2000 Inductee – The Vocal Group Hall of Fame

The Mama’s & The Papa’s

crosbbw — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 11:14:21 +0000

The Mama’s & The Papa’s

The title of the Mamas and the Papas’ first LP If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears was appropriate. Looking at them, you might not believe that this combination of two mustachioed folkies, a would-be model, and a hefty jazz enthusiast could change the sound of vocal harmony in the ‘60s.

The group evolved from four previous groups started in the early ‘60s. Denny Doherty was a member of a group in New York known as the Halifax Three that included Zal Yanovsky (later to become a member of the Lovin’ Spoonful). John Phillips, active on the Greenwich Village scene, was in a folk group known as the Journeymen, one of whose members was Scott McKenzie (famous for the 1967 John Phillips-penned ode to flower power, “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair).” Michelle Gilliam of Long Beach, California, came to New York in 1962 to be a model, but that career was cut short when she met Phillips and joined the Journeymen.

In 1963, Doherty and Yanovsky got together with Jim Hendricks and his wife, Cass Elliot, to become Cass Elliot and the Big Three. After an uneventful release the group added John Sebastian and renamed themselves the Mugwumps. In 1964, they recorded an eponymous LP and released a single, “I’ll Remember Tonight,” that went nowhere. With no imminent release plan for the LP, the key figures of the Mugwumps split in four separate directions. Doherty became a member of the Journeymen with John Phillips and Michelle Gilliam (by now Michelle Gilliam Phillips, John’s wife). Yanovsky and Sebastian founded the Lovin’ Spoonful, and Cass Elliot joined a short-lived jazz act. Jim Hendricks joined a new group called the Lamp of Childhood.
By 1965 the Journeymen had decided their fortunes would be better served elsewhere and migrated to the Virgin Islands. Cass Elliot did a stint in the islands at the same time (as a waitress, not a singer) and in 1965 relocated to Los Angeles. The Journeymen headed west soon after, and Cass ended up as the fourth and final member.

By the end of 1965 they were called the Mamas and the Papas. After doing some Los Angeles background singing (including recordings with Barry McGuire of “Eve of Destruction” fame) they signed with Dunhill Records. John Phillips emerged as the group leader and songwriter, coming up with a string of chart records beginning in January 1966.

The first one, “California Dreamin’,” went to number four and became a pop standard in the midst of what was rapidly becoming the psychedelic era. “Monday, Monday” followed and went to number one, firmly establishing the group as the hippest of contemporary harmonizers.The Mamas and the Papas’ success lasted for only a short time, but in that period (from January 1966 to January 1969) all 13 of their single releases charted, including two B sides, “Look Through My Window” (#24) and “Dancing in the Street” (#73).

They also had a hit backing up Cass Elliot on “Dream a Little Dream of Me” in 1968 (#12). Their first six singles all became top five hits. Along with “California Dreamin’ ” and “Monday, Monday, ” they had “I Saw Her Again” (#5), “Words of Love” (#5), “Dedicated to the One I Love” (#2), and “Creeque Alley” (#5).There was gold in them thar hills, and in mid-1967, ex-Mugwump Jim Hendricks recorded a Mamas and the Papas sound-a-like with his group Lamp of Childhood entitled “Two O’Clock Morning.” The song lacked the magic of John Phillips’ compositions. Warner Bros., meanwhile, finally released the Mugwumps’ LP (three years after its recording) to capitalize on Cass’s and Denny’s success.In late 1968 John Phillips’s inability to keep writing great songs seemed to signal the beginning of the group’s demise. Their last single, “Do You Wanna Dance,” was a reworking of the Bobby Freeman 1958 hit, and it peaked at number 76. Cass continued to record for Dunhill after the group split up and had several minor charters including “It’s Getting Better” (#30) and “Make Your Own Kind of Music” (#36) in 1969. In late 1971, the group reunited to record the People Like Us LP, which included a February 1972 release called “Step Out.” Although the album lacked the magic of their earlier efforts, the “Step Out” B side, “Shooting Star,” had a vibrancy and persistence that, given a chance, might have reestablished the group. By 1972, the group had again disbanded, with Denny recording solo for Columbia and John going into seclusion. Cass recorded for Dunhill and (from 1972 on) for RCA until her death in 1974. Her last single was “Listen to the World” in 1973. Michelle had the most growth through the ‘70s, building an acting career in films like Dillinger and Brewster McCloud. Her 1977 solo LP for A&M contained a rock doo wopper entitled “Victim of Romance” that was in a Phil Spector Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans mode.When the ‘80s rolled around, John again reformed the group, this time replacing Michelle with his daughter, actress McKenzie Phillips, and replacing Cass with Spanky McFarlane, the personable lead singer of SPANKY AND OUR GANG. Doherty came all the way from his home in Nova Scotia to rejoin, and the foursome started performing around the country. By 1987 Doherty had been replaced by original Journeymen member Scott McKenzie.Though the Mamas and the Papas didn’t record after 1972’s People Like Us, their contrapuntal harmonies, unique arrangements, and singable songs helped make them a significant part of rock and roll history in general and vocal group history in particular.

– Jay Warner

Soundtrack/Filmography

The Hills Have Eyes (2006) (writer: “California Dreamin'”) (performer: “California Dreamin'”)
Lemming (2005) (performer: “Dream a Little Dream of Me”)
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998) (performer: “California Dreamin'”)
Beautiful Thing (1996) (“Creeque alley”, “Dream a little dream of me”)
Art for Teachers of Children (1995) (performer: “Safe in My Garden”)
Chung hing sam lam (1994) (“California Dreamin'”)
- A.K.A. Chong qing sen lin (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
- A.K.A. Chungking Express (USA)
- A.K.A. Chungking Jungle (literal English title)
- A.K.A. Hong Kong Express (Europe: English title)
In Country (1989) (performer: “Dedicated to the One I Love”)

Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database

Three Dog Night

crosbbw — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 11:08:40 +0000

Three Dog Night

Following the success of the self-contained songwriting/performing Beatles in the mid-‘60s, songwriters who were not recording artists found it increasingly difficult to get their works recorded.

Fewer acts were taking songs from others since many felt they could write their own like the Beatles did. A notable exception that became one of the most successful acts of the ‘70s was Three Dog Night.

Though considered to be a band because of their solid four-piece accompaniment, their vocals and songs are what carried them to popularity.

The group formed in 1968 from Danny Hutton’s vision of a pop-rock act of three lead singers with shades of soul. He joined with Cory Wells and Chuck Negron to fulfill that vision along with musicians Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Mike Allsup (guitar), Joe Schermie (bass), and Floyd Sneed (drums).

Hutton, who came from Buncrana, Ireland, did voice-overs for Walt Disney animated shows and then became a studio singer and producer for Hanna-Barbra when they had their own HBR record label in 1965. He hit the charts as an artist with his own “Roses and Rainbows” (#73) in the fall of 1975. After failing in an audition to become one of the Monkees, he decided to form his own act.

Cory Wells of Buffalo, New York, sang with the Enemies, a house band at Los Angeles’s famed Whiskey A Go Go.

Negron, from the Bronx, New York, had been singing his soulful style since childhood and was performing at the Apollo in Harlem by 1956 (no ordinary feat for a 14-year-old white singer).

The group’s name came from and old Australian expression relating to nighttime temperatures. The colder it was, the more dogs you had sleep beside you to keep warm. A three dog night was the coldest. How three guys from Buncrana, Buffalo, and the Bronx might have picked up on such an expression is anybody’s guess.

From the beginning their choice of material was either new songs by yet-to-be immortalized writers or covers of forgotten or overlooked gems. Their first single, Nobody,” by Del Cooper, Ernie Shelly, and Beth Beatty, got some airplay. The flip side was a Lennon-McCartney song titled “It’s for You.”

Their cover of the Otis Redding R&B hit “Try a Little Tenderness” (#4 R&B, 1966) was their first pop charter in February 1969, reaching number 29. Their follow-up, the Harry Nilsson-penned “One,” reached number five in the spring of 1969 and became the first million seller of their career total of nine.

Their LP Three Dog Night reached number 11 and was the first of 12 consecutive gold albums they earned in just six years.

They became household names to fans and heroed to the songwriting community, thanks to hits like the Rado/Ragny/McDermott song “Easy to Be Hard” (#4, 1969) from the musical Hair, “Eli’s Coming” by Laura o Nyro (#10, 1969-70), “Celebrate” by Bonner and Gordon (#15, 1970), “Mama Told Me Not to Come” by Randy Newman (#1, 1970, #3 U.K., a song Wells had heard on an Eric Burdon LP), “Out in the Country” by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols (#15, 1970), and “One Man Band” (#19, 1970).

Three Dog Night’s opening act on some of their tours was 32-year-old Hoyt Axton. He wrote a song for an animated children’s TV series called “The Happy Song” but the show never got off the ground. Axton instead played the piece for the group, and by April 17, 1971, “Joy to the World” was the group’s second number one record, their second hit in the U.K. (#24), and their first and only R&B chart single (#46).

With the number one status of “Joy,” Hoyt became the second part of the trivia question, “Who were the only mother and son songwriters to have both written number one songs?” His mom, Mae Axton, wrote Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel,” which hit the top in April 1956, 15 years earlier almost to the day.

Three Dog Night continued to blaze trails with Russ Ballard’s 1971 “Liar” (#7), “Just an Old Fashioned Love Song” (#4, 1971), “Never Been to Spain” (#5, 1971), and the Earl Robinson/David Arkin-penned “Black and White” (their third and last number one, 1972). Arkin was the father (now deceased) of an actor Alan Arkin, and the song was a 17-year-old celebration of the Supreme Court’s 1955 ruling against school segregation. Three Dog Night had heard the Greyhounds’ version over Dutch radio while on a European tour.

Hits like “Shambala” (#3, 1973), the Leo Sayer/Dave Courtney song “The Show Must Go On” (#4, 1974), and John Hiatt’s “Sure as I’m Sittin’ Here” (#16, 1974) gave the group an incredible 18 straight top 20 hits.

In 1973 they appeared on Dick Clark’s 20th anniversary TV show with Little Richard.

Late in 1968 they signed to Dunhill Records. In 1975 Dunhill Records was dissolved by its parent ABC, and along with it, or the most part, went Three Dog Night’s career. Only two more chart singles emerged from the group, “Play Something Sweet” (#33, 1974) and “Till the World Ends” (#32, 1975).

