Young Henry Ford & The Gifts (Chicago)



Personnel :

Henry Yarbrough "Henry Ford" (Lead)

"Little" Natalie Smith (Lead)

Gwendoline Little

Thomas Blunt

Frank

Discography :

Little Natalie & Henry & The Gifts
1963 - Teardrops Are Falling / It's Uncle Willie  (Roulette 4540)

Young Henry Ford & The Gifts
1964 - Treat her nice / Two Hearts make a romance (Roulette 4552)
1964 - Too Late (Roulette) (Unreleased)

Biography :

Group of kids from Chicago,The Gifts signed to Roulette Records in 1963. With 'Little Natalie' Smith as lead they hit big in Chi-Town and the East Coast with 'Teardrops Are Falling'. This record featuring their primary lead, Henry Ford was the follow-up disc.

  

Born Henry Yarbrough in Chicago on September 30, 1948. When he made the records he was about fifteen years old and was attending Hirsch High on the South Side.  Produced by Ralph Bass, with the help of Raynard Miner, and supposedly recorded at Chess, but released on Roulette.

Songs :

Little Natalie & Henry & The Gifts

   
It's Uncle Willie                              Teardrops Are Falling

Young Henry Ford & The Gifts

  
Treat her nice                               Two Hearts make a romance

1956 - Gerard Highsmith, Bob Harris, Leroy Wiliams , James Pete Martin  & Preston Fields  

The Parakeets (2) Quintet (Newark / Elizabeth, N.J.)

Personnel :

Leroy Wiliams (Lead)

James Pete Martin (Tenor)

Willie Curry (Bass)

Preston Fields (Tenor)

Gerard Highsmith (Baritone / Second Lead)

Discography :

The Parakeets (2) Quintet
1956 - I Have A Love / The Rain Start To Fall (Atlas 1068/Angletone 1068)

Leroy Williams & The Parakeets (2) Quintet
1956 - My Heart Tells Me / Yvonne  (Atlas 1069)

Vic Donna & The Parakeets (2)
1957 - Teenage Rose / Silly and Sappy (Atlas 1071)
1957 - Love Was A Stranger To Me / Count The Tears (Atlas 1075/Angletone 1075)

Al Jackson (bb The Parakeets)

Unreleased :
1957 - Y.O.U / No Wedding Today (Atlas)

Biography :

The Parakeets were five young men from the neighboring cities of Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey. All had experience singing in church and the roots of the group were a high school glee club. The Parakeets consisted of Leroy Williams (lead), James P. Martin (first tenor), William “Bob” Curry (baritone), Preston Fields (second tenor) and Gerald A. Highsmith (bass).

1956 - Preston Fields , Gerard Highsmith, Bob Harris, James Pete Martin  & Leroy Wiliams

The Parakeets’ first record for Atlas was “Rain Starts To Fall” b/w “I Have A Love,” released in May 1956. It was quickly followed by their second re- lease, “Yvonne” b/w “My Heart Tells Me,” in November 1956. All of the songs were written by James Martin.

   
Vic Donna                                                                                                                    

Atlas Records was like so many of the growing number of Rhythm & Blues independent labels of the early fifties, but it was also different from many of them. For one it was Black owned and located in the Black community unlike most of the others. It was started by Tommy Robinson (not related to Bobby or Danny Robinson ) and located in the heart of New York's Harlem on 125th Street.

The Parakeets were chosen to back teen heartthorb Vic Donna (Atlas's answer to Fabian or Frankie Avalon...) on the Maudlin "Teenage Rose" in February, 1957 and " Love was a stranger to me / Count the tears" in May. Since Robinson paid Steady tribute to the region's black disc Jockeys, his records receveid constant airplay if only meager sales.
Don Fileti (The Golden era of Doowops "The groups of Atlas Records")

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Parakeets/parakeets.html

Songs :

The Parakeets (2) Quintet

   
I Have A Love                       The Rain Start to Fall


   
My Heart Tells Me                   Yvonne

Vic Donna & The Parakeets (2)

   
Teenage Rose                          Silly And Sappy


   
Love Was A Stranger To Me         Count The Tears

...

The El Tones (1) (Brooklyn, New York)
aka The Eltones

Personnel :

Stuart Elliot (Lead)

Allan Schein

Paul Schrager

Harvey Hertz 

Discography :

The Eltones
Unreleased:
1958 - Do It By Moonlight
1958 - Honest I Do

The El Tones (1)
Singles:
1958 - Like Mattie / Lovin' With A Beat (Cub 9011)

Biography :

The Eltones were formed on the corner of Elton Street and Dumont Avenue in Brooklyn in 1957. "Lovin' With A Beat" The lead in this song was Stuart, Stuart was also lead in "Like Matti", singing those high notes. This song was written by Sylvester Bradford for Gene Vincent as a Rockabilly song. Gene never used it so the Eltones recorded it.

"Do It By Moonlight" was actually recorded as a demo in 1957 with " Honest I Do". Left in a demo studio for many years. Purchased for fifteen dollars shortly before it was to be destroyed. The studio was going to destroy the remaining copies but group member Paul bought it. Paul Schrager is the one pictured singing lead, think that's Harvey playing the piano in the background. Also "Moonlight" was the only song Paul sang as the lead. 

Songs :

   
  Honest I Do                           Do It By Moonlight


   
 Lovin' With A Beat                      Like Mattie        


...

The Bohemians (Detroit, MI)

Personnel :

?

Discography :

1963 - Some Happy Day / Say Sweet Things (Chex 1007)

Biography :

The Bohemians had an appealing, although obscure, single for Chex in the fall of 1962. "Some Happy Day"/"Say Sweet Things" was released as Chex 1007, and promptly disappeared from the market. There is no information on this young group in the Chex files, but, fortunately, we know what they looked like by their surviving publicity photo. 

Songs :

   
Some Happy Day                  Say Sweet Things

...

The Teen Tones (1) (Columbus, GA.)
aka The Meloaires


Personnel :

Gerald Powers (Lead)

Larry Kent

Gordon Barksdale

Bob Burnett


Discography :

The Teen Tones (1)
1958 - Faded Love / Gypsy Boogie (Nu-Clear 1/Wynne 107))

The Meloaires
Single:
1958 - Indebted To You / You Know Baby (Nasco 6019)
Unreleased :
1958 - I'm So Glad (Nasco/Excello)
1958 - Don't Ever Get Married (Nasco/Excello)


Biography :

The Teen Tones were a Vocal group included Gerald Powers, Larry Kent, Gordon Barksdale and Bob Burnett. All were students at Baker High School in Columbus, Ga.  In early 1958, The teen Tones signing a recording contract with Sam Persons owner of Nu-Clear Records in Columbus.

They cut "Faded Love" b/w "Gypsy Boogie". The Teen-Tones' record will be the first edited by the company in February 1958.  A few months later in the same year, they change their name to the Meloaires and recorded four songs for Ernie Young (founder of Nashboro, Nasco and Excello labels).

"Till The End Of The Dance" b/w "My Pretty Baby" appeared on Nashboro's, subsidiary label Nasco in September 1958. The Nasco label had success with the Crescendos in 1958 with a song called "Oh, Julie," which made the pop music Top 10. The company was a part of Excello rec Music who produced a great many doowop groups of the 50's.



Songs :

The Teen Tones (1)

  
Faded Love                                     Gypsy Boogie


The Meloaires

  
Indebted To You                        You Know Baby

  
   I'm So Glad                                  Don't Ever Get Married 


...