Bobby Darin & The Jaybirds (New York)




Personnel :

Bobby Darin




Discography :

Connie Francis & The Jaybirds
1956 - My First Real Love / Believe In Me (MGM 902)

Bobby Darin & The Jaybirds
1956 - Rock Island Line / Timber (Decca 29883)
1956 - Blue Eyed Mermaid / Silly Willie (Decca 29922)



Biography :

In January 1956, Don Krischner and Bobby Darin approached George Sheck, Connie Francis' then Manager, with a song for the young singer.

Bobby Darin & Connie Francis

Bobby Darin wrote "My First Real Love", which led to their first encounter. Darin was "The Jaybirds", who were credited as background vocals. The choir effect was reached by Darin recording his part several times in different keys. However, the single failed to chart.

The Same Week Bobby had signed with Decca Records who thought he had real star potential. Again, on his first singles, Bobby sang all the Vocals as the Jaybirds.


Songs :

Connie Francis & The Jaybirds

  
My First Real Love                   Believe In Me

Bobby Darin & The Jaybirds

     
Rock Island Line / Timber            Silly Willie                Blue Eyed Mermaid

CDs :

Arthur Conley

Arthur & The Corvets (4) (Atlanta, Georgia)
aka The Corvetts (2)

Personnel :

Arthur Conley (lead)

Eddie Davis

Hubert Kimbrough

Mark Chapman

Discography :

Arthur & The Corvets (4)
1964 - Poor Girl / Darling I Love You (Na-R-Co 203)
1964 - Miracles / I Believe (Na-R-Co 232 / NRC 2781)
1964 - Aritha / Flossie Mae (Na-R-Co 2871)

The Corvetts (2)
1965 - I'm Going To Cry / You're Blue (Moon 100)

Biography :

Born January 4, 1946, in McIntosh, GA, and raised in Atlanta, Conley was just 12 years old when he joined the Evening Smiles, a gospel group that appeared regularly on local radio station WAOK. Arthur joined a secular band named the Corvets and composed by Eddie Davis, Hubert Kimbrough & Mark Chapman. Arthur became their lead singer. Named Arthur & The Corvets, the group recorded "Poor Girl" and "Darling I Love You" both written by Arthur. The single was released by the Atlanta label National Recording Company in April 1964. The label will release a second single a few months later with "Miracles" b/w "I Believe". But, the NRC singles attracted little attention and Arthur left the group to mount a solo career. The group without its leader continues to record and the label released "Aritha" and "Flossie Mae" will be released shortly after retaining the name of "Arthur & The Corvets". Under the name of Corvetts a last single will be released in 1965 by Moon Records with "I'm Going To Cry" b/w "You're Blue".

Songs :

Arthur & The Corvets (4)

  
    Poor Girl                                     Darling I Love You

  
Miracles                                   I Believe

The Corvetts (2)

  
I'm Going To Cry                                       You're Blue  

...

The Avons (3) (Nashville, Tennessee)
aka Jenny & The Jewels (6) ???
 (By Hans-Joachim)

Personnel :

Paula Hester

Beverly Bard

Fran Bard

 

Discography:

The Avons (3)
Singles:
1963 - Push A Little Harder / Oh, Gee Baby (Groove 58-022)
1963 - Rolling Stone / Words Written On Water (Groove 58-033)
1964 - Whatever Happened To Our Love / Tonight Kiss Your Baby Goodbye (Groove 58-0039)
1966 - Be Good To Your Baby / Just As Long As I Live (Sound Stage 7  2561)
1967 - Talk To Me / Got To Get Used To You (A-Bet  9419)
1968 - Since I Met You Baby / He's My Hero (Excello 2296)
1968 - Tell Me Baby (Who Would I Be) / A Sample Of My Love (Ref-O-Ree 700)

Unreleased:
1963 - A Fool / I’ve Got More Love / The Pig  (Groove)
1964 - How Many Tears Til Tomorrow / Don’t Stop / Come Out Dancin’ / Every Little Beat (Groove)
1968 - I Would If I Could (Excello)
1968 - Tell Me Baby (Who Would I Be) (Alternate Take) (Ref-O-Ree)

Jenny & The Jewels (6) (rumoured to be The Avons)
1964 - Baby Love / Baby Don't You Do It (Leroy Jones)  (Hit 153)
1966 - Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart / It's A Man's, Man's World (Leroy Jones)  (Hit 257)
1967 - In And Out Of Love / Everlasting Love (Steve Miller) (Hit 313 )



Biography:

The Avons were formed by Paula Hester, Beverly Bard and her sister  Fran Bard while at Pearl High School, Nashville. They started out on RCA's Groove label in 1963, moved to Sound Stage 7 in 1966, then to Excello in 1967 releasing their last single on Ref-O-Ree. The first single released in 1963 was "Push A Little Harder". Single number two "Rolling Stone" was published in 1964 by Excellorec, the publishing arm of Nashville's Excello label. The group were dropped by RCA apparently because their 2nd and third singles were not as successful as their 1st.

