The Sundae Train

Formed in 1965 in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, the band was known as the
Avantis before adopting the more whimsical-sounding name Sundae Train.
Personnel consisted of chief conductor Joel Cherry, Bill Gheen, John
Morgan, Galen Ramsey and Steve Fecker.

The Joel Cherry­penned ³Love Affair² is an exciting build-and-release
composition that clearly displays the talents of a up-and-coming
songwriter with serious potential. ³Sing Sweet Barbara² is a sadly-
forgotten Margo, Margo, Medress & Siegel effort that begs the obvious
question: why didn¹t this record become a huge hit? The band¹s other
single was released on the 20th Century label. ³Wake Up (Sleepy Girl)²
b/w ³I Wanna Be² was co-produced by Dave Appell and Joe Tarsia and has
stellar production flourishes that enhance the solid pop songcraft.

The band later recorded one single, ³Pamela² (b/w same) as simply The
Train, and released this Tokens­co-produced recording on the Avco Embassy
label. Credited to Arnold and Alfred Infanzon of the Canterbury Music
Festival, the tune was long thought to be a CMF recording. Latter-day
Sundae Train drummer Steve Fecker remembers the mysterious ³Pamela²
recording session: ³We went down to the Ed Sullivan Theatre (where the
Tokens had their offices) and I don¹t remember if we actually recorded
in that building, or if we went somewhere else. But I do remember
standing around the mic and singing harmonies with the Tokens, and that
was really exciting. For me, it was as exciting as being there with the
Beatles or somebody, you know? That was Joel singing lead on ŒPamela.¹²
(This recording of "Pamela" can be heard as a bonus track on Canterbury
Music Festival's "Rain and Shine" CD, released on Rev-Ola earlier this
year.)

In 1972, the Sundae Train ran out of fuel and morphed into Road Apple,
a band that included future Starbuck keyboardist David Shaver. Today,
Joel Cherry is Tanya Tucker¹s attorney/manager. After the demise of Road
Apple, Steve Fecker went back to college and returned to Sunbury, where
he currently works for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.