The Four Tops (1) (Detroit)
aka The Four Aims

(The Doo wop years)

Personnel :

Levi Stubbs

Abdul "Duke" Fakir

Renaldo "Obie" Benson

Lawrence Peyton

Discography :

The Four Aims
1956 - If Only I Had Known / She Gave Me Love (Grady 012)

The Four Tops (1)
1956 - Could it be you / Kiss me baby (Chess 1623)
1956 - Woke Up This Morning (Chess) (Unreleased)
1956 - All my life (Chess) (Unreleased)
1956 - I'm My Baby's Sitter (Chess) (Unreleased)
1960 - Ain't That love / Lonely Summer (Columbia 41755)
1962 - Pennies from heaven / Where you are (Riverside 4534)

Biography :

The Four Tops began life in 1953 (some accounts say 1954), when all of the members were attending Detroit-area high schools. Levi Stubbs and Abdul "Duke" Fakir went to Pershing, and met Northern students Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton at a friend's birthday party, where the quartet members first sang together.

Sensing an immediate chemistry, they began rehearsing together and dubbed themselves the Four Aims. Payton's cousin Roquel Davis, a budding songwriter who sometimes sang with the group during its early days, helped them get an audition with Chess Records in 1956. Although Chess was more interested in Davis, who went on to become Berry Gordy's songwriting partner, they also signed the Four Aims, who became the Four Tops to avoid confusion with the Ames Brothers.

The Four Tops' lone Chess single, "Kiss Me Baby," was an unequivocal flop, and the group moved on to similarly brief stints at Red Top and Riverside. They signed with Columbia in 1960 and were steered in a more upscale supper-club direction, singing jazz and pop standards. This too failed to break them, although they did tour with Billy Eckstine during this period.

http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Four_Tops,_The/Biography/
http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/fourtops.htm
http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/the_four_tops.html
http://www.history-of-rock.com/four_tops.htm
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/four%20tops.html
http://www.thefourtopsoriginal.com

Songs :

  
Kiss me baby                          I'm My Baby's Sitter

     
All my life                               Could it be you                    Woke Up This Morning

...

The Clouds (2) (Los Angeles, California)

Personnel :

Jerry Ganey (Lead)

Roy Perry

Jerry Dowling

Don Craft

Discography :

1963 - A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening / Say Hey Hey (Vous 1000)
1964 - Night Owl / My Tears Will Go Away (Medley 1001)

Biography :

In the spring of 1964, Bill Medley of Santa Ana, California and Bobby Hatfield of Anaheim, California were enjoying for the most part, local success as the 'Blue-Eyed Soul'/R&B duo, The Righteous Brothers. It wouldn't be until September that they two would become featured performers on the new ABC-TV music show, 'Shindig!'.

Their fortunes would change dramatically by November of that year after recording what would become the most played record of the 20th century, the Phil Spector produced, 'Wall of Sound' masterpiece, 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'. So until then, the boys performed often at many southern California venues as well as writing some of their own material. Bill Medley on occasion would produce for other acts. In this case, the Clouds were a quartet of your fellows who he produced two singles with. The second of which being, the Medley & Hatfield composition, 'My Tears Will Go Away' which the duo had already recorded themselves while at Moonglow Records.

The same backing track was utilized for the Clouds single and used again on an unreleased 1964 duet version by Bill Medley and Santa Ana powerhouse vocalist, Betty Willis. Recorded at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, the backing track features the studio's signature echo chamber, clacking castanets and marvelous backing vocals by the Blossoms. Lead vocalist, Jerry Ganey, would be produced by Bill Medley again as a solo artist with M~G~M records in 1966 & 1967. Those two singles issued on Verve and M~G~M respectively have become pricey collectibles among the Northern Soul crowd.


Songs :

  
A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening                      Say Hey Hey                   

  
       Night Owl                               My Tears Will Go Away

...

The Rollettes  (Los Angeles) 

aka The Blossons
aka The Dreamers (3)
aka The Playgirls (1)
aka The Angels (4)
aka The Girlfriends (3)
aka The Coeds (2)
 Ref Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans

Personnel :

Fanita Wright Barrett (First tenor)

Annette Williams (First tenor)

Gloria Jones (Baritone)

Discography :

1957 - Sad Fool / Wham Bam (instrumental) (Class 201)
1957 - Kiss Me Benny / More Than You Realize (Class 203)

Biography :

The Rollettes were not so much a group as a discographical wrinkle. In 1956 the Los Angeles all-girl doo wop group the Dreamers, who recorded both on their own and (more frequently) as Richard Berry's backup group, made a couple of singles for the Class label under the name the Rollettes.

The Dreamers on Flip Records.(top to right) Gloria Jones, Janell Hawkins, Annette Williams, and Fanita James.

