The V.I.P.'s (New York)
ref : The Fantastics (1)


Personnel :

Jackie Carter

Fred Warner

Larry "Dub" Lawrence

Bill Nicholson

Horace Williams


Discography :

1964 - You Pulled A Fast One / Flashback (Bigtop 518)
1964 - I'm On To You Baby / If He Wants Me (Bigtop 521)
1965 - Don't Pass Me By / You Ain't Good For Nothing (Bigtop 100)

French Ep

Biography :

From Doo woo To Soul : When Sammy Strain left The Fantastics in 1960, Larry Lawrence, Fred Warner, William Forrest and Billy Sutton acquired a new first tenor named Nick Nicholson. They continued singing as the Fantastics for the next couple years and finally as the Keynoters they recorded “I Wanna Know Who” B/w “Come Back Home” for Keynote Records.

In 1964, Larry Lawrence, Fred Warner and Nick Nicholson formed the V.I.P.’s, along with Horace Brooks from the Impacts and Blue Chips and a female singer, Jackie Carter. Paul Fulton of the Chips and Blue Chips also reported being in the group. They used to rehearse at the Brill Building on Broadway and the producer’s name was Bill Giant who lived in Matawan, New Jersey. The V.I.P.’s recorded three records for Bigtop Records, the best selling one being “You Pulled A Fast One”.

The V.I.P.'s had a good lead with Jackie Carter, But they never charted. They always had regional hits. In Baltimore they did a show at the Royal Theater with Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions. After being together for about a year, the V.I.P.’s broke up and some time shortly after that, Jackie Carter was found dead.
http://classicurbanharmony.net/

Songs :

  
You Pulled A Fast One                      Flashback

  
I'm On To You Baby                            If He Wants Me
 

…

The CeBeAires (San Francisco, CA)



Personnel :

Claudette Reed

Verlin Westbrook

Velma Crayton




Biography :

Talented singing group from  Galileo High School in 1957, the CeBeAires  are predicted to become a famous singing trio in the future. The singers are Claudette Reed, Verlin Westbrook, and Velma Crayton . Have they recorded ???

….

Kenny Chandler

Kenny & The Beaus (1)  (Harrisburg, Pa)
ref: Kenny, Frank & Ray


Personnel :

Kenneth Bolognese "Kenny Chandler" (Lead)

Dick Donmoyer

Bob. Napotonia

Frank Desendi

Ralph Stevens


Discography :

Kenny, Frank & Ray
1958 - Everybody Loves Saturday Night / I'm Going Away (Cameo 144)
1959 - If You Love Me / Why Was I Born (PL 13)

Kenny & The Beaus (1)
(Credited to Kenny Beau & The Whirlwinds)
Single:
1959 - You're The Right One / Gift Of Love (PL 1015)
Unreleased :
1959 - What Is Love
1959 - Cindy Lou

 
Biography :

Kenny Chandler, born Kenneth Bolognese, was originally from. “The Hill” section of Harrisburg,Pa. and was a member of John Harris High School Class of 1959. Interested in music at an early age, Kenny got together with four classmates 1n senior high school to form a group called  the Montclaires (later changed to the Clairmonts). This first group consisted of Micky Liddick. (drums), Junie Brown ( congas),Nathanial Edmonds (piano), with. Lee Bradshaw, Ray Carlisle, George Campbell, and Kenny doing vocals.  They split up after only a short time but Ken stayed together with Ray Carlisle, in hopes of forming another group. it was after football practice, while singing in the showers, that. Ray got word that teammate Frankie Cacapardo was interested in joining the group. Thus, the trio  was formed, calling them- selves Kenny, Frank, and Ray.

Kenny remembers that, at the time they were singing a lot of street-corner harmony, and became practiced enough to win second place in a talent show at the Senate Theater, Harrisburg. This little bit of notoriety brought the trio to the attention of WHGB disc-jockey Paul Landersman,who was, at the time, doing a live radio show from the Colonial. The boys came down to the theater during one of these live broadcasts and actually auditioned for him on the fire escape during a break. Paul had already established good connections in the music business as manager of the Quintones. (York, Pa), and was impressed enough with the trio's talents that he asked to manage them on the spot. The first big local show that Kenny, Frank, and Ray performed at was at the Zembo Mosque, Harrisburg, featuring Danny and the Juniors and Connie Francis .

During rehearsals, one of the members of Danny & The Juniors became very impressed with the trio's vocal stylings, and inquired whether they had a record out. This connection soon got them to an office in Philadelphia where they auditioned for Bernie Lowe. They presented 4 orignal songs at the audition, but Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe were more impressed with the talent than the songs and arranged a recording session at Reco-Arts Studios which produced 2 sides: “Everybody Loves Saturday" and "I'm Going Away." Bernie Lowe was the piano player on the session, and Paul played the folding slat chairs (a low-budget version of the drums). Lowe issued it on his own label as Cameo #144. ”Everybody” was written by Cameo staffer Tony Mamerella under the pseudonym. Anthony September. Cameo was one of the new ”hot” labels when the song was released in the summer of 1958. Unfortunately, although “Everybody Loves Saturday" received good local play, it never went national.

