by G. Jack Urso
 |
| Richie Annunziato in concert, circa 1980 (photo credit R. Annunziato). |
I fumbled around
quickly looking for a pen and paper. Richie Annunziato, one of the guitarists
for the Hot Hero Band, just called me. I wasn’t new to this. I interviewed
actors and musicians and politicians during my radio days, but as it was with
other Hot Hero alums like Sherry Coben and Patrick McMahon, Robert Brissette, and
now Richie Annunziato, I am suddenly reduced from being a 58-year-old man to
the 15-year-old kid I was when I first saw the show.
I was in a
slight panic, asking him to repeat something he just said so I could get it
down right.
Sensing my
anxiety, Rich offered, “Hey man, you should record this,” in a calming voice.
I chuckled. Not
just because I had the equipment and did not even think of turning it on, but
also at the idea of someone who taught me lessons 43 years ago was still doing
so today.
 |
| Caricature of Annunziato by Hot Hero Sandwich writer Sherry Coben that hung on the halls backstage at Studio 8H along with those of other band members in the Summer of 1979. |
Richie Annunziato
stands out in the Hot Hero Band with his lighter hair compared to his Raven-maned band
brothers. In addition to crunching out sweet lead work on the guitar with Mark
Cunningham, Richie made his mark with fans on the double-arm ax and lead vocals
on “Promises.”
The Hot Hero
Band is a Classic Rock quad squad: Two guitarists, bass, and drums. It’s the
same set-up like many rock bands, but this time the kids were not only the
audience, but also the muse. The band sang on topics that reflected the episodes’
themes. We didn’t have to figure out what the lyrics to a Beatles song meant,
what the Who’s Quadophenia was about,
or if Jethro Tull was a band or a man. This was not a Disney approach to rock.
The band wasn’t condescending to us kids by playing generic rock with generic
lyrics. They came to rock!
Despite no
recordings of the band or the show before the Internet came along, and then
only a few precious clips (more has been posted since the creation of the Hot Hero Sandwich Central YouTube channel), we kids are still fans four decades
later. That’s a pretty good legacy for any band, and even more so for one
without any label releases.
What’s
in a Name?
Hot Hero fans
know that Annunziato is also known professionally as Rich Steele (go to RichSteele.com for music downloads and more!).
The switch came after his Hot Hero days on the advice of a friend who suggested a shorter name might lead to more music publishing opportunities. Rich’s sister noted that since he
played with steel strings, “Rich Steele” might be a little easier to remember
and apparently it was since business picked up after that. Much of his
professional work since has been under than name.
As a fellow
Italian whose first name is “Giocchino,” and who goes by “Jack” instead, I
fully sympathize.
Rich’s journey
before and after Hot Hero Sandwich is
one long rock and roll road — writing, producing, playing, recording, gigging — if a
rolling stone gathers no moss, then Richie Annunizato is definitely a rock and
roll rolling stone.
The
Road to Hot Hero
Annunizato cut
his teeth playing dances and in clubs in a trio of bands around the New York
City area with some classic 70s band names like Odyssey, Slaughterhouse, and
Lance Romance.
 |
| Photo credit, Rich Annunziato. |
In the early
1970s, Annunizato played with Odyssey, a three-piece band consisting of guitar,
bass, and drums, a power trio format.
“We loved
Mountain, so all we played was Mountain songs . . . all night long.” Rich said
with a chuckle, thinking of his later association with Mountain’s Felix
Pappalardi, who produced the Hot Hero Band.
 |
| Photo credit, Rich Annunziato. |
A little after
Odyssey, came Slaughterhouse. “A little bigger band, we had keyboards, we had
two guitars . . . bass, drums, two singers . . . you know, The Band kind.”
By the mid-70s,
Rich was playing with Lance Romance. The alliteratively evocative name was
inspired by a friend out in California who had a glam band called “Lance
Romance and the Pirates, or something like that,” Rich noted. “Back in New York
I was working with a band . . . and we were doing Yes and Spooky Tooth . .
