The Earls Of Babylon backstory:
The sparsely documented origins of The Earls of Babylon harkens back to the chance meeting of the two Earls — Valentino and Byrd — in a Babylon, Illinois middle school, hence the name The Earls of Babylon. The duo quickly garnered a local profile with their version of the little known “Hi Ho Silver Lining,” which shot to #2 on the regional charts. At the same time, the Earls gained notoriety via word of mouth accounts of their incendiary live shows, described as a combination of unbridled madness and rebellion, presided over by the Earls’ inscrutable air of detached cool in sunglasses and black capes over red Continental Cut suits along with striking black suede boots. The lucky few who packed those clubs dotting the greater Illinois and Wisconsin area would never forget them, despite the band’s sudden plunge into obscurity.
The 50+ year absence of the Earls from the public eye was spurred by news of Jeff Beck releasing a version of “Hi Ho Silver Lining” that became a UK smash. Eclipsing the Earls’ version with global radio success, Beck’s rendition left the duo discouraged and disillusioned. The two went their separate ways in late 1967, Valentino joining the Coast Guard to avoid combat in Viet Nam while Byrd joined a religious cult in upstate New York (reportedly drifting deeply into psychedelic drugs, but finding himself eventually).
Decades later, Valentino and Byrd reconnected at an old favorite watering hole in Babylon to reminisce and catch up on lost years — and saw that their original single was still on the jukebox. They made their selection and when the needle dropped, the bar lit up and everyone sang along. Right then and there they decided to play together again.
Both Earls had been listening to The Underground Garage on SiriusXM where they discovered music by Brian Ray and Steve Conte, two artists signed to “Little Steven” Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records. They agreed that Steve and Brian would be ideal producers and writers for them to collaborate with. They reached out to Ray and Conte, and it was instant chemistry. After the four of them had a few conversations, the team of Ray & Conte wrote “My Little Frankenstein” for The Earls and produced the record – their first single since 1967. Their new song, “My Little Frankenstein” is an homage to the creation of a Garage Rock record. The single will be released on vinyl by Wicked Cool Records Oct 25th with the B side being a brand new version of their seminal hit, “Hi Ho Silver Lining”.
(Steve Conte & Brian Ray – Writers/Producers of “My Little Frankenstein” by the Earls of Babylon)
The 7-inch vinyl single will be available beginning October 25, 2024 from steveconte.com & https://steveconte.bandcamp.com/merch with a limited number of copies signed by both Brian and Steve.
The Earls of Babylon story continues, with Steve and Brian reportedly working with them on a follow-up single for possible release in 2025.
Stay Tuned!
