The New Yorkers (1) (New haven, CT.)

aka The Wildwoods (1)
 aka The Five Satins
ref : The Scarlets
(Thanks to Hans-Joachim)

Personnel :

Fred Parris (Lead)

Wes Forbes (Tenor!

Richie Freeman (Second Tenor)

Lou Peebles (Baritone)

Sylvester Hopkins (Bass)

Discography :

The New Yorkers (1)
1961 - Miss Fine / Dream A Little Dream (Wall 547)
1961 - Tears In My Eyes / A little Bit (Wall 548)

The Wildwoods (1)
1961 - When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano / Heart Of Mine (Caprice 101/102)

Biography :

Led by Fred Parris, the Five Satins were among the preeminent doo wop groups of the era, yet their pop succes was essentially limited to just two hits, the immortal "In The Still Of The Night" (1956) and "To The Aisle" (1957). In 1960, after three years with Ember Record, The Five Satins were signed by Cub, a pop subsidiary of the mighty M-G-M label which was enjoying a hot spell on the charts.  Though expectations were high, M-G-M were unable to break the Group, and when the Five Satins heard they were to be dropped by the label in 1961, Parris and his cohorts went undercover, fetching up on Wall records, an obscure New York label, as the New Yorkers.

"Miss Fine" appeared on the market at the same time as the Five Satins final Cub release, "Golden Earrings". A somewhat sisillusioned Parris reasoned that a name change might lend the group a fresh lease of life - They also moonlighted as the Wildwoods on other Label, Caprice, during this periode before reverting to their original name on some later records. A little raged around the edges, "Miss Fine" sounded like a demo released as a master. While the vocals and especially the song are top notch, "Miss Fine" would have benefited commercialy from better production values.

Songs :

The New Yorkers (1)

   
A Little Bit                               Tears In My Eyes

   
Miss Fine                            Dream A Little Dream

The Wildwoods (1)

    
              Heart Of Mine                 When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano

...

The Whirlwinds (3)  (Phillips, Texas)
aka The Five Bops

Personnel :

Bill Baker

Eugene Richmond

Melvin Webb

H.F. Ritchie

Bill Dees

Gerald Hanners (Guitar)

Discography :

The Five Bops
1959 - Unforgotten Love / Jitterbuggin' (Hamilton 50023)

The Whirlwinds (3)
1961 - Angel Love / The Mountain (Guyden 2052)

Biography :

The group, originally from Phillips, Texas, recorded "Unforgotten Love" b/w "Jitterbuggin'" in 1958 at the Norman Petty Studio in Clovis, New Mexico. Buddy Knox, Jimmy Bowen, Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly had already recorded hits there. The single was released on the Hamilton Label under the name of The Five Bops.

The Five Bops

In 1958, the group consisted of Bill Baker, Bill Dees, Eugene Richmond, Melvin Webb and H.F. Ritchie. H.F. Ritchie sang lead on "Jitterbuggin'" and Bill Dees on "Unforgotten Love".In 1960, the group added Gerald Hanners, as lead guitar player, and changed the name to The Whirlwinds. In 1961 they released another Norman Petty produced record on the Guyden label:"Angel Love" featuring H.F. Ritchie b/w "The Mountain," featuring Bill Dees.

The Whirlwinds (3)

Their records were regional hits but were not nationally successful. The group toured briefly with Roy Orbison, Johnny Tillotson and Mark Dinning. Bill Dees eventually moved to Nashville and became a songwriting & singing partner with Roy Orbison and helped create many of the Orbison classics including "Oh, Pretty Woman" and "It's Over.  The Five Bops/Whirlwinds were among many groups from the Texas Panhandle who recorded at the Norman Petty Studios in the 50's and 60's.

Songs :

The Five Bops

     
Jitterbuggin'                                Unforgotten Love


The Whirlwinds (3)

     
Angel Love                                           The Mountain

…

The Intervals (2) (Los angeles, CA)

Personnel :

La Valle Lee (Lead / Baritone)

Cleve O'Dear (Tenor)

Denise Perrier (Soprano)

Lamonte Lee (Bass)

Discography :

1958 - Try To Realize / Love Me Sweet (Ima 820)
1958 - Please Come Back To Me / Don't Leave Me (Ad 103)
1958 - Side Street / I Still Love That Man (Ad 104/Apt 25019)
1961 - I Envy These Things / What Good Am I Without You (West Coast 2)

Biography :

The Intervals was put together by Selina Rigmaiden at The Jones Artist Agency, managed by Chuck Greer on Haskell Street in Berkeley, sometime in 1958. Selina picked some of the Bay Area's best current talent to form a vocal group who would cover the gamut of Jazz, Pop and R&B. She acquired the services of Denise Perrier, a versatile soprano soloist and lead singer from Los Angeles who replaced an earlier female songster who did not quit work out.

