Welcome to the reboot of the official website of Hap Snow’s Whirlwinds. Like its two, now-defunct predecessors, this site exists solely to share and promote the music of New England rock and roll band Hap Snow’s Whirlwinds, including the extensive music catalog of former Whirlwind musicians.

Hap Snow in the 1950s

Formed at Williams College in northwestern Massachusetts in 1958, Hap Snow’s Whirlwinds entertained audiences at fraternity houses, student centers, and college radio stations across New England through 1966.

The Big, Bold Sound of Hap Snow’s Whirlwinds handbill

Stay tuned in the coming weeks and months for original studio and home recordings newly-transferred from vinyl 78s to FLAC and MP3 files. When all the recordings have been identified, catalogued, and remastered, downloadable versions will be posted on this site and on SoundCloud.

Hap Snow’s Whirlwinds – “(Let’s Have) A Party Tonight” 1960 Trans Radio demo

“Let’s Have (A Party Tonight),” an original Whirlwinds’ tune written by James K. “Hap” Snow kicks things off. Featuring Hap on lead vocals, Len Arnold (Leonard Hochman) on sax, and possibly Art Bearon on piano, this demo was made at Ace Recording Studios in Boston, Massachusetts in 1960 (thanks to Michael Brackston Lee for his efforts in upgrading the sound quality of this version in 2008):

And if you have a few minutes, the playlist below highlights the music of the band members of Hap Snow’s Whirlwinds from 1958 to the present. This music, arranged chronologically, includes rock and roll, bop, groovy beats, Broadway tunes, pop, New Age, and folk among other genres: