The Jack Sass Band was one of NYC favorite showbands. We performed in clubs throughout NYC, Rhode Island, New Jersey (including the legendary Stone Pony one night a young Bruce Springsteen & David Sancious were in attendance). We were back up bands for The Coasters and Chuck Berry playing Madison Square Garden’ We were later to become part of NYC’s “NO WAVE” movement featured as a the “Punk Funk” element and performed with James White & The Blacks at the Peppermint Lounge as well as other official and unofficial Bowery Clubs. We shared a 2 month stint of Weds and Thursday afternoons at the “Queens College Rathskellar” events with a girl named “Madonna”. Our band held court at famous New York clubs such as Leviticus and was one of the house bands at “The Cellar” home of “Kinky Foxx” (Johnny Kemp, Timmy Allen) and Platinum Hook (Bobby Douglas).The funkified sounds of Jack Sass was largely based on 70’s Funk, British Punk and we shared many similiarities to Rick James & Prince and the Minneapolis sound (although at the time we had no knowledge of our common sensibilities). Some of the recordings were an attempt to tone down the rockin’ dirty funk to a more polished smooth sound at the yearning of our engineers & producer. The band had several incarnations and line ups, the latter including members from the best bands “Jamaica Queens” had to offer. The name came from our motto “Jack Sass Kicks A**”.
