The Portraits (3) (New York)




Personnel :

Joni Carol

Steve Harris

Noel Gordon




Discography :

1961 - Yo-Yo Girl / My Big Brother's Friend (RCA 47 7009)





Biography :

In 1961, Ray Ellis, A&R director for RCA Victor Records has signed The Portraits, a vocal trio, to an exclusive recording contract. The group, comprised of Steve Harris and Noel Gordon, both 22, and Joni Carol, who is 19. In June 1961, The portraits recorded  “Yo Yo Girl” and “My Big Brother’s Friend.”

Steve Harris, who is responsible for most of the group’s arrangements and who is co-author, with Noel Gordon, of “Yo Yo Girl,” is a policeman, specializing as a court and warrant officer, in New York City. Harris and Gordon also vrote “Love Message,” recorded by The Kane Triplets, and  released by Victor.

Songs :

  
 My Big Brother's Friend                                 Yo-Yo Girl         






...

The El Dupreys

Elroy & The Excitements (Pittsburgh, Pa)
aka The Enchantments (1)

Personnel :

Leroy Grammmar (Lead)

Ronald Hill (First Tenor)

Leon Harvard (Second Tenor)

Paul Brently (Baritone)

Wayne Walker (Bass)

Discography :

Elroy & The Excitements
1961 - My Love Will Never Die / No One Knows (Alanna 189)

The Enchantments (1) (featuring Leroy )
1962 - Lonely Heart / Popeye (The Dance To Do) (Romac 1001)

Biography :

This group began as the El Dupreys from Pittsburgh. They were always the opening act for big name groups coming to the area. They split up and later reformed as the Excitements. Ronald Hill had a medical condition that initially forced him to leave the Excitements. When the group was traveling, Hill stayed home. Therefore on the road the group was a quartet. When they were about to record for Alanna, they asked Hill to join them for the recording — which he did.

      
                            Elroy & The Excitements

Following their audition, they learned that Alanna management loved them and signed them to record. They cut two discs for Alanna, the first of which was released in the fall of 1960. Following these two recordings, Elroy and the Excitements kept busy with live appearances but did no further recording. Eventually they were released from their contract with Alanna. After leaving Alanna, they auditioned for Motown but met with no success. They then became Leroy and the Enchantments and recorded for Romac.

   
Bob Mack                                                                                                        

Bob Mack founded his own record label Romac Records in 1962.  He scored a regional hit with the release of Leroy and the Enchantments single "Lonely Heart" that was written by Johnny Jack  
http://oldmonmusic.blogspot.fr/2008/10/el-dupreysexcitements.html

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

Elroy & The Excitements

  
My Love Will Never Die                                 No One Knows     



The Enchantments (1)

  
       Lonely Heart                            Popeye (The Dance To Do)






...

With James Brown


The Showcases (Los Angeles, Ca.)
aka Mr. Zulu & The Warriors   




Personnel :

James Hubbard (Lead)

Curtis Popps (Baritone)

Tommy Johnson

Ulysses Coleman





Discography :

The Showcases
1964 - This Love Was Real / Anna My Love (Galaxy 732)

Mr. Zulu & The Warriors   
1965 - Come On Duckie With Me / Anna (My Love) (Score 7/11)






Biography :

 While attending Lincoln, Curtis Popps, along with a few classmates and a couple other neighborhood friends from the "Ramona Gardens" and the "Estrada Courts" Housing Projects founded the now legendary Doo-Wop groups, "The Showcases" and "Cannibal and the Headhunters". They sang, rehearsed and performed together throughout East LA and upon Curtis' graduation in 1960, both groups subsequently signed major record deals; "The Showcases" (Galaxy Records) and "Cannibal and the Headhunters" (Rampart Records).

   

The Showcases were Curtis Popps, Tommy Johnson, James Hubbard, James Colford, Ulysses Coleman, Thomas Keyes and Bobby Watts (Colford, Keyes and Watts eventually leaving the group before recording). The Showcases signed with Galaxy in 1961. They recorded "This Love Was Real" and "Anna My Love" in early 1963.

