Dakota
Band members Related acts
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line-up 1 (1980) - Lou Cossa -- keyboards, backing vocals - Jerry G. Hludzik (RIP 2020) -- vocals, bass, acoustic guitar - Billy Kelly (RIP 2024) -- vocals, lead guitar - Bill McHale -- bass, backing vocals - Jeff Mitchell -- keyboards, backing vocals
supporting musicians: (1980) - John Robinson -- drums, percussion
line-up 2 (1981-82) - Lou Cossa -- keyboards, backing vocals - Jerry G. Hludzik (RIP 2020) -- vocals, bass, acoustic guitar - Billy Kelly (RIP 2024) -- vocals, lead guitar - Bill McHale -- bass, backing vocals - Jeff Mitchell -- keyboards, backing vocals - Tony Romano -- drums, percussion
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- Birds of a Feather (John Robinson) - Black Bible (Gary Driscoll) - Bridge 2 Far (John Robinson) - The Buoys (Jerry G. Hludzik) - Chicago (Danny Seraphine) - Lou Cossa (solo efforts) - The Crusaders (John Robinson) - The Electric Elves (Gary Driscoll) - Elf (Gary Driscoll) - The Elves (Gary Driscoll) - Flaxy Morgan (Rick Manwiller) - Happiness (Jerry G. Hludzik) - Jerry Hludzik (solo efforts) - The Jerry Kelly Band (Jerry G. Hludzik) - Rick Manwiller (solo efforts) - Moses (Jerry G. Hludzik) - The Odd Powers (Jerry G. Hludzik) - Rainbow (Gary Driscoll) - Rufus (John Robinson) - Danny Seraphine (solo efforts) - Synch (Rick Manwiller) - TRW (John Robinson) - Twelve-Twenty Four (Rick Manwiller)
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Genre: yacht rock Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Dakota Company: Columbia Catalog: NJC
36261 Country/State: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: small promo stamp on back cover; original lyric inner sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $25.00
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Record label marketing tactics remind me of tides. An artist comes along with a certain "sound" that attracts the attention of record labels who hear an opportunity to make some money. That "breakthrough" act finds themselves quickly followed by scores of similar sounding enterprises. In most cases those follow-on acts reflect the law of diminishing returns; both artistically and financially. And as quick as the sound became hot, the tide rolls back out, the buying public moving on and record labels quickly dropping the artist in favor of the next "it" sound. In spite of the fact they were quite talented, sadly that seems the fate that befell the Pennsylvania-based rock band Dakota.
Dakota can trace its roots to the Scranton / Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania based band The Buoys. Best known for the macabre 1971 top-40 song "Timothy", the band featured keyboardist/guitarist Fran Brozena, singer/guitarists Jerry Hludzik and Bill Kelly, drummer Chris Hanlon and keyboard player Carl Siracuse. By 1978 Hludzik and Kelly were on their own as the Jerry-Kelly Band. Popular throughout Pennsylvania, they attract the attention of Chicago' drummer Danny Seraphone and were signed by Epic Records. Co-produced by Seraphine and Rufus keyboard player David "Hawk" Wolinski, the pair released an instantly obscure 1979 album - "Somebody Else's Dream" (Epic catalog number JE 35452).
In
spite of the album's commercial failure, Columbia Records agreed to a
follow-on album: with one significant caveat - the album be released under a
new band name. Credited to "Dakota", along with Hludzik and
Kelly the LP featured keyboardists Lou
Cossa and Jeff Mitchell, bassist Bill McHale and
In support of the album Columbia sent the band on the road opening for Queen on their extensive US The Game Tour.
Sadly the two principles had died. Hludzik passed on in April 2020. Kelly died in December 2024.
It's quite dated, but there's an interesting Dakota website at: Dakota Band
"Dakota" track listing: 1.) If It Takes All Night (Billy Kelly - Jerry G. Hludzik) - 4:48 rating: *** stars I remember hearing "If It Takes All Night" on a local radio station and thinking it was a perfectly serviceable slice of AOR (or what we now label yacht rock). With Hludzik and Kelly sharing lead vocals the track has always reminded me of a mash-up of bands like Boston, Head East, Kansas, Pablo Cruise, REO and Styx. Turn on the blender and there you go. Commercial and highly radio friendly, it's easy to see why Columbia tapped it as the album's lead off single. At the same time, there wasn't anything particularly original in these grooves. If I had to pick one adjective - "pleasant" came to mind.
