The Notes (1) (Philadelphia)


Personnel :

Ray McElwain (First Tenor)

Boyd Beks (Second Tenor)

Dave Wilson (Baritone)

Clarence Beks (Bass)


Discography :

Singles :
1955 - Cha Jezebel / Don't Leave Me Now (Capitol 3332)
1956 - Trust In Me / Round And Round (MGM 12338)

Unreleased :
1955 - That's All There Is To That (Capitol)
1955 - Times Two I Love You (Capitol)
1956 - Clock Of Love (Capitol)
1956 - Let Me Shake The Hand (Capitol)
1956 - I Adore You (Capitol)
1956 - I Never Cared Before (Capitol)
1956 - Louise Louise Louise (MGM) 
1956 - That's Why I Love You (MGM) 



Discography :

The Notes as being from Philadelphia and consisting of Ray McElwain (first tenor), Boyd Beks (second tenor), Dave Wilson (baritone) and Clarence Beks (bass).  The group members all grew up in Philadelphia and went to school together.  They got together in 1953 and were all 23 years old (with the exception of Clarence Beks) in 1955.

The Group recorded in 1955 under the name the Four Notes. They recorded twelve songs, four were recorded independently and sold to Capitol in December 1955.  Four more were recorded for Capitol on March 2, 1956.  Four more were recorded for MGM on August 17, 1956.  Of the twelve songs recorded by The Notes, six were written by Clyde Otis!
http://www.classicurbanharmony.net/


Songs :

     
Cha Jezebel                    Don't Leave Me Now                    Trust In Me

Round And Round

...

Rick & The Masters (5) (Philadelphia)


Personnel :

Tony "Rick" Trombetta (Lead)

Frank 'Tweetie' Condo (First Tenor)

Mike "Teardrops" Silenzio (Second Tenor)

Richie Finzio (Baritone/Bass)


Discography :

Rick & The Masters (5)
1962 - Flame Of Love / Here Comes Nancy (Taba 101/Cameo 226)
1962 - Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered / A Kissin Friend (Haral 778)
1962 - Let It Please Be You / I Don't Want Your Love (Cameo 247)

Billy Lane (bb Rick & the Masters)
1961 - Space Ship Blues / Beginner In Love (Rick & the Masters) (Taba 201)

Billy Lynn (bb Rick & the Masters)
1961 - Only One For Me / Little Pony Tail (Amy 820)
1962 - Barbara / Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone (Cr 1001)

Bobby Young (bb Rick & the Masters)
1963 - Only Girl For Me / To Each His Own (Guyden 2087)

Bobby Rydell (bb Rick & the Masters)
1962 - Remember Then / Up On The Roof (not them) (Cameo 104)
1962 - Butterfly Baby / Love Is Blind (not them)  (Cameo 242)
1962 - That's My Desire (Cameo ‎LP-1006)

Lee Andrews (bb Rick & the Masters/The Hearts/The Dreamlovers)
1963 - I'm Sorry Pillow / Gee But I'm Lonesome (Parkway 860)

Johnny Greco (bb Rick & the Masters)
1963 - Rocket Ride / Why Don't You Love Me (Pageant 602)

Johnny Maestro (bb Rick & the Masters)
1963 - Over The Weekend / I'll Be True (not them) (Cameo 256)

Don Covay (bb Rick & the Masters)
1963 - Popeye Waddle / One Little Boy Had Money  (not them)  (Cameo 239)


Biography :

In the early '60s, Mike "Teardrops" Silenzio needed a lead singer for the doo-wop group he was putting together. Mike attended South Philadelphia High School and he was chums with Fabian Forte, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell and other kids who would go on to stellar singing careers, and he knew what he was looking for. His group, the Masters, consisted of Mike himself as second tenor, baritone Richie Finizio (Richie was a cousin to South Philly Legend Bob Finizio of the 4 J's.), his cousin Frank "Tweetie" Condo as first tenor, and a clutch of others who were semi-members and hangers-on. But he didn't have a true lead singer. It wasn't until after a stint in the Navy that Mike found who he was looking for - Tony "Rick" Trombetta.

Rick originally had a solo act where he used his mother's maiden name "Rigiano", so he called himself Rick Rigiano and decided to stick with Rick. And the Masters became Rick & the Masters. The group had to make a record to further its career, and it was Billy DiMuro who gave it the opportunity when he started Taba Records.  Jim Cunningham and Billy DiMuro wrote "Flame Of Love". Billy also recorded with the group doing back-up vocals on several releases under the name Billy Lynn and Billy Lane.

In actuality, Billy's real name was Trombetta, one of the Tony's Brothers.  "Flame of Love' emerged from Taba's portals in 1962, and was immediately scooped up by Cameo Records when it showed sales potential. Another release by the group under the name Bobby young, was actually Tony's younger Brother Bobby Tombetta. On " To Each His Own", Bobby shared the lead with older brother Tony. Jack "Rocky" McKnight of the Four Epics arranged this. The group's next effort as Rick and the Masters came out on the Haral Label. Jack "Rocky" McKnight  again arranged "Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered ".

