The Youngtones (2) (Coney Island, New York)

Personnel:

Johnny Marsi (Lead singer)

Gilbert Rivera (First Tenor)

Joe Crespo (Second Tenor)

Willie Rivera (Baritone)

Louis Figueroa (Bass)

Discography :

Singles :
1958 - You I Adore / It's Over Now  (X-tra 104)
1958 - By The Candleglow (accompanied by The Dolls) / Patricia (X-tra 110)
1958 - Come On Baby / Oh Tell Me (Brunswick 55089)
1959 - Can I Come Over / Gonna Get Together Again (X-tra 120/121)
1964 - I Do / Day Train (by the Blasters) (Time Square 31)

Unreleased :
1961 - Memories Linger On
1961 - Mary
1961 - Moondust
1961 - What Am I Gonna Do






Biography :

Ben Smith had been, with Big Al Sears, a sax player in Andy Kirk's Clouds Of Joy and then lead of the Ben Smith Quartet. Aside from Teenage Records (co-owned with Bill Gordon), he owned the X-Tra label at 1650 Broadway in New York in 1956.

"You I Adore" b/w "It's Over Now" was the first release by the Coney Island based Youngtones for the new label. The Youngtones were a Hispanic group whose group members included Johnny Marsi (lead), Gilbert Rivera (first tenor), Joe Crespo (second tenor), Willy Rivera (baritone) and Louis Lugo (aka Louis Figueroa) (bass).

The Group biggest records was "Patricia" released as X-tra 110 In February 1958. The Group also recorded two sides for Brunswick in the late of the Summer 1958, and their last effort for X-tra, the haunting ballad called "Can I Come Over", appeared in 1959.

 Ronald Jackson, the brother of Adam jackson who sung lead for the Jesters on Winley, did the lead honors on  "Can I Come Over". Unreleased song was issued in the early sixties on Time Square Records by Irv "Slim" Rose when he bought the X-tra catalog from Ben Smith in 1962.

Two of the members of the Youngtones, Johnny Marsi and Gil Rivera later joined with Bobby "Ziggy" Andriani to record as Marci and the Mates for two releases on the Big Top record label, and would later record under other names (Johnny, Gil and Bobby; Hans, Chris & Anderson, etc).







Songs :

     
You I Adore                                It's Over Now

  
By The Candleglow                                     Patricia          

  
Come On Baby                                       Oh Tell Me

  
      Can I Come Over                      Gonna Get Together Again


I Do





…

The Plaids (2) (Nashville, TN)




Personnel :

Jerry Cavender

Jerry Carmen

Evlis Branson

Richard South

???




Discography :

1958 - Till The End Of The Dance / My Pretty Baby (Nasco 6011)

Biography :

In 1958, A high school teenage group from Nashville formed by Jerry Cavender, Jerry Carmen, Evlis Branson, Richard South & a girl recorded two song for Ernie Young (founder of Nashboro, Nasco and Excello labels). "Till The End Of The Dance" b/w "My Pretty Baby" appeared on Nashboro's, subsidiary label Nasco in April 1958.

   
Ernie Young                                                                                                

Nashboro was formed in 1951 in Nashville Tennessee by Ernie Young. The output of the label was primarily gospel music. The Nasco label was formed in 1957, for rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The Nasco label had success with the Crescendos in 1958 with a song called "Oh, Julie," which made the pop music Top 10.

Nasco 6011 will be the only single recorded by the group, they are not related with the Plaids that recorded two disk for Darl in 1956 (A white trio) and with the Plaids who backed Willie Logan in 1963 on Jerry-O (A black trio composed by  Willie Logan’brothers O.C.Logan, Arthur Ford and Dave Hoskins.

Songs :

  
Till The End Of The Dance                        My Pretty Baby          

…

The Dell-O's (Bahamas)
aka The Sensational Dellos

Personnel :

?

Discography :

John Shaw & Dell-O's
1958 -  Why Did You Leave Me / Why Does It Have To Be Her (no group) (U-C 5002)

Donel Austin & The Sensational Dellos
1959 - So Shy / That's Why I'm Dreamin' (Donel Austin & Impallas) (Mida 106)

The Sensational Dellos
1959 - Lost Love / So Don't Go (Mida 109)

Biography :

Vocal group from the Bahamas originally (at least their first record was recorded in Nassau, Bahamas) They backed John Shaw on " Why Did You Leave Me " .

The group moved to Henry Stone label Mida Records , which also was based in Miami where they backed Donel Austin on "So Shy" as he Sensational Dellos. The group finally recorded his own record on Mida with "Lost Love" b/w "So Don't Go".
Thanks to Marv Goldberg

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

John Shaw & Dell-O's

Why Did You Leave Me


Donel Austin & The Sensational Dellos

So Shy


The Sensational Dellos

  
Lost Love                                   So Don't Go

...

