The Fleetwoods (Washington)
(By Hans-Joachim)

Personnel :

Gary Troxel

Gretchen Christopher

Barbara Ellis

Discography :


Singles :

1959 - Come Softly To Me / I Care So Much (Dolton 1)
1959 - Graduation's Here / Oh Lord, Let It Be (Dolton 3)
1959 - Mr. Blue / You Mean Everything To Me (Dolton 5/607)
1960 - Magic Star / Outside My Window (Dolton 15)
1960 - Runaround / Truly Do (Dolton 22)

(Dolton 22)

1960 - The Last One To Know / Dormilona (Dolton 27)
1960 - Confidential / I Love You So (Dolton 30)
1961 - Tragedy / Little Miss Sad One (Dolton 40)
1961 - (He's) The Great Imposter / Poor Little Girl (Dolton 45)
1962 - Billy Old Buddy / Trouble (Dolton 49)
1962 - They Tell Me It's Summer / Lovers By Night, Strangers By Day (Dolton 62)
1963 - You Should Have Been There / Sure Is Lonesome Downtown (Dolton 74)
1963 - Goodnight My Love / Jimmy Beware (Dolton 75)
1963 - Baby Bye-O / What'll I Do (Dolton 86)
1964 - Lonesome Town / Ruby Red Baby Blue (Dolton 93)
1964 - Ten Times Blue / Ska Light Ska Bright (Dolton 97)
1964 - Mr. Sandman / This Is My Prayer (Dolton 98)
1964 - Before And After (Losing You) / Lonely Is As Lonely Does (Dolton 302)
1965 - Come Softly To Me / I'm Not Jimmy (Dolton 307)
1965 - Rainbow / Just As I Need You (Dolton 310)
1965 - For Lovin' Me / This Is Where I See Her (Dolton 315)
1967 - Dormilona / The Last One To Know (Dolton 653)


Extended Play :

1960 - Runaround / Mr. Blue / Outside My Window / Come Softly To Me (Dolton EP 502)

(Dolton EP 502)


Albums :

1959 - Confidential / The Three Caballeros / Raindrops Teardrops / You Mean Everything To Me / Oh Lord Let It Be / Come Softly To Me / Serenade Of The Bells / Unchained Melody / We Belong Together / Come Go With Me / I Care So Much / Mr. Blue (Dolton LP 8001)

(Dolton LP 8001)

1960 - Bye Bye Blackbird / Truly Do / Skylark / My Sister's Love / Runaround / Happy Happy Birthday Baby / I Believe /One For My Baby / Once In A While / Turtle Dove / Time Of Love / Outside My Window (Dolton LP 8002)

1961 - The Little White Cloud That Cried / Tragedy / Dormilona / I'm So Alone / Days Dwindle By / Nancy / Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring / Little Miss Sad One / I Love You So / Love Drop / The Last One To Know / Love Alone (Dplton LP 8005)

1961 - Blue / Poor Little Girl / Daddy's Home / A Teenager In Love / Paradise Lost / Hey Little Tear / Little Girl Blue / Great Impostor / Lah-Dee-Dah / Blues Go Away / Lonely Cup Of Coffee / One Little Star (Dolton LP 8007)

1962 - Over The Mountain Across The Sea / A Thousand Miles Away / Poor Little Fool / Tears On My Pillow / In The Still Of The Nite / To Know Him Is To Love Him / Eddie My Love / Earth Angel / Venus / Happy Happy Birthday Baby / Donna / Bazoom (I Need Your Lovin') (Dolton LP 8011)

1962 - Mr. Blue / You Mean Everything To Me / Outside My Window / Confidential / Truly Do / Tragedy / Come Softly To Me (45 version) / (He's) The Great Impostor / The Last One To Know / Poor Little Girl / Graduation's Here / Runaround (Dolton LP 8018)

(Dolton LP 8018)

1962 - Loving You / My Special Lover / Bon Soir Dame / Goodnight My Love / Lovers' Lullaby / If You Were The Only Girl In The World / Pledging My Love / The Twelfth Of Never / I Look At You / Lovers By Night Strangers By Day / Soft Eyes / Let It Be Me (Dolton LP 8020)

1963 - Jimmy San / End Of The World / Sure Is Lonesome Downtown / Magic Star / I Just Can't Live Without You / Every Little Beat / Sad Little Girl / So Much In Love / It's Your Birthday / Figurines / Jimmy Beware / Hurt Him (Dolton LP 8025)

