Ralph Towner

The Regals (3) (Bend, Oregon)

Personnel

Ralph Towner (Lead)

Rick Brown (Tenor)

Dave Finney (Baritone)

Ray Ebert (Bass)

Discography :

1959 - See You In The Morning  / Yes, My Love (Lavender 1452)





Biography :

Ralph Towner, a 1958 Bend High graduate, is the lead singer and guitar player for a vocal group named the Regals. Other members of the singing group are Rick Brown (Tenor), Dave Finney (Baritone) and Ray Ebert (Bass). Ralph is a sophomore music major at the University of Oregon. The new group got together in dorm sessions, progressed to campus appearances and finally had a tape recording played by a disc jockey in The Dalles. An agent heard and liked The Regals and has booked them for professional appearances in Oregon and Washington.

   

Ralph Towner composed the words and music for the group's only recordings on the Lavender label "See You In The Morning" and "Yes My Love." The record was released in the Northwest in early 1960. Towner has also written most of the Regals' repertoire of 40 numbers. The group has been well received on both Oregon and OSC campuses, and has made several radio and television appearances in the state.





Songs :

  
         Yes, My Love                             See You In The Morning

...

The Trends (From left to right) Eddie Dunn, Ralph O'Neil, Jerrone Johnson, Emmett Gardner

Ze Majestiks (Chicago, IL.)
aka Ze-Majestics aka The Trends

Personnel :

Eddie Dunn (Lead)

Jeronne "Jerry" Johnson

Ralph O'Neill

Emmett Garner Jr

Discography :

Ze-Majestics
1959 - Garlens Mambo / Bobbi Ann (Fox 5014)

Ze Majestiks
1962 - Sapphire (Part 1) / Sapphire (Part 2) (ABC 10318/Sign 84533)

Biography :

The Trends were one of the Chicago soul vocal groups signed to ABC-Paramount through arranger/producer Johnny Pate. Pate produced hits for the label on Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions. Hailing from the city's west side, its members were Emmett Gardner Jr., Jerome Johnson, Eddie Dunn, and Ralph O' Neal. Before recording for Smash in 1964 as the Trends, they recorded "Garlens Mambo" b/w "Bobbi Ann" for Fox Records under the name Ze-Majestics in 1959.

Three years later, the Group, now renamed Ze Majestiks, recorded "Sapphire" b/w "Part 2" release on Sign prior to be picked up by ABC Paramount.  After the two singles for Smash in 1964 as the Trends, a Mercury Records imprint, Pate signed the Trends and they put out seven singles including "Big Parade" b/w "Soul Clap," "Don't Drop Out of School," "Never Too Young to Cry," and "Check My Tears." They never had any nationally charting singles.

Songs :

Ze-Majestics
  
Bobbi Ann                        Garlens Mambo

Ze Majestiks

Sapphire

....

From left : Reed Clements, Dick Gabriel, Clyde Battin, Bobby Verbosh, Gary Paxton

The Pledges (1) (Tucson, Arizona)



Personnel :

Clyde Battin (vocal/gt/bass)

Gary Paxton (vcl/gt)

Bobby Verbooh (gt)

Reed Clements (drums)

Dick Gabriel (sax)



Discography :

1958 - Betty Jean / Her Bermuda Shorts (Rev 3517)



Biography :

Clyde Battin & Gary S. Paxton met while attending the University of Arizona in the late 1950s. They formed The Pledges, a vocal & instrumental group  with Dick Gabriel (sax player) Bobby Verbosh (rhythm guitarist) and Reed Clements (Drums). they came to Phoenix and auditioned for Rev Records and landed a recording contract.  They made two sides "Betty Jean" and "Her Bermuda Shorts". They kept working as the Pledges in Tucson, and they went up to Phoenix and cut another four sides, two as Clyde and Gary : "Why Not Confess" b/w "Johnny Risk". Needless to say the Pledges didn't happen and Clyde and Gary didn't happen, but then they released the other two sides that they had cut, "It Was I" , which Gary had written, and "Lunch Hour" which both Gary and Clyde had written.

   
                                                                                    Skip and Flip       

Rev Records sold the masters "It Was I" and "Lunch Hour" to Brent Records in New York City, which is a subsidiary of Time Records. They are now Skip and Flip." That was 1959. Their recording "It Was I" entered the U.S. Top 20 in 1959, peaking at No. 11, and the follow-up, "Fancy Nancy", charted at No. 71. Their next release, a revival of Marvin And Johnny's R&B hit single, "Cherry Pie", also made No. 11 but proved to be the last chart entry they recorded together. Paxton went on to record for several labels using several names, including the Hollywood Argyles, with which he topped the charts in 1960 with the novelty song "Alley-Oop".



Songs :


Betty Jean

…

Clay Hammond

The Three Friends (2) (Compton, California)
aka The Hammond Brothers




Personnel :

Clay Hammond (Lead)

Walter Hammond (Baritone)

Julius Brown (Tenor)





Discography :

The Three Friends (2)
1961 - Walkin' Shoes / Blue Ribbon Baby (Cal-Gold 169)
1961 - Dedicated (To The Songs I Love) / Happy As A Man Can Be (Imperial 5763)
1961 - Go On To School / You're A Square (Imperial 5773)

The Hammond Brothers
1962 - Thirty Miles Of Railroad Track / I Told You (Abner 7005)





Biography :


Black doowop trio from Compton, California. Comprised of Julius Brown and brothers Clay and Walter Hammond.  Clayton Hammond Jr. was born in Groesbeck, Texas. He was an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter and in 1956 he became a founding member of the gospel group The Mighty Clouds of Joy in Los Angeles, with Little Johnny Taylor and others. His younger brother, Walter Hammond, became a member of vocal group The Olympics.

 
                                                                                        Clay Hammond

Clay Hammond made his first recording in 1959 for the Tag label, and then formed a trio, The Three Friends with Walter Hammond and friend Julius Brown. They recorded for the Cal-Gold and Imperial labels in 1961, with little success. Their only charted single was "Dedicated (To The Songs I Love)", which peaked at #89 in July of 1961. The Next year, he also recorded with his brother Walter as the Hammond Brothers. In 1963, his song "Part Time Love", recorded by Little Johnny Taylor, reached the top of the Billboard R&B chart and no.19 on the pop chart. He continued to write songs, but with much less success, as well as recording singles for a variety of small labels.







Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

The Three Friends (2)

     
        Blue Ribbon Baby                     Walkin' Shoes         Dedicated (To The Songs I Love)

  
Happy As A Man Can Be              Go On To School / You're A Square

 

The Hammond Brothers

  
Thirty Miles Of Railroad Track                        I Told You                  

...

The Marie Sisters (Hartford, CT.)



Personnel :

?



Discography :

1959 - Oh! Tony / Chica Chee Cha Cha (Brunswick Records-1959.




Biography :

 The Marie Sisters were a singing sister act from the greater Hartford area who played local venues (Crystal Lake Ballroom, etc.) and wound up on programs with the likes of Billy Bryan (Gene Pitney) and Rocky Hart (Pierre Mahieu).

  
The Marie Sisters & Billy Bryan (Gene Pitney)                                                                                         

In 1959, The Marie Sisters recorded two up-tempo songs with the backing of Johnny Mastrio group. Their single was released on Brunswick Records & was played often in Jamaica as well as Connecticut.





Songs :

  
Chica Chee Cha Cha                                       Oh! Tony

…