doo-wop

The Fidelitys (Albany, New York)



Personnel :

Emmett Smith (Lead Tenor)

Maurice Newton (Tenor)

Robert McCann (Tenor)

Arthur Morning (Baritone)

Earl Thorpe (Bass/Baritone)



Discography :

1958 - The Things I Love / Hold On To What'cha Got  (Baton 252)
1958 - Memories Of You / Can't You Come Out (Baton 256)
1958 - My Greatest Thrill / Captain Of My Ship (Baton 261)
1959 - Marie / The Invitation (Sir 271)
1959 - Walk With The Wind / Only To You (Sir 274) 
1960 - This Girl Of Mine / Where In The World (Sir 276)
1960 - Wishing Star / Broken Love (Sir 277)



Biography :

Albany, NY-based doo wop quintet the Fidelitys formed in 1956 -- according to Marv Goldberg's profile on his www.group-harmony.com website, bass Earl Thorpe assembled the founding lineup shortly after relocating from Jacksonville, FL. Thorpe's cousin Emmitt Smith was assigned lead duties, with Clarence Carter and Robert McCann assuming the tenor spots and Arthur Morning coming aboard as baritone. Originally dubbed the Mellow-Tones, the group rechristened itself the Fidelitys when tenor Maurice Newton (a friend of Thorpe's from Jacksonville) moved to Albany and replaced Carter.

In December 1957 the Fidelitys traveled to New York City in the hopes of landing a slot on the Apollo Theatre's famed amateur showcase -- instead, Apollo bandleader Reuben Phillips agreed to manage the Fidelitys, securing them an audition with booking agent Ben Bart of the firm Universal Attractions. Bart in turn landed the Fidelitys an audition with Baton Records, which signed the quintet on the spot -- their debut single, a reading of the Harold Barlow/Lew Harris chestnut "The Things I Love," followed in February 1958, consciously evoking the Platters with its sophisticated, gossamer approach.

The single went on to reach the number 60 spot on the Billboard pop charts, and in June the Fidelitys resurfaced with another oldie, Andy Razaf and Eubie Blake's "Memories of You" -- although its release was celebrated with a weeklong stint at the Apollo, the single failed to match the success of its predecessor, missing the charts altogether.

The Fidelitys' third Baton effort, "Captain of My Ship," appeared in the autumn of 1958, coinciding with another week at the Apollo, but when it too failed to earn attention from radio and retail the group's momentum ground to a halt. Baton owner Sol Rabinowitz shuttered the label in the spring of 1959, shortly thereafter teaming with Morty Craft to co-found the new SIR imprint -- the Fidelitys issued the Irving Berlin-penned "Marie" on SIR that July, again to little notice.

"Walk with the Wind" followed in the fall, and in early 1960 the group made its final Apollo appearance.

"This Girl of Mine" appeared that spring, and in August the Fidelitys issued their swan song, "Wishing Star," also the last gasp of the struggling SIR. When Smith was drafted into the military in 1962, lead Kenny French signed on his absence, and the Fidelitys continued performing live until the close of the decade. In 2005, the surviving members (Thorpe, Smith, Newton, and French) revived the group for a handful of Albany-area dates. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

http://www.answers.com/topic/the-fidelitys
http://home.att.net/~freebizak/Fidelitys/fidelitys.html

Songs :

    
Walk With The Wind              Memories Of You

   
Captain of My Ship                Only to you

    
The Things I Love                 Where In The World

The Thornton Sisters (Long Branch, N.J)



Personnel :

Elisabeth Thornton

Jeanette Thornton

Yvonne Thornton

Linda Thornton

Rita Thornton

Donna Lee Thornton

Discography :

1962 - Wild Childhood / Waddle (Roulette 4448)
1964 - Big city boy / Watch your step (Bobsan 1000)


Song :

   
Watch your step                   Big city boy

The Pennants aka The Laurels (7) (McKeesport,Pennsylvania)
Informations & Pictures  update from http://whitedoowopcollector.blogspot.com

Personnel :

Fred Hulme

Dick Muse

Nick Ticich

Noel Schwertfeger

Bob Gaymor

Discography :

The Pennants
1961 - Don't Go / Workin' Man (World 102)
1961 - Darling How Long (unreleased)

The Laurels (7)
1989 - Don't Go / Darling How Long (World 102 blue wax)

Rochell & The Candles (1) (Los Angeles, California)
(By Hans-Joachim)


Members

Rochell Henderson (Lead & Tenor)

Johnny Wyatt (Lead & First Tenor)

Mel Sasso (Tenor)

T.C. Henderson (Bass)



Discography

Rochell & The Candles (1)
1960 - Once Upon A Time / When My Baby Is Gone (Swingin' 623)
1961 - Hey, Pretty Baby / So Far Away (Swingin' 634)
1962 - Beg Of My Heart / Squat With Me Baby (Swingin' 640)
1962 - Each Night / Turn Her Down (Challenge 9158)
1963 - Big Boy Pete / A Long Time Ago (Swingin' 652)
1963 - Let's Run Away And Get Married / Annie's Not An Orphan Anymore (Challenge 9191)

