The Holidays (4) (Manhattan, New York)
aka The Standards (2)

Personnel :

Tony Castro (Lead)

Larry Loeb (First Tenor)

Larry Rizzo (Baritone)

Harry Jay (Second Tenor)

Fred "Duke" Hodgkinson (Bass)

Discography :

The Spirals
Unreleased :
1957 - I've Got The World On A String

Tony & The Holidays (4)
Singles :
1962 - There Goes My Heart Again / My Love Is Real (ABC 10295)
Unreleased :
1959 - Your Way
1959 - The Glory of Love
1959 - I Was Such A Fool
1962 - I'm Confessin'
1959 - Come Go With Me
1959 - Each Step I take
1960 - Tick Tock
1961 - Melissa
1962 - Apple Blossom Time

Buddy Sheppard & The Holidays (4)
1963 - Time To Dream (Brahms Lullaby) / My Love Is Real (Sabina 506)
1963 - That Background Sound / Now It's All Over (Sabina 510)

Biography :

In the late '50's a group from Manhattan know as the Spirals got their chance to record. The Financial backers  were there to choose one of the two groups sharing studio time. The Second Group, Little Anthony's group won and the rest is history.

  
The Spirals                                                                                    The Vibratones

Larry Loeb (First Tenor) and Larry Rizzo (Baritone) would now join Harry Jay who was just released from the Army. Harry have been singing with the Vibratones. Harry discovered lead singer Tony Castro and along with bass Fred "Duke" Hodgkinson (formally of the Versatiles), Tony & The Holidays were born.

 The Holidays

After much practice the group recorded their first demo "Melissa" and "Tick Tock". This soon led to a release on ABC Records, "There Goes My Heart Again" b/w "My Love Is Real".

The Holidays

By the end of 1962 the group moved to Sabina Records and recorded several sides for the Belmonts and Jerry Granaham, under the new name Buddy Sheppard & The Holidays, "Time To Dream", "My Love Is Real", "Now It's All Over" and "That Background Sound" to mention a few. The latter also had Freddie & Angelo of the Belmonts in the Background.

  
The Holidays

Tony Castro would soon leave the group being replaced by lead singer Richie Tsonos. Along with new lead singer came a group name change. Now the Standards would have two releases on the Magna Label with two sides being picked up and nationally distributed by Chess records.

The Holidays

Throughout their recording years the group or group members lent their talents on the Backgrounds of many '45's, the most important being Larry & The Legends on Atlantic Records backing Larry Santos.

Songs :

Tony & The Holidays (4)

     
My Love Is Real            There Goes My Heart Again           Apple Blossom Time

The Glory of Love

Buddy Sheppard & The Holidays (4)

     
Time To Dream (Brahms Lullaby)        My Love Is Real     That Background Sound


Now It's All Over

...

The Four Fellows (3)  (Brooklyn, New York)
aka The Companions (2)

Personnel:

Milton Bennett (Lead)

Albert Williams Jr (Bass)

Pringle Sims (Tenor)

Larry Banks (Baritone)


Discography :

The Companions (2)
1959 - Why, Oh Why Baby / I Didn't Know (Brook's 100/Federal 12397)
1959 - Falling / Oh What A Feeling! (Dove 240)

The Four Fellows (3)
1962 - That's Why I Pray / The City (Pop-Line 0208)



Biography :

Bessie White (Banks) sung with a quartet called Three Guys and a Doll, who subsequently became the Four Fellows without her; while a member of the group, she met bass/baritone singer Larry Banks, who was the de facto leader of the group, and married him on stage at the Royal Theatre in Baltimore.  Larry Banks was a New York-born baritone/bass singer (and songwriter) who helped organize and lead the quartet. They survived well enough, even making some television appearances, and scored a hit with "Soldier Boy".

Albert Williams, Milton Bennet, Pringle Sims & Larry Banks

Larry and most of the original members had left and Larry & Bessie next turned up on the Brooks label in 1959, singing as the Companions. Larry's sister Harriette joined the couple in the group and close friend and soon to be writing partner Milton Bennett,  his cousin Al Williams and Pringle Sims who has just left The Strangers. Larry wrote both sides of the single 'Why Oh Why Baby' / 'I Didn't Know (You Got Married)'. It was then picked up by Federal for national release in 1960.

  
                                                                                                                 Bessie Banks
The group have another record on the Dove Label. In 1960, Milton Bennett, Albert Williams Jr, Pringle Sims and Larry Banks perform on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour as the Companions. In 1962, the same four guys cut "That's Why I Pray" b/w "The City" on the Pop-Line Label under their new name or old name : The Four Fellows…
Thanks to Marv Goldberg

Videos :


The Companions - Albert Williams, Milton Bennet, Pringle Sims & Larry Banks on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

 
The Companions (2)

     
Why, Oh Why Baby                 I Didn't Know                    Falling


Oh What A Feeling!


The Four Fellows  (3)

   
That's Why I Pray                         The City


 

...

