fˈɔːɹmd ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti fˈoːɹ, ðɪ ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəl ɡɹˈuːp kənsˈɪstᵻd ʌv fˈaɪv stˈuːdənts fɹʌm sənt. dʒˈɑːnz jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ɪn kwˈiːnz, nˈuː jˈɔːɹk: tˈɛd hˈiːnlaɪn, fɹˈæŋk stˈeɪpəltən fɹˈæŋk nˈɛvɚ plˈʌɡd ɪn hɪz bˈeɪs æz hiː dɪdnˌɑːt plˈeɪ ɪt, bˌʌt ɪt lˈʊkt ɡˈʊd ˌɔn stˈeɪdʒ, ˈɛɹɪk kɹˈeɪn, dˈɛni ɹˈaɪən ænd pˈɛpi mɑːɹtʃˈɛloʊ.
Formed in 1964, the original group consisted of five students from St. John's University in Queens, New York: Ted Haenlein, Frank Stapleton (Frank never plugged in his bass as he did not play it, but it looked good on stage), Eric Crane, Denny Ryan and Peppi Marchello.