Early in the Summer of 1963, Gary, Jeff and Bruce returned from their respective colleges and united (Jeff now on bass) as The Bravados, joined by an underage drummer from Irvington, New Jersey, Aaron Prestup.  John Booth – by now renamed by Bruce as “Mongo Booth” for performing purposes – came with Bruce from the Cornell iteration to complete the band.  As  one of the first black singers in a white group on Long Island, Mongo’s presence and dynamic singing, along with the group’s fraternity party sound, set them apart from other first-class aggregations.

They auditioned later that summer for former Brooklyn Dodger, Cal Abrams, who owned The Blossom Lounge on Nassau Boulevard in Garden City, then the main watering-hole for students from nearby Adelphi University. (Cal was a Dodger from 1949-1952 in the legendary times of Jackie Robinson, Peewee Reese, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges and the other boys of summer).  Cal was especially taken with the band’s unique party spirit and his evaluation led to weekend bookings for the balance of the summer.  The boys often befuddled new arrivals by squeezing the three guitarists into the phone booth with the door closed and chords connected to the amplifiers. The dance floor was so crowded that for the group to be seen in their matching white V-neck sweaters with red trim, Bruce, Gary and Jeff (the two guitars and bass) would stand on chairs, with three more chairs for their mike stands. And always mindful of squeezing in even more patrons, they would then turn around on the chairs to face the plate glass window looking out to the sidewalk so passers by would stop and come on in to join the madness.

The Bravados were a hit at The Blossom and, along with unrecalled bands at the clubs Zoli’s and Ryan’s on Hempstead Turnpike near Hofstra University, were surely the nascent stages of rock groups in clubs on Long Island, at least in Nassau County.  (Some songs of the day they played included Marvin Gaye’s “Can I Get A Witness”, Tommy Roe’s “Everybody” and Rufus Thomas’ “Walking The Dog”, oldies were such tunes as Jackie and the Starlites’ “Valerie”, Chuck Jackson’s “I Don’t Want To Cry”, The Drifters’ “Save The Last Dance For Me”, The Jesters’ “The Wind” and Jerry Butler’s “For Your Precious Love”.)

What perhaps made The Blossom even more special was the diverse influx of Bravado friends and devotees from Cornell and other colleges. The Bravados were to return to The Blossom for Christmas break in 1963 and various other occasions for some years thereafter until Cal Abrams sold the club and the theme changed.  (It has remained a bar and restaurant ever since with different names at that location, 273 Nassau Boulevard, until 2013 JP McGeevers when it became Doc O’Grady’s.)