Dann Klawon

 

 

Bandleader Dann Klawon of the Choir knew a girl who had been to England in 1963 and picked up some of the early Beatles singles and one of their albums.  Like most of the American garage bands, they were influenced by the British Invasion; but for them, it hadn’t even arrived here yet.  Klawon wrote an unabashedly Beatlesque power-pop classic for the band called “It’s Cold Outside” that made the local charts and is among the most beloved garage-rock songs from the era.  Stiv Bators, frontman for the seminal 1970’s Cleveland punk band the Dead Boys was among its admirers; but his band couldn’t figure out how to play the song!  (Later, as a solo artist, Bators came up with a nice version).

 

(February 2010)

 

 

A song called “Ain’t Nothin’ Gonna Stop Me” by the Quick also features Eric Carmen on lead vocals and can be heard on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PXpKUNYUTk&feature=related .  The song was co-written by Carmen and Dann Klawon.  A couple of years earlier, Klawon had written the immortal song “It’s Cold Outside” by the Choir that you really shouldn’t miss either; that one is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JndhLibASI&feature=related .