1964 - Softly As I Leave You / Mr. Sandman / Go Away / Little Things / Almost There / Since I Don't Have You / This Is My Prayer / Footsteps / Lonely Is As Lonely Does / What Am I Gonna Do / I'll Be There / Before And After (Dolton LP 8030)

1965 - A Lover's Concerto / All I Really Want To Do / You Can't Grow Peaches On A Cherry Tree / It Ain't Me Babe / Walk Don't Run / For Lovin' Me / You've Got Your Troubles / Not The Lovin' Kind / You Were On My Mind / We'll Sing In The Sunshine / Baby Don't Go / This Is Where I See Her (Dolton LP 8039)

1966 - The Last One To Know / Love Alone / Little Miss Sad One / Days Dwindle By / Hurt Him / Figurines / Jimmy Beware / Dormilona / I Just Can't Live Without You / Love Drop (Sunset LP 5131)

1974 - Come Softly To Me / (He's) The Great Impostor / Graduation's Here / We Belong Together / Mr. Blue / Tragedy / Run Around / Goodnight My Love / Confidential / Outside My Window (United Artists LP LA 334-E)

1983 - Who’s Gonna Teach You About Love / My Love, My Love / Get Behind Me Devil / Ask Him If He’s Got a Friend For Me / Will You Love Me Tomorrow / Man In A Raincoat / Let Her Go / Imagination / Surfer’s Playmate / Climb Ev’ry Mountain (Liberty LP
10199)

Biography:

Although the Fleetwoods' sound was smooth, without many of the rougher edges of doo wop groups, they were one of the few white vocal groups of the late '50s and early '60s to enjoy success not only on the pop charts, but also the R&B charts.

The Fleetwoods' forte was ballads - beginning with their 1959 debut single, "Come Softly to Me," the group racked up a number of hits over the next three years, and nearly all of them were ballads. The group broke up in 1963, but their songs - particularly "Come Softly to Me" - became pop-rock classics of the pre-British Invasion era.

 
Gretchen Christopher, Barbara Ellis, and Gary Troxell formed the Fleetwoods while attending high school in Olympia, WA. Originally, the group consisted only of Christopher and Ellis, but the duo soon asked Troxell to accompany them on trumpet. Shortly after his arrival in the group, Troxell abandoned the trumpet and concentrated on singing once the other two members heard a portion of a song he had written. Following some contributions from Christopher and Ellis, the group had written "Come Softly to Me."

    
with Dick Clark

They began performing the song at various events around Olympia, eventually gaining the attention of Bob Reisdorff, who ran the Seattle-based label, Dolphin Records.

  
Dolphin released "Come Softly to Me" early in 1959 and the song became an instant hit, climbing to number one on the pop charts and number five on the R&B charts; it also reached the Top Ten in U.K. The Fleetwoods weren't able to immediately produce a follow-up single as successful as their debut, but their third single, "Mr. Blue," was a number one pop and Top Five R&B hit in the U.S. in late 1959.

By the time of its release, Dolphin had changed its name to Dolton. For the next three years, the Fleetwoods had a string of minor pop hits. The group wasn't able to consistently place singles in the upper regions of the charts partially because Troxell was drafted into the navy at the height of the group's popularity at the end of 1959. Troxell was replaced by Vic Dana, who would later have a string of his own hit singles in the early '60s.
  
The Fleetwoods last Top Ten single arrived in the spring of 1961, when "Tragedy" climbed the U.S. charts. The group disbanded two years later, after releasing their final single, a cover of Jesse Belvin's "Goodnight My Love." Over the next three decades, the Fleetwoods reunited occasionally to perform concerts and oldies revues. In 1973, the group recorded an album with producer Jerry Dennon, but the resulting recordings were unsuccessful. In 1990, the Fleetwoods - featuring Christopher, Troxell, and instead of Ellis a singer called Cheryl Huggins - played a tour on the American oldies circuit after Rhino released the compact disc collection, The Best of the Fleetwoods.

