Song of the Day 8/19: Bill Deal and the Rhondels, “May I”
It’s beach music, it’s blue-eyed soul, and while it only reached No. 39 on the Hot 100, it made a national act out of a band that had been playing the Virginia-Carolina beach music circuit for more than a decade but had never released a record before.
The song was written and originally done by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, performing it here on “The Village Square,” a syndicated TV show out of South Carolina.
Williams also played the beach circuit, and the Rhondels got frequent requests for “May I” from their audiences. One night Deal, who played keyboards, decided to give the tune its polka-style beat instead of doing a straight cover, and the audience went nuts. They recored this version within days. The high vocal is by drummer Ammon Tharp, with Deal handling the baritone parts.
The Rhondels spent about 18 months touring nationally, a period in which they scored two more Top 40 hits, but soon decided they didn’t like the road enough to make it worth it. They returned to the beach circuit and kept on playing, even after Deal’s death in 2003.
In 2004 Bill Deal and the Rhondels played the Music Pier in Ocean City, NJ. They opened for an established band but I forget which one. The South Jersey DJ promoting the show commented that Bill also moved from the Tidewater area to Gloucester County, NJ.
There was a fan from Trenton, NJ who went to O.C. knowing that Bill passed the previous year. He realized it was an imposter. This bill wore a tux as his on-stage outfit while the real Bill would wear a flannel shirt and jeans.
Although maybe not that much of an imposter. His name was William Deal, but not the real deal.
Not the real deal. LOL awesome
Was Bill Deal II any good?
I wasn’t there but I guess like any cover band unless you’re a die hard fan it’s hard to tell the difference. Isn’t Journey now touring with the former lead singer of a Journey tribute band since Steve Perry left?
I recall in April, 1971 when Buddy Miles was hitting it big with his album “Them Changes”. There were changes alright. He was booked at a Minneapolis club and fans brought their albums to get autographed. When the show started they looked at the album cover and realized that was an imposter on stage. Fans trashed the venue and “Buddy” was grateful being taken into police custody. Jail was safer than that nightclub.
Jim, you have the greatest stories about rock and roll. If you have any suggestions for a SOTD, get in touch on the tip line or my email.