– Jay Warner

Dion and The Belmonts

crosbbw — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 11:04:00 +0000

Dion and The Belmonts

Dion as a solo artist was initially a kind of hybrid performer, known for his teen idol image but trying for a harder and also a more advanced sound, as revealed on this album. The hits included here, “Runaround Sue,” “The Wanderer,” and “The Majestic,” are so familiar that they tend to eclipse the rest of this 14 song album — all of the rest, however, is well sung, played, and arranged, ranging from basic hard rock & roll (“Kansas City”) to smooth teen pop, which always keeps at least one foot up to the ankle in rock & roll (hence the electric guitar solo on “Could Somebody Take My Place Tonight”). “Little Star” has rated inclusion on several key collections, while “Lonely World” is perhaps the lost single off of this album, with a great beat, killer hooks, and a beautifully shaped performance by the singer and his backup vocalists. What’s more, even the covers of familiar material such as “Dream Lover” and “In the Still of the Night” are performed in a style unique to Dion and are worth hearing and owning. The singer was still straddling the gap between teen idol and serious rock & roller, and between late-’50s doo wop and a harder early-’60s sound, although the more serious love songs and the surprisingly articulate guitar solo on “Kansas City” clearly showed that he was winning the musical battle for his own distinct sound. It wasn’t a long jump from the repertory here to his distinctive covers of R&B classics like “Ruby Baby.”

— Bruce Eder

Ben E. King and The Drifters

crosbbw — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 11:03:27 +0000

Ben E. King and The Drifters

The groundbreaking orchestrated productions of the Drifters to his own solo hits, Ben E. King was the definition of R&B elegance. King’s plaintive baritone had all the passion of gospel, but the settings in which it was displayed were tailored more for his honey smooth phrasing and crisp enunciation, proving for perhaps the first time that R&B could be sophisticated and accessible to straight pop audiences. King’s approach influenced countless smooth soul singers in his wake and his records were key forerunners of the Motown sound.

King was born Benjamin Earl Nelson in Henderson, NC, in 1938, and sang with his church choir before the family moved to Harlem in 1947. In junior high, he began performing with a street corner doo wop group called the Four B’s, which won second place in an Apollo Theater talent contest. While still in high school, he was offered a chance to join the Moonglows, but was simply too young and inexperienced to stick. He subsequently worked at his father’s restaurant as a singing waiter, which led to an invitation to become the baritone singer in a doo wop outfit called the Five Crowns in 1958. The Five Crowns performed several gigs at the Apollo Theater along with the Drifters, whose career had begun to flounder in the years since original lead singer Clyde McPhatter departed. Drifters manager George Treadwell, dissatisfied with the group members’ unreliability and lack of success, fired them all in the summer of 1958 and hired the Five Crowns to assume the name of the Drifters (which he owned).

The new Drifters toured for about a year, playing to often hostile audiences who knew they were a completely different group. In early 1959, they went into the studio with producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller to cut their first records. A song Nelson (still performing under his given name) co-wrote called “There Goes My Baby” became his first lead vocal and the lush backing arrangement made highly unorthodox (in fact, virtually unheard-of) use of a string section. “There Goes My Baby” became a massive hit, laying the groundwork for virtually every smooth/uptown soul production that followed. Over the next two years, Nelson sang lead on several other Drifters classics, including “Dance With Me,” “This Magic Moment,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” and “I Count the Tears.”

In 1960, Nelson approached Treadwell about a salary increase and a fairer share of the group’s royalties. Treadwell rebuffed him and Nelson quit the group, at this point assuming the more memorable stage name Ben E. King in preparation for a solo career. Remaining on Atlantic, King scored his first solo hit with the stylish, Latin-tinged ballad “Spanish Harlem,” a Jerry Leiber/Phil Spector composition that hit the Top Ten in early 1961. The follow-up, “Stand By Me,” a heartfelt ode to friendship and devotion co-written by King, became his signature song and an enduring R&B classic; it was also his biggest hit, topping the R&B charts and reaching the pop Top Five. King scored a few more chart singles through 1963, including velvety smooth pop-soul productions like “Amor,” “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied),” and the Italian tune “I (Who Have Nothing).” In the post-British Invasion years, King had a rough go of it on the pop charts but continued to score R&B hits. 1967’s Southern-fried “What Is Soul?” was one of his last singles for Atco; seeking to revive his commercial fortunes, King departed in 1969.

A 1970 album on Maxwell, Rough Edges, failed to generate much attention, and King was forced to make a living touring the oldies circuit. In 1975, Atlantic president Ahmet Ertegun caught King’s act in a Miami lounge and invited him to re-sign with the label. King scored an unlikely comeback smash with the disco track “Supernatural Thing, Part I,” which returned him to the top of the R&B charts in 1975 and also reached the pop Top Five. While he was unable to duplicate that single’s success, King recorded several more albums for Atlantic up through 1981, and also collaborated with the Average White Band in 1977 on the album Benny & Us. After leaving Atlantic a second time, King toured in a version of the Drifters beginning in 1982. In 1986, “Stand By Me” was prominently featured in the Rob Reiner film of the same name; re-released as a single, it climbed into the Top Ten all over again. In its wake, King returned to solo recording, issuing a new album every few years all the way up through the ’90s. He also guested on recordings by Heaven 17 and Mark Knopfler, among others. King’s 1999 album Shades of Blue (on Half Note Records) found him branching out into jazz territory, performing with a big band and guests like Milt Jackson and David “Fathead” Newman.

– Steve Huey

Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers

crosbbw — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 10:46:54 +0000

Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers were true trendsetters in the early days of rock and roll. They were the yardstick by which hundreds of kiddie vocal groups gauged their capabilities in order to bring themselves to the public’s attention.

Groups like the Students (Checker), THE CHANTERS (Deluxe), RONNIE AND THE HI-LITES (Joy), Nicky and the Nobles (Gone), THE KODAKS (Fury), THE DESIRES (Hull), Tiny Tim and the Hits (Roulette), and even Frankie’s brother’s group LOUIS LYMON AND THE TEEN CHORDS, are just some of the many who tried for the bras ring in the footsteps of Frankie and company. Some of those fans that made it big include Diana Ross, Millie Jackson, Ronnie Spector, and Tim Hauser (THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER).

Their story began in the Washington Heights section of New York City in 1954 as Jimmy Merchant (second tenor) and Sherman Garnes (bass), both ninth graders at Edward W. Stitt Junior Hight School, formed a group called the Earth Angels (named after THE PENGUINS’ hit). That group was short-lived, but the two black teens were not discouraged and they were soon talking with two neighborhood Puerto Ricans, Herman Santiago (first tenor) and Joe Negroni (baritone), whom Sherman
had met.

A fateful meeting on 164th Street (where Sherman lived) led to the foursome calling themselves the Coupe De Villes. Across the street lived a family with four brothers, Howie, Timmy, Louis, and Frankie Lymon, all of whom would sing with groups in the future.

The four Coupe De Villes became the Premiers and alternated their practices led to performances at neighborhood talent shows, and one was scheduled for the school auditorium. The Premiers decided to get in some extra practice after a dress rehearsal and entered one of the classrooms. A young teen who was also scheduled to perform with his brother’s mambo band came in and asked to sing a few songs with the group. It was Herman’s neighbor from across 164th Street, 12-year-old Frankie Lymon. They sang “Why Don’t You Write Me” (THE JACKS), “Painted Pictures” (THE SPANIELS), and “Lily Maebelle” (THE VALENTINES), and had such a good time they agreed to do it again, but no one formally asked young Frankie to join.

After the talent show (where Frankie played bongos and his brother Howie played congas with their Latin group), Frankie just started hanging out with the older guys and became first tenor to Herman Santiago’s lead.

Frankie came from a gospel background. His father Howard sang with the Harlemaires and Frankie, Louie, and Howie sang with the Harlemaires Juniors. This seemed to have little impact on his early occupation as a 10-year-old hustler of prostitutes in Harlem. His father was a truck driver and mother a domestic, and it wasn’t easy to feed a family of seven. Frankie also worked in a grocery on his corner as a delivery boy, so pimping was not necessarily his preferred source of income.

By 1955 the quintet was calling themselves the Ermines when they weren’t lapsing back to the Premiers. ON one fateful evening the hallway kids (as they were designated by neighbors) were practicing in Sherman’s hall when they were confronted by a man named Robert, who often stopped and listened to them before entering his apartment.

According to author Phil Groia, he said, “My old lady [her name was Delores] sendsme letters in the form of poems. Being that you’re always singing the same old songs,why don’t you get some original material of your own? I’m giving you some of these poems; see what you can do with them.” The Premiers/Ermines sorted through them and started working on one in particular called “Why Do Birds Sing So Gay.” Frankie worked on a melody line and the others formulated a harmony while tenor Jimmy Merchant came up with a vocal bass intro. It started out as a ballad but soon evolved into an uptempo rocker.

Many evenings later they were rehearsing their repertoire at Stitt’s Night Community Center when in walked the revered Valentines, who also practiced there. Lead singer Richard Barrett had heard there was a hot neighborhood group sing his song and was very impressed by the Premiers’ interpretation.

Barrett’s version of hiss meeting with the group is slightly different: he claims they camped under his 161st Street window and sang until he came down and agreed to hear them audition at Stitt’s the following Monday.

There are also three versions of how they went from Barrett to George Goldner’s Gee Records. The Barrett version states that on the day of the audition for Goldner, Herman Santiago caught a cold and the only one who knew the words was Frankie. Barrett knew Goldner was preoccupied with recording a new group called the Millionaires, so he threatened that he would not rehearse the group if George didn’t sign his new ind, the Premiers. Supposedly, the Gee exec agreed and let the Premiers record two songs during the Millionaires’ dinner break. (The Millionaires were actually Ben E. King and several of THE FIVE CROWNS, who later went on to become THE DRIFTERS.)

Another version is attributed to Hy Weiss, a legendary figure of the golden days of rock and owner of the Old Town label. He claimed that Barrett brought the Premiers to him, but Hy had too many acts so he recommended the group go see his friend George Goldner.

The final (and most probable) version was that Barrett took the group to Goldner, auditioned right after THE CLEFTONES had done so, and were told they had a deal. Herman sang lead on “Why Do Birds Sing So Gay,” “That’s What You’re Doin’ to Me” (THE DOMINOES), and one of his originals, “I Want You to Be My Girl.” He also sang a duet with Frankie. Then Lymon sang a song he’d done with brother Howie’s group. Goldner then suggested Frankie sing “Why Do Birds,” changed the title to “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” moved Herman to first tenor, and told the teens they had a deal.

In the spring of 1955 the Premiers began recording at Bell Sound Studios with Gee musical director and sax man Jimmy Wright. He decided they needed a more imaginative name, so he suggested they become the Teenagers.

By the fall of 1955 all but Frankie were attending George Washington High School and their record had still not come out. They went downtown to find Goldner busy with other projects. By Christmas their school friends doubted they had ever recorded at all.Then in January 1956 Jimmy Merchant strolled through the school corridor when he heard a girl singing a very familiar refrain. He asked where she heard that and she replied, “On the radio last night.”

