L.Russell Brown & Richard Martin Oxman

The Duals (1) (Newark, New Jersey)

Personnel :

Richard Martin Oxman

L.Russell Brown

Discography :

1958 - Wait Up Baby / For Ever And Ever (Fury 10113)
1959 - Nearest To My Heart / Bye-Bye (ARC 4446)

Biography :

By Richard Martin Oxman
Richard Oxman was a "patrol boy" at grammar school in Newark, New Jersey, helping pupils to cross the street on the corner by his family's apartment when he was about nine-years-old. One day, Larry (Brown) came to his corner and began to cross the street without his permission. Patrol boys wore white strips across the chest as a kind of uniform, letting everyone know that they were positioned on a particular corner to regulate crossing for safety purposes. Well, Larry had absolutely no respect for any of that, and Richard yelled after him as he crossed the street, headed for home which was in another apartment building (which was part of The Seth Boyden Housing Project, a low-income complex built for families after WWII). Larry's family lived about a block from Richard's family.

  

Anyway, Richard yelled at him, saying that he was going to report him to Mr. Pearl. Mr. Pearl was a gym teacher, and the adult at school in charge of all patrol boys, the entire operation concerned with crossing guards at street corners.  Well, when Richard Martin knocked off for lunch that day... He walked the few steps to his apartment, and there was Larry waiting for him! He started to hit him in anger, and, then, his mother, hearing Richard screaming, came out of his apartment with a Broom screaming at Larry to leave him alone!  She chased him all the way home. [Remember that Doo Wop song with the line "I ran all the way home, just to say I'm sorry."???] That's how they met. Their families reconciled, and though they never really got close, it was the beginning of their relationship.  Once he found out that Richard played the guitar, he asked Richard to teach him.

Richard Martin Oxman & L.Russell Brown

In 1958, Larry and Richard just traveled into Harlem from New Jersey (across the Hudson River) where they lived to make record contacts With Bobby Robinson, the record shop guy in Harlem. It was much different then, easier to make that crucial one-on-one contact. Bobby, with Larry fast-talking about what was special about the group ("We're a combo of the Everly Brothers and Little Richard.") got Bobby to walk them up to a nearby apartment where they were introduced to a fat guy named "Fats" who played the piano. They asked Richard & Larry to show what they could do, and then, after they sang and played, Bobby Robinson immediately signed the duet! In those days,  record producers routinely screwed performers. They had to give them forms for their parents to sign first because they were underaged. But that didn't keep Bobby and Fats from pulling a fast one on them, screwing them as far as potential royalties went.

L.Russell Brown & Richard Martin Oxman

They recorded at historic Beltone Studios in New York, where many huge hits had been recorded. They met many stars. One of them was the great DOO WOP sax player, King Curtis... who walked into one of their sessions. They were given the opportunity to have him play on "Wait Up, Baby", but They turned the offer down… -- STUPIDLY, RIDICULOUSLY! -- because... guitars were, they felt, IN, the latest thing, the upcoming thing, the thing to embrace. Talk about mistakes! Talked about missed opportunities! Can you imagine having a Duals' record today with King Curtis playing the riff on it? . They met Nina Simone , and many others.  There was a great, unknown, Doo woo group (the Du Mauriers) , which was at their recording session. They did "All Night Long". Fury released "Wait Up Baby" b/w "For Ever And Ever" in early 1958. Richard Oxman and Larry Brown made a second single, "Nearest To My Heart" b/w "Bye-Bye" in Elizabeth NJ at the ARC records studio owned by Ed Dambach. Russell Brown continued in the music industry and wrote many hit songs subsequently, like "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree"... and many more.
Richard Martin Oxman



Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

  
    Nearest To My Heart                                  Bye-Bye                  

  
For Ever And Ever                                   Wait Up Baby     

...

The Cordells  (Philadelphia)
aka The Cardells (2)
aka The Whirlwinds (2)
aka The Exceptions

Personnel:

Jimmy Ellis (Lead)

Earl Young (Bass)

Val Walker

Russell Boston

Charles Hynes

Discography :

The Cordells
1958 - Please Don't Go / Believe in Me (Bullseye 1017)
1962 - The Beat of My Heart / Laid Off (Bargain 5004)

Bunny Sigler & The Cardells (2)
1959 - Square From Nowhere / Laddy Daddy (Bee 1013)

The Whirlwinds (2)
1963 - After The Party / Heartbeat (Phillips)

The Exceptions
1965 - Down by the Ocean / Pancho's Villa (Inst.) (Pro 1/ Cameo 378)

