The Chessmen (1) (Brooklyn, New York)
aka The Chessman
aka The Preludes (4)
aka The Preludes Five

Personnel :

Floyd Lark (lead)

Discography :

The Chessman (ft Bobby)
1958 – The Keeper Of My Love / Why (Safari 1011)

The Chessmen (1)
1958 - Du-Whop / I Live For You (MiraSonic 1002 & MiraSonic 1868)

The Preludes (4)
1961 - Don’t You Know Love / Starlight (Pik 230/231)

The Preludes Five
1961 - Don’t You Know Love / Starlight (Pik 230/231)

Biography :

Whoever Leroy R. Bates was he was on a roll in 1961, for not only was he writer of the Preludes Five's hit "Starlight", he was also the writer of the Crystals "There's No Other (like My Baby)" with hit the charts soon after. In those days the only people making money were the writers and publishers : those who 'merely' recorded their work rarely, if ever, saw anything from a record's sale.The Preludes Fives, if they were still together, would ge nothing which is probably what they got in 1961. Surprisingly for a hit record, both the group and their record label are clouded in obscurity.

Pik Records may have been based on the east coast, an assumption based on the record (Pik 230 "Don’t You Know Love" was the flip) breaking out in New York area June 1961. August 20 it had entered the Billboard hot 100 at 96, subsequently rising to 89 and 86. September 10th and 17th it was No80 and then it disappeared. The first pressing of the record was billed as by the Preludes, subsequent pressings adding the Five, presumably out of the group's concern that at least one other group with the same name could steal their bookings.Remarkably there was no follow-up and it seems the group immediatly disbanded. The quintet were lead by Floyd Lark and were the same group as the Chessman who recorded for Safari in 1958 and the Chessmen on Mirasonic the same year.

Songs :

The Chessman

  
          Why                                    The Keeper Of My Love

The Chessmen (1)

  
Du-Whop                                     I Live For You

The Preludes (4) / The Preludes Five

  
Don’t You Know Love                               Starlight          


...

 
 Andy Magruder 

The Blue Jays (2) (Washington, D.C.)
aka The Five Blue Notes

Personnel

Andy Magruder (Lead)

Waymond Mooney (First Tenor)

Robert Stroud (Second Tenor)

Moise Vaughn (baritone / bass)

Discography :

The Blue Jays (2)
1972 (1953) - Could I Adore You / Sweet Pauline (Roadhouse 1004)

The Five Blue Notes
1953 - My Gal Is Gone / Ooh Baby (Sabre 103)
1954 - The Beat Of Our Hearts / You Gotta Go Baby (Sabre 108)
1958 - My Special Prayer / Somethin' Awful (Onda 888)
1959 - My Special Prayer / The Thunderbird (inst by the Jammers) (Onda 888)

Andy Mack
1964 - Do You Wanta Go / Later Than You Think (Chess 1910)

Biography :

This group was founded by Magruder in 1950, when he was in junior High school. "Could I Adore You" and "Sweet Pauline" were recorded by the Five Blue Notes under their prerecording name, the Blue Jays. These songs were eventually released in 1972 by Les Moss of Roadhouse Records. When these unreleased tunes were originally recorded, the group was only a quartet consisting of Magruder, Waymond Mooney, Robert Stroud, and Moise Vaughan. Jackie Shedrick replaced Mooney, who joined the marines. When lead/tenor Fleming Briscoe was added, the group's name became the Five Blue Notes.

They met William Bosco Boyd, the manager of the Clefs, who suggested that they try to record for a Chicago organization. They spent a month in Chicago before getting a contract to record. The contract was finally reached with Chance Records, and they recorded four songs that were all released on the Chance subsidiary Sabre. Magruder, disappointed that he never heard anything about the recordings, left to join the marines. While he was in the service, "My Gal Is Gone" was finally released by Chance/Sabre. Magruder was discharged in 1958 and found Stroud, Vaughan, Shedrick, and a new tenor, Louis Smalls, performing as the Five Blue Notes. They recorded one record for the Onda label, which went nowhere.

