Joe Lewis, Charles Taggart and Stan Beverly

The Tuxedos  (Los Angeles)
aka The Hollywood Saxons

 Personnel :

Stan Beverly (Lead)

Joe Lewis (Baritone)

Charles Taggart (Bass)

Discography :

1960 - Yes It's True  / Trouble, Trouble (Forte 1414)



Biography :

The Hollywood Saxons were longtime mainstays of the Los Angeles R&B circuit, performing under a series of names during their checkered recording career.  After woodshedding for more than a year, the (Hollywood) Saxons finally began playing live, and in 1958 signed to the tiny Our label for "Please Be My Love Tonight." At year's end they signed with the Contender label, already home to a rival Saxons led by the R&B pioneer Jesse Belvin -- producer George Motola simply renamed his newest act the Capris for 1959's "Endless Love," issued on his Tender subsidiary.  When the record failed to generate much excitement, the Saxons/Capris again moved on, this time signing to Capitol for "Close to You," credited to the Portraits. As if the waters weren't muddied enough, in September 1960 the trio of Beverly, Lewis, and Taggart convened as the Tuxedos to cut "Trouble" for Motola's Forte label. From now on, they would [ always be known as the "Hollywood Saxons."
http://www.uncamarvy.com/HollywoodSaxons/hollywoodsaxons.html

Songs :

  
Yes It's True                                      Trouble, Trouble


….

Gary Faulkner & The Hightowers (Los Angeles, Ca.)


Personnel :

Gary Faulkner (Lead)

Rachel Reyes

Anita Garcia

Barbara Garcia

Ann Hernandez



Discography :

1960 - Everybody Wants To Know / Country Boy (Rendezvous 119)



Biography :

Mixed Vocal group formed by five students in 1957. The group include Rachel Reyes, a senior at San Bernardino High School, Anita Garcia, a freshman at San Bernardino Valley College, Gary Faulkner, alumnus of Banning High School, Barbara Garcia, sophomore at Santa Barbara High School and Mary Ann Hernandez, a senior at Santa Barbara High School.

  
                                                              L to R : Rachel Reyes, Anita Garcia, Gary Faulkner, Barbara Garcia and Ann Hernandez.

The group has sung together for the past three years and Gary Faulkner & The Hightowers appeared on the March of Dimes show, as well as on TV. The Group cut two song early 1960 . According to Billboard (March 28, 1960) - "Rendezvous Records has acquired the master of "Everybody" and "I"m Just A Country Boy", by Gary Faulkner and The Hightowers originally released on the for Sutter label in California."



Songs :

  
Everybody Wants To Know                         Country Boy             



...

The Dootones (2) (Los Angeles, CA)
aka The Creators (2)

 Personnel :

Gentry Bradley (Bass / Baritone)

Gerald Middleton (Tenor)

Hillary Conedy

Royal Dillard



Discography :

The Creators (2)
1961 - I've Had You / Drafted, Volunteered, Enlisted (Dootoo 463)
1962 - Too Far To Turn Around / Hello There, Mister Gravedigger (Dore 635)

The Dootones (2)
Singles :
1962 - Strange Love Affair / The Day You Said Goodbye (Dooto 470)
1962 - Sailor Boy / Down The Road (The Dootones 1) (Dooto 471)
Unreleased :
1962 - If You Were My Darling (Dooto) (Unreleased)



Biography :

Formed in the Compton area of Los Angeles in 1960, The Creators rehearsed one of Perry's love ballads, "I've had you" and sent a tape of it to Dootsie Williams. Williams called the guys and had them come down to sessions man Austin McCoy's studio at 135th and Avalon. The Group cut "I've Had You" b/w "Drafted, Volunteered, Enlisted".

     
Dootsie Williams                                                                                 

The record sold pretty well around L.A and the Creators played the Pacific Ballroom in San Diego, The Moulin Rouge and Palladium on Sunset Boulevard, The Long Beach Arena, and The El Monte Legion Stadium where masquerading as The Penguins we backed Cleve Duncan. In September 1962, a neighbourhood entrepreneur named Danny Merlin operating from his home on Western Avenue, Los Angeles, introduced the quintet to Bedell who signed them on the strength of 'Too Far To Turn Around'.

  
Top Lt to Rt . Gentry Bradley , Thomas Harris Bottom Lt. To Rt. Donald Neal, Charles Perry, Gerald Middlelton

This featured Charles Perry and Hillary Conedy (who replace Donald Neal) handling the lead and falsetto parts respectively, supported by Gentry Bradley, Tom Harris and Gerald Middleton - all five being named on the contract. After the single failed to chart, Charles Perry then broke away to record a solo single for the obscure Melic label owned by songwriter Jessie Mae Robinson.

