Hailing from West Haven, Connecticut, 1960s garage rockers The Shags were one of Connecticut’s most popular bands. So popular, in fact, the members took on stage names to prevent fans from finding out where they lived. The quintet was led by singer/guitarists Tom Violante (AKA Tom Roberts) and Carl Augusto (AKA Carl Donnel), with Billy Hall, Lance (Biesele) Gardner, and Johnny (Tangredi) Stanton rounding out the group. The Shags signed with music impresario Thomas “Doc” Cavalier’s Trod Nossel Productions, which led to solid club and concert bookings. From 1965 to 1967, The Shags released a string of singles on the Sammy, Taurus, Laurie, and Kayden labels, garnering plenty of radio airplay (even though “Breathe in My Ear” stirred a bit of controversy, as the lyrics were considered too suggestive in some communities and were banned from radio play for a short time). Trod Nossel’s career guidance, coupled with the success of songs like “Don’t Press Your Luck” and “Breathe in My Ear,” resulted in sharing the stage with such iconic acts as Simon & Garfunkel, The Byrds, Lovin’ Spoonful, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Chad & Jeremy, Peter & Gordon, The Rascals, and The Animals. Fervor Records is proud to work with our friends at Trod Nossel to offer up The Shags’ sensational slice of the 1960s!

See The Shags on DISCOG.