|
|
Album Review: The Velons & their Divas
(Classic Soul/R&B/Doo Wop)
 Watching some of the "tabloid" and what some may regard now as "Human Interest" pieces, I end up "having" to keep up with and acknowledge "American Idle". That coupled with some of the various music sources I stumble onto, I hear what is, now taken as normal, a lot of histrionic "singing". A lot of hollering, squeezing as many notes as one can in from two beats to a whole measure. Very athletic for sure. The "notes" and the amount of notes, apparently, have become more important than the words and the story the "singer" is telling. In the end, this "style" has rendered much of the music and the performers neutralized by the "sameness" in delivery. One has to go "off the grid",to get something that offers a total wall of music, where the music, the story and the performers are in concert; complimentary to one another. What a concept! A musical balance!!! OFF THE GRID....HERE'S ONE!!!!
THE VELONS and Their DIVAS is a collection of songs and stories done clean and polished with style and technique. Less is MORE!!! As one can expect from experienced performers, this is a project where there is a soothing balance of solid musical arrangements sitting beneath some "Classy" vocal performances. These are PROS in the true sense of the word, performance wise. The VELONS, the featured artists on this album, The JEWELS and The CLICKETTES demonstrate a dying art in American Pop music.....Group Harmony Singing. Not the presentations that managed to pop up over the last 10 or 20 years, where you have a lead and a background competing with that lead. NOT HERE! The "Lead" is the "LEAD" and the "Background" is the "BACKGROUND"!! WHAT A CONCEPT! You "get" the story/lyrics, and a support to that story/lyric where the background serves that "role" where an orchestra of horns and strings aren't necessary to fill the musical space.....(review continued here)
--Earl Gregory
Look for these songs playing as as "buzz cuts" on Nu Soul @ RadioIO.com
Album Review: Renaissance - Meet Me on The Corner
(The Rebirth of Consciousness and the Revival of the Cool)
 This is such an incredible album of recorded music that I need to dispense with my normal review methodology and speak directly to the villains. If you are programming a doowop, classic soul or acoustic music radio station and you aren't playing some of this music on your show, then you should be shot. If you have a "specialty show" and you aren't simply playing the ENTIRE ALBUM FROM END TO END for your listeners, then you don't really deserve to own your testicles anymore!!!
"Meet Me on The Corner" is an album of primarily "covers" of 1950's R&B hit songs and it's nothing short of pure magic. It's done 100 percent a cappela. It's got songs like "Sincerely" (Moonglows), "Money Honey" (Clyde McPhatter), "Chain Gang" (Sam Cooke) and many many more (hell there is even a cover of "The Stars" by the Occopellos Will Chill are you reading this?). Every song has a spoken word intro where various members of Renaissance, describe the historical importance of the upcoming song or the scene. They manage to do this in the same groove as either the preceding song or the upcoming song and there are 24 tracks in all.
The banter between these men on "Meet Me on The Corner", sounds like the kind of Black History lesson that is only possible coming from people who have first hand knowledge. The singing, the harmony, the production, the concept and the history is completely off tha hook. Everyone that is reading this review needs to hear this album.
However the ONLY way that could possibly happen would be if all of the DJ's who are reading this WILL PLAY THE DAMN THING. "Meet Me on The Corner" is truly compelling concept album, EVERY DAMN TRACK IS OFF THE CHAIN (that's right all 24 of them!!!!) and me writing any more words about it are truly a waste of my time (and yours), simply because I do have a Classic Soul radio show and what I should be doing right now is putting this stuff up for you to hear as opposed to writing about this. I don't care how old you are or what type of music you like, this album is just like CRACK, if you hear it once you will become addicted and need to own it. http://www.doowopaintdead.com
--Bob Davis
NEW BOOK: Yakety Yak, I Fought Back- My Life With The Coasters (by Carl Gardner)
Carl Gardner's autobiography, Yakety Yak, I Fought Back- My Life With The Coasters, has just been released and is available for purchase. In the works for several years, this paperback book covers the life and career of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee from his boyhood days in Texas to his R&B origins with the Robins to a 50-year career with one of the most successful and beloved vocal groups of all time, the Coasters, the Clown Princes of Rock & Roll. The book is available for purchase at www.authorhouse.com for $18.70 a copy. Please show your support of Carl and Veta Gardner's efforts to chronicle the history of one of our true pioneers.