The record had been released on January 10, 1956, and the floodgates had opened. “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” sold a hundred thousand copies in three weeks. Billboard wrote, “Here’s a hot new disc, which has already sparked a couple of covers in the pop market. The appealing ditty has a frantic arrangement, a solid beat and a sock lead vocal by 13-year-old Frankie Lymon. Jockeys and jukes should hand it plenty of spins and it could easily break Pop.”

The covers Billboard referred to were tough competition Gale Storm (#9), Gloria Mann (#59), and THE DIAMONDS (#12). But the Teenagers’ single was destined for greatness and beat out all comers; it rose to number six (#1 R&B).The original first pressing read “The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon,” with Frankie’s name printed at twice the size of his vocal mates. The song credit listed “Lymon-Goldner.”

In February 1956 the Teenagers played their first paying gig at the State Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut, alongside the Valentines, Bo Diddley, THE BONNIE SISTERS, THE HARPTONES, THE TURBANS, Fats Domino, and their idols, THE CADILLACS. In fact it was Earl Wade of that group who took them aside between shows to give them a few pointers on dance steps and instructed them to seek out Cholly Atkins, who had taught the Caddies their dance routines.

Within months the record and group were international hits: “Fools” reached number one in England, the first R&B/rock and roll record by an American vocal group to do so. Not bad for three 16-year-olds (Jimmy, Joe, and Sherman), one 15-year-old (Herman), and one 13-year-old (Frankie).

In April their second 45, “I Want You to Be My Girl,” hit the airwaves. Once again the first printing read “The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon,” but the second was changed to read “Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.” Herman Santiago wrote “Girl”; given the typical practices of the day, it’s not surprising that the writer’s credit was given to Goldner-Barrett. “I Want You to Be My Girl” skyrocketed like its predecessor, reaching number 13 (#3 R&B).

Their first big tour started on a dubious note: the Teenagers and co-billed acts THE FLAMINGOS, THE PLATTERS, THE CLOVERS, THE FLAIRS, and Carl Perkins all stood around the Hotel Theresa in New York ready to hit the rod except for one small detail. Frankie Lymon was nowhere to be found. Sherman Garnes then marched the group up to the High School of Music and Art to recruit their friend Jimmy Castor (of the Junior, Wing), who had a style similar to Frankie’s. Jimmy left school that same day and the tour got underway. Frankie showed up later on with little in the way of explanation.

A similar incident happened on another tour when Richard Barrett stepped in as lead in Detroit.
On a Canadian tour the group was approached backstage by a youngster who had a song he wanted them to record. They weren’t interested since it appears they didn’t record songs Goldner couldn’t put his name on. The kid left a copy anyway and then went next door to see the Platters, and heard a similar response. Shortly after, the song and the kid became national hits. If the Teenagers had gone ahead and recorded “Diana,” Paul Anka might never have become a hit artist. (On March 25, 1958, Frankie and an unknown vocal group recorded “Diana,” but it was never issued on a single.)

In the summer of 1956 Gee cajoled the group into doing Jimmy Castor and the Juniors’ “I Promise to Remember.” It reached only number 56 (#10 R&B) and its solid rocker flip “Who Can Explain” made R&B number seven.

The “ABCs of Love” was another strong jump tune that Frankie and the group put over solidly, and it reached number eight R&B but only number 77 Pop. The flip side “Share” showcased the Teenagers’ polished harmonies and Sherman’s bass. (Almost 30 years later the U.G.H.A. organization did a massive East Coast vote-in for the 500 most popular oldies among devotees of group harmony, and “Share” was voted number one.)

The group appeared in Alan Freed’s classic teen film Rock, Rock, Rock, which was filmed in the Bronx at the Bedford Park Studios and the nearby botanical gardens. They sang “I’m Not a Juvenile Delinquent” (written by Bobby Spencer of the Cadillacs and the Valentines, though the label credit read “Goldner”) and “Baby Baby,” which became their next single.

The British loved “Delinquent.” It reached number 12 in Britain in early 1957 (and the flip “Baby Baby” reached number four), but U.S. kids nixed the cutesy rocker and it failed to chart.

The group also did a British tour in 1956 that included a performance at the world-famous London Palladium and a command performance in the Queen’s chambers for Princess Margaret. The outstanding ballad “Out in the Cold Again” became their last R&B chart record, reaching number 10.

While still on the six-week European tour, Goldner started tampering with the chemistry that made the quintet so successful. Frankie began recording solo; the results were languid and desperately in need of the Teenagers’ enthusiastic backing. Though the label of the 1957 single “Goody Goody” read “Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers,” The Harlem teens were nowhere to be found on the released recording. It reportedly had the pasteurized harmony of the Ray Charles Singers accompanying Frankie. It reached number 20 Pop and number 24 in England but never made the R&B chart.

The quintet continued to tour through mid-1957 and Gee then moved Frankie to Roulette Records for a series of lackluster singles like “So Goes My Love.” “Little Girl,” “Footsteps,” and Elvis’s “Jailhouse Rock.” In 1960 Frankie charted for four weeks with a remake of Thurston Harris’s “Little Bitty Pretty One” (#58). Meanwhile, the Teenagers were mismatched with Bill Lobrano, a white-sounding cross between Frankie Avalon and an imitation Elvis, for two singles, “Flip Flop” (which it did) and “Mama Wanna Rock” (which it did) and “Mama Wanna Rock” (which didn’t wanna rock). In 1960 they recorded a credible cover of THE SHIRELLES’ “Tonight’s the Night” with Kenny Bobo, formerly of the Juniors, on lead and a second single (both for End), “A Little Wiser now” with Johnny Houston upfront sounding like Jackie Wilson leading the Flamingos. The Teenagers certainly had diversity, but it didn’t help them sell records.

The Teenagers and Frankie reunited in 1965 for a brief period but no recordings resulted. The four Teenagers performed but no recordings resulted. The four Teenagers performed one last time in 1973 with Pearl McKinnon of the Kodaks on lead (whose vocal likeness to Frankie was startling). Sherman Garnes passed on after a heart attack in 1977, and Joe Negroni died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1978.

In 1981, the 25th anniversary of their first hit, the Teenagers were re-formed at the suggestion of Herbie Cox and Charlie James (the Cleftones), Ronnie Italiano (U.G.H.A. founder), and Joel Warshaw. The members were Jimmy Merchant, Herman Santiago, Eric Ward (of the soul group Second Verse), and Pearl McKinnon. The group, managed by Warshaw and helped by Ronnie I., began performing to overwhelming adulation.

By 1983 Ward had been replaced by Derek Ventura, and in 1984 Phil Garrito took over for Derek. Roz Morehead replaced Pearl, and Marilyn Byers moved into Roz’s lead spot.

In the early ‘80s they opened for Manhattan Transfer, thanks to Tim Hauser, who tracked them down and arranged the gig.

The group did a PBS documentary as a tribute to their music and to Frankie, who died of a drug overdose in his grandmother’s apartment at the age of 26. The show was aired on August 14, 1983.
In 1983 Pearl McKinnon discovered that Frankie was buried in an unmarked grave at St. Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx.

In September 1985, thanks to Ronnie Italiano, a benefit was held to raise money and a headstone was bought. It now sits in the window of Ronnie’s Clifton Music at 1135 Main Avenue in Clifton, New Jersey, while three so-called widows of Lymon’s, Emira Eagle, Zola Taylor (formerly of the Platters), and Elizabeth Waters, fight over Frankie’s half a million dollars in royalties.

– Jay Warner

Why Do Fools Fall In Love / Please Be Mine, Gee 1002, 1/56
I Want You To Be My Girl /I’m Not A Know It All, Gee 1012, 4/56
I Promise To Remember / Who Can Explain, Gee 1018, 6/56
The ABC’s Of Love / Share, Gee 1022, 9/56
I’m Not A Juvenile Delinquent / Baby, Baby, Gee 1026, 11/56
Paper Castles / Teenage Love, Gee 1032, 1957
Love Is A Clown / Am I Fooling Myself Again, Gee 1035, 1957
Out In The Cold Again / Miracle In The Rain, Gee 1036, 6/57
Goody Goody / Creation Of Love, Gee 1039, 7/57

The Teenagers

Flip-Flop / Everything To Me, Gee 1046, 1957
My Broken Heart / Mama Wanna Rock, Roul 4086, 1958
Tonight’s The Night / Crying, End 1071, 1960
A Little Wiser Now / Can You Tell Me, End 1076, 1960

Joey and the Teenagers

What’s On Your Mind / The Draw, Col 42054, 6/61

Soundtrack/Filmography

Mister Rock and Roll (1957) – Themselves
Rock, Rock, Rock (1956) – Themselves

Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.

The Kingston Trio

crosbbw — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 10:36:33 +0000

The Kingston Trio

In the history of popular music, there are a handful of performers who have redefined the content of the music at critical points in history: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Benny Goodman and his orchestra, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin — people whose music left the landscape, and definition of popular music, altered completely with its arrival. The Kingston Trio were one such group, transforming folk music into a hot commodity and creating a demand — where none had existed before — for young men (sometimes with women) strumming acoustic guitars and banjos and singing folksongs and folk-like novelty songs in harmony, of which the Trio themselves were the defining ensemble for the next five years.

On a purely commercial level, from 1957 until 1963, the Kingston Trio were the most vital and popular folk group in the world. Their record was incontestable, one of the most popular acts in the history of Capitol Records and the American record industry, making them the most popular folk group in history, surpassing the Weavers’ earlier success.

Equally important, the trio — Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds, and Bob Shane — made folk music immensely popular among many millions of listeners who previously had ignored it.

The group’s success transcended their actual sales. Without the enviable record of popularity and sales, it is unlikely that Columbia Records would ever have had any impetus to sign an unknown singer/guitarist named Bob Dylan, or to put Weavers co-founder Pete Seeger under contract; for Warner Bros. to record the Greenwich Village-based trio to record the Greenwich Village-based trio Peter, Paul and Mary; or Vanguard Records to do as many albums as they actually ended up recording with the reformed Weavers in the late ’50s and early ’60s.

The group was founded in Palo Alto, California, by Dave Guard (1934-1991), a graduate student from Stanford University, and two of his close friends, Bob Shane (b. 1934) and Nick Reynolds (b. 1933), from Menlo College. Guard and Shane had both been born in Hawaii, and had originally played together in high school in Honolulu. Reynolds hailed from Coronado, California, the son of a career Navy officer, and had previously attended San Diego State and the University of Arizona before enrolling at Menlo College as a business major. He first spotted Shane asleep in the back of the hall during a very boring lecture on accounting, and the two became friends. They soon started hanging out, drinking and chasing women together, and this, in turn, led to playing music, initially as a way of being popular at parties — Shane’s guitar and Reynolds’ bongos became a fixture at local frat gatherings, and after a few weeks of this, Shane introduced Reynolds to Dave Guard.

