Rick Caplan

For Whom The Belltones Toll Rick Caplan

Originally fronted by Lonny Fame, the band was best known for their original hit, "Break Up with Freddy." From their accidental beginning, the Belltones were embroiled in controversy as well as tragedy. Just days prior to the release of "Break Up with Freddy," Babs Weinstein Fame's girlfriend, inadvertently kicked the release lever on the jack holding up his car. Unbeknownst to Babs, Lonny lay underneath installing a nocturnal emissions control device. Although Fame was crushed to death, not so the aspirations of the Belltones. Three days after Lonny Fame's death, "Break Up with Freddy" was released and immediately shot to #139 on Billboards Top 100.