Go to the Official Coasters website at for more information.
New Release: Jerry Lawson - "Talk of the Town"
(Black American Standard Music)
 This album carries a warning label on the front of it. The warning label says "This compact disk contains no instruments other than the human voice". Jerry Lawson - "Talk of the Town" contains every single musical style that you could attribute as being created by Black Americans and it is truly an album that is on a mission. It's mission would seem to be to save Black music from itself. Jerry Lawson - "Talk of the Town" contains Accapella, Jazz, Pop, R&B, Gospel, Slow Jams, Rock n' Roll, Classic Soul and more.
It consists of 20 powerhouse songs performed by the vanishing species formerly known as the "Black Male Vocal Group". It's one of the very best releases that I have heard in the year 2007. Every song on the album is a winner, that's right ALL 20 of them!!! I'm not going to tell you any more about the songs, because this is a CD that literally reviews itself, because the excellent liner notes contains commentary about each song written by Jerry Lawson (a 40 year veteran of the Persuasions) himself. Are you a fan of Black music? Then my advice for you is to go to Jerry Lawson's website and immediately purchase not one, but two of these CD's. One for your own listening pleasure and one to place into a safety deposit box, for your grandchildren, so that they will know just what Black music was supposed to be all about in the first place.
The warning label that it should have on it is: "If you are a Black person, please don't play this album unless you want to learn the reasons why you should love the culture that your people created...."
jerrylawsontalkofthetown.com
Official Statement in Tribute to BILL PINKNEY, D.F.A. Hon.
(Bill Pickney @ the 2005 Vocal Group Harmony Awards)
 "Like fine art, great music stays with us through the years to enjoy and to share."
A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Legend and Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer, DR. BILL PINKNEY of The Original Drifters has joined the celestial choir. He was one of only a handful of Artists with a legitimate claim of helping to invent the Rock and Roll music genre.
From his work on seminal Atlantic sides starting in 1953 with "Money Honey", to his groundbreaking work as an advocate for Artists' rights and fair business practices, BILL PINKNEY has blazed one of the deepest and most unique trails in music history.
Generations recognize his basso profundo on the 1954 version of "White Christmas" used in "Home Alone". With PINKNEY on lead, it is the all time best selling Drifters' song. Music's Drifters represent more than the story of a single group's success. PINKNEY, honoring his promise to The Drifters' organizer Clyde McPhatter, kept alive with dignity the sounds of the 1950s for 54 rewarding years.
We also honor entertainment industry Living Legend PINKNEY as an American Treasure for his World War II service to our country, garnering him a Presidential Citation with five Bronze Stars, and as a Negro Baseball League sandlot pitcher.
As chronicled in "Drifters 1: Bill Pinkney", his truly was a full and blessed life, well-lived. We shall continue his great legacy with pride and respect. "It is well!"
Maxine Porter - Manager/Partner
www.originaldrifters.com
July 9, 2007
Family Press Release & Biography - Zola Taylor Passes
(Platters with Zola Taylor, Tony Williams, David Lynch, Paul Robi and Herb Reed)
 Dear Bob,
Thank you so much for your call in regards to the passing of our aunt. We, the family, truly extend our thanks for your call & thank you for the opportunity to be able to have a source to get this type of important information out to the public.
------------------------------------------
The family of singer Zola Taylor announces the sad passing of the Hall of Fame recording artist. Ms Taylor was the original female member of the Los Angeles based group the Platters. With the group she recorded such hits as ONLY YOU, TWILIGHT TIME and SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES.
