SUCCESS IS FLEETING FOR BAND

For the Monroes, success came as suddenly and brilliantly as a rainbow after a thunderstorm.

The local rock band had been put together in the early days of 1982 by bassist Bob Davis and keyboardist Eric Denton as a vehicle for their song-writing collaborations.

Within a month, they had signed a big-money recording deal with Alfa Records, the newly launched American subsidiary of the Japanese recording giant.

By March, they were in Hollywood’s Chateau Recording Studio, working on their debut extended-play record with producer Bruce Botnick, famous for his work with the Doors, Kenny Loggins and Steve Perry.

By summer, the fledgling group--musically, a cross between Bruce Springsteen and the Cars--was the closest thing San Diego had seen to an overnight sensation since the days of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap 15 years before.

The Monroes’ five-song EP zipped up the national album charts, buoyed by the success of the hit single, “What Do All the People Know?” The group appeared on the “Merv Griffin Show” in early June, and shortly thereafter began a three-month U.S. tour with Rick Springfield.

“Everything happened so fast,” Davis recalled. “We were all hoping for the best, but no one expected us to hit with our very first record--not us, not our record company.

“But somehow, everything just snapped into place, and we got one lucky break after another. As soon as we got back to San Diego after our tour, we began working on a video.

“And at the same time, Alfa was getting ready to release a second single, hoping that the momentum created by the first--and spurred on by our subsequent touring--would be enough to take us all the way to Number 1.”

But the Monroes’ rainbow abruptly disappeared that fall when Alfa Records shut down its American branch.

“All of a sudden, there was no more money to tour, no more money to record, no more money to even complete our video,” Davis said. “And to make matters worse, all of our records were pulled from the stores, even though they were still being played on the radio.

“Needless to say, we were disappointed. But we were still on a high from our success, and once again, it appeared another break was just around the corner: As soon as word got out that Alfa was gone, several other labels offered us deals, and within several weeks we signed with CBS.”

However, CBS underwent a major reorganization shortly thereafter and the group literally got lost in the shuffle.

“We had no communication with the label,” Davis said. “They gave us no money, no help in finding a new producer, and no definite recording schedule.”

By the time the band could bow out of its contract with CBS in early 1985, the group had fallen apart.

Right away, “I was on the search for new band members,” Davis recalled. “I just couldn’t let the band die for good; from the start, the Monroes had been my baby, an outlet for my songs and my music, and there was no way I could ever break up with me.”

Last summer, Davis and Denton briefly revived the Monroes for a few club dates.

“But the old magic just wasn’t there,” he said, “so I quickly put things on hold again, rather than further damage the band’s name.”

He then set out on a search for the right musicians.

By Christmas, Davis had settled on two suitable replacements, both from Chicago: guitarist Ron Steta and singer Laurie Beebe.

Steta, a former session musician who has recorded with Robert Palmer and Lorenzo Taylor, had just left the latest incarnation of Gary Lewis and the Playboys.

Beebe, who had spent much of the 1970s singing backup with Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, and the Spinners, had likewise left another oldies revival band, the Buckinghams.

For the last three months, the new Monroes have been rehearsing daily with a session drummer, Davis said.

Thursday night, the revitalized group will launch its comeback at the Spirit nightclub in Bay Park.

“Finally, we’ve gotten back the magic we had when we first started the Monroes four years ago,” Davis said. “And that means that Chapter One of the Monroes’ story is now fully behind us, and we’re ready for Chapter Two.”