Biography :

Along with the original Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes, the Dreamlovers, and others, the Cordells were one of Philadelphia's pioneering R&B groups. The members were Jimmy Ellis, (lead), Earl Young (bass), Val Walker, and Russell Boston, all from the Broad & Lehigh area of North Philly. They recorded "Please Don't Go" b/w "Believe in Me," for Bullseye Records in 1958 and didn't get the opportunity again until 1959 when they Backed Bunny Sigler on "Square From Nowhere" b/w "Laddy Daddy" as the Cardells. Bunny Sigler was a champion swimmer, having won the city Championship representing Bok School in South Phully. Walter "Bunny" Sigler  will become a pop and R&B songwriter and record producer who has done extensive work with the team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and who was instrumental in creating the "Philly Sound" in the early 1970s. He is nicknamed "Mr. Emotion."

  
Bunny Sigler                                                                                                           

Return to Jimmy Ellis and his fellows. The Group didn't get the opportunity again until 1961 when "The Beat of My Heart"/"Laid Off," fell on Bargain Records, this time using their original name, The Cordells. Neither side was more than a local play and while the group kept busy doing local gigs and built a little reputation around town, nothing really happened for them. The Philly singers became the Whirlwinds and recorded in 1963, this time for Phillips Records. "Heartbeat" b/w "After the Party" stiffed. They added Charles Hynes and tried it as The Exceptions. Pro 1 Records released the first Exceptions' single, "Down by the Ocean" b/w "Pancho's Villa," in 1965. It was originally scheduled for Phil Gaber's P & L label, but the deal never consummated. The record created a stir locally so Cameo Records snagged it for national distribution, but it never took off. Switching to Cameo's subsidiary, Parkway Records.

   

By the late 1960's Jimmy Ellis and the Exceptions had moved from doo wop into soul music.  The signed with the Groovy Grooves label and had two releases. Groovey Groves issued two of their shelved singles in 1972 to piggyback on the Trammps' Buddah recordings. Ellis and Young, two ex-Exceptions, were now Trammps, comprised at that time of members from the Exceptions and the Volcanoes. In addition, Young became a sought after session musician and recorded with Ron Baker and Norman Harris as Baker, Harris, & Young.


Songs :

The Cordells


Please Don't Go / Believe in Me

  
The Beat of My Heart                                 Laid Off          


Bunny Sigler & The Cardells (2)


Square From Nowhere / Laddy Daddy


The Whirlwinds (2)

  
Heartbeat                                   After The Party


The Exceptions

  
Down by the Ocean                              Pancho's Villa        

...

1962 - (clockwise from top) : Fannie Henderson, Beatrice Johnson, John"Wes"Hayes, Bernard Harris & Maurice Hayes

 

The Coeds (1) (Philadelphia, PA)
aka The Co-Eds (2)

Peronnel :

John"Wes"Hayes (Baritone)

Bernard Harris (Tenor)

Beatrice Johnson (Second Soprano/Alto)

Fannie Henderson (First Soprano)

Barge Hammond (Bass)

Jeanette Taylor (First Soprano/ Lead)

Discography :

The Coeds (1)
1957 - Big Chief / Juke Box! (Swan 4004)
1958 - Big Chief / Juke Box! (Cameo 3129)
1958 - La La (Lessons Of The Cha Cha Cha) / Juke Box!(Cameo 134)

John Zacherle bb The Coeds (1)
1958 - I Was A Teen-Age Caveman / Dummy Doll (no group) (Cameo 145)

Cozy Morley bb The Coeds (1)
1958 - As We're Happy Tonight / I Chicken Out (Cameo 147)

Charlie Gracie bb The Coeds (1)
1958 - Dressin' Up / Crazy Girl (no group) (Cameo 127)

The Co-Eds (2)
1961 - Time After Time / To Be Or Not To Be (Sheryl 337)







Biography :


John"Wes"Hayes & Bernard Harris were members of the Dreams, who in 1957 had morphed into Kenny Esquire & The Starlites. Following their dissolution, Wes Rounded up Bernard and other lifelong friends from the neighborhood to form the Coeds. The Group make appearances all over the area. The Coeds consisted of John"Wes"Hayes (Baritone), Bernard Harris (Tenor), Beatrice Johnson (Second Soprano/Alto), Fannie Henderson (First Soprano), Barge Hammond (Bass) and Jeanette Taylor (First Soprano/ Lead).

