  T he Niagara Falls, ON group formed when bassist/vocalist Ricki Rose hooked up with highschool chums and guitarists John Deiugli and Franky J. Fox. The lineup was rounded out with Freddie Taylor on keyboards and drummer Pat Cass. They fine tuned their hard pop sound and Degiuli became John Dee while they played the Ontario/Eastern seaboard circuit.They recorded some demos at Toronto’s Jhana Sound and released a cover of the Diana Ross & The Supremes classic, “Where Did Our Love Go.” backed with the group-penned “Crying For More” in 1981 on the independent Warpt Records, owned by Teenage Head‘s Dave Rave and released only in Canada and Japan. Things were looking good for the guys, as they were staples on the circuit, touring with the likes of Starz and Streetheart, and even found themselves in Japan. It was while on the road that the band was introduced to Mick Ronson, producer of David Bowie, John Mellencamp, Lou Reed and Mott The Hoople, among others. He took them back into the studios and the song “Struggle” was the first flexidisc ever released in Canada, packaged with an edition of Music Express magazine in 1982. After Rose switched fulltime to lead vocals, they recruited Tony Duval on bass and submitted “She’s Got It” to Q-107 for their Homegrown Talent competition. The Rose/Cass composition won the contest and wound up on the radio station’s 1982 compilation album. The added exposure landed them a deal with Attic Records later that year. Internal differences however saw the band for all intents and purposes split up. After the label convinced Rose to change the band’s name to Perfect Affair, he resurfaced with a new lineup which featured Brian Brackstone (who produced their 45 “Where Did Our Love Go”)and recorded an eponymous lp in ’83, featuring “She’s Got It,” the same track that got Lennex off the ground. Following that band’s breakup, Rose then went on to form The Rick Rose Band and did number of outside projects, including session work and film scores. Dee meanwhile went on to become the frontman for Honeymoon Suite, the initial version of which also featured Brackstone on bass.
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