  
                                                                                                                        Curtis Popp

The record was released on the Galaxy label in 1964 (Galaxy 732) but only 2 or 3 promotional copies are know to exist. The record was legally reissued on the Falco label (Falco 308) in the early 1980's. Curtis Popps was drafted to the Army in 1963 so the group disbanded and became Mr. Zulu & The Warriors & signed w/Score. They all co-wrote their 1st single "Come On Duckie With Me".




Songs :


The Showcases

  
This Love Was Real                                  Anna My Love     

Mr. Zulu & The Warriors   


Come On Duckie With Me

…

Ken Mowery

The Kenjolairs (Los Angeles, Ca)




Personnel :

Ken Mowery

Larry New

Joe Campbell

Discography :

1962 - Little White Lies / The Story of an Evergreen Tree (A & M 704)
1963 - Such a Good Night for Dreaming / When It Comes to Loving You (A & M 708)






Biography :

Ken Mowery  was part of The Fascinations with Dave Walker, Tom Holder, Dave Bilgen and Chuck Stansfield . They recorded "If I Had Your Love" arranged by Paxton and "Why". It sold a few copies, but didn't make the charts. The song was distributed nationally by another Hollywood label : Dore, formed by Herb Newman and Lou Bedell as a companion to their Era label. The Fascinations broke up the following year. Sometime in 1962 or 63 Ken Mowery and Chuck Stansfield with a friend and fellow Townsmen Larry New, were going into Hollywood to meet a new promoter.

     
Ken Mowery                                                                                          

 They met a guy that had just come back from a year spent in Mexico. He had formed a band, and played the trumpet.  He also had just released a novelty song . He seemed to know a lot about music. His name was Herb Alpert of the soon to be major recording stars The Tijuana Brass.  Herb then went on to develop the very popular and prosperous A & M records Production Co.   He was just beginning and was looking for talent to produce music. Finally Chuck Stansfield decided to quit music because he was engaged to be married and was working full time.

    
                                                                                                          Herb Alpert

Ken & Larry went on to form a group adding Joe Campbell and called themselves the KenJoLairs. They signed with Herb Alpert and produced their first song “Those Little White Lies”   It broke the top 50 charts and sold some copies.  Herb, unlike Paxton was a very good producer, his arrangements and recording talents were excellent. They recorded several more songs with Herb but none made the big time.  






Songs :

  
            Little White Lies                Such A Good Night For Dreaming

  
When It Comes To Loving You              Story of The Evergreen Tree   

...

Leroy Williams & James "Petey" Martin

The Butanes (Newark, N.J.)

Personnel :

James "Petey" Martin (First Tenor / Piano)

Leroy Williams (Tenor)

Howard Curry (bass)

 Nelson Lamb (High Tenor)

Bobby Jones (Baritone)

Discography :


1961 - Don't Forget I Love You / That's My Desire (Enrica 1007)

Biography :

When the Parakeets broke up in the late 1950s, James "Petey" Martin (first tenor and piano) and Leroy Williams (tenor) decided to go ahead and formed The Butanes with Howard Curry (bass), Nelson Lamb (high tenor), and Bobby Jones (baritone). The group had a single record on the Enrica label : "Don't Forget I Love You," backed with the old standard, "That's My Desire". "Don't Forget I Love You" appeared on the charts in July, 1961 and scored a total of nine weeks of strong national sales. The Butanes only climbed to # 96 during the traditionally slow-selling summer months when the teens were snapping up "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" by Curtis Lee and "Michael" "by The Highwaymen. Sometimes the secret to a good hit is found in the small print at the bottom of the label.

  
                                                                                          James "Petey" Martin &   Leroy Williams

Teddy McRae and his orchestra backing the Butanes, and Enrica was his label. Teddy McRae, an arranger, composer and sax player, started in music with his own band in 1928. He wrote songs and recorded with many orchestras and vocalists in the 30s and 40s including artie Shaw, Chick Webb, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong. McRae had no problem bringing his talent to R&B and Rock without missing a beat. In May 1955 he made his vocal debut as "Mr Bear" on "Daybreak Rock" with Jack Dupree on King. Now a "singer", McRae cut some tracks for Groove, including the novelty "Radar". In 1959 he started Enrica/Rae-Cox with old friend Eddie Wilcox.




Songs :

  
     That's My Desire                             Don't Forget I Love You




...