Reco-Arts was again used to record “If You Love Me” and “Why Was I Born”  (a Ray Carlisle original). Issued as PL #13 in late 1958, the record received only limited regional exposure. By 1959,. Ray had become disillusioned and dropped out of the group, ending their string of near-hits at two. Kenny, however, had been writing some original material, and formed a new group in 1959 called The Beaus. This group consisted of Dick Donmoyer, Bob Napotonia, Frank Desendi, and Ralph Stevens. Kenny took on the stage name “ Kenny Beau,” and returned to Reco-Arts to cut “You're the Right One” and “Gift of Love". The Session produced a solid 2-sides doo-wop records, released as PL 1015. The Whirlwinds, which is the group credited on the label, were really the studio musicians used on the session, as the name of the group was officially “Kenny and The Beaus".

The good looking Harrisburg resident hijacked the surname of movie star Jeff Chandler, finally attracting some notice in 1961 with 'Drums', written and produced by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, then creative geniuses in residence at United Artists. Chandler subsequently signed with Laurie about the time Dion was leaving the label for Columbia.

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

Kenny, Frank & Ray

  
If You Love Me                         Why Was I Born


Everybody Loves Saturday Night / I'm Going Away

Kenny & The Beaus (1)

  
You're The Right One                            Gift Of Love

...

The Twilights Pete Reyes, Joe Durant, Claude "Indio" Chenet, Cal Washington and Robert Perryman

The Twilights (2)   (Bronx, New York)
aka The Embers (9) aka The Four Embers
ref : The Juveniles

Personnel :

Robert "Bobby" Perryman (Lead)

Claude "Indio" Chenet (Second Tenor)

Joseph Durant (Baritone)

Cal Washington (First Tenor)

Peter Reyes (Bass)

Discography :

The Twilights (2)
Single :
1959 - My Heart Belongs To Only You / Oh Baby Love (Finesse 1717)
Demo :
1958 - Soda Pop  (acapella)
1958 - My Heart Belongs To Only You (acapella)

Maria Elena & The Twilights (2)
1962 - I Was Too Careful / Temptation (Countess 113)


The Embers (9)
Singles :
1961 - Solitaire / I’m Feeling All Right Again (Empress 101)
1961 - I Won’t Cry Anymore / I Was Too Careful (Empress 104)
1962 - Abigail / I Was Too Careful (Empress 107)
Unreleased :
1961 - What A Surprise  (Empress)
1961 - I Wish I Didn’t Love You So (Empress)

The Four Embers
1963 - But Beautiful / You’ve Been Away Too Long (Smash 1846)






Biography :

In 1957, Marilyn Bishop Marilyn gave birth to a baby girl, Michelle, and left The Juveniles.  Larry Peters will make even some time after.  At this time, the group has only three members. Robert Perryman  stepped up to become the new lead singer and Cal Washington was recruited by Claude  Chenet to become the new first tenor.

The Juveniles "Bobby" Perryman , Claude "Indio" Chenet, Marilyn Durant, Larry Peters and Joe Durant

The Twilights now consisted of Robert Perryman (lead) Cal Washington (first tenor) Claude “Indio” Chenet (second tenor) Joseph Durant (baritone) and Peter Reyes (bass). The Twilights recorded “My Heart Belongs To Only You” and “Oh Baby Love,” with Bobby Perryman singing both leads, which came out on Finesse Records in November of 1959. The Twilights also backed up Maria Elena on “I Was Too Careful” and “Temptation,” both of which weren’t released until 1962 on Countess Records. They appeared at one of Clay Cole’s shows in Palisades Park, New Jersey also starring the Drifters, Moonglows, Skyliners, Belmonts, Bobby Rydell and Neil Sedaka.

    

The Twilights sang “My Heart Belongs To Only You” as well as “Oh Baby Love” and this performance was broadcast live on television. The Twilights also appeared at the RKO Franklin Theatre on Prospect Avenue in the Bronx where they also backed up Maria Elena. The Twilights changed their name to the Embers and signed with Empress Records, owned by Gene and Jody Malis, which was a subsidiary label (as was Valmor) under Countess International.

