Harrison Hoaney grew up in the rough Southwestern quadrant of the District of Columbia known as Ladroit Park. Populated with unsavory, if not criminal, characters, Harrison’s neighborhood reminded him of the film serial The Bowery Boys. Leo Gorcey portrayed the titular ne’er-do-wells’ leader “Slip” Mahoney, and noting the similarity in their last names “Skip” Mahoaney stuck as his nickname. Together with fellow Francis Cardozo hall-dwellers George Norris, James Morse, Franklin Radcliff, and Morris Moore, the Casuals were formed in 1965. Upon graduation in 1968, Skip had a draft scare, but received a reprieve when, after a few agonizing months in basic, he was deemed flatfooted and sent back to the capital. In 1969, the group solidified around its best-known line-up: Roger Chapman, Billy Jones, and original member George Norris. Most importantly, the quartet joined forces with schoolmate James Purdie, a partially blind multi-instrumentalist who had made a name for himself at Cardozo. Purdie could play, arrange, and write songs, and proved essential to the group’s unique and professional sound; equally important, he would be the driving factor in connecting the Casuals with Robert José Williams.