The Videls : (L to R) Carol Mc Donald, Mary Jean  Mc Donald, Bill Hoppe & Deviny James

Deviny James & The Videls (3) (St Paul, Minesota)




Personnel :

Jim Pewter "Deviny James" (Lead)

Carol Mc Donald

Mary Jean  Mc Donald

Bill Hoppe




Discography :

Deviny James & The Videls (3)
Unreleased :
1958 - All Mine
1958 - Now She's Gone

Deviny James & The Fergusons Singer
1959 - Blue Denims / Little Girl (Beta 1003)
1959 - Blue, Blue Denims / Little Girl (Beta 1006)





Biography :

Jim Pewter, Guitarist, singer and songwriter debuted while still a student in St. Paul, Minnesota. He formed his first vocal group in 1958 named "Deviny James & The Videls" with Carol Mc Donald, his sister Mary Jean and  Bill Hoppe . The Group recorded two songs "All Mine" and "Now She's Gone" which will unfortunately unreleased. In the same time, Jim started his career as a teenage deejay in St. Paul, Minnesota. In January 1959, the youngster had interviewed  Buddy Holly and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson when they were in St. Paul for a concert at the Promenade Ballroom. A week later, the music stars were dead.

Deviny James

Determined to become a professional, he sent a tape to the legendary Bumps Blackwell, Producer Speciality among which highlighted Little Richard, Larry Williams and Sam Cooke. Blackwell is very interested and brought Jim to  Hollywood. Pewter landed in Hollywood and a session was held in August 1959.  By October his first single was released. ' Little Girl,' with Bumps Blackwell [under the name Deviny James, Beta 45-1006] .Jim Pewter became better known by his given name as a DJ on KMET-LA and later Armed Forces Radio.





Songs :

(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

Deviny James & The Videls (3)

???

Deviny James & The Ferguson Singer

  
                     Little Girl                         Blue Denims / Blue, Blue Denims

…

Rodman "La La" Beckham

The Honeybees (Reading, Pa)

Personnel :

Rodman "La La" Beckham (Lead)

Vic Johnson Jr.

Skip Johnson

Barry Boswell (Second Tenor)

Benji "Chuckles" Williams (Bass)





Discography :

The Honeybees
Single :
1957 - Give Your Love To Me / Kiss Me My Love (Bee 1101)
Unreleased :
1958 - Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Bee)
1958 - My Knees Are Knocking  (Bee)

Hermy Herman & The Honeybees
Unreleased :
1958 - Laddie Daddy (Bee)
1958 - Bowlegged Sadie (Bee)




Biography :

Rodman Beckham, and his cousin Vic Johnson Jr., graduated from Reading High School in the class of 1950. They later served together in the Korean War, where Beckham lost a leg in an encounter with a land mine. Upon their return to civil life, they began harmonizing with Vic’s Brother Skip Johnson, another cousin, Barry Boswell, and Benji "Chuckles" Williams, a friend of the family. Vic Johnson Sr. who was a well-established musician in Reading’ Club scene, Knew Grover Barbour, who founded Bee Records, and arranged an audition. Barbour and Russ Golding, a young aspiring song writer, were so impressed by the group’s talent that they wanted to record them sa soon as possible. Barbour gave the group their name, and arranged a recording session in Juranis’ living room, at 5th and Buttonwood Streets.
 

   
Grover Barbour                                                                                                       

This session produced the first sides for their own label, Bee Records, released on August 1, 1957. Soon, the record was on every jukebox in Berks County and getting heavy play locally on WEEU Radio. Beckham, who was nicknamed "La La" early in life, as the result of a younger brother being unable to pronounce his real name, sang lead on both sides of the recording. The group was booked several nights a week for the rest of the year, becoming regulars at Reading’s Melody and mademoiselle Bars, the Circle Bar in Pottsville, as well as Pushniks and Chick Maples in Lebanon. This exposure drew offers from some major labels, most notably Atlantic, to purchase the masters and sign the group. Barbour turned down the offer, convinced that he could promote the record himself.

   
                                                                                Hermy Herman

However, when a scheduled date on Dick Clark’s "American Bandstand" fell through in October, 1957, the group started pulling away from the label, turning to Charlie Booker to land them bigger gigs in New York City. The Following year, they played at Club Harlem, Albright College, and at Shorty Long’s Santa Fe Ranch, where they opened for Bill Haley and the Comets. Especially popular was their rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow ». Sadly this arrangement, and the song slated to be their second 45, entitled "My Knees Are Knocking" were never recorded. The Honeybees did some session work for Bee as backup singers for Hermy Herman, and Disbanded toward the end of 1958.






Songs :

The Honeybees


Kiss Me My Love / Give Your Love To Me

…