    

 The Group's final release under their name came on the Cameo Label. Cameo really liked the Guys using them several times to do back-up for such artists as : Bobby Rydell, Johnny Greco, don covey, Johnny Maestro and Lee Andrews.




Songs :

Rick & The Masters (5)

      
Flame Of Love      Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered          A Kissin Friend

      
Let It Please Be You             I Don't Want Your Love          Here Comes Nancy
 

Billy Lane (bb Rick & the Masters)


Beginner In Love


Billy Lynn (bb Rick & the Masters)

     
Only One For Me                    Little Pony Tail                       Barbara


Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone


Bobby Young (bb Rick & the Masters)

  
Only Girl For Me                To Each His Own


Bobby Rydell (bb Rick & the Masters)

     
Remember Then                Butterfly Baby                   That's My Desire


Lee Andrews (bb Rick & the Masters/The Hearts/The Dreamlovers)

   
I'm Sorry Pillow                 Gee, But I'm Lonesome


Johnny Greco (bb Rick & the Masters)

  
Rocket Ride                  Why Don't You Love Me


Johnny Maestro (bb Rick & the Masters)


Over The Weekend


Don Covay (bb Rick & the Masters)


Popeye Waddle

….

The Four Buddies (2) (Chicago)




Personnel :

Ularsee Manor（Lead）

Nathaniel "Sam" Hawkins（Tenor）

Jimmy Hawkins（Tenor）

Dickie Umbra（Baritone）

Willie Bryant（Bass）

Discography :

Rudy Greene & The Four Buddies (2)
1955 - You Mean Everything To Me / [Rudy Greene - Highway No. 1] (Club 51 103)

Bobbie James The Four Buddies (2)
1955  - I Need You So / [Bobbie James - Baby I'm Tired] (Club 51 104)

The Four Buddies (2)
1955 - Delores / Look Out (Club 51 105)

Biography :

This group was formed in 1952, most of the members attending the same two high schools (Tilden or Phillips High School). They rehearsed and practiced for two years and played many local clubs and church functions during that prerecording period. Jimmy and Sam Hawkins were cousins and despite the name Four Buddies, the group appeared as a quintet.

1956 - Willie Bryant, Irving Hunter, Jimmy Hawkins, Dickie Umbra & Ularsee Manor

Only when they started to record was the name Four Buddies used more frequently. It is believed that Club 51 did this to capitalize on the name Four Buddies (Savoy). It also explains why their photo shows five members and calls them the Four Buddies

They had tenor Donald Ventors replacing Sam Hawkins. Soon after this, Ventors was replaced by Irving Hunter. In 1956, they finally recorded their total output for Club 51 ; however, most of their work was as backup for single artists Rudy Greene ("You Mean So Much to Me") and Bobbie James ("I Need You So"). Lack of success led to disillusionment, disinterest, and eventual breakup.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Buddies/buddies.html
http://myweb.clemson.edu/~campber/club51.html

Songs :

Bobbie James The Four Buddies (2)

  
I Need You So                           Baby I'm Tired

Rudy Greene & The Four Buddies (2)

  
You Mean Everything To Me                Highway No. 1


The Four Buddies (2)

  
Delores / Look out                     Delores (Demo)  

...

...

Chase & Gene (Port Arthur, Texas)

Personnel :

Chase Canfil  (Vocal & Guitar)

Gene Paul (Vocal & Piano)

Discography :

Chase Canfil (& Gene Paul)
1959 - Woke Up This Morning / I Had A Dream Last Night (Dart 110)
1959 - Show Me The Way / When Are You Coming Home (Dart 130)

Chase & Gene
1960 - Good Loving / Bye Bye (Dart 146)
1963 - I Ran / I'm Through Foolin' (Hall-Way 1911)
1964 - I Need Love / You're Everything To Me (Sugar 1001)

Biography:

(By Gene Paul)
Chase Canfil and Gene Paul  met up in a honky-tonk on the highway out of Port Arthur Texas (also home of Janis Joplin, who became an intimate friend of Gene Paul when she was still in high school). Gene Paul was really a jazz pianist, recently discharged from the USAF, who wound up in the area when an $8 bus ticket got him to Texas. Chase Canfil and Gene Paul started talking At Stewart’s Club, they started hanging out, visiting all the joints in the area, picked out 4 black musicians from other bands, and started our own group: Chase & Gene.

photo of the group, 1958

Chase (Charles, Chas. Chase) was a barber, always ‘calculating’ – later, they cut our first record in an empty store front, and it was really sloppy. The main side was a song Chase had written, “I Had a Dream” and they got it on tape, amd then realized every record had two sides, so they made up one on the spot. Gene started with a piano riff that he ‘borrowed’ from a Stan Kenton album, and Chase made up words, and this is the side most people like, “Woke Up This Morning”.

