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After finishing our 1980 tour schedule, Bob Leinbach and R.A. Martin went their separate ways. Even more importantly, Wells left, too, leaving only Lance and Larry to carry on as Orleans if we so decided. We did.
Orleans continued to tour through the early 1980s, playing gigs with a band that included our new guitarist … left-handed upside-down (Hendrix-style) player Dennis “Fly” Amero. Youngest brother Lane Hoppen also joined the touring band on keyboards.
During the depths of a serious US recession, through a new production/management team, we managed to land a record deal with a small new label called Radio Records, distributed through Atlantic.
“One of a Kind” was cut in Fort Lauderdale, FL, in the summer of ’82.
Diehard fans call it “the snowflake album” because of its cover art.
Don’t want a physical CD? Digital downloads / Streaming are also available.
The album included brand new band member Michael Mugrage, replacing Fly on guitar/vocals in a precipitous, producer-suggested change of personnel during the sessions. Michael would stay with us for another 2 years.
It also included a producer-suggested cover of the Everly Brothers’ “Let it Be Me.” The theory was something like, “If Hall & Oates can bounce back with “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ”, why not try…?” But, no sooner had we recorded our version, Willy Nelson released his remake!
Oh, well…It hardly mattered in the end, as the label folded roughly one month after the release of this album … and Fly returned in 2005 and has been with us ever since!
Ben Wisch impressively went on to produce Marc Cohn‘s self-titled 1991 album, which included “Walking in Memphis.”
