The Angels (5)  (Los Angeles)
aka The Safaris aka The Suddens aka The Enchanters (5) aka The Dories (1)

Personnel :

Jim Stephens (Lead)

Marv Rosenberg

Richard Clasky

Sheldom Briar

Discography:

1959 - A Lover's Poem (To Him) / A Lover's Poem (From Her) (Tawny 101)

Biography :

When Sandy, The Dories' female lead, decided marriage was more fun than singing, the boys replaced her with San Fernando vocalist Jimmy Stephens, who had graduated Van Nuys High School. The Dories became the Angels and in 1959, "A Lover's Poem (To Her)" was recorded with Darlene Love & the Blossoms backing the Angels, with Herb Albert on trumpet.

 
                                                                                                            Bilijean

The Angels managed to do a variety of San Bernardino record hops and came to the attention of Eldo Records. In April 1960 "Image of a Girl", with its clock intro sound (made by hitting two ends of wooden block), was released by the newly christened Safaris and on June 6th charted on Billboard's Hot 100. The female lead singer of "A Lover's Poem (From Her) is Bilijean aka Billie Jean Kunkel aka Bee Jee Kunkel.

Songs :
(Update By Hans-Joachim)

    
A Lover's Poem (To Him)                    A Lover's Poem (From Her)

...

The Voices (1) (Los Angeles)


Personnel :

Bobby Byrd

Earl Nelson


Discography :

 The Voices (1)
1955 - Two Things I Love / Why (Cash 1011)
1955 - Hey Now / My Love Grows Stronger (Cash 1014)
1955 - Takes Two To Make A Home / I Want To Be Ready (Cash 1015)

1955 - Santa Claus Boogie / Santa Claus Baby (Cash 1016) 



Ravon Darnell & The Voices (1)
1955 -  One Of These Mornings / I'll Be Back (Million 2015)

Biography :

Bobby Byrd recorded with the Voices. These were duets between him and tenor Earl Nelson, with Bobby overdubbing a third voice. While that's probably true on some of the cuts, baritone Jules Castron is a third voice on some of them.

All Voices leads were by Bobby Byrd, with the exception of "Takes Two To Make A Home" (led by Earl Nelson), "Two Things I Love" (Bobby and Earl duet lead), and "Santa Claus Baby" (all).

Around July 1955, the Voices backed up Ravon Darnell, on Million Dollar: "One Of These Mornings"/ "I'll Be Back."
http://www.uncamarvy.com/HollywoodFlames/hollywoodflames.html


Songs :

The Voices (1)

   
My Love Grows Stronger                                 Why

   
Santa Claus Boogie                      I Want To Be Ready

   
Two Things I Love                         Santa Claus Baby

   
Hey Now                                  Takes Two To Make A Home

Ravon Darnell & The Voices (1)

   
One Of These Mornings                I'll Be Back

...

Paul Himmelstein (top), Henri Eli, Henry Jackson & Bobby Higgs

 The Heartbreakers (2) (Bronx, New York)

 

Personnel:

Paul Himmelstein (Lead Singer)

Henry "Stoney" Jackson (First Tenor)

Bobby Higgs (Second Tenor)

Henri Eli (Baritone)

Discography :

1957 - One, Two, I Love You / Without A Cause (Vik 0261)
1957 - Love You Til The Day I Diel / My love (Vik 0299)
1959 - Come Back My Love / Jenny Lee (the Students) (Fordharm 109)

Biography :

Paul Himmelstein was discovered as a talented child star in 1952. By 1954, he joined up with the other members off the heartbreakers. Himmelstein was thirteen years of age at the time. The others were sixteen and seventeen.

Eleven-year-old Paul Himmelstein appearing in 1952 on NYC's WPIX television show, "Talents For Tomorrow)

 After the group appeared and won four weeks in a row at the Apollo's amateur night contest, RCA's Vik Records subsidiary signed the Heartbreakers to a recording contract. Vik recordings is the replacement name for RCA Victor's "X" which operated from April 20, 1953 to September 10, 1955 when the name change occurred. It was later abandoned by RCA (Probably somewhere in the late '60s) but was "revived" in 1998 by BMG Music Canada Inc.

