PAT UPTON – Interview
Spiral Staircase
With
the unmistakable high-pitched vocals of Pat Upton soaring out of the speakers,
"More Today Than Yesterday" by the Spiral Starecase
scored with the public in a big way to become a true AM radio pop standard. Pat
Upton, who wrote "More", chronicles the history of the group and all
quotes are from him.
Pat
Upton was born in Alabama in 1940.
"I have sang all my life and grew up singing
gospel music. I was introduced to the electric guitar when I was about 19.
Duane Eddy and the Ventures were my favorites when I started playing. Shortly
thereafter, I joined the Air Force and really learned to play guitar there. I
spent four years in the service and was based in Sacramento, from
1962-66. My first band was a four piece instrumental group we put together for
the Air Force talent contest. The group was called the Fydallions
and that is where I started singing lead. After I got out of the service, we
went on the road. We would play the Las Vegas circuit;
five hour lounge jobs."
Along
with Upton on vocals
and guitar, the group that eventually became the Spiral Starecase
consisted of Harvey Kaplan (keyboards), Vinny Parello (drums), Dick Lopes (sax) and Bobby Raymond (bass).
Harvey, Vinny and Bobby joined in 1966. Harvey came from New York
City. Vinny came from Utah. Dick Lopes
was a founding member of the Fydallions and asked me
to join. It was while working Vegas that I wrote 'More'.
"We
played around Los Angeles a few times
as the Fedalions. Our first recording contract was
with Crusader Records, a small one man label operated by Fred Darian who had recently had a hit with 'The In Crowd' by Dobie Gray. We cut some stuff that Darian
produced but it was never released. Later, we did a demo for Columbia, but again
nothing happened. Back in those days you could make a tape on a reel to reel or
you could ask to go into studio for a few hours and if the label thought you
had anything they would work with you."
"We
started working at a club in El Monte, California. It was
there we met our manager, Michael Griesman. Columbia producer
and A&R man Gary Usher [Beach Boys, Byrds] came
to the club in El Monte and liked
what he heard. He signed us to Columbia in 1967.
Columbia told us they did not like our hair, dress or name, so we changed. Dick
Lopes saw an old movie called 'The Spiral Starecase'
and we used that name and revised the spelling a bit. Our first record 'Baby
What I Mean'/'Makin' My Mind Up' was produced and
arranged by Gary Usher." Both songs were not written by the band. Although
'Makin My Mind Up' is the catchiest pop song of the
two, Columbia pushed
'Baby What I Mean' as the 'a' side, but nothing happened. "Usher left Columbia about that
time and Sonny Knight replaced him as the producer. The last time I saw Gary was in
Vegas and I had just written 'More'. I played it for him and it only had two
verses. He said it needed another verse, so I wrote another."
After
the initial record failed, "Columbia said it was
having trouble getting material and suggested that someone in the band write. 'More' was the first song I wrote. Originally I wrote it
with Bobby Goldsboro in mind. Columbia said just write songs." The Spiral Starecase
recorded the song, produced by Sonny Knight and arranged by Al Capps. Upon
release, it was a smash hit, reaching #12 on Billboard in 1969. "A DJ in Souix Falls, South
Dakota broke the record. Sonny Knight had also been in radio
and he helped promote the record."
To
promote the record, the group toured and did TV. "Our first concert was
with Three Dog Night. We also played with Sly and the Family Stone, the Beach
Boys and Creedence. Clearwater Revival. We did our
three songs and got off. We did American Bandstand a few times. In fact, the
other consideration for the single was a song I wrote with Keith Colley called
'Broken Hearted Man', which was the flip side of 'More'. Columbia did not
know which to release first so they put both on same 45 to see which one flew.
After we played Bandstand, Dick Clark listened to the album and said 'Broken'
was the second single." Although 'Broken' was never a single, it was
covered by covered by numerous other artists in the late 1960s.
"We
did not do an album until after 'More' took off. The album ['More Today Than
Yesterday'] used session players except for the vocals and Harvey played some
organ and Dick some sax." The second single from the album was a song
called "No On For Me To Turn To", which was a sizable chart hit (BB
#52 '69). "That song became the theme for a kid's TV show for abut 6
months to a year." The last Spiral Starecase
single, "She's Ready", kept the name alive by also reaching the
charts (BB #72, '70). Sadly, Columbia did not focus on the incredibly hit
worthy Upton original on the flip side - "Judas To The Love We Knew"
- which equals or surpasses 'More' in hooks and vocal performance.
"The
band broke up in 1971. I was not getting paid by the record company or the
publisher and we had problems with management, so I left the band. About 1971,
I did one more recording for Columbia with Jerry
Fuller [Gary Puckett producer] as Pat Upton which was released, but never did
anything. Later, I Worked for awhile with Kaplan in East Los
Angeles as the Spiral Staircase with a band that included Jay
Graydon on guitar and Greg Mathieson
[both later became big name session players]. I also played around Palm
Springs for awhile with a band." The Palm
Springs gig became a turning point for Upton.
"While
Working in Palm Springs I met Greg
McDonald and was introduced to Elvis' manager Colonel Parker. Greg was a gopher
for the Colonel trying to learn the business. At that time singer Rick Nelson
wanted the Colonel to manage him. The Colonel did not want to for whatever
reason. The Colonel introduced Greg to Rick and Greg became Rick's manager. I
met Rick at a club on Sunset. Rick asked me to sing back-up on an album he was
recording for Capitol [Playing to Win]. Jack Nitzche
produced the album. The album came out in January 1981. Rick asked me to tour
to promote and I wound up playing for three and one- half to four years. Rick
was a nice guy. I played rhythm guitar and sang background. That was the last
thing I did. In 1983 I moved back to Alabama and started
P.J.'s Alley nightclub." This is the club Rick
Nelson played right before he died in the plane crash. Upton still does
an occasional oldie's tour.
Besides
Upton, the only
member that really continued on with music was Harvey Kaplan. "He still
works with a band as the Spiral Staircase, playing lounges."
Interestingly, Kaplan's daughter, Brenda, recording as Brenda K. Starr, had a
huge hit in 1988 with the song "I Still Believe" (BB #13, 1988),
which resurfaced in the top 10 just this year when superstar Mariah Carey
remade the tune.
Happily,
Upton makes
"more [money] today than yesterday" from the song. As a final word of
advice, Upton expounds: "learn
everything you can about the business and your
instrument."