Johnny Wyatt (& Group)
1963 - One Night With You / Goodnight (Swingin' 643)



Biography

The curiously named Rochell and the Candles were an all-male black vocal group, formed in 1958 in Los Angeles, by Rochell Henderson (lead and tenor), Johnny Wyatt (lead and first tenor), Mel Sasso (tenor) and T.C. Henderson (bass). The two Hendersons were not related, but both came originally from Louisiana. Wyatt was a Texan and only Sasso was an L.A. kid. The foursome played clubs until they had enough original material to record. Four tracks were recorded in the backyard studio of Ted Brinson (a professional bass player who can be heard on most of Larry Williams's early Specialty recordings) in Watts, where at least two major 1950s hits had been recorded, "Earth Angel" by the Penguins and "Western Movies" by the Olympics.

    
Rochell Henderson                                                Johnny Wyatt

The group took their demos to Hunter Hancock of KGFJ, then one of the hottest R&B deejays in L.A. Hancock had started his own label, Swingin' Records in 1959 and scored a hit with "There Is Something On Your Mind" by Big Jay McNeely.

Hancock tested out their song "Once Upon A Time" on his show by playing their acetate and the studio phones started ringing immediately. Released in October 1960 on Swingin' 623, "Once Upon A Time" slipped into Billboard's Hot 100 in February 1961, eventually reaching # 26.

The feminine sounding lead on this doowop number was by Johnny Wyatt. The record was not in keeping with the group's image : not only was Rochell not the lead, "Rochell" wasn't even a girl. The group got plenty of work out of their hit, but when both follow-ups flopped, the group switched to the Challenge label in 1962.

On "Every Night" they were backed by the Champs, but this ballad didn't sell either, in spite of a good Billboard review.

   
Johnny Wyatt

Their best record came in 1963, but it never stood a chance, as it was not even the A-side. "Annie's Not An Orphan Anymore" (Challenge 9191, written by Dave Burgess of the Champs) was a mid-tempo rocker that confounded its 1963 release date by harking back to an earlier era, with a "fat" sax sound. It was co-produced by Gary Usher and Mike Borchetta. The A-side was what you could call a proto-funk recording, "Let's Run Away And Get Married", that crashed on takeoff.

T.C. Henderson, Rochell Henderson, Johnny Wyatt, without Mel Sasso

Four older cuts were released in 1963 on two singles, including an odd arrangement of "Big Boy Pete", before the Candles were snuffed out. Johnny Wyatt went on to record as a solo vocalist and had releases on Challenge, Magnum and Bronco. Jay Warner writes in his otherwise excellent Billboard book of American singing groups (1992) that he was the leader of the soul group Johnny and the Expresions, but that was Johnny Matthews. Johnny Wyatt died in December 1983 at the age of 45. Rochell and the Candles were a typical one-hit wonder group with an atypical image.

Dik (Black Cat Rockabilly Europe)

http://www.doowopy.de/old/02page/C/eCandles.html
http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/jwyatt.htm
http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/rochell_and_the_candles.htm


Songs :

    
Once Upon A Time                Beg Of My Heart

    
A Long Time Ago                    So Far Away

The Primettes aka The Supremes (4) (Detroit)

Personnel :

Betty McGlown

Mary Wilson

Diana Ross

Florence Ballard

Discography :

The Primettes
1961 - Tears of Sorrows / Pretty baby (Lu pine 120)

Al Garner & the Primettes
1966 - All i need is you  (Relic LP 8008)

Biography :

Founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1959, The Supremes began as a quartet called The Primettes

Founding members Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross and Betty McGlown, all from the Brewster-Douglass public housing project in Detroit, formed The Primettes as the sister act to The Primes (with Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks, who would go on to form The Temptations).

Barbara Martin replaced McGlown in 1960, and the group signed with Motown the following year as The Supremes. Martin left the act in early 1962, and Ross, Ballard and Wilson carried on as a trio.
http://www.answers.com/topic/the-primettes



Songs :

    
Pretty baby                             Tears of Sorrows



CD :






MP3 :

• The Fidelitys | 19-11-2009
• The Thornton Sisters | 17-11-2009
• The Pennants aka The Laurels (7) | 17-11-2009
• Rochell & The Candles (1) | 16-11-2009
• The Primettes aka The Supremes (4) | 15-11-2009
• The Majestics (2) | 14-11-2009
• The Enchantments (2) | 12-11-2009
• The Twi-Lighters (2) | 09-11-2009
• The Marcels (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) | 08-11-2009
• The Spinners (1) | 07-11-2009
• The Clientelles | 06-11-2009
• The Four After Fives aka The Rivingtons | 05-11-2009
• The Admirations (1) | 03-11-2009
• Lee Andrews & The Hearts (3) | 30-10-2009
• The Donnybrooks | 30-10-2009