OH LORI BY ALESSI
Entered Chart: 11-Jun-77
Highest Position: 8
Weeks in Chart: 11
FROM WIKIPEDIA
In their early teens, the brothers attended West Hempstead High School and formed band 'The Country Gentlemen' with schoolmate Don Droege and drummer Bob Pelicane. The band often played at a teen club called "The Mod Scene" and Long Island summer beach club gigs, as well as playing at other venues which included "Murray the K's World" in Roosevelt Field, Raleigh Hotel in the Catskills and "The Café Wha?" in Greenwich Village]. The band released one 45 single entitled "Saturday Night" which was credited to William Alessi.
In 1970, Billy and Bobby Alessi were working in the Broadway cast of Hair, when former Blues Magoos guitarist Peppy Castro also joined the show. The three formed the band Barnaby Bye and, with Mike Ricciardella on drums, the band were signed to Atlantic Records and released albums in 1972 ('Room to Grow') and 1973 ('Touch').
The next Barnaby Bye album ('Thrice Upon A Time') was not released until 2008, after the band reformed.
After the early years with Barnaby Bye, the brothers continued writing, recording and performing as duet Alessi. In 1977, their song "Oh Lori" (from 1976 album Alessi) reached no. 8 and spent 11 weeks in the UK Singles Chart and became a Top Ten hit in seventeen more countries. In May 1982, "Put Away Your Love" (from 1982 album Long Time Friends) reached No. 71 and spent 4 weeks in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. They also charted in Brazil with "Sad Songs" (from the album Alessi, 1977), "All for a Reason" (from the album All for a Reason, 1978) and "Forever" (recorded with Christopher Cross, from the album Long Time Friends, 1982). The first four Alessi albums (1976-1979) were released on the A&M record label, with the fifth, "Long Time Friends" (1982) being on Quincy Jones's Qwest label.