She passed Monday morning, April 30, at Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside, California. Ms. Taylor had been ill and had not performed for some years.
Funeral services are pending and donations in lieu of flowers are asked to be sent to Blanche McConnell at Angeles Funeral Home, 3875 South Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90008. The telephone number is (800) 348-3939.
Other Biography info. as follows:
Zola Taylor was born on March 18, 1938 in Los Angeles, CA. She was the youngest of 7 children born to George & Phedora Taylor. Zola was educated in Los Angeles & graduated from Centenniel High School located in the City of Compton, CA.
Zola began sanging at the tender age of 13. She initially began her career with the all female group called the Queens. While sanging with the Queens, she was spotted by Herb Reed who acknowledged her talent and signed her as the female artist with the group called the Platters.
The Platters was signed with the Mercury record label. Zola was 14 years old. The Platters went on the record such hits as Only You, Twilight Time, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Harbor Lights, You Never Know, Magic Touch and The Great Pretender, to name a few.
The group was the first Black group to cross the charts during this time. (While the singles hit the charts & starting climbing. Notarity increased...It was not known that the group was black until their first album was released). The group was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the year of 1990.
Ms. Taylor was married to the singer Frankie Lymon as a young adult. Later in life she was married again. She was widowed in 1981 by the passing of her late husband Bob Franklin. Ms. Taylor had no children.
Ms. Taylor had been ill for quite sometime and had not performed since approximately 1996.
She was a classy woman and will be deeply missed.
--Bob Davis
earthjuice@prodigy.net
Concert Review: Upper Marboro, MD: Memorial Tribute To Pookie Hudson. Performances By: The Clovers, The Velons, The Flamingos, The Memories,The Dynamic Superiors, The Continentals, The Persians, The Legendary Orioles, The Winstons, Sir Joe & Free Soul, Skip Mahoney & The Casuals, The Shades of Blue, The Bleu Lights, The Jewels, Tuneweavers, Eddie Rich & The Swallows, Bru Plus One Band and Show
The Late Pookie Hudson
 I just rolled in from DC. I attended a great Doo Wop tonight show featuring 18 artists in a tribute to the late Pookie Hudson.
I talked with The Clovers, The Velons, The Dynamic Superiors, The Continentals, The Legendary Orioles, The Winstons, Sir Joe & Free Soul, The Shades of Blue, The Bleu Lights, The Jewels prior to the show and got some great material, including a great "drop" for Soul-Patrol.Net Radio from "Sir" Joe Quartermaine (one of my heroes).
The turnout for the show was pretty good (bout 800) for a Wednesday night. The crowd was about 90 percent Black. In NYC, New Jersey or Philly you would NEVER get that many Black folks to come out and see a doo wop show. And of course the show was promoted by a brotha (Wlfproductions).
I had a BLAST, the music was off the hook and I even got my picture taken with the...
:::FABULOUS JEWELS:::
(so now I know that when I die, I will certainly go with a smile on my
face....lol)
I ran into a number of Soul-Patrollers at the show including Beverley Lindsey-Johnson (who will be presenting her documentary Dance Party: The Teenarama Story" at the 2007 Soul-Patrol Convention in Philly), Chip Davis, Milton Dugger (of The Bleu Lights), the Hardaway Connection was in the house and others...
There were also two other Black reporters there covering the event besides myself. Most of the time there are NEVER any reporters at Doo Wop shows that I cover (and certainly no other Black reporters). Tonight there was a lady from the Washington Informer and another lady from the Baltimore Afro-American interviewing the artists. The artists were "beaming", they had their chests stuck out. They aren't used to all the attention. God knows they deserve it given their enormous contributions to the development of Black music/culture. And most of all they deserve it from their own people...
I thought that was fantastic!!!
Yeah, everyone was there to give props to Pookie Hudson.
But to me it felt more like a celebration of US.
It was a great celebration of the "ANCIENT" part of:
"Great Black Music From The Ancient To The Future"
What a great way to end Black History Month!!!!