Actually they did only three tracks on those singles, since the B-side of one of them, "Wham Bam," was an instrumental by Googie Rene & His Wham Bams. The best of them was the upbeat "Kiss Me Benny," though on the whole they were forgettable early doo wop. All three of the tracks are on the Dreamers' Ace anthology They Sing Like Angels, which includes sides by various permutations of the Dreamers, among them ones on which they back Berry.

                                                                                 Fanita, Annette & Gloria

The Dreamers changed their name to the Blossoms in 1957 and became one of early rock & roll's most renowned session backup-vocal groups. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi

http://www.answers.com/topic/the-rollettes
http://www.redbirdent.com/page2.htm
http://www.electricearl.com/dws/dreamers.html

Songs :

     
More Than You Realize                  Kiss Me Benny                              Sad Fool            

 ...

The Chaps (1) (Kiski Valley, Pittsburgh)
aka The Four Chaps (2) 

Personnel :

George Esposito

Joe Cesario

Ron Fulton

Sonny DiNunzio

Bob Savastano

Discography :

The Chaps (1)
1960 - Perfect Night For Love / One Lovely Yesterday (Brent 7016)
1961 - They'll Never Be / Heaven Must Have Run Out Of Angels (Matador 1814)

The Four Chaps (2)
1965 - True Lovers / Will You Or Won't You (Co & Ce 231)

Biography :

The original lineup, an a cappella vocal group, was The Chaps. When Sonny DiNunzio joined, the group became The Four Chaps. Later Ron Fulton was added. Records of The Chaps: "One Lovely Yesterday" & "Perfect Night For Love" on Brent Records, New York City. "Heaven Must Have Run Out Of Angels" & "They’ll Never Be" Lou Christie sang the high parts.

   
                                                                                                                                         Lou Christie

Christie achieved success with the following hits: "The Gypsy Cried", "Two Faces Have I", and his biggest National hit "Lightnin’ Strikes". Lou made fame when he was connected to the Cenci Co & Ce Label. The records were released on the Matador label. The Chaps joined with Lennie Martin, a string arranger for The Skyliners of "Since I Don’t Have You" fame. The Skyliners were a successful Pittsburgh doo wop band who went National. The Chaps broke up when the song "Heaven Must Have Run Out Of Angels’" chart steam ran out.

The Townsmen

The original lineup moved to the West Coast. While in California, The Chaps recorded on Capitol Records and played the Los Angeles arena. They auditioned for the popular "Shindig" show with Glen Campbell on guitar with the song "Lonesome Traveler".  They phoned DiNunzio and asked him to join thus The Four Chaps. DiNunzio formed The Townsmen afterward.
http://www.freewebs.com/tracy64/

 
Songs :

The Chaps (1)

   
They'll Never Be                    Perfect Night For Love

The Four Chaps (2)


True Lovers

...
 

Tommy Frederick & The Hi-Notes (1) (Boston, Massachusetts)
Aka The Vibra-Tones (1)




Personnel :

Tommy Frederick (Lead)




Discography :

Sabby Lewis & The Vibra-Tones (1)
1956 - Forgive Me My Love / Regretting (ABC 9687)

Tommy Frederick & The Hi-Notes (1)
1958 -  The Prince Of Players / I'm Not Pretending (Carlton 450/London 8555)

Tommy Frederick & Group
1960 - Sundown / ‘Where’d Ja Go (Coral 62170)

Biography :

Sabby Lewis started taking piano lessons when he was 5, and organized his first band in Boston in 1936. He later performed on Broadway and in ballrooms and clubs in Manhattan. He performed with Dinah Washington and Billy Eckstine. During World War II, Lewis' orchestra included long-time Ellington tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, and drummer Alan Dawson spent much of the 1950s in the band. In 1956, he performed in the Boston Area, and recorded with a local vocal group, the Vibra-tones,  « Forgive Me My Love » b/w « Regretting » for ABC.

   
Sabby Lewis                                                                             

Two years later, The Vibra-Tones changed their name to the Hi-Tones. The Carlton Record Corporation began in October, 1957, in New York, when the late Joe Carlton, a former A&R chief at RCA, set up offices at 157 W. 57th Street. The label started with a single by Tommy Fredericks & His Hi-Notes, "The Prince of Players"/"I'm Not Pretending" [Carlton 450]. 

   

In 1961, a different Vibra-Tones’ vocal group recorded for ABC as backup singers For Evelyn Dell . This white Group from Brooklyn & Queens is composed by John Sescila, Sandy Anzalone, John Anzalone and Vinny Lombardy.

Who are they ???                                                                                              

(Sonny, Darryl, Charlie Weils...) According to notes from "Rare 1950's Boston Doo Wop" this unknown group backed Tommy Fredericks on his Coral single in 1960 on "Sundown" and ‘Where’d Ja Go"

Songs :


Sabby Lewis And The Vibra-Tones (1)

  
Regretting                                  Forgive Me My Love


Tommy Frederick & The Hi-Notes (1)

  
The Prince Of Players                         I'm Not Pretending


Tommy Frederick & Group

  
Sundown                                           ‘Where’d Ja Go

…