John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band

Formed during 1972 in Narragansett, Rhode Island, the John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band reached its highest commercial point in 1984 via the number 7 single “On The Dark Side,” featured prominently in the film Eddie And The Cruisers. That same year’s soundtrack album, also cut by the group, landed inside the Top 10. The lineup included Cafferty on guitar and vocals, Pat Lupo on bass, Gary Gramolini on guitar, Robert Cotoia on keyboards, Michael Antunes on saxophone, and Kenny Jo Silva on drums. At first known simply as Beaver Brown, the musicians spent ten years playing clubs on the eastern seaboard circuit, developing a strong audience among college-aged listeners. Their debut single, the 1980 independent release “Tender Years”/“Wild Summer Nights,” became a regional radio staple and moved 10,000 copies locally. The next year brought an invitation to compose and perform the music for Eddie And The Cruisers; although the movie flopped at the box office, the accompanying album moved 175,000 units. Scotti Brothers Records then signed the act, which led directly to the single’s breakthrough. Issued under the band’s own name, Tough All Over climbed to US number 40 in 1985. Thereafter the musicians concentrated chiefly on licensing tracks to motion pictures, placing songs in Rocky IV, Cobra, and the follow-up Eddie And The Cruisers II. Their next self-titled effort, Roadhouse, never appeared on the charts.