The Embers : Pete Reyes, Joe Durant, Claude "Indio" Chenet, Robert Perryman and Cal Washington

The Embers had been rehearsing an old standard ballad that Tony Bennett recorded named “Solitaire,” a song that Jody wanted them to record because she felt it had hit potential. The Embers recorded “Solitaire”  with Bobby Perryman singing lead. On the week of August 22, 1961, “Solitaire” reached number 9 on WABC’s radio survey. It was also doing extremely well on Billboard’s charts.  By mid 1963, the Embers were down to four members as Pete Reyes had left the group. The Embers were still under contract with Empress, which wasn’t doing well at the time so Gene and Jody Malis sent them to writer and record producer Wally Zober in order to see what he could do for them.

Wally took them down to Odo Recording Studios on West 54th Street in Manhattan on August 1, 1963 where they recorded “But Beautiful” and “You’ve Been Away Too Long.” A bass player, George Butcher, arranged the orchestra and the group arranged the vocals. “But Beautiful” was recorded first, with Robert Perryman singing lead. “You’ve Been Away Too Long” was a fast number that Jody had given to them but they did not care for. They recorded it with Cal singing lead. The session lasted for most of the day and the songs were released on Smash Records, a subsidiary of Mercury Records, in December of 1963 as by the “Four Embers.” By 1964, with the British Invasion underway, the Embers (without a hit record since 1961) broke up and decided to get on with their personal lives.

Songs :

The Twilights (2)

  
My Heart Belongs To Only You                     Oh Baby Love


Maria Elena & The Twilights (2)

  
Temptation                                      I Was Too Careful 


 

The Embers (9)

     
Solitaire                      I’m Feeling All Right Again           I Won’t Cry Anymore

     
I Was Too Careful                    Abigail                 What A Surprise  


I Wish I Didn't Love You So

 

The Four Embers


But Beautiful / You’ve Been Away Too Long

...

Gene Serina (1963)

The Vels (2) (Lower East Side, New York)
aka The Styles (2)

 

Personnel :

Ruben Mangual

Orvin Baptiste

Rick Pettignano

Gene Serina

George West


Discography :

The Vels (2)
1963 - Do The Walk / In-Laws (Amy 881)

The Styles (2)
1964 - School Bells To Chapel Bells / I Love You For Sentimental Reasons (Josie 920)


Biography :

The group first began on the lower east side of New York City in 1958, when 4 young men, ranging in age from 13 to 15 and attending Junior High School 22,  first harmonized on street corners, hallways and subway stations perfecting their own unique style. This perfection earned the group invitations to perform at block parties, school functions and becoming the wishful entertainment for everyone’s house parties. This first group was called The Financials with Ruben Mangual, Orvin Baptiste, Rick Pettignano & Gene Serina. Soon after, Ruben introduced George West (a high school friend) to the group, rounding out The Financials to a full 5 man vocal group.

   
                                                                                             Jerry Landis AKA Paul Simon

In 1961 the group decided to change the group name from it's wall street sounding Financials to something shorter and slicker and they came up with “The Vels”. In late 1962, the group's manager, Rick Pettignano Sr. (father of group member Rick Pettignano Jr.), landed a recording contract for The Vels with Amy Records (1650 Broadway, NY) and their first record was released in 1963 (Amy #881) “Do The Walk” / “In Laws”, produced by Jerry Landis AKA Paul Simon (of Simon & Garfunkel Fame). One year later the group was approached by singer, song writer and producer Vinny Catalano and his partner Pete Alonso for a project he felt was perfect for our group. Before the recording date Gene Serina was inducted into the US Army and was replaced by neighborhood friend Tony Duran.

  
Vinny Catalano                                                                                                   

The group then recorded "School Bells To Chapel Bells" & "I Love You For Sentimental Reasons". Producer Catalano shopped the recordings to Josie Records (a subsidiary of Jubilee Records) and the group was singed to the label. Executives at Josie Records did not like the groups name "The Vels", they changed it to The Styles and released the recordings in 1964 (Josie Records Catalog #920). The Trademark for the name The Styles was granted to another entity in 2014 which now prohibits us from using the name professionally.

The Vels / Styles (2014) Top : George West, Gene Serina & Ruben Mangual - Bottom Rick Pettignano

Gene Serina returned from the Army and was brought back into the group. There were a few personnel changes within the group. The group lost Ruben Mangual, Tony Duran & George West leaving Rick Pettignano, Orvin Baptiste & Gene Serina. They added neighborhood friend Eddie Lebron bringing the group to 4 members. In late 1965 record producer, Joe Webb (who was the manager of the original Bobbettes) asked Eddie Lebron & Gene Serina, (formerly with the The Styles vocal group whose name we can no longer use due to US Trademark issues) if they would be interested in meeting with 2 members of a Long Island group called The Lost Souls who had recorded "Little Eva" as The Locomotions for Gone Records.
http://www.cozycornerradio.com/



Songs :

The Vels (2)

  
Do The Walk                          In-Laws

The Styles (2)

  
School Bells To Chapel Bells         I Love You For Sentimental Reasons


…