. and we needed a name to go along with
it and I said “How about Lance Romance?” So that’s were that comes from.”
 |
| Photo credit, Rich Annunziato. |
And when four of
them get together, something special happens.
Hot
Hero Band Origins
Ae13U: Did you know Mark Cunningham before
Hot Hero Sandwich?
Richie Annunizato:
“We weren’t in bands together, but I knew Mark. We didn’t play together, but I
would go see his band, he would come see my band, and we’d sit in . . . and we
were both living in Rockland at the time. We just knew each other . . . we kind
of had the same influences, Humble Pie, Savoy Brown. We didn’t play together,
but we were jamming together at the time."
Ae13U: How did you get involved with the
show?
Richie
Annunizato: “That’s all Mark. Mark knew the producers. He had done a film [Sooner or Later, produced
by Bruce and Carol Hart] with Rex Smith and he was in the band with
Rex . . . and I think Rob [Robert
Brissette] and Mike [Mike Ratti] were too.”
[Editor’s Note: Barbara Feldon, who did the
bumper voiceovers for Hot Hero Sandwich, also appears in Sooner or Later. Rex
Smith would appear in episode 10 of Hot Hero Sandwich.]
“And so Mark
calls me up one day and says. ‘Rich, I want to audition for this kids’ show . .
. in New York. Do you want to come down and do it?’”
“Alright, you know, I ask who's doing it? And he mentioned Mike and Rob, who I didn’t
know.”
“So, we didn’t
rehearse,” Anninziato continued with a laugh. “We go down to S.I.R. [Studio Instrument Rentals] and there’s
every band within fifty miles!"
Ae13U: Really?
Richie
Annunizato: “Oh yeah, ‘Network . . . looking for a rock band,’ that’s what the
ad said.”
Ae13U: I didn’t hear this story before.
Richie
Annunizato: “Bruce and Carol Hart, who
are the producers, they know Rob and Mikey, they don't know me, but they like
the way the band looks, number one . . . before we played a note! They wanted a
little “Poppy” [as in Pop music].
There were bands from all over the place . . . and we got it!”
Ae13U: I can't imagine the rush it must
have been to beat out all those bands for a network show.
Richie
Annunizato: “And these were major bands
were playing all over New York. I knew a lot of them.”
According to Annunizato,
the bands that didn’t get the gig were gracious and wished the guys luck, but as
the show was short-lived, perhaps they felt a bit relieved when the series came
to an early end after 11 episodes and were glad they and their reputations didn’t
get tied down to a quickly-cancelled kids’ TV show — but 43 years later we’re still
talking about the Hot Hero Band and not them.
And that’s the
name of that tune.
On
the Band Stand
One observation
in researching the show is the lack of merchandise. No albums, photo books,
posters, etc. The short-lived nature of the show is not necessarily the reason.
Hanna Barbara’s and Sid and Marty Krofft’s Saturday morning TV series are
filled with one season wonders that had merchandising. Even the low-rated
13-episode Sealab 2020 (1972), got a board
game, but with Hot Hero Sandwich —
nothing.
 |
| In this previously unpublished photograph, the
Hot Hero Band in rehearsal at RPM Studio in Greenwich Village (left to right), Annunziato, Robert Brissette, and Mike Ratti (photo credit, R. Annunziato). |
Ae13U: There was no music released, why was
that?
Richie
Annunizato: “My issue with Hot Hero was
you have this band on television every Saturday and they don't have a record.
There’s no record there . . . and my
friends are saying, ‘You don't have a record out and you're on TV?’”
Ae13U: I always wondered about that. It
seems like a lost opportunity.
Richie
Annunizato: “Because the TV people
aren’t record people and they didn’t care about that. It boggles me because
they showcased us. They brought every record label in – the guys who did KISS
and bands like that – they brought us into S.I.R. [Studio Equipment Rentals]
and put us up on a stage and we played Hot
Hero songs — everybody passed. The thing was, they said, ‘They’ll sell
singles, but they’re not going to sell albums.’ That’s what the beef was. The kid’s
market wasn’t there yet. It was the 70s . . . it came in the 80s.”