It turned out that Hawaiian music fit in perfectly with the luaus that people were throwing locally, and Shane and Guard taught Reynolds some genuine Hawaiian songs. The group was playing at a local tavern two nights a week, but the formation of the Kingston Trio was still not quite in place. Shane returned to Hawaii for a time to work for his father’s sporting goods company, and tried to become the island state’s answer to Elvis Presley as a solo act — meanwhile, Guard and Reynolds began playing with Joe Gannon on bass and singer Barbara Bogue, and became Dave Guard and the Calypsonians. Reynolds then left for a time following his graduation, and was replaced by Don McArthur in a group that was known as the Kingston Quartet.
Fate stepped in when a local publicist who’d seen the Calypsonians offered to help out the group, but only if they got rid of Gannon, whose bass playing was less than rudimentary. When he left, Bogue exited as well, and in the resulting shuffle, Reynolds and Shane (back all the way from Hawaii) were brought back into the group, now rechristened the Kingston Trio.

Their initial approach to music was determined by the skills that each member brought or, more accurately, didn’t bring to the trio — Bob Shane sang most of the lead parts simply because he had no familiarity with harmony singing, while Nick Reynolds sang a third above the melody, and Guard handled whatever was left above or below. Guard had taken some banjo lessons, but otherwise they were completely self-taught on their instruments, with Shane teaching Guard his first guitar chords while they were still in high school. Reynolds swapped his ukulele for a tenor guitar.

They were booked into the Purple Onion, a leading night spot in San Francisco, opening for comedienne Phyllis Diller. Guard then sent out postcards to 500 people that all three of them knew at Stanford and Menlo, inviting them to a week’s worth of shows at the Purple Onion. The result was a series of sell-out shows, and a one-week engagement that was doubled, before the Trio got its own headlining gig at the club, lasting five months from June to December of 1957. During that summer, the group was spotted by Bob Hope’s agent, Jimmy Saphier, who brought demo tapes of the trio to Dot and Capitol Records — the latter label sent producer Voyle Gilmore, who had previously recorded Frank Sinatra and the Four Freshmen, to the Purple Onion, and a seven-year contract was signed soon after.

The group spent the next few months intensively rehearsing, refining, and polishing their act as they went along, secure in their position at the Purple Onion. They recognized that musical ability alone was not going to keep audiences entertained, and they quickly developed a comic stage banter, which grew out of their own personalities, and learned how to pace themselves, their songs, and their banter for maximum effect, and also how to make it sound spontaneous to audiences night after night.

The group followed the Purple Onion engagement with a national tour that took them to the Holiday Hotel in Reno, Nevada, Mr. Kelly’s in Chicago, and the Village Vanguard in New York, all of them successful appearances. During this tour, the group recorded their self-titled debut album in a series of sessions held over the three days. That record contained a brace of classic Kingston Trio songs, including “Scotch and Soda,” “Hard, Ain’t It Hard,” and “Tom Dooley.” The latter song, picked up by a deejay in Salt Lake City who began playing it, became a single in July of 1958 — it spent October through January in the Billboard Top Ten, selling over three million copies, and becoming, in the estimation of historian Bill Bush, one of that handful of records, such as “Heartbreak Hotel” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” that transform the musical landscape. In the process, the trio earned appearances on The Dinah Shore Show and The Kraft Music Hall. “Tom Dooley” was so successful that it became the basis for a feature film, The Legend of Tom Dooley — a sort of low-budget variant on Love Me Tender — starring Michael Landon as the doomed title character.

Their residence in San Francisco was now at the much more prestigious Hungry I. It was there that they recorded their second album, before a live audience in the summer of 1958. The album sold well despite the fact that it broke little new ground, merely showcasing the group’s engaging interaction with their audience and some spirited singing.

At Large, the trio’s third album, was their first done in stereo, and the first recording on which the group began to change their sound, advancing it significantly from their roots. There was extensive use of overdubbing, with multiple voices, guitars, and banjos, so that there were upwards of a half-dozen trio “members” heard at any one time singing and playing. By that time, they had broadened their repertory as well, to embraced R&B as well as folk songs. The trio made the cover of Life magazine on August 3, 1959, and were voted the Best Group of the Year for 1959 in the pages of both Billboard and Cashbox magazines, the twin recording industry bibles, as well as two Grammy awards.
None of this exactly pleased the serious folk audience, who felt that the Kingston Trio, in popularizing traditional songs, also cheapened them. Although the group got a reasonably enthusiastic reception at the Newport Folk Festival, they were never embraced by the folk audience of the late ’50s. There was also probably some professional resentment, owing to the fact that these three college graduates in their 20s, who had never paid their dues in the labor or anti-Nazi struggles of the 1930s and ’40s, or endured the frosty anti-Left political atmosphere of the early and mid-’50s, were suddenly making millions of dollars with the very same repertories that these serious folkies had performed for decades.

The group was, however, immensely popular with almost every segment of the mass audience, but most of all among college students, who found both relaxation and validation in their mix of folk songs, humor, and good spirits. They were sufficiently well liked by older listeners, and embraced by younger audiences to justify their appearances on television series such as The Jack Benny Show (where they mimed to their recordings of “California” and “Tijuana Jail,” the latter sung on a set made up as — you guessed it — a Tijuana jail).

By the early ’60s, there were lots of Kingston Trio imitators running around: The New Christie Minstrels under Randy Sparks, Bud and Travis, the Limeliters (with Glen Yarborough), the Halifax Three (with Denny Doherty), the Big Three (with Cass Elliot and John Sebastian), the Highwaymen, and, later, the Shilos (featuring Gram Parsons), all capable of recording popular versions of old folk songs. None matched the trio’s exposure or sales, but there was plenty of work to go around in those days in any case — folk music was what was happening, and other record labels and folk clubs were willing to try anything to imitate Capitol’s success with the Trio. Even Roulette Records, best known for rock & roll acts, had a resident folk trio in the Cumberland Three, featuring John Stewart.

The trio’s record of hits continued unabated for the next two years, into 1961 — according to Bill Bush, they accounted for 20% of Capitol Records profits for the entire year of 1960. They defined the entire folk-pop genre in much the same way that the Beach Boys defined surf music and the Beatles later defined both the so-called “Merseybeat” sound and the entire British invasion. The Trio’s youthful exuberance and mix of upbeat sensibilities and traditional songs seemed perfectly of a piece with the dawn of the Kennedy administration, and their music a veritable soundtrack for college life during the era.

Before the new president had even taken office, however, the Kingston Trio faced its first major crisis. In January of 1961, amid growing differences over the musical direction of the group, Dave Guard left the Kingston Trio. The most serious and cerebral member of the group, Guard was the one who knew a lot of the folk songs, especially the songs from other countries, that the Trio had performed and recorded. His very sophistication, however, resulted in his departure, out of a desire to explore folk music on a broader and more serious level. After leaving the Trio, Guard founded a quartet called the Whiskeyhill Singers with Judy Henske, David “Buck” Wheat (who had been the Trio’s bassist), and Cyrus Faryar — their one album for Capitol met with little success, but the group later appeared on the soundtrack of the blockbuster western How The West Was Won (1962).

The Kingston Trio carried on, however, its success unabated, with new member John Stewart, beginning in early 1961. Stewart, a one-time aspiring rock & roller who had switched to folk music and gotten two of his songs recorded by the Trio, was part of the Cumberland Three when Guard left the Kingston Trio. He was brought into the Kingston Trio following a lag of several months while Shane and Reynolds took time off, and, as a result, he reinvigorated the Trio personally and professionally.

Beginning with “Take Her Out of Pity,” an original song featuring Stewart’s first lead vocal with the group, the new Kingston Trio continued evolving musically, and their records kept selling. Fate intervened soon after he arrived when the group happened to catch a performance by the trio Peter, Paul and Mary, and heard a Pete Seeger song entitled “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.” This song, released late in 1961, reached number 21, not as high a place as many of their earlier singles, but it also got picked up by a new category of radio station and listener, making number four on the Billboard Easy Listening chart. More than that, as a song of social protest and serious intent, it became the favorite Trio song for millions of younger folk listeners who had come along in the years since “Tom Dooley.”

It was that newer, younger audience that eventually abandoned the Trio, amid a series of complex sociological changes. When the Trio had started out in 1958, most college students were relatively apolitical, and involved in their studies and, where possible, having a good time. The Trio had perfectly captured the mood of the times and their audience.

Their success with folk songs had led to the signing of hundreds of folk musicians by dozens of labels, ranging from acts such as the harmony folk groups the Highwaymen and the Limelighters to veteran leftists such as Pete Seeger. Gradually, a new audience for more serious folk songs developed — it was small but growing, and it was committed to serious, topical issues, including the emerging civil rights struggle in the south. By 1962, there was a split in the folk music audience.

On one side was the newly identified topical folk audience. These listeners, who were among the youngest and most energetic, identified with Seeger and the leftist/union background of the Weavers, which extended into modern politics in anti-war sentiment and a deepening involvement in the civil rights movement. They didn’t constitute a huge number of people, but they were committed to folk music.

On the other side were the pop-folk listeners, or what the leftist listeners would have called the right-wing folk audience. It wasn’t that groups like the Kingston Trio or the New Christie Minstrels were right-wing (even if the Minstrels’ first Columbia album featured a quote endorsing them from former President Dwight Eisenhower — Ike was hardly an ideologue, but it would be difficult to imagine him endorsing Bob Dylan’s first album), so much as simply not engaged in struggles over politics or human rights, instead doing music that people enjoyed without necessarily having their consciousnesses raised in the process.

The Trio might’ve survived the loss of the folk listeners, and gotten through this period with their audience of middle-of-the-road college students and older listeners, except that the latter had no real commitment to folk music; they liked what sounded good to them, and by the early ’60s had moved on to other sounds. And at just about the same time, they lost their collegiate audience — the kids going to college in 1962 and 1963, after all, had grown up with rock & roll as part of their musical environment, and while the college student of 1957 might’ve thought of Elvis Presley as beneath him, the college student of 1962/63 was a lot more flexible.

And just about then, a new wave of rock & roll acts had begun emerging, heralded by the Beach Boys (ironically, also a Capitol act, and who wore striped shirts remarkably like those of the Kingston Trio). Along with a growing number of R&B acts, this music began drawing away the more boisterous, fun-loving segment of the college audience that had always been part of the Trio’s core fandom.

The situation that the group faced was summed up, albeit in hindsight, in the movie Animal House, in the toga party scene. A drunk Bluto Blutarsky (John Belushi) comes down the stairs, passing a folksinger serenading a group of coeds with a “The Cherry Song” (“I gave my love a cherry that had no stone….”), when Bluto reaches over, smashes the singer’s guitar to bits, and stumbles on, muttering, “Sorry,” while in the background Otis Day and the Knights grind through another chorus of “Louie Louie.”
With the college audience gone, all that the Trio could find as listeners were the folkies. But on that stage, they found themselves undercut by the likes of Bob Dylan on the left and Peter, Paul and Mary from the center. Frat parties didn’t matter to these singers or their audience — the role models for listeners and performers alike were the Weavers and Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and the 1940s American Left. If most of the singers had never lived among migrant farm workers, or fought against fascism in the ’40s, or hoboed around the country, they tried to sing and act as though they had.

