The Capris

Not to be confused with their Philadelphia namesakes, the Capris emerged from Queens as a white doo-wop quintet whose sound remained rooted in 1950s rock & roll even though their signature successes arrived years later. Nick Santa Maria, also known as Santo, Mike Mincelli on first tenor, Frank Reina on second tenor, Vinnie Narcardo handling baritone, and John Apostol supplying bass formed the lineup in 1957 while still in their teens. They selected the group name without knowledge of the earlier Philadelphia act, apparently drawing from either the Isle of Capri, the automobile model, or some blend of the two.

Local club work and the addition of original songs brought the attention of independent producers by 1958, resulting in a Planet session that paired the ballad “There’s a Moon out Tonight” with the up-tempo novelty “Indian Girl.” The small New York label issued the single but failed to promote it, consigning the record to immediate obscurity and elevating surviving Planet pressings to collector status. The members soon dispersed, yet renewed interest in recent rock & roll oldies altered that trajectory.

In 1960 Jerry Greene, then employed at the fabled Times Square Records shop, supplied a copy to disc jockey Alan Fredericks for his Night Train program. Listener demand quickly outstripped remaining stock, prompting Greene to obtain the masters, launch his own imprint for reissue, and later place the disc with Hy Weiss’s Old Town label. By early 1961 the record appeared on the national charts and remained there more than three months, leading the Capris to regroup for high-profile engagements at Chicago’s Regal Theater and New York’s Apollo.

Old Town followed with three further 1961 singles: “Where I Fell in Love” backed by “Some People Think,” “Why Do I Cry” coupled with “Tears in My Eyes,” and the mid-tempo “My Island in the Sun” paired with “Girl in My Dreams.” England’s Ace Records subsequently compiled additional unreleased Old Town material onto compact discs. After leaving Old Town the group recorded “Limbo” b/w “From the Vine Came the Grape” for Mr. Peeke in 1962, then disbanded again the next year when Santo joined the New York City police department.

Although personnel shifts occurred during sporadic later performances, two decades passed before the next major development. Santo rejoined in 1982 for the Ambient Sound album There’s a Moon out Again, which combined doo-wop covers with new originals including “Morse Code of Love.” Released as a single with “There’s a Moon out Again” on the B-side, the track received wider circulation through a Manhattan Transfer cover and sustained classic-radio rotation, once more demonstrating the enduring appeal of the Capris’ vintage style.