With some living, breathing, walking, talking and SANGIN Black History.
I'm PROUD to have been invited to participate!!!!
NP: "Goodnight Sweetheat Goodnight"
--Pookie Hudson & the Spaniels
--Bob Davis
earthjuice@prodigy.net
Sad News: Ruth Brown Passes
The Late Ruth Brown
 I just confirmed with Maxine Pickney via telephone that Ruth Brown passed today.
Ruth Brown is one of the pioneers of Black music. Her career has been so influential that Atlantic Records is sometimes referred to as the "House that Ruth Built" and for good reason. Her career started in the early 1950's with Atlantic as that fabled labels very first true superstar, preceding even Ray Charles. The is the founder of the R&B Foundation and she was THE LEADER in the battle for artist rights.
Today Maxine Pickney called Ruth Brown:
"THE FIRST GRAND DIVA"
"Remember that R&B stands for Rhythm and Blues, but it also stands for RUTH BROWN..."
--Ruth Brown
For more on Ruth Brown click here...
--Bob Davis
 Lenny Welch - It's All About Love
(Romantic Pop)
This is a great CD. You should simply buy it on my say so. It's the type of album that doesn't get made anymore, because there aren't any radio outlets for it anymore. Now let me correct what a few of you might already be thinking and let you know that despite the fact that we are dealing with the legendary singer Mr. Lenny Welch, this ain't no "oldies album" or a "trip down memory lane. "It's All About Love" is an album of brand new pop music that 20 years ago would have been found easily on an "adult contemporary station" or perhaps even on a "quiet storm" radio format. It's not quite jazz, quite R&B thus rendering such labels irrelevant. It is however "grown folks music" and if you happen to be a "grown folk" who just wants to hear some nice romantic ballads, sung by one of the most legendary voices of his generation with some nice instrumental music playing in the background, then this album is your ticket. Don't worry about what station on the radio you are going to hear it on, I'm sure that the "experts" can't figure it out. And somewhere I suspect that Mr. Lenny Welch is grinning from ear to ear, because while the experts are busy trying to figure out what radio format to place this album into, lovers around the corner and around the world won't have a bit of trouble figuring out what to do with "It's All About Love".
Book Review: Acappella Street Corner Vocal Groups
When I first got the review copy of this book in the a few months ago I was appalled...
The front cover of the book has a drawing of four clean cut young white men, standing under a street lamp singing. I thought to myself: "The people who wrote this book have the story completely wrong...".
After reading the book, I learned just how much there is about this topic for me to learn....
It's actually an excellent book that thoroughly documents the period of time between 1960 and the early 1970's when there was an active resurgence of "Acappella Street Corner Vocal Groups" primarily in NYC, NJ and Philadelphia. Based on the title, I had assumed that the book was going to be about the music of 1950's. Instead it deals with the period of time after what I always called "doo wop" had faded from the airways and had been left for dead. It's the story of the hundreds of acappella vocal groups Black, White, Hispanic & Integrated that came and went AFTER the height of 1950's doo wop. Most of these groups as it turned out were white (thus the drawing on the front cover of the book). None of these groups had lasting careers or hit recordings in the music business. In fact many of them never made a recording at all.
So if none of these groups ever "made it", then why should we care about them?
It's because these people were all about continuing and extending the vocal harmony tradition that had been established by the Black artists of the 1950's. You see these folks were preservationists of a great culture that Black people no longer seemed to have any use for. It's the story of the white kids who continued to sing without instruments on urban street corners during the age of Motown, the British Invasion, the age of Aquarius right up until the Disco era hit when these kids stopped singing on street corners and instead became the "Tony Manero's" of the world. Ironically it was at this same time (mid 1970's) when Black Americans invented another form of "street corner vocals" (hip hop), which today reigns supreme
The book tells the story of these groups, the tiny record labels they recorded for and goes into exhausting detail tracing the members, timeframes and discographies of these groups. Interestingly enough, the most famous of these groups is a Black group, the Persuasions and Jerry Lawson of the Persuasions writes the forward to the book.
