The Troys (Brooklyn, New York)
aka Dicky Dell & The Bing Bongs

Personnel :

Lou DeMarco (Lead of The Troys)

Michael John Rampino (Baritone)

Richard Owens "Dicky Dell" (Lead of The Bing Bongs)

Discography :

Dicky Dell & The Bing Bongs
1958 - Ding-A-Ling-Ding-Dong / Cling (The Bing Bongs) (Dragon 10205)

The Troys
1959 - Cling / Ding-A-Ling-Ding-Dong (Okeh 7120)

--------------?????---------------

Lou Demarco
1956 - Careless Love / My Lady Fair (Ferris 903)
1957 - Your Kind Of Love / You Tell Me Your Dream (Ferris 909)

The Four Chimes
19?? - It Grows, It Grows, It Grows / Chitarra, Bring Her Back To Me (Primos 1003)

Biography :

In 1958 Lou Demarco, Michael John Rampino and two neighbourhood friends formed a singing group named The Troys. Their name derived from The street corner they first started to sing on in Brooklyn NY. The corner of Troy ave. and Schenectady boulevard. The Troys recorded two songs "Ding-A-Ling-Ding-Dong" and "Cling". Dragon Records likes "Ding-A-Ling-Ding-Dong" but would prefer another vocal lead. Dragon Records forced them to take a singer named Richard Owens to record and forced them to change their name as The Bing Bongs and renames Richard Owens "Dicky Dell". The single of Dicky Dell & The Bing Bongs is released at the end of 1959. Manager of the group sold the demos of the two songs originally recorded by The Troys to the Okeh label who released the Single in the summer of 1959. The Lead Singer of the Troys, Lou DeMarco is probably the same artist who recorded two singles in 1956 and 1957 on The Ferris Label and with The Four Chimes on "It Grows, It Grows, It Grows."

Songs :

Dicky Dell & The Bing Bongs

  
            Cling                                      Ding-A-Ling-Ding-Dong

The Troys

  
         Cling                                     Ding-A-Ling-Ding-Dong

Lou Demarco

  
Careless Love                                  My Lady Fair

...

Caleb & The Playboys (7) (Columbus, Ohio)

Personnel :

Caleb Talbot

Discography :

1963 - I'm Yours / See About Me (Olimpic 4575)

Biography :

In 1963, producer Phil Gary created one of the more interesting vocal group recordings to come out of Columbus when he paired organist Caleb Talbot and the Emporers, a group whose membership seems to have been rather fluid, on "I'm Yours" backed with "See About Me." He called the result Caleb and the Playboys, but by all accounts it was not typical of the type of material Talbot usually did.

Songs :

   
I'm Yours                                              See About Me

 ..

The Cherokees (1) (Philadelphia) 
aka The Cobras (2)

Personnel:

Russel Carter (Lead)

Melvin Story

Karl English (First tenor)

George Pounds (Bass)

Discography :

The Cherokees (1)
1954 - Rainbow of love / I had a thrill (Grand 106/Lost nite 321)
1954 - Please tell me so / Remenber when? (Grand 109/Lost nite 325)
1963 - Brenda / By the Candlelight (Lost nite 379/Grand 111)

The Cobras (2)
1964 - La la (hey baby) / Goodbye Molly (Casino 1309/Swan 4176)
1964 - Thumpin' / Don't ever know your name (Monogram 519)

Biography :

The Cherokees got together in 1949-1950. They were trained vocalists who were also able to dance, read music,and perform comedy. They did not do the corner singing that most other groups did — their parents would not permit it.They made several chaperoned appearances at local Philadelphia nightspots in 1949 through 1952.In 1954 they won a Philadelphia talent contest over every other amateur group in town.

They won with what is now known as "Please Tell Her So." The prize was a recording contract with Grand Records. And record they did! Tenor Thomas Lee joined the Cherokees on Grand 109. Following Story's draft notification and their second release on Grand, the remaining four Cherokees enlisted in the army in 1954.

