The Vagrants

The Vagrants formed in 1964 in Forest Hills, Queens, when singer Peter Sabatino and bassist Larry Weinstein assembled a group after attending a Beatles concert at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium. Larry recruited his older brother, guitarist Leslie Weinstein, who learned guitar with assistance from neighbor Bobby “Waddy” Wachtel. Pianist-songwriter Jerry Storch, a competitive bowler, joined the fledgling group. Wachtel drummed at early engagements until the musicians enlisted Roger Mansour. After complaints curtailed basement rehearsals, Storch secured practice space in the lounge of a local bowling alley.

Sabatino, Larry Weinstein, and Mansour attended Quintano’s School for Young Professionals as the band made inroads on the local club circuit. By early 1965, they played the Scene, a Manhattan nightclub operated by Steve Paul. During a summer residency in Hampton Bays, the musicians befriended the Young Rascals.

Singles

The Vagrants linked with producer Frank Slay for their July 1965 Southern Sound debut “Oh Those Eyes” (b/w “You’re Too Young”), with a Storch original on the A-side. The Vagrants performed “Oh Those Eyes” in the 1966 musical film Disk-O-Tek Holiday.

Back in Manhattan, the quintet held an eighteen-week engagement at the Rolling Stone, a nightclub operated by disc jockey Scott Muni. A wealthy patron bought Storch a Hammond B-3 organ during the residency. The musicians expanded their repertoire with slower, extended arrangements of contemporary hits, including the Beatles song “No Reply.” Producer Trade Martin signed on for their March 1966 Vanguard single “I Can’t Make a Friend” (b/w “Young Blues”), which paired a Martin–Storch original with a blues number. Martin also produced the July follow-up “The Final Hour” (b/w “Your Hasty Heart”), two songs by New York songwriter Bert Sommer.

The Vagrants became regular headliners at the Action House in Island Park, Long Island, where they developed an elaborate stage act with pyrotechnics. One device ignited the stage and destroyed their equipment, including the Hammond organ. Their booking agency replaced the gear the following day. The group also drew large crowds at Manhattan venues and extended their concert circuit beyond New York.

Through contacts with the Young Rascals, the Vagrants secured an Atco contract. Producers Larry Vernieri  and Dave Brigati — brother of Rascals singer Eddie Brigati — oversaw their March 1967 single “I Love, Love You (Yes I Do)” (b/w “Respect”). The group adapted the Otis Redding number for their stage repertoire and gained regional airplay with the Atco version. Weeks later, Aretha Franklin achieved a national hit with her rendition on Atlantic.

Atco enlisted Cream producer Felix Pappalardi, who worked with the musicians at Talent Masters Studios in Manhattan. Pappalardi co-wrote their August 1967 Atco single “A Sunny Summer Rain” with Sommer and enlisted lyricist Gail Collins for the companion song “Beside the Sea.” Meanwhile, the Vagrants appeared on concert bills with The Who at the Village Theatre in Greenwich Village. Producer Shadow Morton arranged their final Atco A-side, the Sommer composition “And When It’s Over,” released in January 1968 with the Storch original “I Don’t Need Your Loving.”

The Vagrants attempted an album with Pappalardi, but insufficient material and conflicting studio commitments stalled the project. Amid tensions between the Weinstein brothers, Storch left the band. The remaining musicians continued briefly before their late-1968 breakup.

Postlude

Leslie Weinstein adopted the professional name Leslie West and reunited with Pappalardi for the 1969 Windfall solo album Mountain, which spawned the namesake hard-rock group. Storch signed with RCA as Jeremy Storch and released the 1970/71 solo albums From a Naked Window and 40 Miles Past Woodstock. Larry West briefly joined the formative lineup of Haystacks Balboa. Sabatino later revived the Vagrants name for Long Island performances with new musicians.

In 1987, Arista assembled The Great Lost Album, a retrospective of Vanguard and Atco tracks with additional material. The 2011 Light in the Attic collection I Can’t Make a Friend 1965–1968 gathered both sides of all six original singles.