Because of the exhaustive detail, pictures and discographies of groups that I had for the most part never heard of before, I think that this book is mostly useful as a reference book. However the story that it represents is an important one for people here to keep in mind:
1. Black Americans tend to create great culture and then throw it away.
2. Black Americans get mad when other people take the culture they no longer seem to want and then start making money from it.
3. History always has a way of repeating itself
QUESTION: At what point in time do we run out of great culture to create?
Click here to purchase: Acappella Street Corner Vocal Groups
Bob Davis:
earthjuice@prodigy.net
New Year Celebration Doo Wop Show Coming to the Detroit Opera House on 1/7/2006!
Hosted by Robin Seymour, featuring: Harvey Fuqua/Moonglows, Falcons, Jimmy Charles, Adam Wade, Mel Carter, Willows, Fiestas, Impalas, Freddie Johonson and the Sounds of The Marcels!....Click here for more info
(NYC 10/21): DOO WOP VARIETY SHOW REVIEW
National Alliance of Native Americans.Inc. presents a Doo
Wop and Variety Show featuring:
Doo Wop:
-Tribute to Pookie Hudson and the Spaniels (Singing: Good Night Sweet Heart)
-Tony Del Vecchio and Yesterdays News
-Vito Balsamo and Golden Group Memories
-Earl Lewis and the Channels
-Eugene Pitt and The Jive Five
-Frankie Lyman's Legendary Teenagers
-Bobby Thomas Orioles
-A Tribute to The Late Johnny Reed
Variety:
-Frank Dell and The New York Connections (Blues)
-Young Redd Foxx (Comedian)
-J.W.Lance (Country)
-Susan Agin and All Tuned Up (Broadway)
-Keisha St Joan (Jazz Trio)
-The American Indian Dance Troupe
Click here to order online...
|
 |
MR JAMES 'POOKIE' HUDSON
For those of you who may not be aware of this, our friend JAMES "POOKIE" HUDSON, founder and lead singer of the Spaniels, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pookie found out about his diagnosis in June when he turned 70.
We are pleased to report that his cancer is today in remission and he is now performing shows all over the country!...
|
 |
SOUL-PATROL: BEST DOO WOP CD RELEASE OF 2002: 'VOCAL MAGIC OF THE HARPTONES'
This is a wonderful collection of great love songs, about half of them written by Mr. Raoul Cita
For example...
Life Is But a Dream, Sunday Kind of Love, That's The Way It Goes and On a Sunday Afternoon are three songs which rank as the some of the best ever Doo Wop songs and they sound great on this CD….
|
|
|
DOO WOP CONCERT
REVIEW:
Frankie
Lyman's Legendary Teenager's, Willie Wingfield & Harptones, Earl Lewis & The Channels,
The Sheps…
|
 |
|
STREET CORNER ESSENTIALS: Click here to listen to a Soul-Patrol.Net Radio WORLD PREMIERE of STREET
CORNER ESSENTIALS
Featuring RARE DOO WOP like: The Eagles -
Tryin' To Get To You, The Barons - My Baby's Gone, Four Tops - Woke Up This Morning, Jimmy Castor
& The Juniors - I Promise To Remember, The Orbits - Sugar Mama, The Quintones - Ding Dong,
Lee Scott & The Windsors - My Gloria, The
Ocapellos - The Stars and more!
|
 |
|
THE CHANTELS : Chantels
"Maybe",
" He's Gone, My Plea,......Produced and managed by Richard Barrett, probably the best female group ever.... Lead singer
Arlene Smith had a voice like an angel. incidentally Richard Barrett, who also song with
"The Valentines, was also the Producer/Songwriter/Manager of "Little Anthony & The Imperials", and also produced Frankie Lymon. He was also the Manager of The Three Degrees. |
 |
TOMMY HUNT INTERVIEW :
Tommy Hunt Interview - Nightrain and Mike Boone interview Rock n' Roll Hall of Famer Tommy Hunt of the Flamingos, while backstage at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame induction cermony rehersals on topics ranging from the Flamingos, Tommy's solo career, doo wop music, hip hop music, the Soul music scene in the UK, the last 50 years of the history of Black music his induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and everything between!