     
Billy Taylor                                                              

In 1964 Billy Taylor (The Castelles) was recording for Swan Records in Philadelphia. Needing a backup group, he found English, Story, Thomas Lee, and Pete Kevin, a bass. They recorded "La La" for Swan as the Cobras.
Mitch Rosalsky (Enyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Doo-Wop vocal Groups)

Songs :


   
Rainbow of love                              Please tell me so

   
Remenber when?                                 Brenda

   
 I had a thrill                                          By the Candlelight

...

 The Demensions (Bronx, New York)   
(With Hans-Joachim)

Personnel :

Lenny Del Giudice (Lenny Dell) (Lead)

Howard Margolin 

Uncle Phil Del Giudice 

Marisa Martelli

Discography : 

Singles : 

1960 - Over The Rainbow / Nursery Rhyme Rock (Mohawk 116)
1960 - Don't Take Your Love From Me / Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart (Mohawk 120)
1960 - Ave Maria / God's Christmas (Mohawk 121)
1960 - A Tear Fell / Theresa (Mohawk 123)
1961 - Count Your Blessings / Again (Coral 62277)
1961 - As Time Goes By / Seven Days A Week (Coral 62293/65611)
1962 - Young At Heart / Your Cheatin' Heart (Coral 62323)
1963 - My Foolish Heart / Just One More Chance (Coral 62344)
1963 - Fly Me To The Moon / You'll Never Know (Coral 62359)
1963 - Just A Shoulder To Cry On / Don't Worry About Bobby (Coral 62382)
1963 - Don't Cry, Pretty Baby / A Little White Gardenia (Coral 62392)
1964 - This Time Next Year / My Old Girl Friend (Coral 62432)
1966 - Over The Rainbow / Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart (Coral 65559)
1966 - As Time Goes By / My Foolish Heart (Coral 65611) 

 Unreleased :
n/a - Sweet Georgia Brown

Lps : 

1963 - Again / Your Cheatin' Heart / My Foolish Heart / Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart / Take My Love / Just One More Chance / As Time Goes By / Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep / Over The Rainbow / Seven Days A Week / Young At Heart / Nursery Rhyme Rock (Coral LP 757430) 

1987 - 7 Days A Week / Theresa / China Girl (original version, previously unreleased) / God's Christmas / Ava Maria / Searching (previously unreleased) / Nursery Rhyme Rock / Over The Rainbow / I've Been Searching-(Take 6) / Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart / Don't Take Your Love From Me / Teardrops Fell From My Eyes / Take My Love-(Take 11) / Come With Me (previously unreleased, demo version, piano only) (Crystal Ball LP 108)

Eps :
Lenny Del's Demensions
1993 - Over The Rainbow / The Boy From New York City / Unchained Melody / My Foolish Heart (Landford EP 1001)

Biography :

The ultra-talented quartet started at Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx as members of the Melody Singers, ... As the group wanted a name that suggested the depth of their talent, Howie came up with the Demensions, but to be unique he spelled it with an e. They started practicing songs like "In the Still of the Night" (THE FIVE SATINS), and Over the Rainbow". Though they strived for a sound of their own, their sophisticated harmonies and structure showed the influence of THE SKYLINERS and THE PLATTERS.

Often rehearsing at Howie or Lenny's house in the Pelham Parkway-Laconia Avenue sections of the Bronx, The new quartet began getting some help from Lou Dell, a professional trumpet player and father of Lenny. Lou helped to rehearse the group, and when he felt they were ready he brought word of them to his friend Irv Spice, owner of Mohawk Records (distributed by Laurie).

They auditioned right in Lenny's house for Irv, singing "Over the Rainbow," and the mesmerized Spice set a date to record in April at Dick Charles Studios. One week before the session Charlie Peterson decided to drop out to more seriously pursue his education. A desperate Lenny asked his parents what to do and they calmly responded, "Call Uncle Phil."