- 1980's "If It Takes All Night" b/w "It Gets Easier" (Columbia catalog number 1-11195) # 78 Billboard top-100 charts
YouTube
has a clip of the band performing an abbreviated version of the song at a
February 2007 farewell concert at Farewell Concert at Montage Mountain,
Pennsylvania: Dakota
- "If it takes all night" clip - YouTube
2.) Crazy For Your Love (Billy Kelly - Jerry G. Hludzik) - 3:36 rating: **** stars With Kelly on lead vocals, "Crazy For Your Love" was my pick for the album's standout performance. The track had a distinctive "corporate" rock feel, but it was quality corporate rock with a slinky "ear candy" melody; some awesome Kelly-Hiudzik twin lead guitar and massive radio potential. Released as the second single, I can only scratch my head in wonder that it tanked. Bands like The Eagles certainly scored massive hits with material far less enjoyable
- 1980's "Crazy for Your Love" b/w "Possession" (Columbia catalog number 1-11316)
YouTube has a clip of the pair playing a pleasant acoustic version of the song at a 2011 appearance at The Winery. The pre and post patter between Kelly and Hludzik had a certain edge, but was kind of funny: crazy 4 your love VTS_01_1.VOB
3.)
Possession (Billy Kelly
- Jerry G. Hludzik) -
3:53 rating: ****
stars 4.) You Can't Live Without It (Billy Kelly - Jerry G. Hludzik) - 3:38 rating: *** stars Powered by some pretty electric piano, You Can't Live Without It" was a pretty, if pedestrian ballad. Kelly and Hludzik shared lead vocals with one of the baring more than a passing resemblance to The Hollies' Allan Clarke. No idea when or where it was filmed, but YouTube has a clip of a pretty solo, acoustic Hludzik performance of the song: YOU CAN"T LIVE WITHOUT IT / 1980 DAKOTA LP video by charlie gibb DSC_5539.AVI 5.) One Step (Billy Kelly - Jerry G. Hludzik) - 4:40 rating: *** stars Back to rock, "One Step" started with a classic AOR opening. Have to admit I really liked the cheesy '8-s synthesizers and the band's twin lead guitar attack
(side
2) Geez, did I put on a Head East album by mistake? "Lady" was one of those songs tailor made for '80s album oriented radio. A bouncy melody, tight vocal harmonies and mindless lyrics ... how could radio have missed this one? 2.) Restless (Jerry G. Hludzik) - 4:28 rating: *** stars The delicate keyboard opening on "Restless" have always reminded me of Styx's "Lady". Thankfully the song quickly shifted into an up-tempo, mildly-progressive tinged direction. Written and sung by Hludzik, it was his best performance. 3.) Crazy Love (Bill Lombardi - Jeff Mitchell) - 4:08 rating: *** stars The album's most overtly pop oriented tune, "Crazy Love" was another song that could have easily been mistaken for a Head East performance. As a big Head East fan that was a good thing. 4.) It Gets Easier (Billy Kelly - Jerry G. Hludzik) - 4:05 The breezy, mildly jazzy ballad "It Gets Easier" was another tune with commercial potential. It was also one of those efforts where it was fun to play "spot the influences". The song was tapped as the slip side on their "If It Takes All Night" single.
© Scott R. Blackerby May 2026
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Rufus
drummer John Robinson guesting. Like the previous album, "Dakota"
was co-produced by Seraphine and
Wolinski. Together and separately Hludzik
and Kelly were responsible for penning eight of the nine tracks; the
lone exception being keyboardist Mitchell's "Crazy Love". You can
certainly criticize these songs as being examples of early-'80s
"corporate" rock. Tracks like the single "If
It Takes All Night",
the slinky rocker "Crazy For Your Love" and the Head East-ish "Lady"
were clearly penned with an ear for commerciality and radio appeal.
That certainly wasn't a crime and the fact of the matter is virtually every
one of these nine tunes was worth hearing. Buoyed by strong melodies
and radio-friendly harmonies virtually the entire album was worth
hearing.. For goodness sakes "You Can't Live Without It"
even recalled The Hollies.
The band was certainly blessed to have two good singers in Hludzik and
Kelly. The pair were also decent guitarists; not particularly showy, but
exemplified by songs like "Possession", "One Step" and
"Restless" they had a knack for crafting sweet sounding twin
lead guitar runs. It was certainly better than some of the late-'70s
dreck put out by mega-selling bands like The Eagles.
