DENNY NOIE

WISCONSIN'S FIRST "TEEN IDOL"

From Appleton, Wisconsin. Denny Noie took guitar lessons for a few years, starting when he was 14-years old. In 1957, the 17-year old Noie joined the "White Caps" who, along with the "Black Knights", were the earliest rock & roll groupd in the Fox cities. after a few months, the "White Caps" drummer, Jerry Williams, had an altercation iwth one of the other members and quit only to form his own band, the "Rockets". Williams invited Denny to join him in the "Rockets", which he did.

Denny played rhythm guitar with the "Rockets", who developed a good following around the Valley, doing a lot of park and school dances. They backed up Fabian when he came to twon and also opened fro Danny & The Juniors. A year or so after becoming a Rocket, Denny was drafted. (The Rockets stayed together into the '70's). In 1959-60, while stationed in Okinawa, Denny formed a combo called the "Teen Tones", a rock & roll group with bongos. And also a group called the "4 Cracked Bells", a comedy/skit group that played on the military bases on Okinawa.

After his Army stint was up, he returned to the Valley and became a member of the recently formed Gary Scott and the "Eccos". Gary Scott was the stage name for Gary Van Zeeland and as a frontman/lead singer, he left alot to be desired. His real skill lay in the promotion/booking end and realizing this, Gary quit performing music to begin a booking agency, Ecco Enterprises.

Next up for Denny was the "In Crowd", in 1962. The first lineup included Darryl Yaeger (drums) and two players from Clintonville, Wisconsin, who just didn't cut it and were canned after three to four months. Their replacements ere Ricky Leigh (lead guitar) and Dave Hermsen (bass), and this quartet clicked musically. They gigged around the Fox Cities and in Green Bay, doing mostly top 40. With Van Zeeland handling their bookings, the "In Crowd" decided to go out on the road. Daryl Yeager was unable to leave the are though, and he was replaced on drums by Dave Yokeum. Due to the national band that had the rights to the Crowd name, the foursome changed their name to the "4th Of Never".

For the first time they were full-time musicians and they traversed to Minnesota, Illinois and Ohio, playing mostly clubs for one to two week stints. In late '64 they returned to Wisconsin for a short hiatus and Noie teamed up with the "Catalinas" briefly. While with them he wrote two songs, "Dee Dee" and "It Ain't A Big Thing", which were recorded and released on 45 (credited to Denny Noie & the Catalinas on the label). When Al Posniak came back, Denny returned to the "4th of Never" and they resumed gigging in and around the Valley. They were a tight band with good vocal harmonies and their repertoire included plenty of Beatles and DC5, with Denny handling most of the lead vocals. Ricky Leigh had started writing songs too, so the group began working originals into their sets.

Denny was married during this time, but he and his wife were separated and she moved to Florida with their children. In the winter of 1965, Denny went to visit his family in Orlando. While there he was introduced to the owner of Tener Records, a local label, through a musical connedtion. Denny interviewed with the Tener president and played a few of his songs. The executive took a liking to "Dee Dee" and offered to release it as a 45. Denny agreed and when he returned to Wisconsin, he and fellow "4th of Never" band-mates went to Cuca Studios in Sauk City. They cut "Dee Dee" and a Ricky Leigh original, "Don't Follow Me," took the tapes to Florida, and in June 1966, the record was relesed. "Dee Dee" received airplay in Florida, New York and on WAPL in Appleton, but Denny and band never heard from Tener records again after that. (Incidentally, for reasons unknown, there were two pressings of the 45, one crediting "Denny Noie & the 4th of Never" on the label and the other "Denny Noie & the In Crowd".)

Dave Yokeum, Dave Hermsen, Denny, Rick Leigh

After bringin their master tapes to Orlando, the band returned to the Fox Valley (Wisconsin), minus Denny, who quit playing for a couple of years. Around Winter, 1968, he began doing a single folk thing in Orlando. Two years later Denny moved back to Wisconsin, got back with the Rockets for a few months, then joined the "Rockin' 50s", a '50s rock and roll revival band. They gigged locally for about a year until Denny returned to the coffeehouses with his solo folk and Christian music. He retired from live music completely, from 1975 to 1987, when he became a member of "Rescue", a rockin' Blues group, which lasted six months. In 1991 Denny became a member of the "Full Moon Blues Band". The trio played until 1998 when Randy Bolling and Denny formed the "New Moon Duo". Oliver Garcia, the lead guitarist left the group. Denny is featured on the Rockabilly Hall of Fame Vol #1 CD with a tune he wrote, "Blues Train".

With the "New Moon Duo", Denny plays rhythm guitar, the stand-up bass and the electric bas guitar. He has recorded a bluesy Christian CD with Randy Bolling under the name of the "New Moon Duo" called "Take Shelter From the Rain".

In 2007, Denny released his 2nd CD called "Denny's Songs of Life", 50 years of original songs written and recorded by Denny. Also his story and articles of all the different bands he was with over his musical life.

CDs are available now. $15 USA (includes S&H), $20 outside USA (includes S&H). Contact: Denny Noie, N1700 East Rd., Waupaca, WI 54981.