Return to Rock-and-Roll Page.The Reflections came from the suburbs west of Detroit and had a giant hit in 1964.
The original members of the group are Tony Micale, John Dean, Ray Steinberg, Phil Castrodale and Dan Bennie. Beginning in the early 60's they performed in various locations around the Detroit area and recorded their first record on the Kay-Ko Records label, then a short time later moved to Golden World Records. The Reflections recorded a song in early 1964 that had been written by Bob Hamilton and Freddie Gorman titled (Just Like) Romeo & Juliet. It was snappy and infectious, and featured a lead vocal by Tony Micale as well as very nice harmonies for which the group became known. The song included the lyric "talk about love and romance... just wait 'til I get myself straight... I'm gonna put Romeo's fame... right smack dab out of date..." The record took off, reaching the top ten nationally and the group was in demand.
Their sound was part of what came to be known as Northern Soul. Ray Steinberg left the group to follow some business interests. The Reflections toured with Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars and appeared on leading television music programs of the day such as Shivaree, American Bandstand, Hullabaloo and Shindig, as well as in the 1965 motion picture Winter A Go-Go.
The Reflections were a successful American singing group performing at a time when the British Invasion was sweeping America, led by groups such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, and the Dave Clark Five. They stayed together for several years and recorded other songs, such as Like Columbus Did, Shabby Little Hut, and Poor Man's Son, but none had near the level of success as their first big hit. By 1968 they disbanded, but stayed in touch and re-grouped at times over the years. They were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. Dan Bennie passed away in 2008.
The group is still performing with some original members, as well as members from other groups from the Detroit area in the fifties and sixties. The current line-up includes Tony Micale, John Dean, Gary Banovetz and Joey Finazzo. They have a web site at reflections-music.com, where they offer booking information and their current CD From The Heart.
The Reflections are remembered as a one-shot group for their giant hit from 1964, (Just Like) Romeo & Juliet.
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