The Monzas
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The Monzas, founded in 1962, were the first of several "blue-eyed soul" or "beach music" groups to be established in the city of Burlington, North Carolina. They were followed soon afterwards by such groups as The Weejuns, The Alpacas, The Attractions, The In-Men Ltd. and Willie T. & The Magnificents. Most of the Monzas' venues throughout their existence included the frat houses of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference schools, clubs in North and South Carolina, as well as many private functions thoughtout the southeastern states. They were the first group in that era to utilize 2 female vocalists, both of them more than capable of carrying lead vocals on a number of songs which became crowd favorites. In the mid-sixties, they were the first of the regional bands to have a record released which was picked up by a national label, in their case by Wand Records. Hey I Know You became a huge regional hit on its own prior to Wand's interest. In 1969 they released Instant Love, a single written by Billy Carden, the lead singer at the time. Over the course of 9 years, there were over a dozen extremely talented musicians who were members of the group. Several of them are still playing today, and they recount their years with the Monzas as the best times of their musical careers.
On November 4, 2005, The Monzas performed at a Burlington reunion concert that also featured The Alpacas, Willie T. & The Magnificents, The In-Men LTD. and the Attractions.
