-de-guerre: Stefan Lovelace. He was also a producer who worked with the bones, Willie Loco Alexander and a number of other local bands, his credits appearing on some of the earliest and most important of the local underground releases such as Willie's "Mass Ave." b/w "Kerouac". "Swine", as Stefan was lovingly known to his good friends, was a true original. Tall and lanky, often dressed in an ancient, black-and-white, leather motorcycle jacket, Swine was impossible to miss. He usually stood a head above the rest of the crowd, and the unmistakeable smell of his Indonesian clove cigarettes often foretold his arrival. Like most of our contemporaries- his brother Scott a being a rare exception - Stefan had begun to have problems with substance abuse by the early eighties. During long conversations at his Watson St. apartment, near Cambridge's Central Square, I discovered Stefan was a deeply spiritual man. When I returned from an archaeological expedition to Saudi Arabia in 1981 I brought him a prayer cap I'd found in the desert, very close to the holy city of Medina. He was greatly pleased with the gift, giving a place of honor among his lucky stuff. He told me he was going to relocate to North Carolina, to get his shit together, and soon after he did just that. It was a trip he made more than once. While down South trying to dry out, a girl friend showed up with a "gift" of some sort of drugs. He OD'd on them. His last words were: "Too much, too soon".

Singer John Morse went on to sing in a few post-Teddy bands...I saw one in the early 80's, I think they were called the Fastbacks or the Customs -though I know one of these two names belonged to a group former DMZ guitarist Peter Greenberg started out in the midwest -and they weren't bad...but they weren't Reddy Teddy, either. Original drummer Joe Marino I'm not sure about. Anyone with further info on the band and it's former members- please drop me a line and fill me in. I'd be grateful for the four one one.