Dave Appell: An Appreciation
The Applejacks were formed in the 1950s by musician and record producer, Dave Appell. Dave is forever linked to some of the biggest hits from the Golden Age of Top 40 as the driving force behind the signature sound from Philadelphia-based Cameo-Parkway records.
The Applejacks (originally The Dave Appell Four) amassed a legion of fans which led to an appearance in the 1956 Alan Freed movie “Don’t Knock the Rock.” By 1958, the group struck gold with a novelty instrumental called “Mexican Hat Rock.” From there, Dave’s stock rose to the stars with a succession of gold and platinum hits like: “Let’s Twist Again” and “Limbo Rock” for Chubby Checker; “Don’t Hang Up” and “South Street” for The Orlons; Bobby Rydell’s “Wild One,” Dee Dee Sharp’s soulful dance classic “Mashed Potato Time,” the biggest 70s hits by Tony Orlando and Dawn and others.
Paul Shaffer (David Letterman’s former sidekick and music director) found inspiration in Dave Appell’s music at about age 11 while watching Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand.” “His music really smacked me between the eyes when I was a kid! There was something about these tunes that really grabbed me. I never forgot the feeling of ‘South Street’ and the way that song rocked, or the way Dee Dee Sharp sang – this was really gospel music emanating from Philadelphia!”
By the mid-1980s, Dave began writing and compiling, over the last 30 years of his life, what would become a prolific catalog of original jazz-tinged compositions. Dave uniquely balanced smooth, groove and Latin jazz flavors. Billy Terrell (producer) says, “Dave seamlessly and expertly blended these three genres together, all due to his incredible sense of melody.”
Ultimately, Dave and Billy began collaborating on the production of Dave’s contemporary compositions as well as unreleased gems tucked in the vaults. “The Man on the Sliding Trombone,” an original 1950s instrumental sounded so fresh and vibrant that lyricist Perry Artese was enlisted to write lyrics and Paul Jost rose to the occasion with a perfect vocal performance on this swinger!
This music is played by a fresh collection of veteran musicians and young students from the Philadelphia School of Music, Drexel University and Temple University. Modern jazz masters like Steve Beskrone (bass), Vic Stevens (drums), George Young (veteran sax player who goes back to the late 50s with Dave Appell at Cameo-Parkway), Hector Rosado (percussion) and Demetrios Pappas (solo artist, now Smokey Robinson’s music director and pianist) to name a few.
Roz Appell, Dave’s daughter, looks back with fondness at her Dad and the love he poured into his music. “He could absolutely knock me out with what he’d write; the melody, the structure of the music. Sometimes when Dad had an unfinished song, he’d sing the lyric or harmony to me on top of the track. His vocals and the music he created were thrilling for me to hear. This music is his lasting legacy.”