Biography
The roots of the soft pop duo Joe and Bing trace to fall 1962, when 16-year-old William “Bing” Bingham entered Connecticut’s Taft School in Watertown and was paired with upperclassman Joe Knowlton for orientation; their shared passion for music quickly cemented an enduring bond. Keith D’Arcy’s liner notes for Rev-Ola’s 2004 reissue of Daybreak recount how the pair soon teamed with classmate Tony Howe to create the folk-harmony trio the Coachmen, who appeared frequently both on the Taft campus and at the nearby Westover School for Girls. The three began composing original material, and although Knowlton and Bingham later enrolled at Williams College, they withdrew in spring 1965 to devote themselves entirely to music, laying down their first tracks at the college station WFFM. Military service intervened that summer, however, as both men joined the U.S. Army and suspended performing for the next four years.
Upon discharge, Knowlton reconnected with fellow Taft graduate George Klabin, who had meanwhile joined forces with arranger Harry Lookofsky to establish the Brill Building studio Sound Ideas. Klabin proposed that Knowlton and Bingham record there, so the duo traveled to New York and cut a full set of original songs live in the studio. Lookofsky—father of the Left Banke’s Michael Brown—then entrusted the tapes to Brazilian arranger Eumir Deodato, whose string arrangements and bossa-nova rhythms enveloped the pair’s airy harmonies and delicate folk melodies. The resulting album, titled Daybreak, was pressed privately in an edition of 1,500 copies for sale at concerts, while Klabin sought major-label interest without success. Brazilian imprint Quartin eventually issued the record, yet retitled the act Best of Friends without the artists’ knowledge or consent. A 1976 reissue on the Italian budget label Record Bazaar went further, crediting the album to Eumir Deodato and Best of Friends.
Lacking U.S. distribution, Joe and Bing accepted a booking at Anchorage’s Westward Hotel in Alaska, an engagement that inspired the song “Alaska Bloodline.” Back in the lower forty-eight they met producer Don Kirshner, who released that track as a 1974 single on his own imprint. Kirshner also collaborated on additional material that became the duo’s self-titled 1976 RCA debut; the single “Barnstormer” grazed the Hot 100, and the pair performed on Welcome Back, Kotter star Gabe Kaplan’s television program Presents the Future Stars. RCA nevertheless redirected its attention to Hall and Oates and dropped Joe and Bing. The songwriters persisted with live work and, throughout the 1980s, found commercial success scoring advertising jingles. Bingham pursued acting and later taught film studies at a private Connecticut school, while Knowlton directed information technology at another institution roughly one hundred miles distant.
Upon discharge, Knowlton reconnected with fellow Taft graduate George Klabin, who had meanwhile joined forces with arranger Harry Lookofsky to establish the Brill Building studio Sound Ideas. Klabin proposed that Knowlton and Bingham record there, so the duo traveled to New York and cut a full set of original songs live in the studio. Lookofsky—father of the Left Banke’s Michael Brown—then entrusted the tapes to Brazilian arranger Eumir Deodato, whose string arrangements and bossa-nova rhythms enveloped the pair’s airy harmonies and delicate folk melodies. The resulting album, titled Daybreak, was pressed privately in an edition of 1,500 copies for sale at concerts, while Klabin sought major-label interest without success. Brazilian imprint Quartin eventually issued the record, yet retitled the act Best of Friends without the artists’ knowledge or consent. A 1976 reissue on the Italian budget label Record Bazaar went further, crediting the album to Eumir Deodato and Best of Friends.
Lacking U.S. distribution, Joe and Bing accepted a booking at Anchorage’s Westward Hotel in Alaska, an engagement that inspired the song “Alaska Bloodline.” Back in the lower forty-eight they met producer Don Kirshner, who released that track as a 1974 single on his own imprint. Kirshner also collaborated on additional material that became the duo’s self-titled 1976 RCA debut; the single “Barnstormer” grazed the Hot 100, and the pair performed on Welcome Back, Kotter star Gabe Kaplan’s television program Presents the Future Stars. RCA nevertheless redirected its attention to Hall and Oates and dropped Joe and Bing. The songwriters persisted with live work and, throughout the 1980s, found commercial success scoring advertising jingles. Bingham pursued acting and later taught film studies at a private Connecticut school, while Knowlton directed information technology at another institution roughly one hundred miles distant.
Albums
