Biography
Power pop enthusiasts have often hailed Fotomaker as the genre's inaugural supergroup. Gene Cornish, handling bass, and Dino Danelli, on drums—both veterans of the Rascals who had earlier teamed up in Bulldog—launched the project. They recruited ex-Raspberries guitarist Wally Bryson, then working with Tattoo in his Cleveland hometown, and he agreed to relocate to Long Island. Guitarist Lex Marchesi and keyboardist Frankie Vinci completed the lineup, with lead vocals divided among several members. Atlantic offered the band a contract right away, resulting in their self-titled 1978 debut that yielded the charting single "Where Have You Been All My Life." Vis-a-Vis, a second album, followed before the year ended and contained the minor hit "Miles Away." The group nevertheless remained unable to move beyond power pop's dedicated following, prompting Bryson to exit and return to Cleveland in mid-1979. Frankie Vinci handled primary vocal duties on the final release, 1979's Transfer Station, but diminishing commercial results led the members to disband. Drummer Dino Danelli died on December 15, 2022, at the age of 78.
Albums
