The Love Notes (3) (Manhattan, New York)
aka The Ivories (1)

Personnel :

Johnny Hicks (Lead tenor)

Dave Cole (First tenor)

Joe Shallow (Second tenor)

Johnny Earl Jackson (Baritone)

James Coney (Bass)

Discography :

The Ivories (1)
1955 - Alone / Baby Send A Letter (Jaguar 3019)
1956 - Alone / Baby Send A Letter (Jaguar 3023)

The Love Notes (3)
1957 - United / Tonight (Holiday 2605)
1957 - If I Could Make You Mine / Don't Go (Holiday 2607)

Biography :

The Ivories started in early 1955 with Johnny Hicks (lead tenor), Dave Cole (first tenor), Joe Shallow (second tenor), Johnny Earl Jackson (baritone), and James Coney (bass). The pianist and arranger was Sylvester Bradford. The group took its name from Sylvester's piano keys: the Ivories. They auditioned for George Bennett, owner of Jaguar Records and cut "Alone " b/w "Baby Send A Letter". The record was released in November 1955. By late 1956, Dave Cole was replaced by second tenor Lucy Cedeno & Johnny Earl Jackson left. In early 1957, the Ivories changed their name to the Love Notes.

  

Pretty soon they had a contract to record for Danny Robinson and Clarence Johnson's Holiday label. At their first session, they recorded "United" and "Tonight,". "United" started taking off in New York. It did so well so quickly, that the Love Notes were hurried into a show at the Apollo. Somewhere along the way, the Love Notes managed to fit in a second session. This time the songs were "If I Could Make You Mine" and "Don't Go," another pair led by Johnny Hicks. They were released in mid-August, 1957. Shortly after the band broke up.

  
The Love Notes (3) - Lucy Cedeno, Joe Shallow, James Coney, Johnny Hicks                                          

After leaving the Ivories, Johnny Earl Jackson formed a new Ivories group consisted of Johnny Earl Jackson (baritone/bass), his girlfriend, Ella Lewis (lead), her brother, Richard Lewis (first tenor), Moses Brown (baritone), and a second tenor named "Blinky." They recorded a pair of tunes  "Me And You" b/w "I'm In Love" for Mercury. Then Moses Brown got disgusted and left the Ivories, to be replaced by a baritone named "Chink."they  changing their name to the Ivoleers and recorded "Lovers' Quarrel" and "Come With Me" for Bobby Smith's Buzz label in early 1959.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Ivories/ivories.html

Songs :

The Ivories (1)

  
Alone                                  Baby Send A Letter


The Love Notes (3)

     
United                                 Tonight                      If I Could Make You Mine


Don't Go

 ...

The Four Counts (2) (New York)

Personnel :

Mickey Marlow (Lead)

Ronnie Raven (Lead)

Ronald Adesse

Michael DeNardis


Discography :

Singles :
1958 - I Love You With All My Heart / Rock & Roll Is Good For The Soul (Cham 003)
1958 - Yum-Mee Yum-Mee / Cuckoo (Josie 840 /Go 103)

Unreleased :
1958 - Love Letters Straight From Your Heart
1958 - Since You've Gone Away
1958 - Blue Moon
1958 - Carachi
1958 - Shook Up "Cuckoo" (Demo)
1958 - Jeannie The Go Go Girl
1958 - Love That Girl

Biography :

In 1958 the 4 boys from New York, Mickey Marlow, Ronnie Raven, Ronald Adesse and Michael DeNardis joined together and founded the group "The Four Counts". The group recorded  "Rock'n'Roll Is Good For The Soul" b/w "I Love You With All My Heart " for Cham records in new York. The first recording was followed by "Chuckoo" and "Yum-Mee Yum-Mee" in 1959 for Josie Records, subsidiary of Jubilee Records in New York. Shortly after the band broke up.

Songs :

      
Cuckoo                        Yum-Mee Yum-Mee            I Love You With All My Heart

     
Rock & Roll Is Good For The Soul          Blue Moon         Since You've Gone Away

     
Shook Up "Cuckoo" (Demo)          Carachi                       Love That Girl

  
Love Letters Straight From Your Heart        Jeannie The Go Go Girl

….

