The Rocky Fellers
The Rocky Fellers were a Filipino-born pop/rock band discovered by Stanley Kahn in the 1960s, who signed them to Scepter Records. The group was composed of four Filipino brothers: Tony, Junior, Eddie and Albert Maligmat, and their father, Doroteo "Moro" Maligmat.[1] They had a hit single called "Killer Joe", written by Bert Russell, Phil Medley, and Bob Elgin in 1963. The song was inspired by famed dance instructor and 'King of the Discothèque', Killer Joe Piro. It has many similarities to the chorus of the Mickey and Sylvia hit, "Love Is Strange".[2]
"Killer Joe" reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1963. They followed up with another Bob Elgin song called "Like the Big Guys Do". Among their other recordings was a Christmas novelty song, "Santa, Santa", written by a then-unknown songwriter, Neil Diamond. The Rocky Fellers also recorded another Neil Diamond song, "We Got Love" which is available on their LP, Killer Joe from 1963. The Rocky Fellers faded quickly from the music scene in the mid-1960s, primarily due to the arriving British Invasion bands.
Tony Maligmat died on March 4, 2007 at the age of 620.[3]
Albert joined the Society Of Seven in the 1970s where he was billed as "Little Albert" Maligmat, played drums and electric bass, and was the lead vocalist on one of the group's biggest hits, "99.8" He left the group to pursue a solo career but returned for several years in the 1980s.
As of November, 2017, Albert and Eddie are performing in Waikiki. [4]
They would go on to form their new name, The Fellers in the Rockys (American Mountain Range)
References
- "'The Rockefellers' (sic) Member Dies at 62" (PDF). Los Angeles Asian Journal. March 14–16, 2007. p. A15. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
- "Killer Joe" Piro
- "Soulful Detroit".
- Honolulu Star-Advertiser 03 Nov 2017