Check it out as someone from the REAL "old school" drops some SERIOUS knowlege on the Soul-Patrol! Click here to listen |
 |
THE CALVANES BIOGRAPHY :
Calvanes - In 1955, while still in high school, Stewart Crunk and Bobby Adams recruited Herman Pruitt-lead, Joe Hampton, 2nd Tenor, and Jack Harris, bass, to start another group. Stewart named the group, the 'Calvanes.' The meaningless name, according to Stewart, "just sounded good." Cornelius (Cornell) Gunter of the then popular group, 'Flairs,' later known as the "Coasters," was instrumental in preparing the 'Calvanes' musically for the next level in their R & B career. The group soon immigrated to 95th and Central Avenue (Watts) in Los Angeles, California to "Dootone" Records, owned and operated by Walter "Dootsie" Williams who had the hottest record label around, following the recording of the hottest record at that time, 'Earth Angel' by the group known as the 'Penguins'...
|
 |
DOO WOP PERSPECTIVE :
The words and descriptions that you are about to read are not mine. During the heyday of DOO WOP music I hadn't even been born. However I did grow up with DOO WOP, growing up in NY it seemed that DOO WOP had never died and continues to exist right up until this day.
During the 1980's when I first started to become aware of Blues music and it's impact, living in Texas, hanging out in Louisiana, people I met were quite surprised when i told them that I knew little about Blues. They would ask me, "Well didn't your parents listen to Blues and play it around the house while you were growing up?
My response was....."HELL NO, my parents were DOO WOPPERS, there were no blues played in my house... "
The material that appears on this page was written by a man who has probably forgotten more about DOO WOP, than I will ever learn, no matter how much I try. He was there on the scene as a member of one of the most famous DOO WOP groups of all time and one that still performs today. Although they are not generally thought of as a DOO WOP group, they had hit records back in the 1950's, still have hits today, and are probably the LAST of the DOO WOP groups who are still a force on the music scene today.
I have wanted to do something here on the Classic Soul site about DOO WOP for quite a while, but I didn't really know how to approach it, since my own first hand knowledge was severely limited at best. I knew that the impact of it on today's music was there but I couldn't quite put my finger on it untill reading the part where our special guest talks about the fact that DOO WOP was really started by people in the ghettoes of this country, who didn't have enough money to buy instruments, so they used their voices as substitutes for the instruments.
And armed with that information, doesn't the connection between DOO WOP and HIP HOP seem to be quite plausible?
Young Black inner city dwellers who couldn't afford instruments but figured out a way to make music just the same!
--Bob Davis
|
 |
|
|
Bob, trying to define doo-wop is so very very hard. The Spaniels's web site says that they are The Original Doo-Wop group, because a lot of their vocal backgrounds were sing the words Doo-Wop, and maybe their right, but it seems to me that most of your east coast groups, The Chantels, Caddilacs, Cleftones, were Doo-Wop groups, and most of your midwest groups, Flamingos, Moonglows, Dells, had another sound, which concentrated on tenors and falsettos.
Then your southern groups ala The 5 Royals, Midnighters, etc, had another style of singing. I think that your record companies would not invest any monies for strings and horns and big arrangements on this so-called new music, and the groups attempted to duplicate, the horns and string arrangements, and that was probably the beginning of this so-called Doo-Wop. Although this music started in the early fifties, and was known as Rhythm and Blues.
|
|
5 Satins - "In The Still of The Night" Greatest Doo-Wop of all times. I think that they were from Conneticut. Monster record.
