The Four Mints  (Center, Texas)
aka The Mints

Personnel :

James Wilson (Lead)

Gene Warr (First Tenor)

Aubie McSwain (Second Tenor)

Al Warr (Bass)

Discography :

Singles :

The Mints
1956 - Busy Body Rock / "(Don't Leave Me) Alone (Lin 5001)
1956 - Night Air / Pledge Of Love (Ken Copeland) (Lin 5007 / Imperial 5432)
 

The Four Mints
1956 - What'Cha Gonna Do / Night Air (Choctaw 8002/Imperial 5432)
1957 - Gold / Ruby Baby (Decca 30465)

1958 - Hey Little Neil / Teenage Wonderland (NRC 003)

1958 - You Belong To My Heart / Wolf (NRC 011)
1959 - Tomorrow Night / Pina Colada (NRC 037)

Lps :

1959 - The Fabulous Four Mints (AZTEC ALP 1002)
Journey's End / Love Is The Reason / You'll Never Walk Alone / Lonesome Road / Roll 'Em Pete / Born To Swing / Only You / Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall / Falling In Love / Scarlet Ribbons / Ruby Baby

Biography :

The Four Mints (also known simply as the Mints) were a true oddity, a respected white vocal group in the midst of the early rock & roll era, capable of doing convincing R&B. James Wilson (lead), Gene Warr (first tenor), Aubie McSwain (second tenor), and Al Warr (bass) had known each other since childhood and sung together for years, throughout the '40s. Their main influence was gospel music, and they'd sung in churches for most of their lives.

The quartet had sung locally around Center, TX, mostly at local events and church functions. They took on the name the Four Mints and crossed over into popular music and R&B in 1954-1955. They'd always listened to the black R&B vocal groups of the period and proved good -- even inspired -- students: unlike, say, the Crew Cuts, the Four Mints didn't "bleach" out the sounds that they learned to create, but kept them intact even as they made them their own.

They were, in many respects, the group equivalent of the phenomenon that Sam Phillips claims to have been searching for, a white man who could sing black music.What's more, they were good enough to get bookings far outside of Center, even managing to cross paths with Elvis Presley in the process and even getting his future drummer, D.J. Fontana, on the skins for some of their gigs in Louisiana.

They cut a handful of songs for Lin Records in Gainesville, TX, including "Night Air" and "Little Mama Tree Top" (the latter unissued for 40 years). Although sometimes identified, for convenience's sake, as a doo wop group, the Mints were more animated than most of the acts to which the name is usually applied -- their models were groups like the Treniers, most of all, more so than the balladeer-type outfits usually called doo wop groups.

The Four Mints left Lin after just a few months for the much larger Decca label in 1956. They failed to generate any hits, but Decca's promotional efforts on their behalf and the resulting exposure gave them the intro the needed to break out of the south and become a national act.

They followed their idols, the Treniers, into the same Las Vegas clubs and remained popular for years. McSwain left the quartet in 1960. He was replaced, and the group lasted for another two years, breaking up in 1962.
Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

The Mints

     
Magic Of Love                        Night Air                        Busy Body Rock

(Don't Leave Me) Alone

The Four Mints

     
Ruby Baby     You Belong To My Heart / Wolf       What'Cha Gonna Do / Night Air

       
Gold                      Hey Little Nell              Teenage Wonderland


Tomorrow Night / Pina Colada

...

The Calvanes (Los Angeles)    
aka The Dundees aka The Wonders (1) aka The Nuggets (2)
 

Personnel :

Herman Pruitt（Lead）

Lorenzo Robert Adams（Tenor）

Joe Hampton（Tenor）

Stewart Crunk（Baritone）

Jack Harris（Bass）



Discography :

Carlyle Dundee & The Dundees
1954 - Never / Evil One (Space 201)

The Wonders
1954 - Bop Bop Baby / Little Girl (Space 202)