The Chestnuts (2)  (New Haven, Conn.)
aka The Five Chestnuts
aka The El-Lanos

 

Personnel

Ruby Whittaker (Lead)

Lyman Hopkins (First tenor)

Frank Hopkins (Second Tenor)

Jimmy Curtis  (Baritone)

Reuben White     (Bass)



Discography :

The Chestnuts (2)
Singles :
1957 - It's You I Love / Love Is True (Davis 447)
1957 - Forever I Vow / Brother Ben (Davis 452)
1957 - Who Knows Better Than I?  / Mary, Hear Those Love Bells (Standord 100)
1957 - Who Knows Better Than I? / I'm So Blue (Eldorado 511)
Unreleased :
1957 - Tilly, Take Your Time (Standord)

Bill Baker & The Chestnuts (2)
1959 - Won't You Tell Me My Heart / Tell Me Little Darling (Elgin 007/008)
1959 - Wonderful Girl / Chit Chat (Elgin 013/014)

Marvin Baskerville & The Five Chestnuts
1958 - Chi-Chi / Chapel In The Moonlight (Drum 001/002)

The Five Chestnuts
Singles :
1959 - My kind Of Baby / Chi Chi (Elgin 002/003)
Unreleased :
1958 -  I’m So Glad (Drum)

Marvin Baskerville /  Hayes Baskerville & The Five Chestnuts
1958 - Chi-Chi / Billy (My Kind Of Baby)  (Drum 003/004)

Hayes Baskerville / Norven Baskerville & The Five Chestnuts
1958 - Billy (My Kind Of Baby)  / My One And Only Love (Drum 003/004)

Vicki Lee bb The Five Chestnuts
1959 - Crying My Heart Out / With All My Heart (Drum 017/018)   

----------------------
 

The El-Lanos
1989 - I Wonder Why / In Mexico (Crescent 200)

Biography :

The Chestnuts were named for their home state, Connecticut. They were from New Haven and the original members of the group were Leroy Griffin (lead, but not the lead singer of another New Haven group, The Nutmegs), Lymon Hopkins (first tenor ), Frank Hopkins (second tenor), Jimmy Curtis (baritone), and Reuben White (bass) . When they thought they were ready for a shot at recording, they made the rounds of a number of independent record companies in New York City without much success. The group thought about their status and felt that if they featured a female lead singer, they would have a more unique sound and have a better chance for a recording contract.

 At this time they contacted someone whom they thought would be the perfect addition to the group, and so Ruby Whitaker became the lead voice of the group (When Ruby came in, Leroy went out). Now the Chestnuts were set and they were put in contact with long time record producer and company owner Joe Davis. He had previously went out on his own with the Beacon label, and then Jay-Dee Records, and had good sellers with The Mellows and Dean Barlow and The Crickets.  The Chestnuts were set to record on another label, this one called Davis Records. In June of 1956 Davis # 447 is released featuring The Chestnuts on "It's You I Love" and "Love Is True". The 'A' side "Love Is True" gets good airplay in New York and Philadelphia, especially from Herman Amis and Doctor Jive in the Big Apple, and Jocko in Philadelphia. Although the song is an excellent group ballad featuring Whitaker's lead, sales do not dent the top hit charts and Joe Davis readies another try for the group.

In September of the year, The Chestnuts record "Brother Ben" and "Forever I Vow" on Davis # 452. Unfortunately, not enough record buyers followed through on this great song and Davis dropped the group from the label. In February of 1957, the group signed on with a Connecticut outfit called National Enterprises which featured a record label called Standord Records located in the group's home town of New Haven. Standord would become famous as the original label for The Five Satins epic hit "In The Still Of The Night".

Martin Kugell, the head of Standord Records, promotes the Chestnuts recording of "Who Knows Better Than I" b/w "Mary Hear Those Love Bells". By May Standord # 7701 featured "Who Knows Better Than I?" as by Ruby Whitaker & The Chestnuts, and the new flip side was "Mary Hear Those Love Bells" as by Lymon Hopkins & The Chestnuts. The song "Who Knows Better Than I?" was also released on Eldorado Records on # 511 with "I m So Blue" on the flip side.

In early 1959, Ruby Whitaker had left the group, but the Chestnuts carried on with a lineup of Lymon Hopkins, Frank Hopkins, a third brother Arthur Hopkins, Reuben White, and new lead singer Bill Baker who had spent some time in New Haven's Five Satins. A Connecticut record producer named Clarence Drum began two local labels in 1958, Elgin and Drum Records. He signed The Chestnuts to his label and in February of the year Elgin # 007 is released featuring "Won't You Tell Me My Heart" and the flip side is listed as by Bill Baker & The Chestnuts on the song "Tell Me Little Darling".

Bill Baker (Top) & The Chestnuts (2)

During May of the year Elgin Records releases "Chit Chat" and a version of The Five Satins song "Wonderful Girl" listed as by Bill Baker & The Chestnuts on # 021. Neither of the Elgin releases did much for the group or the label. Further sides for the labels by the group with new members Marvin and Hayes Baskerville included "Chapel In The Moonlight" by Marvin Baskerville & The Five Chestnuts, and "Billy My Kind Of Baby" by Hayes Baskerville & The Five Chestnuts both on the Drum label.
Thanks to Marv Goldberg

"I Wonder Why" b/w " In Mexico" was an unreleased acetate who Stevie Dunham  purchased in New Haven, CT, in 1988. Probably recorded in 1956-57. It is speculated this group was the Five Chestnuts (Chestnuts) from New Haven, CT. Stevie Dunham's partners at the time did not want to use the Five Chestnuts on the issue of this 45  and left it up to steve to put a name to an acetate that only listed song titles but no group name. So he christened it The El-Lanos. The record was released on Crescent, in July of 1989.




Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)  

The Chestnuts (2)

     
Love Is True                        It's You I Love                      Forever I Vow

     
Brother Ben             Who Knows Better Than I?      Mary, Hear Those Love Bells

   
Tilly, Take Your Time               I'm So Blue


Bill Baker & The Chestnuts (2)

     
Won't You Tell Me My Heart       Tell Me Little Darling          Wonderful Girl

Chit Chat

Marvin Baskerville & The Five Chestnuts

      
Chapel In The Moonlight                  Chi-Chi                     Billy (My Kind Of Baby)


Norven Baskerville & The Five Chestnuts


My Love and Only Love


The Five Chestnuts

   
My kind Of Baby                               I'm So Glad

Vicki Lee bb The Five Chestnuts

Crying My Heart Out / With All My Heart

 

The El-Lanos

I Wonder Why / In Mexico

...

Lenny & The Rocks (Philadelphia, Pa.)





Personnel :

Lenny Rocco (lead)

Barry Pouls (Bass)

Freddy Faulkner (Falsetto)

Bob Gardiner (Baritone)

Ross Matico (Second Tenor)





Discography :

Sandy Powell bb The Rocks
1960 - Bon Bon / Pistol Packin' Papa (Impala 211/Herald 557)

Lenny Rocco bb The Rocks
1961 - Sugar Girl / Rochelle (Delsey 301)

Robin Hood & The Merri Men
1964 - We Had A Quarrel / Maryann (Delsey 303)






Biography :


Before Lenny Rocco completed "Sugar Girl" and "Rochelle", he married his sweetheart, Sandy Pouls (aka Powell) . Sandy Powell was a fine singer and recorded two song in 1958. The vocal undercoating was generated by the Future Rocks. Freddy Faulkner, Barry Pouls (Sandy's brother), Ross Matico and Bob Gardiner backing Sandy's two sides "Bon Bon" b/w "Pistol Packin' Papa".

  
                                                                                                  Sandy Powell

In late '58 or early 59', the same guys  recorded with Lenny "Sugar Girl" b/w "Rochelle ". The single was etched in 1961 on Delsey (Billboard  April 3. 1961). The Rocks were a constantly changing line-up and broke up. Rocco and Freddy Faulkner debuted sometime later as a duet. In 1963 Freddy Faulkner recorded as a solo artist for Swan Records the sides "Cigarettes & Matches / Little Driftin' Amy." He eventually surfaced with the Illusions . Barry Pouls ceded a somewhat promising peregrination with the original Premiers (Mink & Best).

Barry Pouls, Bob Gardiner, Lenny Rocco, Ross Matico & Freddy Faulkner

In 1960, Lenny Rocco sings with the Jolly Gents, a vocal and instrumental group, they toured two years all around the country .  They hobnobbed with the likes of lee andrew and the Hearts, len Barry, the Platter, Isley Brothers, Bobby Darin, Danny & The Juniors and Johnny Maestro & The Crest, and often backed these artist on instrumentals or vocals. Sadly, they never set foot in Studio. Fran Williamson ushered Lenny and the group (with some personnel change), dubbing themselves Robin Hood & The Merri Men into RecoArt Studios where they spliced two sides together "We Had A Quarrel" and "Maryann".





Songs :

Sandy Powell bb The Rocks

  
Bon Bon                                    Pistol Packin' Papa

Lenny Rocco bb The Rocks

Sugar Girl / Rochelle

Robin Hood & The Merri Men

We Had A Quarrel / Maryann

...

The Diatones (Chicago, Illinois)

Personnel:

?

Discography :

Singles :
1961 - Oh Baby, Come Dance With Me  / Ruby Has Gone (Bandera 2509)

Unreleased :
1961 - Oh Why Oh Why (Bandera)

Biography :

Bandera was a small Chicago label launched by Vi Muszynski, and her son Bernie Harville, with money Muszynski made off one of her biggest discoveries, the Impressions. The label released a variety of music in the late '50s and early '60s, from hillbilly and rock, to blues and gospel.

   

The Diatones were a faily young group. They cut three magnificent doo wop tracks, "Oh Baby, Come Dance With Me", "Ruby Has Gone" and the previously unreleased "Oh Why Oh Why". The Diatones were equally at home with the heartfelt ballad as they were with the uptempo number. They all possessed fine voices and produced polished performances.


Songs :

  
Oh Why Oh Why                                Ruby Has Gone


Oh Baby, Come Dance With Me

 ...