The Kingston Trio, by contrast, still sang of love and good times, or performed tunes so old as to have no particular political significance. Indeed, this was part of the basis for their success — at the time they started out, the Kingston Trio was a new kind of folksinging ensemble. Their sensibilities, like those of the audience they ultimately reached, were formed not in the struggles of the Depression or World War II, but in the more stable times afterward. They were more at home at frat parties than union meetings or Socialist rallies.

The Kingston Trio found themselves swamped by a wave of relevance and topicality. Their sales plummeted toward the end of 1963, and the arrival of the Beatles in America in early 1964 sealed their fate — Capitol Records clearly had bigger fish to fry. In 1964, when their Capitol contract was up, they and the label parted company.

The Trio continued recording and performing, first for Decca and later for Tetragammatron before calling it quits in June of 1967 — ironically, the same month that the Beatles and Capitol Records were to release yet another album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, that would effect a seismic shift in popular music; few people noticed the Trio’s farewell gig at the Hungry I in San Francisco on June 17.
Stewart went on to become a very successful songwriter (“Daydream Believer”) and recording artist (“Gold”). Nick Reynolds left the music business, moving to Oregon, where he ranched sheep and ran a theater, among other activities. Dave Guard remained active as a musician until his death from cancer in March of 1991, writing several music instruction books and becoming deeply involved with what had become known as world music.

Bob Shane had opposed the break-up, however, and in 1972 reformed the Kingston Trio (initially as The New Kingston Trio), amid the same ’50s nostalgia boom that had already given performers like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley new careers. With George Grove and Roger Gambill joining Shane, the group found a small but enthusiastic audience, and by the end of the ’70s had begun recording in its own right. In 1981, as part of a concert taped for a public television broadcast, the Kingston Trio did something that the rock group Yes, in its various line-ups, would emulate, gathering together the current and former members of the group into a sort of Kingston Trio super-group of Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds, Dave Guard, John Stewart, George Grove, and Roger Gambill, with Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary as host. Bobby Haworth joined the group in 1985 after the death of Roger Gamble. Nick Reynolds re-joined the group in 1988 and retired in 1999 leaving the tenor slot to Bobby Haworth.

– Bruce Eder

Soundtrack/Filmography

1. Thank You for Smoking (2005) (performer: “Greenback Dollar”)
2. A Bright Shining Lie (1998) (TV) (performer: “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”)
3. The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) (performer: “Try To Remember” from “The Fantasticks”)
4. Texas Across the River (1966) (singers: title song)
5. The Legend of Tom Dooley (1959) (music performers: title song)
6. “Playhouse 90”

Rumors of Evening (1958) TV Episode (music performers)

Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database

The Flamingos

crosbbw — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 10:29:33 +0000

The Flamingos

Elegant vocals, musical pioneers, living legends, all terms used by legions of music lovers to describe the Flamingos. The simplest and most direct accolade would be that they were the best vocal group in history. Not the most successful, not having the most outstanding lead or deepest bass, but for breathtakingly beautiful harmonies enveloping and supporting a lead there were none better.

In 1950 cousins Jake and Zeke Carey moved to Chicago’s Douglas community from their native Baltimore, where ORIOLES legend Sonny Til had been a childhood friend and neighbor. They joined the local black Jewish Church of God and Saints of Christ Congregation on 39th and State and met Paul Wilson and Johnny Carter (later cousinsto the Careys though mariage).

The foursome began singing in the choir, eventually spilling out onto the streets near 35th and 36th and Lake Park, the same area where the Highway QCs and Sam Cooke sang. The group owes part of its uniqueness to their early singing of Jewish hymns. Minor key melodies were prevalent, giving the music a feeling of foreboding or sadness, perhaps contributing to the eerie quality of the group’s later singing on ballads like “Whispering Stars.”

One of the member’s sisters was dating a guy named Earl Lewis (not the CHANNELS lead), who became the group’s lead singer. Johnny and Zeke were tenors, Paul was baritone, and Jake was bass. The quintet called themselves the Swallows for about six months until they got wind of the King Records group out of Baltimore. Each member then submitted a new idea and Johnny came up with El Flamingos, which they changed to the Five Flamingos.

They moved from the streets to house parties and clubs after attending a picnic in the fall of 1952. Another picnicker, Fletcher Weatherspoon, Jr., heard them harmonizing and took the quintet to friend who owned a club called Martin’s Corner. The group entered the Thursday night talent contest and won, a minor achievement considering they were the only contestants. Still, the owner liked them enough to book them the following night. Fletcher started taking the group to house parties to entertain for experience and exposure (in other words, no money).

One night while the Flamingos were playing Martin’s Corner a representative of the King Booking Agency caught their act and recommended them to his boss, Ralph Leon, who soon became their manager. Fletcher brought him to the group at a party, and Sollie became the new lead. Earl was unceremoniously kicked out since he lacked the strict discipline or serious attitude of the others and often missed rehearsals. He went on to sing with the Five Echoes (Sabre, 1953).

By 1952 new manager Leon felt it was time to take his a cappella-trained music machine to a record company audition. He picked the most successful R&B label in Chicago at the time, United Records, bu they weren’t impressed with the technical perfection of the Five Flamingos, wanting a looser R&B group like all their others. The Five Flamingos (who ranged in age from 17, Paul, to 26, Jake) had strived to become qualitatively different (influenced by THE FIVE KEYS, ORIOLES, DONINOES, CLOVERS, RAVENS, and FOUR FRESHMEN but intent on developing their own style) yet they had become too clean-sounding for United. While Leon was preparing his next move, Billboard noted in one of its columns that the Flamingos had signed with Savoy Records in 1952. This was not the same group, and curiously no recordings by an act named the Flamingos ever came out on Savoy.

In February 1953 Leon took the group to Art Sheridan’s Chance label and they issued the ballad “If I Can’t Have You” in the second week of March.

The label read “The Flamingos” even through they continued to perform as the Five Flamingos for almost two years. The quality of their vocals was immediately evident. Jake’s bass notes were round and full. John’s unique falsetto (which took to echo like a duck to water) was atmospheric and chilling, and Sollie’s warm resonant lead was the perfect foreground for the Flamingos’ background.

“If I” did well in Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Columbus, and a number of other markets. The up-tempo flip, “Someday, Someway,” was a good rocker but the group’s true talent was obviously in ballads.

In July their second single came out, the Sammy Kaye hit (#2, 1947) “That’s my Desire,” which was done in a slow, controlled, yet sincere manner. It, too, did well regionally.

The third week of October ushered in the release of “Golden Teardrops,” which many collectors call the most perfect-sounding single of all time. The Johnny Carter-penned ballad opened with the most exquisite of intricate harmonies and soothed the listener with Sollie’s passionate lead; Johnny and Jake roamed freely on top and bottom while Zeke and Paul tied it all together smoothly. In all, it was a breathtaking masterpiece that further spread their fame through the Midwest to the East, though it couldn’t muster white radio interest in those days. (A reissue did go to number 108 on the Pop lists in the summer of 1961.) Unfortunately Art Sheridan felt that paying royalties was an acquired taste he’d never acquired, and the group had to live by their performances.

These were growing due to their new association with ABC (Associated Booking Company). They began doing shows with big jazz bands like the Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington outfits at places like the Regal in Chicago on Christmas 1953 and the Apollo in New York on February 19, 1954.

The Flamingos were not satisfied with just being musically unique and a notch better vocally. They choreographed themselves into a visually exciting performing group that would later be emulated by such R&B artists as THE FOUR TOPS and THE TEMPTATIONS. They also learned early on that to last over the long haul they should polish their skills on instruments; the Flamingos thus became the first musically self-contained R&B vocal group. It’s a good thing, too, because Art Sheridan’s ability to run a record label was far below that necessary to promote the outstanding product he had (Chance also had THE MOONGLOWS and THE SPANIELS). The quality of chance’s releases coupled with their rarity due to Sheridan’’ inept marketing ability have made all vocal group releases on Chance expensive collectibles.

July 1954 brought the release of “Plan for Love,” a straightforward blues number made uncommon by the Flamingos’ pristine harmonies, but it’s doubtful Sheridan sent out many copies. “Cross Over the Bridge” was next in March, but the former Patti Page hit (#2, 1954) had the same fate as “Plan for Love.”

Their last Chance release came in November 1954. “Blues in a Letter” was an okay blues, but the flip, “Voit Voit (Jump Children),” was the group’s best jump tune and one that deserved a better-than-dismal fate. Alan Freed liked it so much he included a Flamingos visual performance of it in his film Go Johnny Go! five years (1959) after the tune’s original release.

One of the Flamingos’ best Chance recordings, “September Song,” was never issued on a single and wasn’t out at all until a 1964 Constellation LP. So beautiful was their rendition that it’s reported whenever Lionel Hampton would hear them perform it he’d break down in tears.

With Chance visibly failing, the group moved over to Chicago disc jockey Al Benson’s Parrot label. Their first of three Parrot singles was a popish sounding ballad called “Dream of a Lifetime” in January 1955.

The Flamingos tackled a variety of musical styles in their recordings and weren’t afraid to venture outside the traditional R&B mold. From pop standards and blues to Latin they traveled, even testing country in their version of Eddie Arnold’s “I Really Don’t Want to Know.” It had a flip that offered the debut of new lead singer Nate Nelson, formerly of a Chicago group known as the Velvetones (not the Aladdin group).

Solie decided to leave; he often felt separate from the group since he was of a different religion and not part of their family. He did join a group with United called the Morroccos and went on to do several fine leads for them, especially on “Sad, Sad Hours” and “Over the Rainbow.” In 1961 he joined the Chaunteurs, of which two members, Eugene Record and Robert Lester, later became part of THE CHI-LITES.

Nate Nelson did a duet with Johnny Carter on the Flamingos’ last Parrot single, “Ko Ko Mo,” which was an attempt to capitalize on what Al Benson felt would be a hit after he heard the Gene and Eunice version in California. The real prize was the “I’m Yours” B side, unquestionably their best Parrot recording, but few heard it since “Ko Ko Mo” was the push side. The group was beginning to do better on the performing scene with tours of the U.S. and Canada arranged by agent Joe Glaser including an appropriate stint in Las Vegas at the Flamingo Hotel.

During this period manager Ralph Leon was arranging a new deal with the Chess brothers’ Checker label when he suddenly died. The group took over its own business activities at this time and closed the Checker deal. They began recording in Checker’s funky office studios and then re-recorded sides like “When” in a real studio. Ironically, the studio sides lacked the warmth of the office tracks, and so their original takes were the ones released on the first few singles.

