The Del-Vetts

The Del-Vetts formed in 1963 in Highland Park, Illinois, with singer-guitarist Jim Lauer, bassist Bob Good, drummer Paul Wade, and guitarist Lester Goldboss. They built a local following with Chuck Berry covers and surf instrumentals at Chicago-area teen clubs, including the Cellar and the Rolling Stone. Guitarist Jeff Weinstein replaced Goldboss during the early lineup changes. In 1965, producer Bill Traut oversaw their debut single, a cover of the Righteous Brothers song “Little Latin Lupe Lu” (b/w the surf instrumental “Ram Charger”) on the Seeburg Discotek label.

Traut signed the Del-Vetts to Dunwich Records, a Chicago independent he operated with George Badonsky. By early 1966, Good shifted to rhythm guitar alongside Lauer, with bassist Jack Burchall and drummer Roger Deatherage. The revised quartet debuted on Dunwich that June with “Last Time Around” (b/w “Everytime”), two originals by band associate Dennis Dahlquist. Lauer sang over a distorted guitar riff and played an extended fuzz solo on the A-side, which reached No. 26 on the Chicago WLS survey that summer.

In late 1966, the Del-Vetts issued “I Call My Baby STP” (b/w “That’s the Way It Is”), a hot-rod song tied to a promotion by the STP motor-treatment company. The single came in a promotional picture sleeve with an enclosed STP decal. Some radio stations withheld airplay over the product endorsement.

In 1967, the musicians adopted the name Pride and Joy amid plans for a film venture. They returned to Dunwich in May with the Dahlquist originals “Girl” (b/w “If You’re Ready”). Lauer sang the A-side in a lighter pop arrangement, while the flip combined fuzz guitar with a double-time, harmonica-led closing passage. Pride and Joy reached No. 27 on WLS with “Girl” that spring.

As Dunwich wound down its label operations, Traut secured a contract with Acta, a subsidiary of Dot Records. Pride and Joy traveled to Los Angeles for Somebody Help Me, an unreleased Dick Clark film that featured the quartet in performance. In December 1967, they issued the Barry Mann–Cynthia Weil song “We Got a Long Way to Go” on Acta, with orchestral arrangements by Shorty Rogers and production by Traut and Badonsky. They recycled “That’s the Way It Is” for the reverse side. When the single failed to establish the group nationally, bassist Jack Burchall departed before the 1968 breakup.