The Trade Winds were an American pop group from Providence, Rhode Island. The duo consisted of singer-songwriter and record producer Peter Anders (né Peter Andreoli) and Vini Poncia. Before forming The Trade Winds, Anders and Poncia had a hit single under the name The Videls with "Mr. Lonely" in 1960. After disbanding The Videls, they began writing tunes with Phil Spector for groups such as The Lovelites, the Ronettes, and the Crystals. Recording under the name The Trade Winds, they released several singles, including their first hit "New York's a Lonely Town" in 1965, which peaked at number 32 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their second hit was the psychedelic-tinged "Mind Excursion" in 1966, reaching number 51 on the same chart. In 1966, they changed their name to The Innocence and released a full-length eponymous album, along with two more hit singles: "There's Got to Be a Word!" (U.S. number 34) and "Mairzy Doats" (U.S. number 75). Following the LP release, they released another album under the name Anders & Poncia on Warner Bros. Records in 1969 before breaking up. The group was mentioned in the Mad Men Season 5 episode "Tea Leaves." Peter Anders died at Kent Hospital in Warwick, Rhode Island, on March 24, 2016, at age 74.