The group were still working with John "Bucky" Wilkin, leader of Ronny and the Daytonas. His co-writer Bobby Russell (also of the Daytonas) had contacts with Monument Records and got them a deal with their subsidiary Sound Stage 7......resulting with the single "Be Good To Your Baby" in 1966. The Sound Stage 7 single didn't work as well as expected so Bob Holmes got the group a contract with Excello Records where he worked as a staff producer.  Excello put the group on their subsidiary A-Bet and produced the single "Talk To Me" in 1967. For the next single the group was promoted to the main Excello Label and had their next single issued in 1968. "He's My Hero" was co-written by Bob Holmes and former Ikette Joshie Armstead. This was the last work they did with Excello.

      
"Night Train To Nashville"                                                                  

 In 1968 The Avons and veteran producer Ted Jarrett were picked to launch the newly formed Ref-O-Ree label. "Tell Me Baby (Who Would I Be) their 1st and last single with the label and was the group's last known work. In the UK, the single was released as by The Novas, so as not to confuse with the British group. The Avons each recorded for the Ref-O-Ree label of Nashville. Both acts also recorded cover versions of charted records for the local budget Hit label. Rumored The Avons used the monicker Jenny & The Jewels...

http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/avons.htm



Songs :

     
Push A Little Harder                Oh, Gee baby                   Rolling Stone

     
Words Written On Water    Whatever Happened To Our Love   Be Good To Your Baby

     
Tonight Kiss Your Baby Goodbye     Just As Long As I Live          Talk To Me

       
Since I Met You Baby         Tell Me Baby (Who Would I Be)     I Would If I Could

Got To Get Used To You

...

The Boulevards (Queens, new-York) 

Personnel :

Frankie Zazo

Lou Adessa

Jim Alessandria

Bobby Thomas

Ralph Lasher

Discography :

Singles :
1959 - Delores / Chop Chop In The Wall (Everest 19316)

Unreleased:
1959 - A Place In Your Heart
1959 - Angel
1959 - Don't Cry
1959 - You Better Admit It
1959 - Jezebel
1959 - Heavenly Father
1959 - Glory Of Love

Biography :

The Boulevards were produced by Bayside, Queens, New York record entrepreneur Jerry Love. Jerry owned a record store in Bayside, and produced/managed a number of vocal groups. The Boulevards, were local boys, Frankie Zazzo, Lou Adessa, Jim Alessandria, Bobby Thomas and Ralph Lasher.

Jerry Love placed their only released effort with the Everest label in 1958. The Fascinations, from Akron, Ohio, came to Jerry Love in 1960 with their tape of Midnight and Doom Bada Doom, which Jerry "polished" with some strings and gave to Eddie Rasbaum for release on his Sure label.

Jordan and The Fascinations

Lack of success caused the group to return to Ohio, but Jerry matched up their lead singer, Jordan Christopher, with the Boulevards to form a new group - Jordan and The Fascinations.
http://www.geocities.ws/doo_wop_gino/jordan.htm

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)
     
Delores                 Chop Chop In The Wall                       Jezebel 

     
A Place In Your Heart                Angel                    Better Admit It

     
Don't Cry                       Glory Of Love                Heavenly Father

...

Top: James Williams ,James Bailey; Bottom: Donald Coles, James Zeke Brown, Paul Morgan.

The Calvaes (Chicago)

Personnel :

James "Zeke" Brown (Lead)

James Bailey

Paul Morgan

Donald "Duck" Coles

Donald Handley

Discography :

The Calvaes
1956- Fine Girl / Mambo Fiesta (Cobra 5003)
1957 - Born With Rhythm / Lonely, Lonely Village (Cobra 5014)

Oscar Boyd & The Calvaes
1959 - Anna Macora / So bad (Checker 928)

Biography :

The Calvaes was a little young group out of the Dearborn Homes, on the Twenty-ninth and thirtieth blocks of state street. They came under the management of Ted Daniels, one of the top guys then working with groups. Cobra Records was started on Chicago's West Side in 1956 by Eli Toscano . Toscano chose to release four sides on the group. The first pairing was two jumps, "Fine Girl" and "Mambo Fiesta," in which the group sing well on routine material.

The Calvaes  played the Jim Lounsbury Memorial Auditorium show in September 1956 and the Fitzhugh Thanksgiving show at the Trianon that year, sharing the stage with the other Cobra acts. They were able to play at two Sam Evans promotions: in September 1956, at a prestigious show at the Trianon, where they were on the bill with Ray Charles, Chuck Willis, J. B. Lenore, and Nate Nelson , and in February 1957, at a midnight show at the Central Park Theater, sharing the bill with Andre Williams, Jimmy Rogers, John Lee Hooker, Kool Gents, and Otis Rush .

 In July, Cobra released a second pairing, again two jumps, "Born with Rhythm" and "Lonely Lonely Village," both sides written by Daniels. The Calvaes were able to linger for a couple more years, and they got a record out on Chess in 1958, "Anna Macora" backed by "So Bad." "Anna Macora" made the Cobra sides sound like masterpieces, and "So Bad," in which the artists were billed as "Oscar Boyd and the Calvaes" . Robert Pruter (Doo wop, The Chicago scene)

Songs :

The Calvaes

   
Born With Rhythm / Lonely, Lonely Village       Fine Girl / Mambo Fiesta

Oscar Boyd & The Calvaes

   
Anna Macora                                             So Bad

 ...