Anthony "Rick" Trombetta, 71, lead singer of '60s doo-wop group

BACK IN THE early '60s, Mike "Teardrops" Silenzio needed a lead singer for the doo-wop group he was putting together.

Mike attended South Philadelphia High School and he was chums with Fabian Forte, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell and other kids who would go on to stellar singing careers, and he knew what he was looking for.

His group, the Masters, consisted of Mike himself as second tenor, baritone Rich Finizio, his cousin Frank "Tweetie" Condo as first tenor, and a clutch of others who were semi-members and hangers-on.

But he didn't have a true lead singer.

It wasn't until after a stint in the Navy that Mike found who he was looking for - Tony "Rick" Trombetta.

And the Masters became Rick & the Masters, a leading Philadelphia doo-wop group of the '60s, which got local airtime for its records and was in demand at teen hops and such classic venues of the day as St. Alice's, the Chez-Vous in Upper Darby and the old Wagner's Ballroom on North Broad Street.

Radio disc jockeys of the day, like Jerry Blavat, Hy Lit and Dean Tyler, played their records.

Anthony "Rick" Trombetta died Sept 9 of heart failure at age 71. He lived in Washington Township, N.J.

Mike Silenzio told Robert Bosco, writer and music historian, that he had heard Rick sing with another group, the Concords. "His was the voice we needed," he told Bosco. "It was a no-brainer."

The group had to make a record to further its career, and it was Rick's older brother, Bill, who gave it the opportunity when he started Taba Records.

" 'Flame of Love' emerged from Taba's portals in 1962, and was immediately scooped up by Cameo Records when it showed sales potential," Bosco said. "It was aired repeatedly by Jerry Blavat and made the local WIBG charts."

The group's second record, "Let It Please Be You," garnered some moderate enthusiasm, followed by the old standard "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" for the Hara label.

"It barely made a dent in the local charts, never mind its superb rendition," Bosco said.

The group, like most doo-wop aggregations of the time, performed without instrumental backup. What sounded like musical instruments, the singers made with their voices.

After he left the group in the late '60s, Rick performed for a while under the name Tony French, but by that time he was more interested in pursuing his business interests. He became successful as a real-estate manager.

"He was a shrewd businessman," said his granddaughter, Ariona Johnson. "He was very strong and trustworthy. He was generous and motivated, an inspiration."

Rick married Dorothy Napolitano in 1964. Besides his wife, he is survived by a son, Anthony Trombetta; two daughters, Alisa Johnson and Amanda Faneli; four brothers, Louis, Raymond, Robert and Alexander Trombetta; a sister, Barbara Trombetta; and eight other grandchildren.

Services: Were Monday. Burial was in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Blackwood, N.J.