Barbara Lewis - "Hello Stranger" was recorded in Chicago, by Detroit producer Ollie Mclaughlin (deceased). Ollie recorded this smash at Chess or Vee Jay Records in Chicago, and The Dells recorded vocal backgrounds.
Ben E. King - Recorded "There Goes My Baby" as the Drifter's great lead singer, which drew attention to his voice, He later left the group and became a single act, and recorded...Stand by me, and.."Don't play that song" and Spanish Harlem, both of which Aretha Franklin covered and had monster hit on. New Yorker
Bobby Day - Rockin Robin....Monster tune. I'm sure that he was out of the state of California. This was definitely not a doo wop.
Cadillacs - "Speedo"......was a major hit. Speedo (Earl) was also the lead singer. The other members were Jimmy, Bobby (Speedo's brother) Big Earl, and a name that presently eludes me. They were the toast of The Apollo Theater in the late 50's, and were the 1st students of choreographer Cholly Atkins, and the best.
Calvanes - the "Calvanes" recorded their first songs, "Don't Take Your Love From Me" and "Crazy Over You" with Herman Pruift singing the lead. These two recordings put the "Calvanes" on the west coast map. The group never "toured" because they were all still in high school. However, the group did appear on two television shows, and "gigged" on the weekends
Chantels
- "Maybe", " He's Gone, My Plea,......Produced and managed by Richard Barrett, probably the best female group ever....Lead singer Arlene Smith had a voice like an angel. incidentally Richard Barrett, who also song with "The Valentines, was also the Producer/Songwriter/Manager of "Little Anthony & The Imperials", and also produced Frankie Lymon. He was also the Manager of The Three Degrees.
Chiffons - He's so fine.......Sued one of the Beatles (George Harrison)for copyright infringement, with his single of "My sweet lord", and won. East coast girl group.
Chuck Jackson - "Any day now" and also "I Wake up Crying".....one of the biggest stars of the late 50's early 60's ....Recorded on the Scepter/Wand label out of New York, who also had the Shirelles.
Cleftones - Heart and Soul......big New York group, almost as popular as The Teenagers in New York, in the late 50's.
Clovers - Mint Julep, Ting a ling, Yes it's you, Good-lovin,Devil or Angel,.....They were The group of the early 50's, and had tons of hits, and the never really got just what they deserved from history
Coasters - formerly "The Robins", known for hits like "Smokey Joe's Cafe"Super group in the 50's, and 60's. Cornelius Gunther, who later joined The Coasters in the late 50's also was a member of The Robins. Cornelius was killed in Las Vegas in the late eighties.
Crows - Gee, were an early 50's group
Del-Vikings - Although the doo-wop era had many one-hit artists, the Del-Vikings were among the few groups to have several hits including "COME GO WITH ME", "WHISPERING BELLS" and "COOL SHAKE".
first interracial groups, as well as pioneers in homogenizing R&B and R&R without diluting either. Original members, Corinthian Johnson and Clarence Quick, have passed on, but original lead singer, Norman Wright continues the Del-Vikings legacy with his sons. Diamonds - "Little Darlin" was a great song of the 50's a received tremendous airplay. They were one of your great white groups.
Dion and The
Belmonts - were another white group, from New York that were very big, especially with "A teenager in Love".... So was Danny & The Juniors ( At The Hop).
Drifters - What can you say about their tremendous hit records, but they had as many personnel changes as The Temptations. Clyde McPhatter's group (early 50's) was the group, and after Clyde left and became a single, than they had a host of new lead singers, until Ben E. King, who also became a Single Artist. The Group was owned by George Treadwell (New York), and after he passed, then his wife Faye Treadwell inherited the group. She took them to England, and they made tons of money.
Dubs - "Could this be Magic" Great big Record, they're strength was with a great lead singer, and a great tenor, called Cleve.