In the fourth week of April 1955, “When” was released to little response. “I Want to Love You” came in July and when it failed, its flip “Please Come Back Home,” an even more potent ballad than “When,” was released in September. Neither could break the national ice for the group.

Then in January 1956 Checker issued “I’ll Be Home,” supposedly written by disc jockey Fats Washington though New Orleans record distributor Stan Lewis got coauthor credit (Nate Nelson actually wrote all but the first line from his navy experiences). “I’ll Be Home” was the record the Flamingos had been working for. The beautiful ballad, warmly led by Nelson, was a Billboard “Spotlight” pick in their January 14th issue. “The boys blend smoothly and sweetly on a pretty ballad with a relaxed romantic tempo and a stand out performance by the lad singer,” wrote the reviewer. “This one should grab off plenty of attention from jocks, jukes and cross-counter buyers.” It did become their first national R&B charter, reaching number five in March.

Phil Groia, in his book They All Sang on the Corner, states that during Nelson’s navy days he would, when on leave in Newport News, Virginia, sit around, drink, and talk with an unknown vocal group who loved to sing Sonny Til and the Orioles songs. When Nate returned from overseas the local group had become THE FIVE KEYS.

Just before the release of “I’ll Be Home,” the Flamingos performed the song on a Tommy Small show which also included the nemesis of all R&B artists, Pat Boone. Several weeks after the show his pasteurized version came out and cancelled out the group’s early crossover airplay, monopolizing the pop charts at number four. Decades later his version is virtually forgotten and rarely if ever played on oldies radio while the Flamingos’ version is acknowledged as an R&B ballad standard.

“A Kiss from Your Lips” was their stunning balled follow-up with haunting harmonies reminiscent of THE DIABLOS’ “The Wind.” Billboard’s May 12, 1956, reviewer didn’t think much of the song, however, stating, “Though the material on both sides is below par for this fine group the renditions should carry them into the money. This one’s a ballad with an especially tender voice handling the lead throughout.” It reached number 12 R&B in June.

Two more love songs followed (“The Vow” and “Would I Be Crying”) but mysteriously missed their mark. Still, Alan Freed made sure to include the Flamingos in his movie classic Rock, Rock, Rock in 1956 performing “Would I Be Crying.” Freed, who loved the Flamingos, sensed their greatness and wanted them immortalized on celluloid even though they didn’t have a hit at the time. (He also included “The Vow” in his 1959 film Go Johnny Go!) Others sensed their greatness as well. In 1956 Irving Feld was packaging the first integrated rock and roll show, which was akin to hiring the first African-American to play in the big leagues. They had to be the best of the time, justifying the continuation of integrated music into the future. The bill included Bill Haley and the Comets, THE PLATTERS, FRANKIE LYMON AND THE TEENAGERS, Clyde McPhatter, and artists of equal caliber. Oh yes, and the Flamingos.

After “Would I Be Crying” the group broke up due to Zeke and Johnny’s draft commitment.

In 1957 they regrouped with Jake Carey, Nate Nelson, Paul Wilson, and former Five Echoes member (Sabre) Tommy Hunt. For the first time the group was a quartet. They signed with Decca Records, who then put a major promotion campaign together for their first 45, “The Ladder of Love,” in July. Checker, however, still held a contract on Nate and effectively killed the chances of that single and subsequent Decca releases with legal entanglements; it was a truly unfortunate set of circumstances for the group and their pretty ballad. It’s reported that around this time Nate moonlighted as lead on Steve Gibson and the Red Caps’ ABC – Paramount single of “Silhouettes” (Rays).

In August 1958 Zeke Carey returned while Johnny Carter eventually went on to sing with THE DELLS. Zeke, knowing of George Goldner’s interest in the Flamingos, mediated an arrangement between George and Chess Records thereby freeing up Nate and allowing the group to sign with End Records in late 1958. Though collectors and purists consider their best works to have been the Chance and Checker sides, the End recordings were some of their finest, most beautifully sung songs, the main difference stemming from the Flamingos’ decision to change from recording originals to old standards in their full harmony style. This was Goldner’s idea, according to Zeke Carey, who reports “George came up with the concept of an LP of standards for us. It was the only album we ever did that he picked every single song.”

Their first End single, however, was a Paul Wilson-Isiah and Terry Johnson original (Terry was the group’s guitarist and additional tenor) titled “Lovers Never Say Goodbye.” One of the most beautiful of all doo wop love songs, “Lovers” reached number 25 R&B and became the Flamingos’ first pop success, lifting their voices to number 52 in the spring of 1959.

“But Not for Me” was the next single, setting the stage for (as Zeke put it) the Flamingos’ national anthem (and their favorite), “I Only (Shoo Bop Shoo Bop) Have Eyes for You.” The 1934 Eddy Duchin recording (#4), written by Al Warren and Harry Dubin, was a spectacular ballad as done in the inimitable Flamingos style, awash in echoing harmonies, Nate’s buttery delivery, and Terry Johnson’s flowing falsetto. “Eyes” charted Pop on June 1st and R&B June 15th. By mid-summer it was a national hit, missing the Pop top 10 by one notch while flying to number three R&B. The record received international acclaim and even made the Australian charts at number 32. Those rehearsals in their rooms at the Hotel Cecil (118th Street and 7th Avenue) in Harlem had truly paid off. All this excitement caused Decca to continue releasing the 10 sides they’d recorded, coming out in May with “Kiss-A-Me” while Checker repackaged “Whispering Stars” b/w “Dream of a Lifetime” and put out an LP under the latter title’s name.

In 1958 the Flamingos did a rare backup for Bo Diddley on an even rarer ballad performance for Bo titled “You Know I Love You,” which was not released until 1990 when MCA put out a special performance ever heard from Bo, and the Flamingos’ prominent harmonies seem to have mellowed the rocker. Zeke maintains he was not on the Diddley backup though he did recall backing Gone artist Ral Donner with Jake on one lone-since-forgotten single.

1959 to 1961 was the group’s most prolific period chart and album wise. End put out four LPs in four years along with such outstanding singles as “Love Walked In” (#88 Pop, July 1959), “I Was Such a Fool” (#71 Pop, November 1959), “Mio Amore” (#74 Pop, #26 R&B, June 1960), “Your Other Love” (#54 Pop, November, 1960), and “Time Was” (#45 Pop, June 1961).

By 1961 Tommy Hunt had left to pursue a solo career; he came up with a few minor hits for Sceptor including “Human” (#48, fall 1961).

In the spring of 1964 the Flamingos returned to Checker for a few sides. They recorded an incredible Latin-rhythmed version of Oscar Hammerstein’s “Lover Come Back to Me” that would have established a whole new legion of Flamingos followers had radio given it a chance to be heard. (Proving the group’s greatness no matter what some wacked-out A&R man handed them, the Flamingos recorded “Lover Come Back to Me” [Polydor, 1970] as a funk balled and still came out sounding good.)

In 1965 the veterans joined Phillips Records and released a funk/doo wop version of Bing Crosby’s 1934 (number three) hit “Temptation.”

In early 1966 they applied an “I Only Have Eyes for You” treatment to Hoagy Carmichael’s song “The Nearness of You” and the effect was brilliant. It was the flip, however, that got the action: “The Boogaloo Party,” a catchy dance tune sung mostly in unison, became their first R&B charter in six years (#22, #93 Pop). Trivia question: Out of all the fantastic Flamingos recordings ever made, which is the only single ever to make the British charts? Right! “The Boogaloo Party” (#26, and it took three and a half years to get there, charting in June of 1969).

By late 1966 Nate Nelson had left Atco, where he had recorded one excellent single with the Starglows (a Flamingos sound-alike) called “Let’s Be the Platters, and one of his first singles was a beautiful remake of the song he’d sung years before with the Flamingos, “I’ll Be Home.”

The Flamingos’ last charter was a 1970 ode to the black cavalry soldiers of the 1880s titled “Buffalo Soldier” (#86 Pop, #28 R&B). A few singles for Roulette, Worlds, Julmar, and their own Ronze label (including three LPs shifting between an old and new sound) and the Flamingos were finished with recording.

In the early ‘90s they were still performing with Zeke and Jake at the helm along with relative newcomers Archie Saterfield, Kenny Davis, and Ron Reace, and singing a wider variety of material than ever.

Though they’ve had only one national top 20 hit and only 11 national charters all told, the artists they’ve influenced (including THE TEMPTATIONS, Diana Ross and THE SUPREMES, THE JACKSON FIVE, THEAPINNERS, SMOKEY ROBINSON AND THE MIRACLES, HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES, and GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS to name just a few) testify to their significance.

When Dick Clark wanted the best for his “Rock & Roll: The First Twenty-Five Years on TV,” the Flamingos were there. When the 1988 Grammy Awards wanted the best of the ‘50s, the Flamingos were there. After almost 40 years it’s good to know the best are still around.

~Jay Warner

Both prolific and seminal in their influence and impact, the Flamingos may have been the greatest harmonizing vocal ensemble ever, and were certainly among the premier units of the doo wop/R&B era. Cousins Jake and Zeke Carey moved to Chicago from Baltimore in 1950. They met Paul Wilson and Johnny Carter at the Church of God and Saints of Christ Congregation, a black Jewish church. They began singing in the choir, and the foursome met Earl Lewis (not the Channels’ lead vocalist) through one of the members’ sisters, who was his girlfriend at the time. They originally called themselves the Swallows, but had to change names when they found out that a Baltimore group already had the name. Carter suggested El Flamingos, which was changed to the Five Flamingos, and later the Flamingos. Ralph Leon of the King Booking Agency eventually became their manager.

Sollie McElroy replaced Lewis as their lead singer in the early ’50s, with Lewis joining the Five Echoes. They recorded with Chance in 1953, and “If I Can’t Have You” attracted some attention and did well in the Midwest and on the East Coast. “That’s My Desire” and “Golden Teardrops” were marvelously sung numbers, particularly “Golden Teardrops,” with its sweeping harmonies on top and bottom framing McElroy’s wondrous lead. But none of their great Chance recordings generated enough national attention to make the R&B charts, nor did the three numbers they recorded for Parrot. McElroy departed and was replaced by Nate Nelson. They enjoyed their first chart success with Checker in the late ’50s, scoring a Top Ten R&B hit with “I’ll Be Home” in 1956. In 1956 Zeke Carey and Johnny Carter were drafted into the army and were replaced by Terry Johnson and Tommy Hunt who performed with Nate Nelson, Jake Carey and Paul Wilson. Zeke Carey returned in 1958, and they signed with End late that year.