Ae13U: Well, one thing about being ahead of
the curve is that it doesn’t always help out in the short-term.
Richie
Annunizato: “I am so thankful for it. Mark and the guys, we became great
friends . . . and Felix [Pappalardi] was dynamite.”
Ae13U: Since you mentioned Felix, I have to ask, I understand he had some
hearing problems. Was this an issue in his work with Hot Hero and you guys?
Richie
Annunizato: “It wasn't an issue because we weren't playing like . . . Mountain
[Pappalardi’s band] was a loud band .
. . and that was long before Hot Hero
was around . . . but Felix, he was . . . so musical. Nothing got in his way.”
Ae13U: It sounds like Felix knew exactly
what he wanted and what the show needed musically.
Richie
Annunizato: “I mean, you know the story where they brought all the studio
musicians in to do this and the underscoring because . . . we couldn't read music and stuff . . . the guy
who was producing it said, ‘Get these kids out of here . . . blah, blah, blah,
blah.’ And so when Felix showed up, he says ‘No, I want these guys to play — to
give the show a sound, to give it its
own sound.’ Felix was behind all that. We didn’t read music, but Felix would
get us to play what he wanted, that’s for sure.”
 |
| Annunziato discussing an arrangement with
Pappalardi in a Hot Hero recording session (photo credit, R. Annunziato). |
Ae13U: I know you guys used instrument
rentals on the show, but sometimes your own equipment. Can you tell us a little
bit about the equipment you used?
Richie
Annunizato: “The guitars weren’t rentals. The amps were, all the amps and the
drums . . . because they had this set that was neon and you can't have an
amplifier on stage cause it'll hum . . .
you can’t have that stuff going on video lines so they couldn’t have amps. All
the bands, we either sang live . . . Eddie Money, Joe Jackson . . . he sang
live, but they were still singing to the tracks because of that reason.”
Left to Right: Robert Brissette,
Richie Annunziato, and Mark Cunningham.
Ae13U: So, let’s talk guitars. What did
you use?
Richie
Annunizato: “Well, a good thing about
the show was we were getting endorsements from guitar makers like Ibanez, Kramer,
Dean were sending me guitars to use on TV. I also used them for gigs, and I had
a few guitars myself. The double-neck was a guitar that I purchased, a lot of
Gibsons. I still have my Les Paul from when I was a kid. Over fifty years I’ve
had the guitar — it’s my baby. So, Fenders, B.C. Rich, we got some endorsements
from them as well. So, we had some perks there.”
[Editor’s Note: Comments for Hot Hero Band
videos on social video invariably always include some praise for the guitar brands by name – proof that product
placement works, even four decades later.]
Hot Hero Band and 212 scrapbook clippings,
courtesy Rich Annunziato.
Ae13U: Robert Brissette noted the recording
studio where you laid down the tracks used 2-inch tape. Do you know how many tracks
were used to record?
Richie
Annunizato: “It was a 16-track.”
Ae13U: Where were you guys living during
the time of the show?
Richie
Annunizato: "I was living in Rockland. We
would rehearse at S.I.R., Mark was living in town, Mikey in Great Neck, and Rob
was living in town too. They were all in New York, except for me.”
Ae13U: Robert Brissette noted that Felix
did the “lion’s share” of the composing, and so I'm guessing that means songs
like “Promises,” “Last Night,” and “Show Your Love.” Would that be correct?
Richie
Annunizato: “Yes and no. ‘Promises’ is
by Mark. Basically, the songs that were there had to have the theme of the song
in them.”
A bare-chested Robert Brissette and Richie
Annunziato on stage in 212, circa early 1980s
(photo courtesy Rich Annunziato).
Ae13U: One thing I liked on “Promises”
was when you traded some lead work with Mark Cunningham. That was some pretty
hot stuff.
Richie
Annunizato: “Yeah, me and Mark used to
do a lot of that when we played live [as 212]. We really liked that, and he has
a double neck too, so we had some songs with the both of us on double-necks.”
[That sound you may be hearing right now is the
collective gnashing of teeth of Hot Hero Band fans frustrated at never having
witnessed that epic moment.]