 Lenny at first thought his parents were crazy. After all, Uncle Phil was twice his age (though he looked very young) Besides, he wouldn't want to sing rock and roll! He finally called, and to his shock his uncle was flattered and eager to join. Thus the recording Demensions became Lenny (17, lead and second tenor), Marisa ( 18, soprano), Howie (18, baritone/bass), and Uncle Phil Del Giudice (34, first tenor). In May 1960 the unique block-harmony, Garland's 1939 number five hit "Over the Rainbow" came out and immediately started getting airplay in the East. By July 4, 1960, the Demensions had become the first act in 21 years to hit the national charts with it .

After the fourth single, Mohawk made the unusual move of selling the group's contract to Coral Records. On June 9, 1961, the Demensions began recording their first session of three songs with producer/arranger Henry Jerome.  Coral envisioned a return to standards, so the first single was a shuffling, "Rainbow"-styled ballad version of the Doris Day 1949 (#2) hit "Again" with Irving Berlin's "Count your blessing Instead of Sheep" on the flip. "Again" the harmonies were impeccable and the off-the-melody arrangement unique to the Demensions' style, but Coral couldn't sell it to the kids.

The same held true for their November 1961 release of the Rudy Vallee 1931 number 15 (and 1943 #1) hit "As Time Goes By" and the July 1962 single of Frank Sinatra's 1954 number two hit "Young at Heart."
Coral might have done better promoting the flip, a rock harmony effort that revitalized the Hank Williams country hit "Your Cheatin' Heart" and gave the first indication after seven singles that the Demensions could do something other than a ballad. In January 1963 Henry Jerome finally came up with a standard that could mix the old and new workably.

With a "shoo do and shooby do" background right out of the Five Satins' "In the Still of the Night," a brilliant Lenny Dell lead, Marisa's dominating soprano riding the top, and the best overall harmonies since THE SKYLINERS,  "My Foolish Heart" filled East Coast radios and managed to muster  enough action to finally chart on March 2nd, reaching number 95. Two more excellent outings followed in May, a remake of Joe Harnell's 1963 hit ( #14) "Fly Me to the Moon," complete with "ra ta tas" from the Elegants "Little Star", and a rockin version of the Mack Gordon/Harry Warren-scribed Sinatra song (#2, 1943) "You'll Never Know.

 From this point through 1965 the group recorded mostly originals like "A Little White Gardenia" and their last single, "Ting Aling Ting Toy (China Girl)." Conspicuous was the absence of Marisa's top notes; she had left the group to get married toward the end of 1963.  The threesome of Lenny Dell, Phil Del Giudice, and Howie Margolin continued performing mostly at hotels and resorts throughout New York state and in the Catskill Mountains.
Jay Warner (American singing groups)   

Songs :  

   
A tear Fell                                     Theresa  

   
My Foolish Heart                           Seven Days A Week  

   
Just A Shoulder To Cry On                    Again    

...

   
(paste-up picture) Left to right : Hughes, Ford, Williams, Byrd.
 

The Jets (2)  (Watts, Los Angeles)
aka The Hollywood Flames

Personnel :

David Ford

Bobby Byrd

Leon Hughes

Curtis Williams


Discography :

1953 - Volcano / Gomen Nasai (7-11  2102)
1954 - I'll Hide My Tears / Got A Little Shadow (Aladdin 3247)


Biography :

The Flames  (David Ford, Bobby Byrd, Leon Hughes, and Curtis Williams) started their Aladdin career in December 1952 by backing up Patty Anne.

Issued on Aladdin's 7-11 subsidiary in March 1953: "Volcano" and "Gomen Nasai" (both led by David Ford). On this record they're billed (for unknown reasons) as the "Jets." In May 1954, Aladdin issued a couple of their older masters (once again as the "Jets"): "I'll Hide My Tears" /"Got A Little Shadow".

http://www.uncamarvy.com/HollywoodFlames/hollywoodflames.html




Songs :

   
Volcano                                          I'll Hide My Tears

 ...