Just Boys - Hook, Line And Sink Her

A. Hook, Line And Sink Her


B. Thanks A Lot


JUST BOYS (Tampa, FL)
Hook, Line And Sink Her b/w Thanks A Lot
Counterfeit (CR-511), 1977

Bobby Woodrich and Terry Carolan started playing together in 1975 in a glam/pop/rock band called Fairytale. Before that, Terry played with Gary Heslin in an influential melodic rock band called Amnesia. By mid-1976 the three of them got together to form Just Boys.

Disco and country rock were running rampant in central Florida at the time. Those who weren't accepting of those styles started their own scene. Just Boys were at the core of this new movement of bands who were playing original music in the Tampa Bay area. Although they were tagged as "punk," they felt they were more of a melodic rock band with certain pop sensitivities.

Having limited avenues in which to play, they approached the owner of a small tavern whose clientele consisted of two old fishermen. The place had a small stage, so they asked if they could put together shows in exchange for the door money. With the assistance of friend Gary Littleton, who placed ads in the college paper and ran a series of outrageous posters for the newly coined Maniac Lounge, they were packing the place in no time. Local newspapers started writing articles about how Punk Has Invaded Tampa and Just Boys were given a front page story in a weekend entertainment magazine.

In 1977, Terry and Gary Littleton formed Counterfeit Records in order to put out a Just Boys single. The initial run of 1000 copies sold fast and warranted a second press of 2000 more. They had their sites set on getting a record deal and actually came pretty close. After sending records out and receiving rejection letters from Polygram, CBS, Warner, and other majors, Arista came back with a positive response. They wanted to hear a "breakthrough track." So the band, which by then had replaced Heslin on drums with Ral Spera, promptly recorded more songs.

The next logical step for them was to move to LA and find management that could secure them the record deal. In the midst of trying to get out to the West Coast to deliver the new material, their A&R rep was repositioned and her replacement unfortunately had no interest in the band.

They persevered a short while longer in LA until Bobby moved back to Florida. After trying to find a suitable replacement, things went from bad to worse and they eventually called it quits. Unsure of what to do next, Terry moved to Houston to try things out with a band called the Pinups, before starting his next project, True Hearts.