Ae13U: There was production going on both
coasts, right?
Richie
Annunizato: “We were recording everything in New York, but the show was put
together in L.A., so we didn’t really see the show until everyone else did,
when the first show aired. All the music was done in New York, all the bands
were done there, but the interviews with Tom [Cottle], that was all done in
L.A.”
 |
| Scholastic Magazine 1980 feature article on the show and the band. |
Ae13U: Interesting that you never saw a
complete show until it was broadcast. What was your reaction?
Richie
Annunizato: “I was knocked out by it . . . I was in awe. I couldn't believe it
. . . I like the way it was done because we were there for all the music and
doing all the bumpers and stuff like that. Most of the people don't know any of
that stuff. That's the stuff we're most proud of because that was really the
creativity that we really put out. That first show was seen by 28 million
people — 28 million people that watched that show.”
[Editor’s Note: There were 63.7 million
children in 1980, according to the U.S. Census report for that year, which
means 28 million viewers are approximately 43.9 percent of the total number of
children in the United States living at the time of the first show in November
1979.]
Takin’
Care of Business
 |
| A selection of Annunziato’s albums (RichSteele.com). |
After Hot Hero
Sandwich, Annunizato remained in the music business — and largely on his own
terms. He lived in Nyack and later had a recording studio, Peaceland, out in
Pelham, NY. In the 1980s he did some work with friends in the early days of HBO
where he was doing music for short films of about 27 minutes in length each, though
it took some adjustment for the double-arm axe-master.
“It was the 80s,
so they didn’t want guitars — they wanted synthesizers for some reason,” Rich noted
with a slight sigh tinged with a still lingering sense of exasperation at that
particular musical fad.
He had a good
run on the college scene in the 1990s, where he enjoyed a strong presence on
college campuses and college radio on the East Coast.
“I was big in
college radio, and this was before Napster, and MP3s, and all that stuff. I was
selling CDs out at colleges,” Rich noted, further explaining that he eventually
was selling his CDs and was being played on college radio stations on campuses
from Florida to New Hampshire.
“College radio
was very good back then, until MP3s and all that came out,” Rich added with a
chuckle and some resignation. Fads are inherent to Rock and Roll and if you want
to survive in the business you have to know when to move with times and when to
move on.
Annunziato
bounced back and forth between Vegas and the East Coast a couple times before
permanently settling there in 2000s with Sin City providing opportunities for
gigging, producing, and recording. Along with several high school friends who
also transplanted themselves to Vegas, Rich quickly found himself at home.
During this
time, Rich produced music for The Food Network. An unusual experience, it
allowed him to work at home and explore different styles. Unlike HBO, he wasn’t
given standing orders on what type of instruments to use. Ironically, he had
more freedom. Rather than composing for one show, he would produce pieces of
various lengths in various styles which would then be made available in a sound
library from which show producers could draw from.
“My stuff was a lot different than
a lot of other people were doing [for the Food Network].,” Rich noted. “I was
more of the home-grown kind of guy, so I had a whole clientele that like that
style, so I was writing for that . . . I was doing country styles and sitars
and a little rock stuff as well.”
Vegas proved to
be a good move for Annunziato and inspired his creativity. Between 2002 and
2005 he released an astounding nine albums of material in styles ranging from
Rock, Punk, Country and Western, and even Sitar-Rock fusion [Ravi Oli, Before Your Time (2003), this writer’s personal favorite]. More
than just stretching his creativity, Rich really bites into the material and nails
the styles down. Generous to his fans, he has made tracks from 11 of his albums
available for download or streaming from his website RichSteele.com.
There is an
authenticity to the music, not only in lyrics, but also in spirit. Rich isn’t
just playing Rock, Punk, Country and Western, or the Sitar. He IS a Rocker, he
IS a Punk, he IS a Cowboy, and he IS a blissed-out guru in a desert Shangri-la.
And frankly, we
expected nothing less from a Hot Hero.
 |
| Annunziato in action as part of 212 (circa early 1980s) (photos courtesy Rich Annunziato). |
● ● ●