Steven Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

http://www.thefleetwoods.us
http://www.thefleetwoods.com
http://www.colorradio.com/fleetwoods.htm
http://www.history-of-rock.com/fleetwoods.htm
http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/fleetwoods.html


Videos :

 


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MP3 :

The Concertones : Melvin Beckner, Gary Church, Kay Brooks, Roslyn King and Brenda Robinson

The Concertones (Newport News, Virginia)
aka The Brothers Kennedy aka The Hamptons

Personnel :

Melvin Beckner

Gary Church

Kay Brooks

Roslyn King

Brenda Robinson

Discography :

The Brothers Kennedy
1961 - I Know Why Dreamers Cry / Once In A Lifetime (1-2-3 Kick) (Legrand 1007)

The Concertones
1961 - Just One More Time / All Is Well And Fine (Legrand 1011)

The Hamptons
1964 - I Know Why Dreamers Cry / Once In A Lifetime (1-2-3 Kick) (Legrand 1007)

Biography :

Vocal group from From Warwick High School, in Newport News, Virginia  composed by Gary Church, Melvin Beckner, Kay Brooks, Roslyn King and Brenda Robinson. In early 1960, Melvin Beckner wrote some songs like "All's Well and Fine", "Don't Say I Love You" and "Heartaches For Me". Warwick High's musical senior Mary Jane Cofer sponsored a concert with Melvin who sang the lead on his three songs , backed by three girls named The Mello-Tones Trio. The success was immediate and Melvin landed a recording session. In April 1961, Melvin and his singing partner, Gary Church, recorded "I Know Why Dreamers Cry" and " Once In A Lifetimethe"  both written by Melvin in a recording session in Norfolk produced by Frank Guida.

   
The Brothers Kennedy : Melvin Beckner and Gary Church                                                The Concertones                                            

They went over to Norfolk twice a week for three weeks to work on it.  The last session, when they really got it, took from seven o'clock at night to four o'clock in the morning,  And some time later the single will be released as The Brothers Kennedy on the Legrand Label. In 1964, the single  was also released credited to The The Hamptons.  Four months later, Melvin Beckner, Gary Church and the Mello-Tones Trio; Kay Brooks, Roslyn King and Brenda Robinson Have a new recording session. Under the name of the Concertones, Legrand released "Just One More Time" and "All Is Well And Fine". Melvin also wrote "Time Ole Story", the flip side of Quarter To Three for Gary (U.S.) Bonds.

Songs :

The Concertones

All Is Well And Fine / Just One More Time


The Brothers Kennedy


I Know Why Dreamers Cry

...

The Catalinas (1) (New Haven, CT.)
aka The Buddies (6)

Personnel :

Johnny Luth

Jimmy Colwell

Artie DeNicholas

Johnny Kunz

Tommy Juliana

Discography :

The Catalinas (1)

Singles :
1958 - Castle Of Love / Give Me Your Love (Little 811/812 / Jayne 502)
1973 - Why do fools fall in love / I'm so tired (Jayne 500)
1973 - Castle of love / The Stars tonight (Jayne 501)
1973 - I love you / Give me your love (Jayne 502)
1973 - Until next year / Litterbubug (Jayne 503)
1973 - Back in my arms / Blue Velvet (Jayne 504)

Unreleased :
Little Star - I Wonder Why - Sometimes - Whispering Bells - In the Still of the Night - Story Untold - Come Go With Me - Tiny Clouds - Tell me Why - Moon out Tonight - One Summer Night - Hushabye - Remember Then - Glory Of Love - Little Girl of mine - Remember When - Tonight I Fell in Love - Wonderfull Girl

The Buddies (6)
1959 - Castle Of Love / Give Me Your Love (Okey 7123)

Biography :

This group was started by the two people who started the Van Dykes from New Haven, Ct. The Catalinas were started in 1957, by Art Denicholas and Tommy Juliana, were school chums at Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven. 

Their first record was on Little Records in NYC.... " Give Me Your Love"   backed with "Castle of Love", both written by Art and Tommy. Later re-released as by The Buddies on Okeh Records. They did many live shows and tours, til art had to go into the Army in 1961, where he entertained with the USO in Germany for two years.     When his tour of duty was over, he arrived home to New Haven, to find that his parent's house was decorated with a big sign, made by his old friend Tommy, who let Art know.....we gotta start up a new group , thus the Van Dykes were born in 1963.. The Van Dykes were the only band in New Haven to have three #1 singles in a row.  WAVZ 1300am and WNHC 1340am , both am stationsand the general public loved the Van Dykes! ....yes New Haven was home to the Five Satins, but they only had one  #1....plus a string of singles, but no other  number ones.        
Bobby Roche

Songs :

   
Castle Of Love                                 Give Me Your Love

       
I'm so tired                                  Little Star / Tiny Clouds                I Wonder Why / Story Untold

       
Sometimes / Come Go With Me     Whispering Bells / In the Still of the Night     Tell me Why / Moon out Tonight

   
One Summer Night / Hushabye      Remember Then / Glory Of Love

   
Little Girl of mine / Remember When     Tonight I Fell in Love / Wonderfull Girl

 ...

