Bootleg Rarities by Crown Jewels (Steve & John Conte)

Don't be fooled by the cover photo - this ain't no jazz album! It's pure rock 'n' roll, with soul - and power pop melodies! Tracks on the Bootleg Rarities EP were recorded by Steve & John Conte - aka Crown Jewels - between 1992-1999 and each has a story...
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Tracks #1 & 2, “Sunshine Girl” and “Sunday Child” were recorded in the late 1992 after the break up of the Conte brother’s band, Company of Wolves (Mercury Records). The sessions were done at Acme Recording in Mamaroneck, NY recorded by Spin Doctors producer Peter Denenberg and feature NYC badass Shawn Pelton on drums, before his career took off playing in the Saturday night Live band and with Rod Stewart, Sheryl Crow, Ray Charles, David Byrne, and many other big names.
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Track #3, “Dream” was written for and featured in the 1999 film, “The Stand In” and features brother John on drums as well as on bass.
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Tracks #4 & 6, “Little Empress Of Gloom” and “Peace ’97” were recorded in 1997 and feature the recording debut of a 3rd brother, Jeff Conte on drums. “Peace ’97” is a rock 'n soul update of the song “Peace” from the Crown Jewels 1999 release, Linoleum. The original “Peace” was written by Steve at age 10 for the brothers’ first “album”, recorded live to cassette in the Conte family living room. Both of these previously unreleased tracks were recorded in Steve & John’s rehearsal studio, “The Pink Hole” on W23rd st & the West Side Highway in Manhattan. (Fun Fact: The drum kit that brother Jeff is bashing away at on these tracks is the pink Premier kit that belonged to New York Dolls drummer, Jerry Nolan.)
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Track #5 is one of The Jewels best loved songs, “Toughest Girl In The Neighborhood”, a live version recorded in 1999 at Baby Jupiter, a club that stood on the corner Stanton & Orchard streets on NYC’s Lower East side. Along with Steve & John on this one are drummer Rich Pagano (Patti Smith, Rosanne Cash) and guitarist Andy York (Ian Hunter, John Mellencamp).
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All songs Copyright 2020.
All Music & lyrics by Steve Conte except “Dream” by Steve & John Conte.

“Rock-n-Roll is alive & well, embodied by Steve Conte! 1st Class songs by a master player.”
Steve Lillywhite-Rolling Stones/U2/XTC Producer)

NYC Guitarist/singer/songwriter. Solo artist, member of Company Of Wolves, Crown Jewels, The Contes, Steve Conte & The Crazy Truth, New York Dolls, Michael Monroe - sideman w/ Paul Simon, Willy DeVille, Robert Gordon, Billy Squier, Peter Wolf

stevecontenyc.com