  
At The Apollo Theater, 1957

Vik released two discs by the group and then tried to convoke Himmelstein to leave them and go solo. Loyalty would not allow him to do this. However, the group broke up soon after anyway.

Henri Eli, Paul Himmelstein, Henry Jackson & Bobby Higgs

Come Back, My Love written by Bobby Lee Mansfield performed by The Heartbreakers recorded circa March 1956 issued on the album, "A Night At The Apollo - Recorded Live at the Apollo Theatre, Harlem," part of Vanguard's Theatre Showcase series (VRS-9006), in April 1956 From the Bronx.

At The Apollo Theater, 1957

  In 1961, Henry "Stoney" Jackson replaced  Delmar Goggins in The V-Eights with Bobby Thomas, Roosevelt McDuffie , Tony Maples and Frank Hosendove.  This new V-Eights recorded four songs: "Everything That You Said," "Guess What," "Let's Take A Chance," and "Hot Water."

Songs :

  
Without A Cause                         One, Two, I Love You

  
My Love                                         Love You Till


Come BackMy Love

...

Top : McKinley Anthony,  Eugene Williams - Bottom : Paul Long, Randy Hamilton

The Cruisers (3) (Washington, D.C.)
Ref : The Strollers (4)

Personnel :

Eugene Williams (Lead)

Paul Long

McKinley Anthony (Second Tenor)

Randy Hamilton

Discography :

The Cruisers

 (3)
1960 - If I Knew / Miss Fine (V-Tone 207)
1960 - Cryin' Over You / Don't Tease Me (V-Tone 213)
1967 - I Need You So / Take A Chance (Gamble 207)
1969 - Picture Us / Mink and Sable Mable (Gamble 4000)  

Herb Johnson bb The Cruisers (3)
 1960 - Guilty / Have You Heard (Len 1007 )

 Bunny Sigler bb The Cruisers (3)
1962 - Happy Dance / Hold On (V-Tone 500)

The Strollers (4)
1961 - Come on Over / There's No One But You (Carlton 546) 

Biography :

The Cruisers from Philadelphia, PA never had a significant record. Patterning themselves after the Harptones, group leader Gene Williams, Randy Hamilton, Paul Long, and McKinley Anthony began recording on V-Tone Records. The deal resulted in two single releases in 1960: "Miss Fine" b/w "If I Knew," and "Don't Tease Me" b/w "Crying Over You;" the latter got pegged for mass distribution two years later by Guyden Records only to die a second time. 

Herb Johnson was the most notable single artist who sang for Len/V-Tone/Palm. Herb's first single for Len was "Guilty" "Have You Heard" released in the spring of 1960, According to Johnson, he was backed by the cruisers from Washington, D.C. who handled vocal harmonies. Eugene Williams form the Strollers with new personnel in 1961.  Their sole Carlton release,  "Come on Over" , made a fleeting appearance on the hot 100 that April but Carlton did not issue a follow-up and the new group soon floundered .

Five years passed before their next deal in 1967 with Gamble Records, who were charting with the Intruders' records. "I Need You So" b/w "Take A Chance," reeked with sentiment but despite its charm didn't sell, and the Cruisers languished for nearly three years before their final release. Bunny Sigler brought the Cruisers' doo-wop skills out the closet with "Picture Us" b/w "Mink and Sable Mable," but Gamble Records only seem able to get hits on Sonny & the Intruders; while others including Ruth McFadden, the Jaggerz, the Futures, the Butlers, and the Epsilons always came up empty. Sigler later cut a solo version of "Picture Us" on Philadelphia International Records, and the Cruisers went on with their lives.
http://devildick.blogspot.com/2011/11/cruisers-if-i-knew-miss-fine.html

Songs :

The Cruisers (3)

 
If I Knew                                     Miss Fine

 
Cryin' Over You                            Don't Tease Me

 Herb Johnson bb The Cruisers (3)

  
Guilty                                             Have You Heard

 The Strollers (4)

  
There's No One But You                           Come on Over      
 

...