The Calvanes 
Singles :
1955 - Don't Take Your Love From Me / Crazy Over You (Dootone 371)
1956 - One More Kiss / Florabelle (Dootone 380)
1958 - Dreamworld / 5, 7 Or 9 (Deck 579)
1958 - My Love Song / Horror Pictures (Deck 580)
Unreleased :
N/A - Fleeoowee (Dootone) (Unreleased)
N/A - Baby Come On Home (Dootone)
N/A - You're Only Young Once (Deck)
N/A - Lavender  (Deck)
Eps:
1955 - Voices for Lovers (Dootone EP 205)
Don't Take Your Love / Crazy Over You / They Call Me Fool / One More Kiss

The Nuggets (2)
Singles :
1961 - Angel On The Dance Floor / Before We Say Goodnight (RCA 7930)
1962 - Just A Friend  / Cap Snapper (RCA 8031)
Unreleased : 
1961 - One Magic Night (RCA)
1961 - Your Special One (RCA)
1961 - Roly Poly (RCA)

Biography :

While they only recorded a handful of singles, The Calvanes are part of doo wop history. Carlyle Dundee, Bobby Adams, Sterling Meade, Stewart Crunk, and Jack Harris formed at Manual Arts High School in South Central Los Angeles.

The naturally pop-sounding quintet recorded on Space Records as Carlyle Dundee & the Dundees in 1954. After it failed, Dundee left, and the remaining four recorded another record for Space as the Wonders. Like the first, it did little and they disbanded.

Dootsie Williams

In 1955, Crunk and Adams still had the music bug and regrouped with Jack Harris, Joe Hampton, and Herman Pruitt. Crunk picked the name Calvanes .   In 1956 they signed with Dootsie Williams' Dootone Records, in South Central, Los Angeles.

Adams, Crunk, Harris, Pruitt, Hampton

The Calvanes recorded seven songs for Dootone, but only two singles were released: "Don't Take Your Love/Crazy Over You," and "Florabelle/One Kiss". "Don't Take Your Love (From Me)" while only a local/regional hit, was The Calvanes most popular recording, Pruitt sang lead on both sides, and the guys appeared on Hunter Hancock's Rhythm & Bluesville show. The second Dootone release, "Florabelle," bombed.

Regrouping as a quartet in 1958, The Calvanes recorded two singles for Hite Morgan's Deck Records. Pruitt sang lead on "Dream World," and "My Love Song," Fred Willis led "Horror Pictures," and Willis and Crunk co-led "5, 7, or 9." "Dream World" was a beautiful song and garnered some airplay, but that hit record still eluded them.

In between the Dootone and the Deck stints, Herman Pruitt joined the Youngsters along with Donald Miller, Charles Everidge, James Warren, Homer Green, and Harold Murray to record two singles for Empire Records in 1956/1957. In 1959, Bobby Adams joined with Rodney Gooden, Val Poliuto, and two others to form the Hitmakers.

Pruitt later reunited with Bobby Adams, Freddie Willis, and newcomer Sidney Dunbar to formed the Nuggets, who recorded two RCA singles in 1961/1962. Same results, however, no chart busters. Fed up, the guys quit and took regular jobs. They never made much money in music, and had only a few tours (Johnny Otis Show), and television appearances to relish.

The Calvanes regrouped in 1990 and have performed in many oldies/doo wop shows in Southern California. They're considered the most polished doo wop group in Southern California.

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Calvanes/calvanes.html
http://www.soul-patrol.com/soul/calvanes.htm
http://www.destinationdoowop.com/calvanes.htm
http://www.electricearl.com/dws/calvanes.html

Songs :

     
They Call Me Fool                  Dreamworld            Don't Take Your Love From Me

     
My Love Song                        Fleeoowee                     One More Kiss

     
Crazy Over You                      Florabelle                       Baby Come On Home


Horror Pictures

CDs :

The Shades (2) (Everett, WA)

Personnel :

Larry Nelson

“Big” Chuck Markulis

Josiah “Joe Hill” Ferrell

Thurston James “T.J.” Reuben

Loreen “Lori” Methven

Discography :

1959 - Dear Lori / One Touch of heaven (Aladdin 3453 / Imperial 5358)

Biography :

It was in January 1958 that two Everett Junior College students , Larry Nelson and “Big” Chuck Markulis  wrote a delightfully wimpy teen ballad, “One Touch of Heaven,” that they figured was a natural hit.  That same month the two budding music moguls recruited a few more college guys (Josiah “Joe Hill” Ferrell, Thurston James “T.J.” Reube and briefly, Ozzie “Ozz” Moore), and an Everett High School girl , Loreen “Lori” Methven.   Somehow the Shades came to the attention of a Seattle label, Celestial Records, and on February 28, 1958 they (sans Moore) signed a personal management and recording contract. Celestial was based out of recording engineer Chet Noland’s Dimensional Sound studios (2128 3rd Avenue) and “One Touch of Heaven” was soon recorded with Rollie’s Trio.

