The Ripples (San Bernardino, Ca)

Personnel :

Issac Woods (Lead)

Albert Ingram

Robert Washington

Joseph Lee

Discography :

1963 - The Battle Of Love /  Please Let Me love You  (Bond 1479)

Biography :

Quartet from San Bernardino, the Wings, men all stationed at March Air Force base, won the strategy Air Command talent contest for the West Coast and finished second in the World semi-finals in Mexico City.

The Wings : Albert Ingram, James Garrett, William Simpson, Joseph Lee and Issac Woods...

The Quartet won a contract from Liberty Records in Hollywood and with some personnel change, cut two sides "The Battle Of Love" b/w "Please Let Me love You" .

  
Albert Ingram, Robert Washington, Joseph Lee, Issac Woods, Mary Jo Loins (Fan Club) and Johnny Blanton (Manager)

in 1963, both titles are released on Bond Records under the name of The Ripples.

Songs :

  
  The Battle Of Love                         Please Let Me love You

 ...

The Domineers (1) (Queens, NY)

Personnel :

Jimmy Ognibene (Lead)

Jim Sacco (First Tenor)

Frankie Lombraia (Second Tenor) 

John Camera "Apples" (Baritone)

Charlie Mazza (Bass / Baritone)

Discography :

1960 - Nothing Can Go Wrong / Richie, Come On Down (Roulette 4245)

Biography :

Jimmy Ognibene and Charlie Mazza sang with the Domineers and asked Jimmy Sacco, John Camera and Frankie Lombraia who sang with The Majestics to join the group.  They left The Majestics and joined the group back in 1958.

  
Original Domineers with Jimmy Ognibene and Charlie Mazza                                                                                                               

The Domineers sang several times at St Michaels and other clubs in  Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. The group is from Ozone Park, Queens they would sing with the other groups in the area, The Capris, the Admirations and the Quotations. They cut one single "Nothing Can Go Wrong" b/w "Richie, Come On Down" in 1959 on the Roulette label.
Thanks to Jim Sacco

Songs :
updated by Hans-Joachim

 
  
Nothing Can Go Wrong                       Richie, Come On Down

 ...

The Tempo Toppers  (Nashville, Tennessee)




Personnel :

Little Richard (Lead)

Billy Brooks

Barry Lee Gilmore

Jimmy Swann





Discography :

The Tempo Toppers & The Deuces Of Rhythm
1953 - Ain’t That Good News /  Fool At The Wheel (Peacock 1616)

The Tempo Toppers Featuring “Little Richard”
1954 - Rice, Red Beans and Turnip Greens / Always (Peacock 1628)





Biography :

In late 1952 Little Richard had finished up his association with RCA Records when he met the Tempo Toppers in Nashville. The group needed a lead singer, and he was available, so an agreement was made for Richard to become the front man for what would now be a vocal quartet.  After an early gig at the Dew Drop Inn in New Orleans,  they arrived in Houston for an engagement at the Club Matinee, where they met Don Robey, owner of Duke Records / Peacock Records.

   
Little Richard                                                      Don Robey

Apparently Robey liked what he heard and saw, because the group signed a recording contract with him shortly thereafter. On February 23, 1953, the Tempo Toppers recorded four songs at the ACA Studio in Houston with Deuces of Rhythm. They sounded like many of the gospel influenced black vocal groups of the day, and were strongly influenced by the Dominoes and their lead singer at that time, Clyde McPhatter.

Their first single, "Fool at the Wheel", was a regional hit in the south, and the group was very popular in Texas, but could not break out at all nationally. Richard quit the group abruptly in the summer of 1953 and went back home to Macon, Georgia.

Robey eventually issued a second single, "Rice, Red Beans and Turnip Greens", by the group from that February, 1953 recording session (released in March of 1954), but this was long after Richard had left the group. In between that time Richard returned to record a solo session (October 5, 1953) for Robey, backed by the Johnny Otis Orchestra. Those songs were not released until after Little Richard had become a huge star in 1956.



Songs :


Fool At The Wheel / Ain’t That Good News

  
Always                  Rice, Red Beans and Turnip Greens

...

The Val-Aires (Pittsburgh)
aka The Valaires

Personnel :

Bill Burkette (Lead Baritone)

Don Miller (Baritone)

Hugh Geyer (First Tenor)

Chuck Blasko (Second Tenor)

Neil Foster

 

Discography :

Singles :
1959 - Launie, My Love / Which One Will It Be? (Willette 114/Coral 62119/62177)

Unreleased :
1959 - I Go Lookin' For Jeanie (Coral)

1959 - Jolyn (Coral)

 
Biography :

The story began in 1958 at Turtle Creek High School. There were at least four different vocal harmony groups in school, whose members would sing at assemblies or on the street corner. Two groups joined forces - three fellows came from one group, two fellows from the other group.

  
The Val-aires                                                                                                                    

From one group came Burkette, first tenor Hugh Geyer and bass vocal Don Miller. The other group consisted of second tenor Chuck Blasko and another vocalist, Neil Foster.After rehearsing and getting their vocal harmonies to meld properly, they named themselves the Val-Aires and impressed a local producer, Elmer Willett, who later became their manager.

  
                                                                                                         The Vogues

Willett produced the Val-Aires' first release, "Which One Will It Be / Laurie My Love" (Willett 114), and it sold enough copies in Allegheny County that in Coral Records picked it up for national distribution (Coral 62177). 'Which One Will It Be' was just a regional hit, but The Val-Aires then picked up a supporter when the top rock and roll DJ in Pittsburgh, Porky Chedwick, added the group to the rock and roll shows and record hops that his station promoted.

The Vogues

After high school, a couple of the guys got drafted and went into the service, then came out of the service and we got back together again. they did shows with the Drifters, the Platters, the Dells, groups like that when they came into town. Before the Val-Aires could have another hit, Hugh Geyer and Don Miller joined the Army, while the other band members went to college or found jobs in the factories surrounding Turtle Creek. A few years later, the five friends decided to record again. Bill Burkette, Don Miller, Hugh Geyer and Chuck Blasko  became the Vogues.
 

http://ryono.net/xtra/oldies/1968/vogues.htm




Songs :

     
Launie, My Love                  Which One Will It Be?                    Jolyn


I Go Lookin' For Jeanie

...

The Three Dots (1)  (Coraopolis, PA.)

Personnel :

Don Chance (Lead)

Sammy Long

Jim Short

Discography :

Singles :
1959 - Tip Toe / Window Of Love (Buzz 104)

Unreleased :
1959 - Kiss Of Goodbye
1959 - Through The Wind and The Rain
1959 - The Avenue Of Tears
1959 - Toni

Biography :

Vocal trio from Coraopolis formed in 1958 as the Three dots with Don Chance, Sammy Long & Jim Short . They cut on single in New York for Buzz records. The Group has appeared on the Dick Clark show twice, and is gaining in popularity among the teen-age set in a wide area. The group performed a lot of record hops throughout the Pittsburgh area.

  
                                                                                        Don Chance
They Work with The Cobras, a local instrumental trio made up of John Taylor, Dale Diaz & Steve Turkovich who will back the group. The Three Dots also cut two new records in New York the end of Juanary, they are : "Kiss Of Goodbye" with a flip side "Through The Wind and The Rain" and "The Avenue Of Tears" with "Toni". Unfortunately the records were never released.

Songs :

  
Tip Toe                                            Window Of Love
 

….