The Impacts (1) (Brooklyn, New York)
aka The Blue Chips (2)

Personnel :

Kenneth Seymour (Lead and Baritone)

Steve Liebowitz (Tenor & Baritone)

Horace Brooks (Tenor)

Robert Baber (Bass)

Helen Powell  (Tenor)

Discography :

The Renditions(with Steve Liebowitz)
Unreleased :
1957 - Roses
1957 - My Juanita

The Impacts (1)
Singles :
1959 - Now Is The Time / Soup (Watts 5599)
1959 - Croc-O-Doll / Bobby Sox Squaw (RCA 7583)
1959 - Canadian Sunset / They Say (Watts 5600/RCA 7609)
1961 - Help me Somebody / Darling Now you're Mine (Carlton 548)
1965 - Just Because / Pigtails (DCP 1150)
Unreleased :
1958 - Here I am (End)

Kenny & The Impacts (1)
1965 - Wishing Well / Heartaches (DCP 1147)

The Blue Chips (2)
1961 - Puddles Of Tears / The Contest (RCA 7923)
1961 - Let It Ride / Adios Adios (RCA 7935)
1962 - Promise / One Hen (Groove 0006)

The Impact
1967 - My World Fell Down / Could You Love Me (MGM 13726)

Biography :

In 1957, Steve Liebowitz with his Brooklyn group the "Renditions" recorded a two-sided acappela Demo, "Rose" and "My Juanita". Steve would unite with fellow Bedford Styvesant Brooklynites, Horace Brooks (Tenor), Robert Baber (Bass), Kenneth Seymour (Lead and Baritone) and a Female tenor, Helen Powell who Steve eventually marry. They would record the novelty record "soup" backed with "Now is the Time" for the small Watts label in 1958. They left them for End records later in 1958, Recoding a song called "Here I am" which never came out.

   A year later they signed a contract with RCA where 4 sides were recorded and released. Steve Liebowitz was away on these recording and was replaced with Charles 'Churchill' Mattocks. After some personnel changes (Paul Fulton and Sammy Strain replaced Powell and Baber), the Group had one release for Carlton Records.  The Two new members were both from the Chips "Rubber Biscuit" and Sammy Strain also sang with the Fantastics, later with the Imperials and the O'Jays.

They Moved back to RCA (Two new releases) and would record for the Groove subsidiary but due to contractual problems they were forced to change their name to The Blue Chips. Bert Can now joined the group replacing Paul Fulton. Through their association with Richard Barret, they backed Pookie Hudson as his Spaniels and Earl Wade. They did Backup for Lenny Welch and Little Peggy March.

     
Pookie Hudson                                     Earl Wade                                             Little Peggy March                                          Lenny Welch

 Kenny Seymour saw the music scene changing and along with Sammy Strain he was joined by Harold Jenkins and Renaldo Gamble both from The Kodaks and The Schoolboys. The Group was rounded out by adding Allen Morton (Also from The Chips). The Group had two releases on DCP, the second as Kenny & The Impacts and a final release on MGM as the Impact.
Thanks to Robert Baber



Songs :

The Impacts (1)

       
Now Is The Time                        Soup                               Croc-O-Doll

         
Bobby Sox Squaw                 Canadian Sunset                   They Say

         
Help me Somebody            Darling Now you're Mine             Just Because


Pigtails

Kenny & The Impacts (1)

 
Wishing Well


The Blue Chips (2)

       
Puddles Of Tears                      The Contest                                     Let It Ride

     
Adios Adios                              Promise                                      One Hen

 The Impact

  
My World Fell Down                  Could You Love Me

....