    Top left to right , Kenny and Tommy, Bottom left to right, Pete, Freddie and Bill.

The Ideals (4) (East Paterson, NJ)

Personnel :

Tommy Kontos aka Thomas Jefferson Kaye

Bill DeMarco

Pete Verelli

Kenny Kerwin

Freddie Schlatter


Discography :

1958 - My Girl / Annie Was A Stroller (Decca 307200)
1959 - Ivy League Lover / Don't Be A Baby, Baby (Decca 30800)


Biography :

Tommy and Bill formed their first acapella Doo-wop band called the Blaretones with Tommy Traino, from East Paterson, NJ and Chris Oberfel of Fair Lawn, NJ during the Summer of 1955 to Summer 1956. First show at East Rutherford HS 1956 as the Blaretones, performed at Allen Freed’s Easter Show at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater, with Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, The Valentines, and The Cadillacs.
 

  
The Brooklyn Paramount Theater                                                                                                          

The Blaretones opened for Slim Harper at the Coral Bar in East Paterson, NJ. The Ideals Opened for the Everly Brothers. at the Meadowbrook in Cedar Grove, NJ sometime around May 1958. Another group performing that night was the Rocking Chairs, from Long Island, NY. The band name changed to the Rock-Abouts, from the Summer of 1956 to Summer of 1957. Same group the Ideals during the Summer of 1957, recorded at Decca Records from early 1958 through June of 1958. The Ideals were often invited to play with Joey Dee when he hosted record hops at the Passaic Armory, before he was with the Starlighters. They also performed often at “Sock Hops” at the Passaic Ballroom and other local venues. Music included their own compositions and their own doo-wop covers of Buddy Holly, The Cadillacs, and other popular songs of the period.


Songs :

   
Annie Was A Stroller                                    My Girl

   
Don't Be A Baby, Baby                          Ivy League Lover

....

The Starlets (3) (Chicago, Illinois)



Members :

Liz Walker (Dynetta Boone)

Maxine Edwards

Jane Hall

Mickie McKinney

Jeanette Miles



Discography :

The Starlets (3)
1961 - Better Tell Him No / You Are The One (Pam 1003/O-Pex 110(68))
1961 - My Last Cry / Money Hungry (Pam 1004)

Danetta & The Starlets (3)
1962 - You Belong To Me / Impression (Okeh 7155)

The Blue-Belles
1962 - I Sold My Heart To The Junkman / Itty Bitty Twist (Newtown 5000)



Biography :
The Starlets were an American girl group from Chicago, Illinois. The group came together in 1961, and auditioned for a Chicago songwriter, Bernice Williams. Williams wrote them the tune "Better Tell Him No", which was released on Pam Records that year. The record peaked at #38 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The group then toured with Jackie Wilson, Mary Wells, and Gladys Knight & the Pips.The group's follow-up single, "My Last Cry", was less successful. In December of that year, the group performed in Philadelphia, and while there, Newtown Records owner Harold Robinson had them record the song "I Sold My Soul to the Junkman".

Newtown released the single under the name "The BlueBelles" in order to avoid contractual issues with Pam Records; as the song became a hit, Robinson assembled a local Philadelphia ensemble to lip-synch the song on television. Among this second group's members was Patti LaBelle. As "Junkman" itself became an even bigger hit than "Better Tell Him No", The Starlets sued Robinson, settling for $5,000 per member The Starlets then moved to Okeh Records, releasing one single, 1962's "You Belong to Me", and broke up shortly thereafter.

Song :

The Starlets (3)

      
Better Tell Him No                   My Last Cry

   
You Are The One                       Money Hungry


Danetta & The Starlets (3)

  
Impression                         You Belong To Me


The Blue-Belles

  
I Sold My Heart To The Junkman        Itty Bitty Twist