  
                                                                                                                 Chuck Markulis & Larry Nelson

Something about that session was deemed unsatisfactory however and on May 21, the tune was cut at Dimensional again, this time with the backing of a veteran Seattle jazz band, the Floyd Standifer Trio.  Meanwhile “Dear Lori” and “One Touch of Heaven” were both recorded (on November 27) with the Floyd Standifer Trio at Northwest Recorders (622 Union Street) with Kearney Barton engineering this time. Then on December 11, “Dear Lori” was cut again at Northwest Recorders -- this time with the El-Trey Trio backing them. 
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=8568

Songs :

  
Dear Lori                                    One Touch Of Heaven

..

The Aladdins (1) (San Diego, California)

Personnel :

Edward Williams (Lead)

Ted Harper (Second Tenor)

Alfred Harper (Baritone)

Gaylord Green (Bass)
 

Discography :

Single :
1955 - Remember / Cry Cry Baby (Aladdin 3275)
1955 - I Had A Dream Last Night / Get Off My Feet (Aladdin 3298)
1955 - All Of My Life / So Long, Farewell, Bye Bye (Aladdin 3314)
1955 - Help Me / Lord Show Me (Aladdin 3358)

Unreleased :
1955 - Eternally (Aladdin)
1955 - Remember (first version)  (Aladdin)

Biography :

Edward Williams (lead), Ted Harper (2nd tenor), Alfred Harper (baritone) and Gaylord Green (bass) grew up in the same street in San Diego, California. The group toured as the Capris with Johnny Otis for a Year in 1953. Otis had discovered the group at a local show in San Diego and then introduced them to Eddie Mesner of Aladdin Records, who thought highly of the group, signed them, and changed their name to the Aladdins, after his label. The Aladdins cut four records for the Aladdin label, the first one was "Cry, Cry Baby".

None of these discs ever lived up to the expectations that the label management had for them. In 1955, Al Harper and Eddie Williams joined the Colts and Ted Harper joined the Penguins and later the Coasters, staying with the group for ten years. When the Aladdins disbanded, their manager, Buck Ram, built a new group around Williams - the Fortunes, on Antler.

http://doowopy.de/
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Aladdins/aladdins.html

Songs :

   
Remember                            Eternally

   
So Long Farewell Bye-Bye       I Had A Dream Last Nite

   
Cry Cry Baby                          All Of My Life

 ...

The Del Vetts (Yonkers, NY)
aka The Delvets

Personnel :

Jessie (Lead)

Florence Holland

Jackie Scott

Jeanie Johnson

Discography :

The Del Vetts
1961 - I Want A Boy For Christmas / Repeat After Me (End 1106)

The Delvets
1962 - Will You Love Me In Heaven / Repeat After Me (End 1107)

Biography :

The Del Vetts or Delvets won at the Apollo talent show in 1961 and had two singles for George Goldner's End Records. There is another group, a Garage band, with the same name that recorded in the Mid 1960s. Our group's first release was under the name The Del Vetts "I Want A Boy For Christmas" b/w "Repeat After Me"  (End 1106, December 1961). In February 1962 they had "Will You Love Me In Heaven" backed with "Repeat After Me" (End 1107). The Del-Vetts were a quartet of Black Girls from Yonkers, NY.....With Jessie on lead and Florence Holland, Jackie Scott, Jeanie Johnson on background harmonies. In 1999, the fantastic doo wop "I Want A Boy For Christmas" has been featured in the Stanley Kubrick's  Eyes Wide Shut soundtrack .

Songs :

  
I Want A Boy For Christmas                     Repeat After Me           


Will You Love Me In Heaven

...