Tom Caterino & Lou Pesce

The Starfires (3) (South Bronx, New York)
Ref : Larry & The Standards (1)

Personnel :

Tommy Bogdany (Lead)

Joe Formato (Baritone)

Lou Pesce (First Tenor)

Tom Caterino (Second Tenor)

Discography :

1962 - Under the Stars / Fools Fall in Love (Duel 518)

Biography :

There were several groups called The Starfires. This group recorded "Under the Stars"/ b/w" Fools Fall in Love". The single was recorded in 1962 with Tommy Bogdany (Lead), Joe Formato (Baritone), Lou Pesce (First Tenor) and Tom Caterino (Second Tenor) . Tom Caterino and Lou Pesce sang previously with Larry & The Standards. Tommy Bogdany co-wrote "Shout Shout" with Ernie Maresca, who had a hit with that song. The Starfires signed with Duel records and their short career ended with the "British Invasion" aka The Beatles. Their manager was Freddy Parker with Duel records.
Thank to Tom Caterino


Songs :

    
Fools Fall in Love                               Under the Stars





…

Gil Valentin

The Valentinos (1) (Bronx, New York)

aka The Radiants (4)
aka The Originals (4)
aka The Casanovas (2)
aka The Gleams (3)
aka The Four Gleams
aka Silky And The Shantungs

Personnel :

Gil Valentin (Second Tenor / Lead)

Sonia Rivera (Tenor / Lead)

Elliot Rivera

Discography :

The Radiants (4)
1958 - Ra Cha Cha / I´ll Never Be Mean (Wizz 713)

The Casanovas (2)
1959 - In My Land Of Dreams / Deep In The Heart Of The Jungle (Planet 1027)

The Originals (4)
1960 - A Kiss From Your Lips / Let Me Be Your Girl (Brunswick 55171)

The Valentinos (1)
1960 - A Kiss From Your Lips / Let Me Be Your Girl (Brunswick 55171)

The Gleams (3)
1961 - Bad Boy / Give Me A Chance (J-V 101)
1963 - Mr. Magic Moon / Pile Driver (Kapp 565)

The Four Gleams
1963 - Mr. Magic Moon / Pile Driver (Kapp 565)

Silky & The Shantungs
1963 - He's A Fink / Bazooki (Inst.) (Musicor 1035)

Biography :

The Casanovas, Gleams /Four Gleams, Originals, Valentinos, Silky & The Shantungs and also The Radiants were basically the same people with few changes. In 1956, Bronx native Gil Valentin formed a group he called The Radiants and recorded "Ra Cha Cha" b/w "I´ll Never Be Mean" released by Wizz Record in 1958. The next year, under the name The Casanovas, they recorded the sides "In My Land Of Dreams" b/w "Deep In The Heart Of The Jungle" released by Planet Records in 1961.  So as not to be confused with The Casanovas from North Carolina (recordings on Apollo 1954-57), The group had a record in 1959 called " A Kiss From Your Lips" (a Flamingos remake) on Brunswick records under the name The Originals, then re-released in 1960 under the name The Valentinos.

   
The Radiants (4)                                                 The Originals (4)                                         The Valentinos (1)

Beginning as an all-male quintet as The Casanovas, they went to 3 men and one woman as the Valentinos.In 1960 they signed with J-V Records and change again their name for The Gleams. The Gleams recorded "Bad Boy" and  "Give Me A Chance". In 1963, Gil Valentin and Sonia Riviera with a girl group recorded as The Gleams (and The Four Gleams) for Kapp Records "Mr. Magic Moon" b/w "Pile Driver".  The story ends when Valentin and Sonia Riviera  recorded under the name Silky & The Shantungs called "He's A Fink" on Musicor (written by Radcliffe/Stern) which is another Spector type record. ...



Songs :

The Radiants (4)

  
Ra Cha Cha                                I´ll Never Be Mean

The Casanovas (2)


In My Land Of Dreams / Deep In The Heart Of The Jungle

The Originals (4) / The Valentinos

  
A Kiss From Your Lips                             Let Me Be Your Girl


The Gleams (3)

  
Bad Boy                                 Give Me A Chance


The Gleams (3)/ The Four Gleams

  
Mr. Magic Moon                                   Pile Driver    


Silky And The Shantungs

  
He's A Fink                                         Bazooki (Inst.)