Following their reformation with some replacement, Gentry Bradley, Gerald Middleton and Hillary Conedy along with Royal Dillard sang with Dootsie Williams' new group The L.A. Ebbs. Williams renamed them the Dootones, and seven years after the first group, put two more singles.
http://aln3.albumlinernotes.com/The_Dore_Story__Volume_1.html
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Dootones/dootones.html

Songs :

The Creators (2)

     
I've Had You           Drafted, Volunteered, Enlisted       Too Far To Turn Around


Hello There, Mister Gravedigger

The Dootones (2)


Strange Love Affair / The Day You Said Goodbye

  
Sailor Boy                      If You Were My Darling

 ...

The Von Gayles : Stacy Steel Jr., Jimmy Washington and Joe Brackenridge

The Von Gayles (Chicago)
aka The Cascades (1)


Personnel :

Joe Brackenridge (Lead)

Stacy Steel Jr. (First Tenor)

Willie Dial "Willie Wright" (Second Tenor)

Willie Daniels (Baritone)

James " Doolaby" Wright (Bass)


Discography :

The Von Gayles
1959 - Loneliness / The Twirl (USA 1221)
1960 - The Twirl / Crazy Dance (Dore 544)

The Cascades (1)
1964 - Pains In My Heart / Only One I Can Spare (Mc Cormick 105/Renee 105)


Biography :

The Von Gayles got their start around 1956. The members of the group were lead singer Joe Brackenridge, Stacy Steele Jr., Jimmy Washington,  Willie C. Robinson and Charles Johnson. The Von Gayles eventually made contact with Woodtate Anderson, a go-getter in the music business, and he brought the group under the management of the Impressions'manager, Eddie Thomas. Anderson and Thomas were instrumental in getting the group on record, having them sign with the USA label. The label was owned by a Milwaukee pop deejay, Lee Rothman. Following the pattern of most groups of the era, the Von Gayles recorded four sides during their first session, held at Universal Recording. But as it turned out, the Von Gayles who performed on the records were more of an ad hoc group. Charles Johnson was temporarily separated from the group due to a spat and Jimmy Washington was working on the day of the session.

The Cascades: Charles Johnson,Henry Brackenridge, Willie C. Robinson,Stacy Steel. Front Joe Brackenridge.

So Joe Brackenridge and Stacy Steele were joined by second tenor Willie Dial  (Willie Wright), baritone Willie Daniels, and bass James " Doolaby" Wright. The three ad hoc members had actually been a part of an earlier  group from the near North Side, the Serenades. USA put out only two sides, "Loneliness" and " The Twirl" around 1959. In 1960 Dore Records, owned by Lou Bedell and headquartered in Hollywood, California, picked up two Von Gayles sides, "The Twirl" and "Crazy Dance," but achieved no better luck. The group played a few gigs in Chicago and even appeared on a television show in Milwaukee — via the Rothman connection — but their fame, such as it was, was fleeting. Joe Brackenridge and company cooled their heels for a while before appearing again on record. In 1964 the group, now calling themselves the Cascades cut "Pains In My Heart" b/w "Only One I Can Spare". The group now consisted of Joe Brackenridge, Stacy Steel Jr., Willie C. Robinson, Henry Brackernridge and Charles Johnson.
THE CHICAGO SCENE by Robert Pruter


Songs :

The Von Gayles

      
Loneliness                                 The Twirl                           Crazy Dance


The Cascades (1)

  
Pains in my Heart                           Only One I Can Spare


…

Lacille Watkins & The Belltones (3) (Newark, New Jersey)

Personnel :

Lacille Watkins (Lead)


Discography :

1956 - His Hand In Mine / Maybe You'll Be There (Kapp 145)


Biography :

Born in Newark (New Jersey) in 1923, La Cille Christine Watkins started her musical career as a gospel and opera singer.  Her long time partner in songwriting and music was Wilbur Bell who also recorded as Johnny Bell (Cecil and Fleetwood Records).

  

Together, they recorded spirituals as by the Watkins-Bell Singers for Bandwagon Records (and Arlington, its folk and race subisidary) in the late forties.   LaCille Watkins had also at least two releases under her own name.  The first on Jaguar Records backed by the Volumes. The second on Kapp, backed by the Belltones.
http://oldwax.blogspot.fr/2013/10/dry-bones.html



Songs :


Maybe You'll Be There / His Hand In Mine

...