Gerry & The Gems (2) (Queens, New-York)

Personnel:

Steve Feldman "Gerry Stevens" (Lead)

Phil Aron (Baritone/Bass)

Barry Fettner (Second Tenor)

Steve Dworkin (First Tenor)

Discography :

Singles :
1963 - I Remember / Oh Nancy (The Ambassadors) (Bay 210)
1963 - Come Along / Just One Of Those Things (Tyrone & The Newports) (Wax Trax 501)

Unreleased :
1963 - In The Still Of The Night
1964 - Dear Lady Twist
1964 - Can't Tell Her
1964 - Everytime
1964 - Why Must You Treat A Girl So Bad
1964 - Just A Little Girl

Biography :

Gerry & The Gems (Steve Feldman aka Gerry Stevens, Phil Aron, Barry Fettner & Steve Dworkin) were from Little Neck, New York, which is northeastern Queens. They all lived within a few blocks of each other & were in the same grade in school. Steve Feldman had been playing piano & writing songs since he was in grade school. Although the group sang the standard doo wop songs, They also did original material that Steve wrote. In 1963, They went into a studio in Brooklyn, NY & recorded 3 tunes, 2 originals written by Steve, "I Remember" & "Come Along", and an uptempo version of "In The Still Of The Night".

1964 - Steve Dworkin, Phil Aron, Steve Feldman, Betsy Flehner

The group was supposed to record for M-G-M, with Teacho Wiltshire producing & arranging, but that didn't happen. Barry eventually left the group and Betsy Flehner, also from the neighborhood, joined. Having a female gave the group a different sound. they did shows with Betsy, but never recorded with her. Steve, Phil & Steve went on as a trio & recorded 2 songs at Belltone Studios in NY, "Can't Tell Her" & "Everytime", both written by Steve F. All the top studio musicians played on the record but it was never released.  The group recorded lots of demos and did some singing with Joey Levine (of Ohio Express fame), who Steve sometimes wrote with & a teenage Bernadette Peters. The group eventually went their separate ways, but remain friends to this day.
 Thanks to Steve Feldman

Songs :

     
I Remember                        Can't Tell Her     Why Must You Treat A Girl So Bad

     
In The Still Of The Night             Just A Little Girl                Dear Lady Twist

Come Along

Complement :

In 1970, Steve Dworkin was producing and had to put a group together for a recording of Da Doo Ron Ron, so he called in Phil & Steve Feldman. He called the group Quicksand & it was released on Mercury Records (it is on Youtube). Phil Aron left music and opened his own business. He now lives in upstate New York.  Barry Fettner, who also left singing, passed away a few years ago.

   
1963 - 2007 :  Steve Dworkin, Steve Feldman, Phil Aron, Barry Fettner on bottom.

Steve Dworkin formed a writing/producing partnership with Gary Willet of The Ovations and was a staff writer/producer for Super K Productions. He produced albums for The Queens Nectarine Machine & The Boarding House on ABC, & singles for The Charles E. Funk Rebellion on White Whale, The Flying Giraffe on Bell, Quicksand on Mercury and later on Her produced the High School Reunion album for The Ovations on Crystal Ball Records & The Emotions on Crystal Ball.

  
1964 - 2007 : Steve Dworkin, Phil Aron, Steve Feldman, Betsy Flehner

He is a recording engineer in mid-town Manhattan & still lives in New York. Steve Feldman continued writing and had some success with "We're Acting Like Lovers" by The Spellbinders on Columbia, Don't You Ever Give Up On Me by Dee Dee Warwick, Determination by Dean Parish, Sweeter Than Suger & Mercy by The Ohio Express, Porcupine by Nature Zone, he co-produced the "Let It Be Written, Let It Be Sung" album by Ellie Greenwich & had a solo album on Evolution Records. A single from it "Let Me Be Forever" went top 5 in South America. He also worked as a studio musician and a jingle singer. As a favor to Steve Dworkin, he put his lead vocal on "Lovin' Cup'" & "Candy Cane", by The Charles E Funk Rebellion. Steve lives in New Jersey.
 Thanks to Steve Feldman






….

The Cineemas (Baltimore, MD))

Personnel :

Sandra Chambers (Lead)

Carol Speight (Second Lead)

Jackie Williams

Estelle Williams

Discography :

1964 - Never Gonna Cry / A Crush On You (Dave 911)

Biography :

Vocal group from Baltimore, The Cineemas were Sandra Chambers (lead), Carol Speight (second Lead) , Jackie and Estelle doing background vocal.   “The Cineemas”  cut a 45 record called, “Never Gonna Cry” b/w "A Crush On You".  It was a very rare track on a seldom seen record label, Dave Glascoe.

Songs :

  
Never Gonna Cry                              A Crush On You

...

Billy Abbott & The Jewels (4) (Philadelphia , PA)
aka  The Tymes

Personnel :

Billy Vaughn aka Billy Abbott (Lead)

George Williams, Jr (Tenor)

George Hilliard (Second Tenor)

Albert Berry (First Tenor)

Norman Burnett (Baritone)

Donald Banks (Bass)

Discography :

1963 - Groovy Baby / Come On And Dance With Me (Parkway 871)
1964 - It Isn't Fair / Hey Good Lookin' (Parkway 905)

Biography :

 Billy Abbott was actually named Billy Vaughn, but changed it so as not to be confused with the orchestra leader of that name. He previously recorded with The Corvells who released the Billy Jackson songs 'Daisy'/ 'Take My Love' on ABC-Paramount in 1962 (a group of that name also recorded on Lido, Tip Top and Blast).

Prior to their short tenure as The Jewels, Billy's backing band had been The Latineers and later had a string of hits as The Tymes. The vocal group also later backed acts liked Chubby Checker and Johnny Maestro and can be heard on Len Barry's best known number, '1-2-3'. Billy and the group's follow up (and his last Parkway single), which featured noteworthy revivals of two 1950s favourites, Don Cornell's 'It Isn't Fair' and Hank Williams' 'Hey Good Lookin'', failed to chart.

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

    
  Come On And Dance With Me            Groovy Baby                 

It Isn't Fair / Hey Good Lookin'

...