Biography
Originating from Rhode Island, the Videls formed as a Providence-based trio consisting of Peter Andreoli, Vincent Poncia, Jr., and Norman Marzano. Their earliest recordings appeared on the regional Rhody imprint before one of those sides, “Mister Lonely,” attracted the attention of New York’s JDS label and reached No. 73 on the national chart during the spring of 1960. Subsequent singles surfaced on Kapp and additional imprints, yet that single marked the group’s highest placement.
Although the Videls never returned to the charts, Andreoli—who later adopted the surname Anders—and Poncia established themselves as consistent hitmakers throughout the remainder of the decade. Working closely with Phil Spector in the early sixties, the pair supplied the Ronettes with “Do I Love You?” and “(The Best Part Of) Breaking Up.” Those compositions secured them a contract with Red Bird, where, recording as the Tradewinds, they placed “New York’s a Lonely Town” inside the top 40. The Tradewinds followed with the modest success “Mind Excursion,” which earned them an album on the fledgling Kama Sutra roster. Adopting the name the Innocence, they later returned to the top 40 with “There’s Got to Be a Word.”
Throughout most of the sixties Anders and Poncia remained central figures at the emerging Buddah-Kama Sutra organization, issuing further hits under both the Tradewinds and Innocence guises while also aiding the Critters, a group ironically overseen by Charles Koppelman and Don Rubin, themselves veterans of the early-sixties act the Ivy Three. At the close of the decade the two songwriters launched their own imprint, Map City.
Although the Videls never returned to the charts, Andreoli—who later adopted the surname Anders—and Poncia established themselves as consistent hitmakers throughout the remainder of the decade. Working closely with Phil Spector in the early sixties, the pair supplied the Ronettes with “Do I Love You?” and “(The Best Part Of) Breaking Up.” Those compositions secured them a contract with Red Bird, where, recording as the Tradewinds, they placed “New York’s a Lonely Town” inside the top 40. The Tradewinds followed with the modest success “Mind Excursion,” which earned them an album on the fledgling Kama Sutra roster. Adopting the name the Innocence, they later returned to the top 40 with “There’s Got to Be a Word.”
Throughout most of the sixties Anders and Poncia remained central figures at the emerging Buddah-Kama Sutra organization, issuing further hits under both the Tradewinds and Innocence guises while also aiding the Critters, a group ironically overseen by Charles Koppelman and Don Rubin, themselves veterans of the early-sixties act the Ivy Three. At the close of the decade the two songwriters launched their own imprint, Map City.
Albums
