Biography
In early 1965 the Detergents scored a Top Twenty success with “Leader of the Laundromat,” one of the sharpest rock parodies then on record. The song inverted the plot of the Shangri-Las’ recent smash “Leader of the Pack,” shifting the focus from a tough young woman involved with a motorcycle-club leader to a young man courting the manager of a laundromat. Musically the track held its own, inserting the roar of a motorcycle engine that fails to turn over, ominous low piano chords, and the comic payoff line “Who’s that banging on the piano? I dunno!” Because its satire was so firmly tied to the moment, the single seldom resurfaced on oldies formats, yet it enjoyed steady airplay on Dr. Demento’s program throughout the 1970s. In hindsight the relatively knowing, tongue-in-cheek style of the parody can be seen as an early pointer toward the ironic pop and rock collages later perfected by Frank Zappa, even if Zappa carried the approach much farther in both words and music.
Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss wrote “Leader of the Laundromat”; their earlier catalog already included Perry Como’s “Catch a Falling Star” and Brian Hyland’s 1960 number-one novelty “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini.” To record the new single the pair enlisted Ron Dante, Vance’s nephew Danny Jordan, and Tommy Wynn. An album titled The Many Faces of the Detergents followed at once, stocked with further send-ups of recent hits, although none matched the invention or wit of the title track. Additional singles in the same satirical mode appeared, among them “Double-O-Seven,” which lampooned James Bond, and “I Can Never Eat at Home Anymore,” prompted by the Shangri-Las’ “I Can Never Go Home Anymore.”
Contrary to occasional assumption, the Detergents were not merely a studio confection; the group toured and even appeared in the 1966 film Don’t Worry I’ll Think of a Title before disbanding. Ron Dante never achieved widespread personal fame, yet his voice reached millions when he supplied the lead vocals—recorded as a session singer—for the Archies’ string of hits that included “Sugar, Sugar.” He also fronted the Cuff Links, whose 1969 Top Ten entry “Tracy” was again supplied by Vance and Pockriss. In addition Dante recorded numerous advertising jingles and later produced sessions for Barry Manilow, Irene Cara, Cher, and other artists.
Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss wrote “Leader of the Laundromat”; their earlier catalog already included Perry Como’s “Catch a Falling Star” and Brian Hyland’s 1960 number-one novelty “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini.” To record the new single the pair enlisted Ron Dante, Vance’s nephew Danny Jordan, and Tommy Wynn. An album titled The Many Faces of the Detergents followed at once, stocked with further send-ups of recent hits, although none matched the invention or wit of the title track. Additional singles in the same satirical mode appeared, among them “Double-O-Seven,” which lampooned James Bond, and “I Can Never Eat at Home Anymore,” prompted by the Shangri-Las’ “I Can Never Go Home Anymore.”
Contrary to occasional assumption, the Detergents were not merely a studio confection; the group toured and even appeared in the 1966 film Don’t Worry I’ll Think of a Title before disbanding. Ron Dante never achieved widespread personal fame, yet his voice reached millions when he supplied the lead vocals—recorded as a session singer—for the Archies’ string of hits that included “Sugar, Sugar.” He also fronted the Cuff Links, whose 1969 Top Ten entry “Tracy” was again supplied by Vance and Pockriss. In addition Dante recorded numerous advertising jingles and later produced sessions for Barry Manilow, Irene Cara, Cher, and other artists.
Albums
Singles
