The Glass Prism on the ‘Poe Through the Glass Prism’ album cover: From left: Augie Christiano, Rick Richards, Carl Siracuse and Tom Varano.
                                 Submitted photo

The Glass Prism on the ‘Poe Through the Glass Prism’ album cover: From left: Augie Christiano, Rick Richards, Carl Siracuse and Tom Varano.

Submitted photo

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<p>The Glass Prism: top left, Lou Cossa, bass/vocals; top right, Tom Varano, guitar/piano/vocals; bottom left, Mike Mercuri, keyboards/vocals; bottom right, Rick Richards, drums/vocals.</p>
                                 <p>Submitted photo</p>

The Glass Prism: top left, Lou Cossa, bass/vocals; top right, Tom Varano, guitar/piano/vocals; bottom left, Mike Mercuri, keyboards/vocals; bottom right, Rick Richards, drums/vocals.

Submitted photo

WILKES-BARRE — The Glass Prism was the first rock band from the Northeast to receive a major record deal.

That’s what band leader Tom Varano said, announcing that the group that shot to the top of the charts with the single “The Raven,” will be performing this month in Scranton.

The Glass Prism will be at The Theater at North, 1539 North Main Ave., Scranton, on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling 570-800-5020.

Se Acabo will be the opening band.

Varano, now living in upstate New York, has been working as a booking agent over the years, but he still loves to perform. He said he hopes fans of The Glass Prism, Shenadoah and the El Caminos come out to give a listen.

Back in the 1960s, Varano and Glass Prism played the usual places in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties — college dances, local clubs.

He provided a lot of background history on The Glass Prism for fans to recall and look forward to hearing those songs once more.

He said the band recently signed a deal with SONY Music Worldwide and two albums are on all digital platforms. And they also are working on a new contract with a label in Spain.

Glass Prism history

Varano said the Glass Prism signed with RCA Victor Records in 1969-1971. They produced two albums — “Poe Through The Glass Prism” and “On Joy And Sorrow” — both on RCA Victor Records and they were the first albums to come out of the Northeast by a rock group.

The single, The Raven/Eldorado, was the first single recording on a major label by a rock group from the Northeast, Varano said.

“The fact that the material was original was also a first,” he said.

The album and the single hit the Billboard, Cashbox, and Record World charts in 1969 and remained on for several weeks.

Varano said the album, “Poe Through The Glass Prism,” which featured lyrics by Edgar Allan Poe, has been labeled a Rock Opera by definition and one of the first-ever concept-based rock albums.

“At that time there were only a few others – ‘Tommy’ by the Who, for example,” Varano said.

The album cover featured the band members in unusual outfits for the day and the album cover is one of the most sought after from its time by collectors.

Varano said both of the RCA albums have recently been released in Asia on the Banderia Music record label.

Varano said The Glass Prism was the first rock group from the Northeast to perform on national television shows, such as The Jerry Blavat Show from Philadelphia with opening artists The Spiral Starecase and Smokin’ Joe Frazier and the Knockouts.

Some of the other major artists (with all original members) that have performed with The Glass Prism include: Atlanta Rhythm Section, Procol Harum, Leslie West/Mountain, Cactus, Chase, Three Dog Night, Guess Who, Ides Of March, Illusion, Brownsville Station, and Vanilla Fudge.

Varano said the nucleus of the band — Rick Richards, Tom Varano, and Lou Cossa — continued in full stride for several years as Shenandoah. Cossa was also a member of Ralph, Dakota, and The Box Tops.

Varano explained that Shenandoah preferred to use the nickname “Doah.”

“This name was established in 1971 when the band opened as Shenandoah for Three Dog Night at Bowman Field in Williamsport in front of a crowd of 20,000,” Varano said. “The chant “Doah” rang throughout the night.”

Varano also said The Glass Prism is the only rock group from the Northeast with a documentary that details its history from inception up to its historic reunion performance at the Scranton Cultural Center. It is called “On Joy And Sorrow: The Glass Prism Story.”

In October 2007, at the request of the manager, Helen McKenna-Uff, at the Edgar Allan Poe Historic Site and Museum in Philadelphia, The Glass Prism played its first concert in nearly 40 years, Varano said. He said the original Poe album has been played at the Museum Library for the past 38 years. Since then, the group has played several additional concerts in Northeastern Pennsylvania, starting with a reunion concert at the Scranton Cultural Center in June 2008 and again in October 2012, also at the Mellow Theater at Lackawanna College in May 2010, and others.

In 2011, The Glass Prism released a new CD, “Resurrection” on Debra Records. It was recorded at SI Studios in Old Forge. The double CD packaging also includes “Shenandoah, Sessions ‘73,” a previously unreleased album that was recorded at the prestigious Bell Sound Studios in New York City in 1973. Both albums have been getting airplay in Canada, as well as New York, Pennsylvania, and several other states.

Varano said organizers of the 2018 Electric City Music Conference, as part of the 5th Annual Steamtown Music Awards given out in August with several thousand in attendance, chose to honor “The Glass Prism” as the recipient of their 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Band Members on the Discography:

(All members are musicians and vocalists)

• 1960 -1963 – (No releases, Demos only)

Steve Bond – Drums

George Fox – Piano

Carl Siracuse – Guitar

Tom Varano – Guitar

• 1963 – 1966

Steve Bond – Drums

Jim Schrader – Bass, Sax

Carl Siracuse – Guitar, Organ

Tom Varano – Guitar, Piano

• 1966 – 1971

Augie Christiano – Bass

Rick Richards – Drums

Carl Siracuse – Guitar, Organ

Tom Varano – Guitar, Piano

• 1971 – 1976 (Shenandoah)

Lou Cossa – Bass, Keyboards

Rick Richards – Drums

Tom Varano – Guitar

• 2007 – 2012

Augie Christiano – Bass

Lou Cossa – Bass, Guitar, Keyboards

Rick Richards – Drums

Tom Varano – Guitar, Piano

• 2012 – Current

Lou Cossa – Bass, Keyboards

Rick Richards – Drums

Tom Varano – Guitar, Piano

Mike Mercuri

The Glass Prism has been paired with some of the biggest names in rock, jazz, and pop history, including:

Jefferson Airplane, Harry Nilsson, 5th Dimension, Quincy Jones, Wilson Picket, Stephen Stills, Earth Wind and Fire, Tower of Power, Herbie Hancock, James Brown, Barry White, Weather Report, Donovan, Lou Rawls, The Youngbloods, The Supremes, Rare Earth, Johnny Mathis, Al Green, Dizzy Gillespie, Sony and Cher, Poco, Trapeze, Hollies, America, Woody Herman, and many many more top selling artists.

In Wikiwand’s Allusions of Poe’s “The Raven” under Music, The Glass Prism is Number 1 out of about 40 artists that have used “The Raven” in their record releases. Others include The Grateful Dead, Lou Reed, Alan Parsons, etc.

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.