Breakthrough by The New Colony Six

In 1964, a sextet of teenagers set out to bring the British Invasion to Chicago, establishing their own “Colony” on the northwest side in the city’s Belmont-Cragin neighborhood. “From that goal and the fact that England called America the new Colonies, we selected the moniker, New Colony Six,” said lead singer Ray Graffia. After a year of relentless gigging through the suburbs, the NC6 released their first single, “I Confess,” on their own Centar imprint which was collectively funded by the bandmates’ parents.

The up-and-coming group caught the attention of Peter Wright, a Chicago music industry titan who is most known for his Twinight Records label. Wright stepped in to manage the group and pushed “I Confess,” on the airwaves earning it a spot on the Billboard Hot 100. To capitalize on the single’s success, the NC6 rushed into Sound Studios to record a full-length follow up. A self-produced affair, Breakthrough adheres to the band’s original mission and draws heavily from British rock conventions implementing swaths of Farfisa organ, Lesley-fied guitar, and small doses of psychedelic influence.

A visit to the Numero office makes it very clear that ‘the stacks’ is a literal description of our process: we accumulate stacks of records, master tapes, photos, flyers, and old newspapers while assembling a project. From The Stacks is our way of illuminating the experience: the selections here are presented without curation. While we’re digging for gold, these are the lesser minerals we find.