 Andy Magruder (left) with the Spaniels at the Apollo

They stayed together for a year and broke up for good in 1960. Magruder then joined a later Spaniels group, and recorded on their last hit, "I Know," in 1961. He stayed with the Spaniels until 1963, when he tried to go it alone as a solo act. Magruder managed to get one record out by himself, under the name of Andy Mack The titles were "Do You Wanta Go" and "Later Than You Think," and he was backed by a young D.C. group, the Carltons. Aside from a few plays in the D.C. area, the record bombed.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/5BlueNotes/5bluenotes.html

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

The Blue Jays (2)

  
Sweet Pauline                      Could I Adore You

The Five Blue Notes

     
My Gal Is Gone                  Ooh Baby                      The Beat Of Our Hearts

     
 You Gotta Go Baby               My Special Prayer           ‪Somethin' Awful‬


Andy Mack

  
Do You Wanta Go               Later Than You Think

…

Billy Thompson, Bill Mills, Terry Johnson, Eugene "Lump" Lewis, Eddie Rogers

The Whispers (2)  (Baltimore, Md.)

Personnel :

Bill Mills (Lead)

Terry Johnson (First Tenor)

Eugene "Lump" Lewis (Second Tenor)

Billy Thompson (Baritone)

Eddie Rogers (Bass)

Discography :

1955 - Fool Heart / Don't Fool With Lizzie (Gotham 309)
1955 - Are You Sorry / We're Getting Married (Gotham 312)

Biography :

The Whispers formed in Baltimore in 1954 by first tenor Terry Johnson, second tenor Eugene "Lump" Lewis, high tenor Bill Mills, baritone Billy Thompson, and bass Eddie Rogers. In their matching powder-blue suits and red ties, the Whispers were soon a fixture of Baltimore's amateur circuit, regularly taking top honors.  In the fall of 1954, the group expelled Rogers when he stole Johnson's girlfriend, and with new bass James Johnson, they signed to the Philadelphia-based Gotham Records by year's end, impressing label chief Ivin Ballen with their repertoire of original material. The Whispers' debut single, "Fool Heart," did not appear until the spring of 1955, followed in June by "Are You Sorry."

Neither record generated much attention, their momentum no doubt hampered by Johnson and Thompson's commitment to graduating high school. When Mills split from the Whispers later that year, the group gradually dissolved, and in late 1956 Terry Johnson joined the Flamingos, replacing his childhood friend Zeke Carey in the lineup.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Whispers/whispers.html


Songs :


 Fool Heart / Don't Fool With Lizzie

  
  Are You Sorry                        We're Getting Married


….

Top : William"Bill"Davis & Daniel "Sonny'"Norton - Middle : Harold Major - Bottom : Gerald Hamilton

 The Crows (Harlem, New York)
aka  The Jewels (1) aka  The Four Notes (1)

Personnel :

Daniel "Sonny'"Norton（Lead）

Mark Jackson（Tenor）

Harold Major（Tenor）

William"Bill"Davis（Baritone）

Gerald Hamilton（Bass）
 

Discography

Fat Man Humphries  (bb The Four Notes)
1952 - I Can't Get Started With You / Lulubell Blues (Jubilee 5085)

Viola Watkins (bb The Crows)
1952 - Paint A Sky For Me / Really Real (no group) (Jubilee 5095)

The Crows

Singles :
1953 - Seven Lonely Days / No Help Wanted（Rama 3)
1953 - Gee / I Love You So（Rama 5）
1954 - Perfidia / Piano Player Plays A Tune（Gee 1)
1954 - Heartbreaker / Call A Doctor* (The Jewels (1)) （Rama 10）
1954 - Baby / Untrue（Rama 29）
1955 - Mambo Shevitz / Mambo No.5（Tico 1082）
1954 - Miss You / I Really, Really Love You（Rama 30）
1955 - Baby Doll / Sweet Sue（Rama 50）
  Unreleased:
N/A - Don't Come Back (Rama)
N/A - What's The Matter With You, Woman (Rama)

The Jewels (1)
1954 -  Call A Doctor* / Heartbreaker (The Crows)（Rama 10）

Lorraine Ellis (bb The Crows)
1954 - Perfidia / [Piano Player Play A Tune - Lorraine Ellis]
1955 - Mambo Shevitz / [Mambo No. 5 - Melino & His Orchestra]（Tico 1082)

*West Coast pressings had "Call A Doctor" credited to the "Jewels"

Biography :

When The Crows started out in 1951, practicing sidewalk harmonies, the original members were Daniel "Sonny" Norton (lead), William "Bill" Davis (baritone), Harold Major (tenor), Jerry Wittick (tenor), and Gerald Hamilton (bass). In 1952, Wittick left the group and was replaced by Mark Jackson (tenor and guitarist).