(left to right) La Valle Lee, Lamonte Lee, Denise Perrier & Cleve O'Dear

Denise was born in New Orleans, moved to Baton. Rouge, then on to California when she was five years old. She lived in Oakland and then in Albany where she attended school. In high school she developed her singing and dancing talents. Denise was singing and dancing in a Haitian and Afro-Cuban dance troup when Selina picked her. The other three singers in the group were in place when Denise came aboard. One ofthese was veteran first lead tenor form New York, the late Cleve. O'Dear. This leaves the Lee brothers, La Monte, bass and lead, and La Valle, baritone and lead.

Cleve O'Dear (top) La Valle Lee,  Denise Perrier & Lamonte Lee

 The Intervals appeared at The California Hotel, Esther's Orbit Room in Oakland ( where they appeared most often), at both o'f Don Barksdalels Oakland and Berkeley nights clubs, The Civic Auditorium at the University of the Pacific, The Fairmount Hotel in San Francisco (with Louis Armstrong), a two-week engagement at The New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, The Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas (on Armstrong's recommendation), The stardust Motel in Los Altos, the New Fack, Mark Hopkins Hotel and Station "J" in San francisco and many More…

  
Cleve O'Dear , Denise Perrier, Lamonte Lee & La Valle Lee                                                                                              

The Intervals stayed together for six years during which time they traveled to New York, hollywood and Miami. They also made appearances on the Steve Allen show. The Intervals cut three records, two for the Ad Label and one for West Coast. By ealy1964 work for aspiring black vocal groups in the Bay Aera was in decline,. The Intervals as a group Broke up and returned to separate careers in music.


Songs :

     
Please Come Back To Me                Side Street                I Still Love That Man

  
I Envy These Things         What Good Am I Without You

...

     Left to Right : Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Dino "Bengiamino" Rocco and Danny Whitten

Danny & The Memories (4) (Los Angeles)

Personnel :

Danny Whitten

Billy Talbot

Ralph Molina

Dino "Bengiamino" Rocco

Discography :

1963 - Can't Help Lovin That Girl Of Mine / Don't Go (Valiant 6049)

Biography :

Although he died early in his music career with Crazy Horse, Danny Whitten was the group's original leader and main focus. Not much is known about Whitten's early years, except that he was originally from the East Coast. Whitten met up with future Crazy Horse bandmember Billy Talbot at a Los Angeles club in the mid-'60s, and the duo (neither of whom played instruments at that point) formed a vocal group.

One of the bandmembers, Lou Molina, suggested that the newly formed outfit recruit his cousin Ralph.  They soon added singers Ralph Molina and Ben “Dino” Rocco and became Danny & The Memories, landing a deal with Valiant Records & cut "Can't Help Lovin That Girl Of Mine" b/w "Don't Go" on Valiant 6049.  After the single failed to chart, the group eventually changed styles and members when psychedelic rock became all the rage, with only Whitten, Talbot, and Ralph Molina remaining, they also picked up instruments (Whitten on guitar, Talbot on bass, and Molina on drums). Changing the band's name to the Rockets, the trio enlisted members George and Leon Whitsell (both guitarists), and to give its sound an original twist, electric violinist Bobby Notkoff.


Songs :

   
Can't Help Lovin That Girl Of Mine                       Don't Go                       

….

Ronald & Ruby (Bronx, New York)




Personnel :

Julius Dixon (Ronald)

Beverly Ross (Ruby)




Discography :

1958 - Lollipop / Fickle Baby (RCA 7174)
1958 - Lovebirds / Make A Little Love  (RCA 7252)




Biography :

Beverly Ross was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as a child moved with her family to Lakewood, New Jersey where she learned the piano. While living in The Bronx as a teenager, she began canvassing writers at the Brill Building with some of her songs. The first to be recorded was "Dim, Dim The Lights (I Want Some Atmosphere)", co-written with black songwriter Julius Dixon, which was recorded by Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954 and became a crossover hit in both the pop chart and R&B chart the following year.

  
The Real Ruby (Beverly Ross)                                               

In 1958 she and Dixon wrote one of her most lasting songs, "Lollipop". When Dixon explained that he was late for a songwriting session because his daughter had gotten a lollipop stuck in her hair, Ross began writing the song, and later recorded a demo version with Dixon's neighbor, teenager Ronald Gumm (or Gumps). Dixon, who owned the master and had produced the demo, then agreed to let RCA Records release it as by "Ronald and Ruby".

  
                                                                                       Julius Dixon & the New "Ruby"

The pair's version rose up the chart reaching no.20, but when it was learned that Ronald and Ruby were an inter-racial duo, television appearances that had been previously booked got cancelled. A Teenage black girl replacing the Caucasian Ross place in the publicity stills and on personal appearances. Cover versions by The Chordettes (no.2 in the US) and The Mudlarks (no.2 in the UK) rose higher up the charts, and the song became an international hit.




Songs :

  
Lollipop                                            Fickle Baby

...