Falcons - You're so fine.....members, Wilson Pickett, Mac Rice (Mustang Sally) and whoever song "Knock on Wood" were three of the members
Five Keys - Greatest group of all.......hit records, "Glory Of Love", Wisdom of a fool, Ling ting tong, Just for a thrill,.........they were smooth as silk, and were from Virginia. This was the group that The Dells idolized. They were definitely ahead of their time. They recorded for Capitol Records, and play the Copacabana in the 50's.
Flamingos - The Flamingos were the smoothest, baddest R&B group in music history. My favorite songs by them were of course, "I Only Have Eyes For You", " I'll Be Home" Jump Children" and " The Boogaloo Party" in 1966. There were also the Modern Flamingos during the 1965-67 era that were also traveling around the country during that time as well. .
Gene Chandler - "Duke of Earl" I think that Gene came from a Chicago group called The Dukays, and Calvin Carter (Vee-Jays A&R man) made him a single act, because of the success of Jerry Butler (who incidentally) didn't want to leave The Impressions.
Heartbeats - A Thousand Miles Away......Lead singer Shane Shep, who also left the group and became Shep & the Limelighters. Wally Roker, who is a current record executive, was also the Bass Singer of The Heartbeats. A New York City group.
Jerry Butler - For your precious Love.....Jerry and Curtis Mayfield grew up on the West side of Chicago. Curtis Mayfield penned both recordings....produced by Calvin Carter for Vee-Jay Records.
Jessie Belvin - Goodnite My Love.......He was from California, and he and his wife were killed in an automobile accident, after playing the Apollo Theater.
Johnny Ace - "My Song" & "The Clock" were two of his biggest recordings... He killed himself playing Russian Roulette in the late 50's
Little Anthony & The Imperials - Tears On my Pillow....New York group, was managed by Richard Barrett, who also managed The Chantels, 3 Degrees, and song with The Valentines......New Yorkers
Little Eva - Locomotion.....was a dance during those days, and I think that Little Eva, was from Philly.
Marcels - "Blue Moon" It was played as Rock n Roll, but was strictly a Doo-Wop.
Marv Johnson - "You've Got What It Takes" one of Motowns first stars, was also the writer of "Give Your Baby, A Standing Ovation" by The Dells.
Moonglows - The Moonglows like the Flamingos, are connected in their musical history with the Chess label out of Chicago. This group had their beginnings in Louisville, Kentucky, and one of the founding members was Harvey Fuqua whose cousin Charlie was an original member of the Inkspots, the fountainhead of all doowop vocal groups. "Sincerely" and "Ten Commandments of Love" were the Moonglows two big hits.
Nolan Strong and the Diablos - recorded "The Wind", which was recorded in a garage for a small label in Detroit. Nolan Strong passed early in life.
Shep & The
Limelites - "Daddy's Home" same lead singer for The Heartbeats, after he left the group. He and two unknowns became a lead with two backgound vocals. Deceased in the early sixties. Marvin Junior's friend.
Willie Windfield -
Sunday Kind Of Love Lead singer New York
The Bobbettes - were from New York, and their Hit record of "Mr. Lee" was huge, their competition when they were young, was the Shirelles, and The Chantels.
The Channels - "The Closer you are".... big territorial East Coast record, which featured the Bass singer Earl Lewis. They were a typical New York Doo-Wop group.
The Dells - "Oh what A
Nite" the 1956 version was not a Doo-wop, because it was considered, so called Rock n Roll. The chart listing was 1. Elvis Presley's "Don't be Cruel", 2. Fats Dominoes's "Blue Berry Hill", and The Dells "Oh What A Nite. The second version which was also a million seller, and recorded in 1969, was Rhythm & Blues. "Oh What a Nite" generates approximately 40,000.00 a year for publishers ARC Music, and songwriters Marvin Junior, and the late Johnny Funches's heirs. |
(TheSoul-Patrol Newsletter
The intent of Soul Patrol, is to be a
celebration of Great Black Music From The Ancient To The Future. It's all about Soul,
Jazz, Blues,
Rock,
Funk, and the
culture they evolved from.
|
|
-->
