Search - Wadsworth Mansion :: Sweet Mary

Wadsworth Mansion was the archetype of one-hit wonder bands. The act formed in Providence RI, and took their name from a landmark building in Middletown, CT. In reality, there were two Wadsworth Mansion groups. The first recorded Sweet Mary and their eponymous LP for Sussex Records in late 1970. On board were the Jablecki brothers: Steve (who wrote the song) and Mike, along with John Poole and Wayne Gagnon. John played bass, Mike was the drummer, while Wayne and Steve provided guitar work and vocals. After the surprise Top 10 success of Sweet Mary (their only Top 100 hit). Steve and John hit the road to tour, with new drummer Cha, lie Flannery and lead guitarist Howie Forrest McDonald (both formerly with the group Pale Ryder). Together, they toured 35 states, opening for acts like Alice Cooper and Edgar Winter, and appearing on American Bandstand and The Dating Game. But Wadsworth Mansion's career was literally washed away, as the rains came while the group was booked to play in Pennsylvania. The band was set up at the Colonel's Club in scenic Edwardsville when angry floodwaters lashed the room. In a flash, their antique organ, amplifiers, speakers and all the rest of their stage equipment and gear were gone. The loss came to more than $15,000, not to mention the lost summer's worth of scheduled engagements stretching from Newport to North Carolina. The Providence Evening Bulletin of July 8, 1972 carried a story of how the band didn't qualify for small business relief, and was getting nowhere with whatever political machinery they had turned to. Worse, their record company had no incentive to put out any follow-up recordings (although they were already in the can), as there was no working band to tour in support of any new releases. Yet, Sweet Mary, they weren't coming home yet! Undaunted, and still hanging by the thread of their only hit, Wadsworth Mansion somehow got new instruments and another tour. All was going well until they were busted after a show in Louisiana for loitering on the street with some unsavory locals. That ill-fated event marked the last time the act played together as a group. Steve and Forrest packed it up, moved to Hollywood, and formed the band Slingshot. Despite playing gigs at The Whiskey and The Starwood in LA, Shngshot did not propel them back to the charts. Today mint copies of the Wasdwotrth Mansion LP fetch upwards of $100.00 on Ebay