  
Frank "Fat Man" Humphries                                                                  Viola Watkins

They were discovered at Apollo Theater's Wednesday night talent show by talent agent Cliff Martinez and brought to independent producer George Goldner who had just set up the tiny new Rama Records label. The Crows were the first group signed and the first to record. Their first songs they recorded were as backup Fat Man Humphries as The Four Notes and singer Viola Watkins.

The song "Gee" was the third song recorded during their first recording session, on February 10, 1953. It was put together in a few minutes by group member William Davis, with Watkins also being credited as cowriter. The song was first released as the B-side of a ballad, "I Love You So".

However, radio stations began turning it over and playing "Gee," first in Philadelphia and later in New York and Los Angeles. By January 1954 it had sold 100,000 copies, and by April it entered the national R&B and pop charts, rising to #2 R&B and #14 pop.The song was a huge hit a year after it was recorded.

In June 1953, The Crows were back in the studio recording "Heartbreaker" and "Call A Doctor."  Issued in July 1953, the disc was released on the West Coast, for unknown reasons, with "Call A Doctor" being credited to the Jewels and "Heartbreaker" to the Crows.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Crows/crows.html

 
Songs :

Fat Man Humphries  (bb The 4 notes)

  
 Lulubell Blue                             I Can't Get Started With You

The Crows

     
Seven Lonely Days / No Help Wanted                  I Love You So                                 Gee              

     
Perfidia / Piano Player Plays A Tune                   Call A Doctor / Heartbreaker                               Baby / Untrue                 

     
     Mambo Shevitz                          Miss You / I Really, Really Love You                      Baby Doll / Sweet Sue

Viola Watkins (bb The Crows)


Paint A Sky For Me / Really Real
 

...

Paul Verdi, Jackie Jacobs, Alex Balbadora, Dominick Andraccho 

The Venairs (Philadelphia)
aka Ernie & The Halos (2) aka The Four Evers (2)

Personnel :

Jackie Jacobs (Lead)

Paul Verdi (Tenor)

Alex Barbadoro (Second Tenor)

Dominick Andraccho (Baritone)

Discography :

The Venairs
1962 - Summertime / Poor Boy (AMS demo) (Unreleased)

The Four Evers (2)
1963 - Everybody South Street / One More Time (Jamie 1247)

Ernie & The Halo's (2)
1963 - Angel Marie /  Darlin!!! Don't Make Me Cry (Guyden 2085)

Biography :

This group initially formed in 1960. After a great deal of practice and patience and a demo late spring 1962 as the Venairs , the Four-Evers auditioned for the manager of deejay Jerry Blavat, who thought they were great. Fate unfortunately didn't see it that way and they had to wait until March 1963 before a recording of theirs was produced and released on Philadelphia's Jamie label. “Everybody South Street” b/w “One More Time” arranged by Bob Finizio (The Fabulous Four) came out on February 16, 1963.

  
                                                                                                                                 Bob Finizio

 Prior to the release, there was no South Street dance in existence and when the disc began to take off, a dance was invented. The Four Evers did get on television dance shows in Baltimore, where the record took off. They go down there and first appear on [Buddy] Dean’s TV show and then on Bob Kaye’s with the Flamingos.”  The Buddy Dean Show was immortalized as the tv dance show satirized in numerous John Waters productions like Hairspray, The Shag and Cry Baby. The Four Evers were signed as singers not dancers, but the nature of their single required them to try their feet at dancing.

        
                                                                                               Ernie Spano        

About six monist elapsed when Bob Finizio contacted the restless quartet for some work. a few days later, they popped up in a studio all set to support neighborhood homeboy, Ernie Spano a member of the Four Dates who also tripped with the Fabulous Four.  The Four Evers also backed Ernie Spano in the Bell-Sound –recorded release, “Angel Marie (The Girl from Across the Sea” b/w “Darling!! Don’t Let Me Cry” (Guyden 2085) which was released on March 27, 1963, soon after their own release. All of the doo-wop groups were soon overtaken by the arrival of the Beatles and the British muscial invasion that would come within the year. 

Songs :

The Venairs

  
Poor Boy                                          Summertime


The Four Evers (2)

  
Everybody South Street                        One More Time

Ernie & The Halo's (2)

  
The Girl From Across The Sea             Darlin!!! Don't Make Me Cry
 

....