 
1958 - (top L to R) : B. Harris, B. Hammond, J.Hayes  (Top Down - Girls) J. Taylor, F. Henderson, B.Johnson,

All this practice and rehearsal inspired their manager David King to ferry his charges downtown to Bernie Lowe and Kal Mann's merging shrine, Cameo records, then perched at 360 South Broad Street. The Poohabahs were duly impressed, thus aranging sessions at Reco-Arts  in mis 1958 where the sextet etched three sides, two of which were, well, lackluster, to put it kindly, "Juke Box" a sublimely silly sketch, matched with "(Lessons Of The Cha Cha Cha) "were tepid tunes hardly worthy of the intricate harmonies which were by now inbred in each and very Coed. "Big Chief " was their particular favorite. Thereafter, the Coeds began 1958 on Safari and on Cameo promoting the dickens out of their first release "Big Chief" b/w "Juke Box!" in the early spring.

 
1959 - (L to R) : Beatrice .Jonhson, Fannie Henderson, Jeanette Taylor, & John"Wes"Hayes

A couple months scudded by which saw Lowe and Mann issue "La La (Lessons Of The Cha Cha Cha)" once again, but this time paired with " Juke Box". At Cameo Records, they make plenty of Studio background work. The Coeds backing John Zacherle, Cozy Morley and Charlie Gracie. Despite the fact they had no new recording, The Coeds, now tabbed as John Hayes and the passions, dropped in at bistrosfrom time to time during relatively period, recording wise, of 1959-62.

 
1959 - (top L to R) :Barge Hammond & John"Wes"Hayes  (Bottom L to R) J. Taylor, B.Johnson & F. Henderson

in 1961, David King marched his troupe into Harold B. Robinson's studio located at 6600 North Broad Street. Jeanette Taylor  led both cuts "Time After Time" and "To Be Or Not To Be". The Single  will be released in August 1961 as the Co-eds (new spelling). Beatrice Johnson, Fannie Henderson, Bernard Harris and Wes Hayes accompanied by a bevy of musicians, circulated for many years under tha new monicker, John hayes and the Passions. Though they never rrecorded again, they weren't  lollygagging.





Songs :

(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

The Coeds (1)

  
Big Chief                                       Juke Box!

La La

The Co-Eds (2)

  
Time After Time                         To Be Or Not To Be

 

John Zacherle bb The Coeds (1)


I Was A Teen-Age Caveman  

Charlie Gracie bb The Coeds (1)


Dressin' Up


...

  
                     Gene Yuhas                                                                        Raymond Edwards

The Invictors (1) (Reading, PA.)
aka The Termites

Personnel :

Raymond Edwards (Lead)

Gene Yuhas (Lead)

Barry Boswell (Lead / Second Tenor)

Bobby Rohrbach (Baritone)

Bill Yuhas

Discography :

The Invictors (1)
Single :
1961 - I’ll Always Care For You / I Don't Wanna Go (Bee 1117)
Unreleased:
1961 - Goodbye To Love (Bee)
1961 - My Dream Girl (Bee)

The Termites
1963 - Carrie Lou (The Invictors) / Give Me Your Heart (The Paramounts) (Bee 1825)

Biography :

The Invictors were a mixed group : 3 white and 2 black members. Following the breakup of the Honeybees, vocalist Barry Boswell met Ray Edwards of the Silhouettes, who was living in Reading from 1944 to 1956. By 1962, the Silhouettes had become loosely organized, and Edwards had been performing on his own. The three white members of the group were brothers Bill and Gene Yuhas, and Bobby Rohrbach on baritone.

The Silhouettes

Their sole release, Bee 1117 was put out in 1961, and featured Gene Yuhas on the A-side, "I’ll Always Care For You." The flip "I Don't Wanna Go" was written by Ray Edwards’s daughter, and features Edwards on the lead. The Invictors recorded these sides along with 3 others : "Carrie Lou", "Goodbye To Love" and "My Dream Girl", at Farraro’s Studio in the 400 Block Of Schuykill Ave., Reading.

The Termites were simply the Invictors minus Bobby Rohrbach, in 1963, Bee Records coupled an unreleased Invictors’ master, "Carrie Lou" which featured Barry Boswell on Lead with "Give Me Your Heart", a master from Pat Farraro’s Beck Music Company, and invented the name « Termites » for Bee 1825. "Give Me Your Heart" is not by the Invictors, but The Paramounts, featuring Wesley Parker who released another 45 on the Columbine Label in 1962. .

Songs :

The Invictors (1)

  
  I’ll Always Care For You                          I Don't Wanna Go      

The Termites

  
                       Carrie Lou                      Give Me Your Heart (The Paramounts)     
…