  
They then got a manager, Bill Hall, who also managed The Big Bopper, and later Johnny Preston, both friends of Gene and Chase.  They cut their Dart's record  in Memphis, they were supposed to do it at Jerry Lee Lewis’ brand new studio, but they couldn’t get the sound and they went across town late at night and made the record at The Hole In The Wall studio, which was owed by Cowboy Jack Clement, who later produced “Ring of Fire” with Johnny Cash.

Chase & Gene
Chase and Gene had to drop the black mixed band after a year… got too difficult, with a mixed race band… cops gave us a bad time… they could not work across the state line in Lousiana, where one of the biggest and best-paying honky-tonks was – it was against state law for mixed races to appear on the same stage at the same time. They went through maybe 5 or 7 bands, eventually cooling down to a quartet playing a private dinner club up until the end in ’64.

Songs :

    
You're Everything To Me                                 I Ran          

   
    Good Loving                                   Woke Up This Morning

...

The Hollywood Argyles (Los Angeles)




Personnel :

Gary Paxton (Lead)

Bobby Rey

Ted Marsh

Gary Webb

Dear Weaver

Ted Winters





Discography :

Singles :

The Hollywood Argyles
1960 - Alley Oop / Sho' Know A Lot About Love (Lute 5905)
1960 - Gun Totin' Critter Named Jack / Bug-Eye (Lute 5908)
1960 - Hully Gully / So Fine (Lute 6002)
1960 - Unemployment / same (Paxton 200)
1961 - See You In The Morning / The Morning After (Finer Arts 1002)
1963 - (My Real Boss) Bossy-Nover / Find Another Way (Felsted 8674)
1965 - Long Hair, Unsquare Dude Called Jack / Ole' (Chatahoochie 691)

The New Hollywood Argyles
1966 - Alley Oop í66 / Do the Funky-Foot (Kammy 105)

Gary Paxton (Hollywood Argyles Inst.)
1961 - You've Been Torturing Me / The Grubble (Paxley 752)


Lp:

1961 - The Hollywood Argyles (Lute 101)
Alley Oop  / Hully Gully / Honky Tonk / Yakety Yak / Sho' Know A Lot About Love / The Bug Eyed Man / So Fine / You're Ruinin' My Gladness / The Way I See It / You'll Always Be My Darling  /  Gun Totiní Critter Named Jack / The Lost Ranger

Biography :

The Hollywood Argyles was a group assembled after a record, ‘Alley-Oop’, had already been released under that name. The song was written by Dallas Frazier and recorded by vocalist Gary S. Paxton and producer Bobby Rey while Paxton was a member of the Arizona-based duo Skip And Flip.

    
Skip And Flip

Because that duo was contracted to Brent Records, and ‘Alley-Oop’ was issued on Lute Records, the name Hollywood Argyles was created for the occasion, named after the intersection where the recording studio was located, Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Street.

The recording was made with Gaynel Hodge -piano,Ronnie Caleco-Drums,Harper Crosby on bass. Sandy Nelson was also in the studio and as they already had a drummer he bashed garbage cans and screamed a lot. Background vocals were Dallas Frazier,Buddy Mize,Scotty Turner and some girl called Diane.

When this became a hit, Paxton put together a Hollywood Argyles group. They were a six man group of Hollywood writer, producers and studio musicians comprising Gary Paxton, Bobby Rey, Ted Marsh, Gary Webb, Dear Weaver and Ted Winters. This ended up being their only hit.

(1965-The touring group )  Ted Marsh, Deary Weaver, Marshall Leib, Gary “Spider” Webb, Bobby Rey and/or Ted Winters

Further singles by the Hollywood Argyles, on such labels as Paxley (co-owned by Paxton and producer Kim Fowley), Chattahoochie, Felsted and Kammy failed to reach the charts. Paxton later started the Garpax label, which released the number 1 ‘Monster Mash’ by Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett.
http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/hollywood_argyles.htm
http://garyspaxton.net

Videos :

Alley Oop

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

     
Alley Oop              Sho' Know A Lot About Love    Gun Totin’ Critter Named Jack

     
Hully Gully                   You've Been Torturing Me                   The Bug Eyed Man

      
So Fine                                     Unemployment                   The Grubble

  
See You In The Morning /                        The Way I See It /
The Morning After (The Night Before)      You're Ruinin' My Gladness

   
(My Real Boss) Bossy-Nover/        Long Hair, Unsquare Dude Called Jack/
Find Another Way                           Ole'

       
Honky Tonk                          The Lost Ranger           You'll Always Be My Darling

    
Yakety Yak                Alley Oop '66 / Do The Funky-Foot

...