In any case, the Rhodes Kids were on the move, and fast. Soon they were performing at the Las Vegas Hilton alongside Elvis and B.B. King, appearing on Jack Paar and Michael Douglas' TV shows, gigging on American Bandstand and in a Walt Disney World special, and hobnobbing with Wayne Newton and Sammy Davis, Jr.

They dubbed themselves "America's No. 1 Musical Family." Certainly good footage of these appearances must exist, but unfortunately the only Internet video Cutout Bin could find of them performing has since been removed for the dreaded "Terms of Use Violation."

The Rhodes Kids went on to release three more LPs, Live at the Las Vegas Hilton, Add a Little Beauty to the World and Caught Medleying, the latter featuring the eighth Rhodes, little brother Rick. These records were locally produced by Rho-Cam Productions, 511 W. Alabama, and managed by Sam Cammarata. Get it, "RHO-CAM"?

Being the curious guy we are, Cutout Bin did a bit of Googling on Mr. Cammarata and found that he was a boxing manager, even onetime manager of legend Rocky Marciano. A 1972 Billboard article describes Cammarata's new foray into music management with boxer Joe Friazier's new group The Knockouts (what??), and from Houston, the Rhodes Kids. So far so good. But we kept Googling.

A 1988 Houston Chronicle article about an organized-crime fugitive mentions the "Cammarata family," led by late Houston nightclub owner Sam Cammarata and described by federal officials as an international dope-smuggling ring responsible for at least six killings."

Damn.

The Rhodes Kids' ride ended in 1977, when the older Kids decided they'd rather go to college than be teen rock stars. Cutout bin sees no evidence that the Kids, or even their parents, had any idea at the time of the grisly antics of their "managers." But it does go a little way in explaining how a little family band from Houston could go from Village Pizza to the Vegas Hilton in a matter of months.

One can only imagine the goodfella types these kids must have met and performed for, probably without even knowing who they were. Ah, the '70s.

You can download Rock 'n Rhodes Christmas here.

See Nick DiFonzo's Web site at Bizarrerecords.com.