The Sermon (band)

The Sermon

Company type	Rock band
Industry	Music
Founded	1968
Headquarters	Syracuse , United States
Products	Music recordings, singles

The Sermon was a rock ensemble originating from Syracuse, New York, active between the late 1960s and early 1970s. They gained recognition for their 1969 single "Never Gonna Find Another Love," released under the Kama Sutra label. The band later came together again after several decades.

Background

Established in mid-1968, the group was managed by George Plavocos, a disc jockey at WNDR-AM. Initially, they signed with Buffalo's Transcontinent Records using the name The Sermon. However, due to a conflict with another New York-based band sharing the same name, they adopted The Sir Men when affiliating with Thunderbird Records before ultimately reverting to The Sermon. The lineup featured experienced musicians from previous groups: lead vocalist Kal Dee had prior recordings with Kal Dee & the Showmen and played keyboards for Don Barber & The Dukes; meanwhile, Dave Novak, Bill Weiss, and Bill Wolfe were alumni of The Nightcaps, who had released the 1967 single "Keep on Runnin" backed with "Knock On Wood."

History

Their live performances were prominent across clubs in Rochester and Buffalo, as well as college events and venues such as the Campus Inn, Red Dog Saloon, and Holiday Bowl. In 1969, they issued the single "You're Never Gonna Find Another Love" backed with "What A Day This Could Be" on Thunderbird 520. The A-side was penned by Mickey Nicotra, while Carl Falso and Mike Anthony composed the B-side; both tracks were produced by Bruce Dedrick, whose family contributed background vocals. On August 16, 1969, this release was spotlighted as a Billboard Hot 100 pick and received a four-star rating from Record World for its appeal to teenage audiences.

Signed to Kama Sutra

By November 1969, Record World announced that Buddah Records had revived its Kama Sutra imprint and signed The Sermon (then referred to as The Sir Men) along with The Jaggerz. Promotion director Marty Thau purchased the master recording of their single from Thunderbird, while Buddah's Midwest operations manager Jack Hakim discovered the band. In 1970, under the name The Sermon, their single appeared on Kama Sutra KA 501. Despite this release, limited promotional efforts—owing to Buddah’s focus on acts like The Jaggerz and Morris Levy’s push for "The Rapper"—led to the group’s dissolution in January 1970. A Cashbox review from January that year noted the single's strong potential for Top 40 charting. By April, it climbed to #7 on Record World’s "ONE STOP Top Ten" chart, surpassing Aretha Franklin's "Call Me." Additionally, it maintained the #1 position for two consecutive weeks in September on WOLF-AM’s weekly vinyl survey and stayed on local charts for nine weeks alongside national hits.

After disbanding in January 1970

Following his departure from The Sermon, Kal Dee performed with The Kal Dee Trio at venues such as the Cavalier Room in Syracuse Motor Inn by May 1970.

Later years

Decades after their breakup, a demo of their planned follow-up single "It Almost Made Me Cry," written by Carl Falso, appeared on compilation albums titled History of Syracuse Music Volumes 3 & 4. In 2016, Dave Novak released his debut solo CD featuring both cover songs and original material.

Reunion

In June 2016, original members Jimmy Cox, Dave Novak, Bill Weiss, Bob Stasko, and Bob Papaleoni reunited for a performance at Pensebene's Casa Grande located on State Fair Boulevard. Drummer Jimmy Johns filled in for original drummer Billy Wolfe, who had passed away.

Members

• Kal Dee – lead vocals, trumpet, piano
• Jimmy Cox – Hammond B-3 organ
• Dave Novak – guitar, backing vocals
• Bob Stasko – saxophone, flute, maracas, vocals
• Bob Papaleoni – drums
• Bill Weiss – bass guitar
• Bill Wolfe – drums, vocals

Additional musicians

• Frankie Grasso – trumpet
• Steve Weinstein – trombone
• Pete Kanyuk – saxophone

Discography

Singles

Artist	Title	Catalogue Number	Release Year	Remarks #
The Sir Men	"You're Never Gonna Find Another Love" / "What A Day This Could Be"	Thunderbird TH 520 A	1969
The Sermon	"You're Never Gonna Find Another Love" / "What A Day This Could Be"	Kama Sutra KA 501	1970

EPs

Artist	Tracks	Catalogue Number	Year Issued	Notes #
The Jaggerz / The Sermon	"The Rapper", "Born Poor" "What A Day This Could Be", "You're Never Gonna Find Another Love"	Kama Sutra 617 104	1970	Released in Portugal

Compilation Inclusions

Artist	Compilation Title	Catalogue Number	Year Issued	Included Track(s)	Remarks #
The History Of Syracuse Music Volume I The Groups - 1958-1970	Various artists	ECEIP PSLP 1005		"You're Never Gonna Find Another Love"
The History Of Syracuse Music Volume III & IV	Various artists	ECEIP PSLP 1007-1010		"What A Day This Could Be", "It Almost Makes Me Cry"
Oldies I Forgot To Buy	Various artists	Forevermore FVR 5008	1995	"You're Never Gonna Find Another Love"