...

Nick Marco & The Venetians (Manhattan, New York)
aka Les Ledo & The Consorts (1)

Personnel :

Nick Marco (Lou Bonini) (Lead)

Joe Walsh

Bobby Fava

Danny Conboy

Discography :

Nick Marco & The Venetians
1960 - Little Boy Lost / Would It Hurt You (Dwain 813)

Les Ledo & The Consorts (1)
1959 - Nina /  I Got Me A Sweetheart (Nina 1601)

Biography :

Joe Walsh wound up with four other guys in a group called Les Ledo and his Consorts, a name that particularly vexed the rest of the guys. The group would hang out at local recording studios and get side work as background singers.

Les Ledo & The Consorts

The group even recorded its own 45 rpm on the small Nina studio label. It was at a session for Dion and the Belmonts in 1959 that Walsh had a fleeting brush with fame. One of the Belmonts was unable to attend the scheduled recording session at the famous Brill Building. Walsh was at the studio that day looking for work when he was asked if he could sing second tenor.

Nick Marco & The Venetians

The song, "A Teenager in Love," immediately began to climb the charts, and soon sold over 1 million copies. That same year, Jim Gribble, who managed a number of successful groups, including Jay and the Americans, The Passions, the Fiestas and The Mystics, heard Les Ledo and his Consorts at a studio session. The record companies liked the Consorts but didn't care much for Les Ledo's voice. Gribble offered to manage the Consorts if Ledo wasn't in the group. So at the next rehearsalthe Consorts walked out and went back to Gribble.

Gribble took the boys on, made member Louis Bonini the lead singer, and renamed him Nick Marco. He also changed the name of the group to Nick Marco and the Venetians. Gribble got the group a recording contract in 1959, but unlike some of the other acts he managed, this contract was on Dwain records, a small company with hardly any budget for distribution.

 
Nick Marco & The Venetians 

 The 45 rpm recording of "Little Boy Lost," with "Would It Hurt You" on the flip side, got some regional East Coast air play. But when fans went to the record stores to purchase a copy, it was difficult to find. About the same time, disc jockey Alan Freed of WINS-AM, the premier doo-wop and rock station in New York, was indicted for taking bribes in what became known as the "payola" scandal.

Songs :

Nick Marco & The Venetians 

   
 Little Boy Lost                                 Would It Hurt You

Les Ledo & The Consorts (1)

   
           Nina                                       I Got Me A Sweetheart

 …..

The Ivy's (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
aka The Four Ivy's

Personnel :

Roger J.Luttig

Theodore E.Starcevic

Stanley McCluske Jr.

Charles Knowlan

Discography :

The Ivy's
1959 - Lost Without You / All I Want (Coed 518)

The Four Ivy's
1959 - Lost Without You / All I Want (Coed 518)

Biography :

The (Four) Ivys, were a local singing quartet from Pittsburgh. Pa,. The lads, all between the ages of 20 and 22, entered active duty under the six-month RFA plan At Fort Sill (Lawton, Oklahoma), in August 1959. They enlisted simultaneously for six months so that they can further their careers upon discharge. The four are Theodore E.Starcevic, 22, of 7208 Whipple St., a Journalism graduate of Duquesne University, Roger J.Luttig , 21, of 156 Gaskell St., a Tech student; Stanley McCluske Jr., 20, of 491 Norton St., a South Hills high school graduate and Charles Knowlan, 20, of 157 Virginia Ave., who attended Duquesne University for two years.

The vocal group has worked as a team for the past two years performing on television, radio and in night clubs "m the Pittsburgh. Pa. and got a recording contract with Coed Recording Co.in New York . The week before their departure, they waxed two songs : "Lost Without You" and "All I Want" , released in October 1959 by Coed.


Songs :


Lost Without You / All I Want


......