Happy Daze with Tommy and the Rivieras

About the Book

In 1963, author Tommy Janette and his neighborhood buddies in West Haven, Connecticut, were looking for something to do. And that something was starting a band and playing music. He had no idea what the future would hold for this group that originally was formed to impress the girls.

In Happy Daze with Tommy and the Rivieras, Janette narrates the band’s more-than-twenty-year history. It follows Tommy and the Rivieras through the years they opened for and worked with the Coasters, the Temptations, the Beach Boys, and many others. This memoir tells the true story about Jim Morrison’s arrest, as Janette was the complainant in 1967 when the group opened for the Doors at the New Haven Arena.

Sharing an eventful journey, with plenty of quirky moments, Happy Daze with Tommy and the Rivieras goes backstage and offers insights and stories about the venues they played, the records they recorded, and some of the stars Tommy and the Rivieras worked with and the stories about them.

About the Author

Tommy Janette grew up in West Haven, Connecticut. He was a professional entertainer for more than thirty years and was the leader of a well-known band that performed under the names Tommy & the Rivieras, the Riviera Show Band, and the Riviera Family. The band performed with, opened for, or backed up more than 100 nationally known bands and artists. They also recorded and released “Messin’ With Kid” and “Gonna Make It To Detroit City.” Janette has a daughter, a son, and a grandson.