D. & L. Sound Services, Inc. (aka D & L Recording Studios) was a small, independent recording studio located in Mount Vernon, New York, at 28 East First Street that produced demos, jingles, doo-wop, commercial music, educational music, rock-n-roll, and jazz. The studio included recording equipment manufactured by AMPEX, Altec, Neumann, and G.E. The company went bankrupt in 1963.


Still researching

The principals might have been Robert DeFranco, an audio enginer, and Andy Lalino, a drummer.


  • Phone: MO 4-1984
"Embassy" Building

Divisions

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V.I.P. Records
York Records
Not to be confused with York Records in London, and Chevron Music, its music publishing arm

Bankruptcy

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The studio equipment was sold in a bankruptcy at public auction on October 24, 1963[1]

Underwriter: Salvoce Company, New York (sp?)
Herbert Z. Reinberg (1911–1970), trustee
David Peterman (né Pisterman; 1904–1992), Yonkers, attorney for the trustee

Audio samples

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Demos

Extant demos include a 45 single acetate by the Emeralds, which was not intended for public release, as is evident by the hand-written notation on the red and white labeled disc. Nonetheless, the disc is in circulation and has gained renewed interest as a part of doo-wop history.

"Love and Glory" (doo-wop) —>
"Come Dance With Me" (doo-wop) —> article about the song Come Dance With Me"
Claude
A. Brooks
Cliff
Ace
Duke
Cliffy
C. Ramsey
D&L recordings
  1. LP-108 (1959)
    Andy Weis on Hammond Console [2][a]
    Preliminary & Bronze Ice Dances
    Recorded on an AMPEX Series 351


  2. LP-109 (1959)
    Recorded on an AMPEX Series 351


  3. LP-110 (1959)
    Recorded on an AMPEX Series 351

    Re-issued as a compilation on CD (skating music)


  4. LP 3738
    Andy Lalino Presents:
        Sit In and Play Along on Drums (1962)
    Recorded around 1962 at
    D and L Sound Studios
    Andy Lalino (drums),[b] Don Fornuto (né Donato Dominic Fornuto; born 1931) (piano), George William Dobrin (born 1936) (accordion), Lou Mavros (né Louis Mavrogian; 1928–2011) (bass), Charlie Aquista[c] (tenor sax)
    Bob DeFranco (audio engineer)
    Cover art: Robert Curtiss
    Producers: Bob Curtiss (né Robert Anthony Curtiss; 1929–2002)
    © 1963 Educational Music Methods
    OCLC 57599416
York Records
  1. York DL 208
  2. Neil Slater Trio
    Neil Slater (piano), Art Epstein (bass), Andy Lalino (born 1934) (drums)
    Side A: "Way Out East" (© 1963)
        By Neil Slater
    Side B: "Tiamat" (© 1963)
        By Neil Slater
    Recorded 1963
    York Records DL 208
        A Division of D. & L. Sound Services, Inc., Mount Vernon, New York

Other occupants

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1917
Scrafina Scola
1953
Empire Merchandising Co.
1954
Lev Gleason Publications, Inc. (comic book publisher)
defunct in 1956
Leverett S. Gleason, Publisher and Editor
Advertising office at 28 E. 1st St., Mt. Vernon, N.Y.
1982
Vernon Triaxicon, Inc.
(founded 1977, dissolved 1982)
2016
Mount Vernon Business Improvement District, Inc.
Creative Direction Construction & Design, LLC
Mt Vernon Cmnty Action Group
WestCOP
Andre Wallace (NY State political election filer)

Selected personnel

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Name
  • Robert ("Bob") Joseph De Franco (1931–2010)[3]
producer, recording engineer
Born on December 9, 1931, in New York City. Son of Ralph and Christine (Paganelli) De Franco.
Education
Bachelor of Science, Western Connecticut University, 1958
Career (audio engineer, producer)
1958–1962: D&L Sound Studios, Mount Vernon, New York
1962–1965: Manhattan Sound Incorporated, New York York City
460 W. 54th St. at 10th Ave.
1965–1967: Murlyn Recording and Educational Products Corp., New York City, dissolved 2009
Murlyn was acquired 1967 by Income Properties, Inc., owner of Manhattan Sound Studios
Also, in 1967, Joseph Macaluso and Frank E. Pellegrin acquired a controlling interest Manhattan Audio Co., the new corporate entity of Manhattan Sound Studios
1967–1969: 6 West Recording, Inc., New York City, dissolved 1982
1969–1979: Aura Recording, Inc., New York City, dissolved 1983
1979–1981: Howard Schwartz Recording, Inc., New York City (Howard M. Schwartz, CEO)
1981–2003: The Mix Place, Inc., New York York City (Kenneth Fredrickson, CEO), dissolved 2003
A post-production shop
source

References

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Notes
  1. ^ Andrew Joseph Weis (1901–1975) — from Mount Vernon, New York — played saxophone, clarinet, organ, and piano; he had performed with big bands, including that of Benny Goodman, and had a band in the vaudeville era opening for George Burns called "The Aunt Jemima Five." Weis finished his career playing organ at skating rinks in New York

  2. ^ Andrew S. Lalino (born 1934), drummer from Mount Vernon, New York, taught Alvin Queen; Slater also taught Queen ("Alvin Queen, 'The Monster'" by Elaine Bissell, née Faulkner; 1917–2013, Westchester Weekend, the magazine of the Herald Statesman, September 14, 1979)

  3. ^ Charles Salvatore Acquista (1916–1973) was a professional musician his entire life

Inline citations