“I Only Have Eyes for You” in 1959 was their biggest hit, peaking at number three R&B and number 11 pop. It was a cover of a song that had been a huge hit for Eddy Duchin in 1934, and was the start of a productive period that saw the Flamingos issue four albums for End and get two more R&B Top 30 singles, one the Sam Cooke composition “Nobody Loves Me Like You” in 1960. Hunt left in 1961, and the group returned briefly to Checker in 1964. They later recorded for Phillips, Julman, and Polydor, but couldn’t regain their former standing. They remained among the genre’s most beloved groups, and anthologies of their material on Chance and Checker have been reissued. In 1993, The Flamingos Meet the Moonglows was reissued by Vee-Jay.

— Ron Wynn

Soundtrack/Filmography

Something’s Gotta Give (2003) (performer: “I Only Have Eyes for You”)
Cherish (2002) (performer: “I Only Have Eyes for You”)
Four Dogs Playing Poker (2000) (performer: “I Only Have Eyes For You”)
- A.K.A. 4 Dogs Playing Poker (USA: video box title)
“The Sopranos” (1999) TV Series (performer: “I Only Have Eyes for You”)
SubZero (1998) (V) (performer: “I Only Have Eyes For You”)
- A.K.A. Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (USA: promotional title)
- A.K.A. Subzero (USA)
Double Tap (1997) (performer: “The Sinner”)
Going All the Way (1997) (performer: “Golden Teardrops”)
Milk Money (1994) (performer: “I Only Have Eyes For You”)
Past Tense (1994) (TV) (performer: “I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU”)
A Bronx Tale (1993) (performer: “I Only Have Eyes for You”)
Heart and Souls (1993) (performer: “I Only Have Eyes For You”)
My Girl (1991) (performer: “I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU”)
One Good Cop (1991) (performer: “I Only Have Eyes For You”)
- A.K.A. One Man’s Justice (Europe)
DTV ‘Doggone’ Valentine (1987) (TV) (performer: “I Only Have Eyes For You”)
The Right Stuff (1983) (performer: “I Only Have Eyes For You”)

Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database

The Soul Stirrers

crosbbw — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 10:14:21 +0000

The Soul Stirrers

The most revolutionary group in gospel music, the Soul Stirrers and their succession of incredible lead singers were largely responsible for the development of modern soul music. The concept for the Soul Stirrers developed in an upper room at 1608 Andrew Street, Houston, Texas, in September 1929. Walter Lee “W.L.” La Beaux of Houston wanted to form a quartet. He chose the name the New Pleasant Green Gospel Singers from the New Pleasant Green Church and on September 10th organized the group with himself as tenor and manager, Edward Allen (E.A.) Rundless, Jr. of Walliceville, Texas (second tenor), C.N. Parker (baritone), and W.R. Johnson (bass). After four years, Johnson died and O.W. Thomas took his place. A year later Parker passed on a Senior Roy (S.R.) Crain of Trinity, Texas, joined in his spot. At that time they changed the group’s name to the Soul Stirrers of Houston, Texas.

In 1934 W.L. La Beaux chose to preach the gospel and A.L. Johnson joined up. On July 26, 1936, Jessie James (J.J.) Farley of Pennington, Texas, came into the group. That same year, Alan Lomax recorded the Soul Stirrers for the Library of Congress, the group’s very first recordings.

By 1937 the group included S.R. Crain (first tenor), Rebert H. (R.H.) Harris (second tenor), A.L. Johnson (baritone), M.L. Franklin of Trinity, Texas (second tenor), and J.J. Farley (bass).

R.H. Harris became the innovator, handling the lead and directing the group away from the old fashioned Jubilee style toward a modern gospel approach. He created the concept of a second lead singer, turning quartets into quintets and providing for consistent four-part harmony under the alternating lead singers. He also introduced the concept of ad-libbing lyrics, signing in delayed time, and repeating words in the background. When R.H. joined the Stirrers he revered blues artists like Leroy Carr, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Lil Green.

With all their innovation and talent, the Stirrers weren’t going to get rich on gospel singing. One revival they played in a small Oklahoma town earned the whole group $2.65 for a week’s worth of singing.

In 1939 the Stirrers began performing on radio alongside the white Stamps Baxter Quartet.

By the 1940s they were one of the superior gospel groups, on a level with THE PILGRIM TRAVELERS, THE GOLDEN GATE QUARTET, THE DIXIE HUMMINGBIRDS, and THE FIVE BLIND BOYS OF MISSISSIPPI.

During World War II they performed on a variety of USO shows and sang for President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill at the White House.

Their first public recordings were made in 1948 for Aladdin and in 1950 for Specialty, where they did the legendary “By and By.” Toward the end of that year R.H. Harris decided to retire. Hall Foster became the new second lead in 1949. In 1950 S.R. Crain brought in a 19-year-old from Chicago who had idolized Harris to the point of imitation. But the youngster, whose name was Sam Cooke, soon developed his own style along with a gospel yodel hat first appeared in the 1954 recording of “He’ll Make a Way” and later in his own secular 1957 hit “You Send Me.”

Sam, however, had an influence before that; his very first recording with the Soul Stirrers on March 1, 1951, “Peace in the Valley,” was later recorded not once but twice by Elvis Presley, first for Sun Records and in 1957 for RCA.

With Foster’s raspy shouting style and Sam’s smooth, sexy sound the Soul Stirrers had one of gospel’s great one-two punches. The Stirrers, like almost all gospel groups prior to 1950, sang a capella but they became among the first to switch to instrumental backup.

During the ‘40s and ‘50s many other great gospel voices sang with the Stirrers, including James Medlock, Leroy Taylor, R.B. Robinson (who founded THE HIGHWAY QCs, from which several of the group’s lead signers were drawn), Julius Cheeks, and T.L. Brewster.

On March 31, 1956, Billboard reviewed the Soul Stirrers’ recording of “Wonderful,” one of their classics, calling it “A gentle deeply sincere reading of a pretty prayer meeting tune.” Later that year, while Sam was still in the group, a single was issued on Specialty called “Lovable” that closely resembled “Wonderful.” The artist was Dale Cook, a name Sam adopted to hide his secular pursuits from his gospel followers. This was the actual spelling of his name before he moved into pop charts including “You Send Me” (#1, 1957), “Chain Gang” (#2, 1960), and “Another Saturday Night” (#10, 1963).

His replacement was Highway QCs alumnus, Johnnie Taylor, who was then singing with the Melodymakers and who patterned his early sound after Sam’s, just as Sam had styled himself after R.H. Harris. One of the group’s more notable recordings with Taylor was “Stand by My Father,” later restyled to become Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me.” Johnny had already sung with an R&B group in 1954 (the Five Echoes) so it was not surprising when he moved on in 1963 and issued lusty shouting hits like “Who’s Makin’ Love” (#5 Pop, #1 R&B, 1968), “Take Care of Your Homework” (#20 Pop, #2 R&B, 1968), and “Disco Lady” (#1 Pop and R&B, 1976) among his 39 R&B and 24 pop charters from 1963 to 1987. Jimmy Otler took over lead from Taylor and was succeeded by yet another Q.C.s member, Willy Rogers, in 1967.

Despite numerous changes in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s the Soul Stirrers’ level of quality remained high. Jessie Farley was the last remaining original Stirrer, continuing with the group until his death in 1990. Sam Cooke died on December 11, 1964, from gunshot wounds in a Los Angeles motel. Paul Foster, as of the ‘80s was a vegetable deliveryman in Las Vegas and James Medlock was a doorman in Chicago. Jimmy Otler was killed during a fight in 1967.

R.H. Harris formed the Christland Singers in the ‘50s with two ex-Stirrers, James Medlock and Leroy Taylor. He later sang with the Paraders, recording for Sam Cooke’s Sar Records in the early ‘60s. He eventually became a florist but always stayed close to the gospel scene.

~Jay Warner

Indisputably among the premier gospel groups of the modern era, the Soul Stirrers pioneered the contemporary quartet sound. Pushing the music away from the traditional repertoire of jubilees and spirituals towards the visceral, deeply emotional hard gospel style so popular among postwar listeners, the group’s innovative arrangements — they were the first quartet to add a second lead — and sexually-charged presence irrevocably blurred the lines between religious and secular music while becoming a seminal influence on the development of rock & roll and soul, most notably by virtue of their connection to the legendary Sam Cooke. The Soul Stirrers’ origins date back to 1926, where in the town of Trinity, Texas, baritone Senior Roy Crain formed a quartet with a number of other teens with whom he attended church. After one of the group’s early appearances, a member of the audience approached Crain to tell him how their performance had “stirred his soul,” and from this chance compliment the Soul Stirrers were officially born.

The original group fell apart soon after, but Crain continued to pursue a singing career; upon relocating to Houston during the early ’30s, he joined a group called the New Pleasant Green Singers on the condition that they change their name to the Soul Stirrers. So rechristened, this incarnation of the quartet made a 1936 field recording for Alan Lomax; as other members dropped out, Crain brought in replacements, finally arriving at the classic early lineup which also included bass Jesse Farley, baritone T.L. Bruster, second lead James Medlock and, most notably, lead R.H. Harris, whose high, crystalline voice remains the inspiration for virtually all great male quartet leads to follow since. After moving to Chicago, the Soul Stirrers began shifting away from the signature tight harmonies and compact songs of traditional gospel towards a harder style distinguished by shifting leads and performances elongated to increase their emotional potency; they also began performing new material from the pens of Thomas A. Dorsey, Kenneth Morris and others.

Throughout the 1940s, the Soul Stirrers’ reputation grew; not only were they constantly on tour, but they booked most of the major gospel programs in the Chicago area — in their spare hours, they even operated their own cleaning business. When the grind got to be too much for Medlock, he retired from the road, and was replaced by onetime Golden Echo Paul Foster. In early 1950, the Soul Stirrers signed to the Specialty label, debuting with the single “By and By”; it was quickly followed by “I’m Still Living on Mother’s Prayer” and “In That Awful Hour,” both originals composed by Detroit’s Reuben L.C. Henry. In total, the Soul Stirrers recorded over two dozen tracks for Specialty in 1950 before Harris quit the group that same year; many predicted a dire future, especially when it was announced that his replacement was a relatively unknown 20-year-old named Sam Cooke. When Cooke made his recording debut with the Soul Stirrers in 1951, however, any reservations were quickly dispelled — blessed with a gossamer voice even sweeter and more graceful than Harris’, he would take the group to even greater heights than before.

