MUSIC
The Institution - 1966
“Love is Not Free” was ecorded in 1966 at Creative Production Studios in Orange, NJ. "Antipathy" is the B side. Personnel: Rich Lester, Marvin Coopersmith, Howard Duff, Jean LaMond, and Russ Frame.
The Institution - 1967-68
Personnel: Rich Lester (vocals), Marvin Coopersmith (lead guitar), J. Howard Duff (rhythm guitar. background vocals, lead vocal on “Ramblin”), Pat Moast (bass), Janette Greene (organ), Jean LaMond (drums), Philip Rubin (occasional special effects guitar).
The Institution II
Praisegod Bearbones
J. Howard Duff said: “Praisegod Bearbones is the band that Institution II evolved into with me, Marvin Coopersmith, Rich Lester, and two other guys, George Juchnevicious from Elizabeth on bass and Dave Massler from Livingston on drums.
Philip Rubin
These are a couple of fragments of practice sessions from around 1968 of Philip playing, sloppily and slowly, a couple of pieces by Furry Lewis and Robert Wilkins on his then newly purchased, original 1932 National Steel guitar.
Rich Lester
Rich Lester was the co-founder and lead singer of The Institution. Rich died of cancer in 1996 at the age of 47. Below are some of the tracks from a tribute CD, “From The Bottom of My Heart (Vol. 1)”', featuring rare performances by Rich accompanied by various New Jersey musicians, starting with The Institution in 1965, through some of his final solo sessions (some also listed above). The tracks are preceded by spoken liner notes by J. Howard Duff.
J. Howard Duff
J. Howard Duff. was the co-founder and guitar player The Institution. He has had a long career in the music industry. Click on the images below to view or listen to many of his albums and performances.
The Blues & Back is an 18-track blues and rock album, released in August 2017, that blends classic rock with traditional blues, featuring covers and original tracks including “I’m Crying,” “Gin House Blues,” and “Who’s Been Talkin’”.
Time Pieces, released on August 30, 2019, features a collection of folk and rock tracks, including renditions of songs like “Rain” and “Heart Full of Soul”.
Thunder & Lightning, is a 15-track, 2021 rock and blues album featuring Duff playing all the instruments and singing alongside vocalist Dawn Gaye.The album's tracklist spans various blues and rock standards,
Cathecism Cataclysm. This 12-track gospel/Christian album from Feb. 21, 2016 features tracks like “I’m Standing with Jesus” and “Fire & Brimstone”.
Legacy: The Road, The Best of J. Howard Duff. A collection of 22 hand-picked songs from 6 of Duff’s LPs and Singles from 2009-2026.
Duff, with the Red, White, & Blues band. This YouTube playlist from 2025 includes tracks featuring J. Howard Duff playing with the Red, White & Blues band, a professional blues & swing band based in the lowcountry (Hilton Head/Bluffton) area of SC.
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