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Brooklyn Bridge Biography

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The '60s pop outfit Brooklyn Bridge were led by Johnny Maestro, the former frontman of the Crests. The group was formed on Long Island in 1968 from the ashes of local rivals the Del-Satins (a vocal quartet including Maestro, Fred Ferrara, Mike Gregorio, and Les Cauchi) and the Rhythm Method (musical director Tom Sullivan, guitarist Jim Macioce, organist Carolyn Woods, bassist Jim Rosica, trumpeter Shelly Davis, saxophonist Joe Ruvio, and drummer Artie Cantanzarita). Upon joining forces as the Brooklyn Bridge, the bandmembers issued their self-titled debut album in 1969, scoring their first Top Five hit with the Jimmy Webb composition "Worst That Could Happen." Subsequent singles like "Blessed Is the Rain" and "Your Husband -- My Wife" failed to recapture the debut's success, however, and albums like The Second Brooklyn Bridge and 1970's Day Is Done also fared poorly; while the Brooklyn Bridge's contract with the Buddah label ended in the wake of 1972's Bridge in Blue, they continued performing live throughout the decades to follow, with Maestro, Ferrara, Cauchi, and Rosica remaining from the original lineup in the '90s and 2000s. Under the moniker Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge, the group also released CDs such as 2004's Today, which consisted of re-recordings of songs by the original incarnations of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Crests from decades earlier. Today, Vol. 2 followed in 2009. In March 2010 Johnny Maestro died of cancer at his home in Cape Coral, FL; he was 70 years old. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

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