The first Soul Stirrers 78 to feature Cooke, “Jesus Gave Me Water,” was a major hit, and with his good looks the young singer made an instant impact with female audiences, in the process becoming the gospel circuit’s first sex symbol. The group’s popularity continued to soar, but as the Soul Stirrers entered their third decade, the daily grind began to wear on its members, and soon Bruster retired; he was replaced by baritone Bob King, who also doubled as a guitarist, becoming their first-ever steady instrumentalist. In 1954, the Soul Stirrers briefly added Julius Cheeks to their roster; after lending his raspy vocals to a recording of “All Right Now,” however, contractual obligations forced him to exit almost as quickly as he arrived. In 1956, Cooke finally crossed over to the pop market, and was replaced by ex-Highway QC Johnnie Taylor; while Taylor himself would also enjoy pop success in the years to follow, he failed to command the same devotion as his predecessor. Lineup changes continued regularly in the years to follow, but the Soul Stirrers forged on, with new, younger members keeping the group afloat into the 1990s

— Jason Ankeny

Soundtrack/Filmography

The Ladykillers (2004) (performer: “Come, Let Us Go Back to God”, “Jesus I’ll Never Forget”, “Any Day Now”)

Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database

The Skylarks

crosbbw — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 10:09:34 +0000

The Skylarks

The Skylarks were formed in the unlikely surroundings of the Panama Canal zone during Worls War II. The four army servicemen included Bob Sprague (first tenor), Harry Gedicke (second tenor), Harry Shuman (baritone), and arranger/leader George Becker. They toured bases throughout Panama starting in 1942 while starring in a weekly program on the area’s Armed Forces Radio Network.

After their discharge they reorganized in Detroit and added lead singer Gilda Maiken, whom they had heard on WJR radio. The group rehearsed at the YMCA in Highland Park, Michigan, practicing songe like “Night and Day” and “I Don’t Stand a Ghost of Chance.” Through Gilda’s connections the group appeared with the Don Large Chorus on a coast-to-coast radio show. Bandleader Woody Herman heard them and engaged the group to perform with his orchestra.

The quartet originally called themselves the Velvetones, but upon joining Herman they became known as the Blue Moods, since Woody’s orchestra was billed as “the band that plays the blues.” They recorded “Stars Fell on Alabama” in August 1946 in Los Angeles and then set off with Herman for the National Theatre tour circuit.

In 1947 Herman’s band broke up while the Blue Moods were in New York, but they eventually the good fortune to meet and record with Bing Crosby. He changed their ame to The Skylarks and they recorded two sides with him, “Ko Ko Mo Indiana” and “Chaperone.”

In 1948 they joined Jimmy Dorsey’s Orchestra and made several MGM recordings before Dorsey’s band broke up.

Music publisher Rocky Carr became their manager and wired them to come to California where work may be easier to find. The smooth-sounding quintet’s reputation preceded them and without so muchas an audition they were hired by Harry James. They recorded on Decca with trombonst Russ Morgan in February 1949 and had a million seller in the number one hit “Cruisin’ Down the River.” Its follow-up, “Forever and Ever,” charted for 26 weeks and also reached number one.

The group performed with such stars as Dinah Shore, Eddie Fisher, Danny Kaye, Betty Hutton, Dean Martin, jerry Lewis and Frank Sinatra.

By the ’50s the group included originals Gilda Maiken and George Becker with Joe Hamilton, Earl Brown, and Jacki Gershwin. They signed to RCA Records in the early ’50s and had one chart single, “ I Had the Craziest Dream” from the film Spring time in the Rockies (#28, April 1953). The group also appeared in the TV musical game show “Judge for Yourself” with Fred Allen in 1953.

Jackie Gershwin was later replaced by Carol Lombard, adn the group kept performing. Included in their travels were four years of tours with Dinah Shore and the last tour with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The Skylarks were staples of varity-show TV ranging from the Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore shows in the ’50s to Carol Burnett’s and Sonny and Cher’s shows in the ’60s.

In 1979 The Skylarks made their last public appearance at the Hollywood Palladium, 37 years after they were formed.

The individual members kept quite busy in show business after their group retirement. George Becker became production coordinator for “The Tim Conway Show” and worked on Carol Burnett’s shows for 15 years. Earl Brown became a material writer for TV and nightclub acts including The Osmonds, Steve Martin, Suzanne Somers, and the New Smothers Brothers. Joe Hamilton produced Carol Burnett’s long-running TV show. Jackie Gershwin and Carol Lombard went on to work as backup singers as did Donna donna Manners and Peggy Clark, wo had aslso spent some time with the group. Lively and charismatic Gilda Maiken (Anderson), the only lead singer the group ever had, opened her own talent agency and later became chairman of the celebrated Society of Singers.

– Jay Warner

The Dixie Hummingbirds

crosbbw — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 10:08:29 +0000

The Dixie Hummingbirds

The Dixie Hummingbirds are probably the best known of the black gospel quartets, having performed for over 50 years throughout America and Europe. They became the inspiration for countless R&B and soul singers, from Jackie Wilson and Clyde McPhatter to Bobby “Blue” Bland and The Temptations.

The group was formed in Greenville, South Carolina, by James Davis in 1928, a year before the Great Depression. The members were Barney Gipson (lead), Davis (tenor), Barney Parks (baritone), and J.B. Matterson (bass). In their early teens they sang in the Bethel Church of God in the junior chorus. Soon Fred Owens became the bass and the group became the Sterling High School Quartet. Davis changed the name to the Dixie Hummingbirds.

Following local activity, the group went to the National Baptist Convention in Atlanta where they met such top acts of the day as the Heavenly Gospel Singers, THE SWAN SILVERTONES, and Kings of Harmony. The Hummingbirds’ reception there encouraged them to tour.

During the ‘30s the group went through a succession of bass singers until Jimmy Bryant of the Heavenly Gospel Singers joined in 1939, just as the group signed to Decca Records. Also that same year the group obtained the lead singing services of Ira Tucker of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Tucker had been singing with his own group the Gospel Carriers. One night the Carriers competed in a battle of the gospel groups against the Dixie Hummingbirds and the Heavenly Gospel Singers. The Birds were the obvious winners and Tucker became a member that same night. Willie Bobo, one of the legendary gospel basses and the Heavenlies’ bass that night, also joined the Dixies soon after.

Tucker had been influenced by the Norfolk Jubilee Singers, and his mixture of gospel and blues added a versatility to the Dixies’ style that helped make them leading black Southern quartet. As time went on he developed his showmanship, becoming the first to run up and down the aisles and jump off stages; it’s very possible that James Brown learned the moves from Tucker.

The Hummingbirds began on Philadelphia radio at station WCAU as the Jericho Boys and the Swanee Quintet, and performed in packed stadiums without the benefit of a hit record. In 1945 the group recorded for Apollo and then Gotham.

Beachy Thompson of the Five Gospel Singers and the Willing Four joined the group in 1944, and by World War II’s end the lineup was Tucker (lead), Davis (tenor), Thompson (baritone), and Bobo (bass).

They hit their stride in 1952 recording gospel standards like “Jesus Walked the Water” and “I Just Can’t HelpIt” for Peacock. In the early ‘50s James Walker joined and became the group’s second lead. Swan Silvertones great Claude Jeter also spent some time with the group in the ‘50s.

In 1966 the Hummingbirds performed at the Newport Folk Festival and were an instant sensation. Seven years later they backed Paul Simon on his gospel-flavored composition, “Loves Me Like a Rock.” The record sold a million copies and reached number two in the late summer. Soon after, the group recorded its own version.

The Hummingbirds continued into the ‘80s with a number of personnel changes. James Davis retired in 1984 after 56 years on the circuit. Willie Bobo died in 1976. Ira Tucker and James Walker were still featured as of the late ‘80s.

~Jay Warner

A pioneering force behind the evolution of the modern gospel quartet sound, the Dixie Hummingbirds were among the longest-lived and most successful groups of their era; renowned for their imaginative arrangements, progressive harmonies and all-around versatility, they earned almost universal recognition as the greatest Southern quartet of their generation, and their influence spread not only over the world of spiritual music but also inspired secular artists ranging from Jackie Wilson to Bobby “Blue” Bland to the Temptations. Formed in Greenville, South Carolina by James B. Davis, the Dixie Hummingbirds began their career during the late ’30s as a jubilee-styled act; joined in 1938 by 13-year-old baritone phenom Ira Tucker and bass singer extraordinaire Willie Bobo, a former member of the Heavenly Gospel Singers, the group made their recorded debut a year later on Decca, where they issued singles including “Soon Will Be Done with the Troubles of This World,” “Little Wooden Church” and “Joshua Journeyed to Jericho.”

Upon relocating to Philadelphia in 1942, the Hummingbirds’ popularity began to grow — Tucker, in particular, wowed audiences with his flamboyant theatrics, rejecting the long tradition of “flat-footed” singers rooted in place on stage in favor of running up the aisles and rocking prayerfully on his knees. By 1944, he was even regularly jumping off stages — indeed, the frenetic showmanship of soul music may have had its origins in Tucker’s manic intensity, itself an emulation of country preaching. At the same time, the Hummingbirds’ harmonies continued to grow more sophisticated; the addition of Paul Owens completed the quartet’s development, and together he and Tucker honed a style they dubbed “trickeration,” a kind of note-bending distinguished by sensual lyrical finesse and staggering vocal intricacy. Their virtuosity did not go unnoticed by audiences, and throughout the mid-’40s — an acknowledged golden age of a cappella quartet singing — the group regularly played to packed houses throughout the south.

Under names like the Swanee Quintet and the Jericho Boys, the Dixie Hummingbirds also regularly appeared on Philadephia radio station WCAU; it was as the Jericho Boys that they auditioned for the legendary producer John Hammond, who in 1942 booked them into the Cafe Society Downtown, then the Greenwich Village area’s preeminent showcase for black talent. By 1946, the Hummingbirds were again recording, cutting sides for labels including Apollo and, later in the decade, Gotham and Hob. In 1952, what many consider the group’s definitive lineup — a roster of Tucker, Davis, Bobo, Beachey Thompson, James Walker (replacing Owens) and ace guitarist Howard Carroll, a roster which held intact for close to a quarter century — signed to the Peacock label, where over the course of the following decade they recorded a series of masterpieces including 1952’s “Trouble in My Way,” 1953’s “Let’s Go Out to the Programs,” 1954’s “Christian’s Testimonial,” 1957’s “Christian Automobile” and 1959’s “Nobody Knows the Trouble I See.”

After earning a standing ovation for their performance at the 1966 Newport Folk Festival (captured on the Gospel at Newport LP), the Hummingbirds essentially retired from mainstream appearances to focus solely on the church circuit. They did, however, burst back into the popular consciousness in 1973, backing Paul Simon on his pop smash “Loves Me Like a Rock.” The death of Willie Bobo in 1976 brought to a sad end a lengthy chapter of the Hummingbirds’ history — his membership in their ranks dated back to the late 1930s — but the surviving members forged on; just two years later, Ebony Magazine named them “The World’s Greatest Gospel Group.” After Davis retired in 1984, Tucker was the last remaining link to the quartet’s formative years; despite the subsequent deaths of Walker in 1992 and Thompson in 1994, Tucker continued leading the group at the century’s end, recruiting new blood to keep the Dixie Hummingbirds’ spirit alive for years to follow, celebrating their seventh decade with 1999’s Music in the Air: The 70th Anniversary All-Star Tribute.

— Jason Ankeny