Caswell "Cas" Bridges

The Clefftones (Brooklyn, NY)

 

Personnel :

Caswell "Cas" Bridges (Lead Tenor)

Robert Adams (Tenor)

Nolan (Tenor)

Hershel Guerrant (Bass)

Al Jackson (Baritone)



Discography :

Single :
1955 - My Dearest Darling / (I’m Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over (Old Town 1011)

Unreleased :
1955 - Gloria (Old Town)
1955 - Guess Who (Old Town)
1955 - Little Girl (Old Town)
 

Biography :

Sometime in late 1954, Caswell "Cas" Bridges  left the four Fellows and started working as the singer with a small band run by blind pianist Cliff Driver.  When they started thinking about making a full group out of it, Cliff rounded up some singers he knew : baritone Al Jackson , Robert Adams (tenor), Nolan ? (tenor), and Hershel Guerrant (bass). They called themselves the "Clefftones.  The Clefftones recorded at least six songs on March 4, 1955: "My Dearest Darling," "The Masquerade Is Over," "Gloria," "Guess Who," "Little Girl," and "The Last Roundup."  "The Masquerade Is Over" and "My Dearest Darling" were released in March 1955. These failed to take off and that was the end of the Clefftones' recording career.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/4Fellows/4fellows.html

Songs :

  
           My Dearest Darling                (I’m Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over

  
                             Gloria                            Guess Who / The Last Roundup (not them)          

…

1958 - John Passarelli, Fritz Falanka, John Belfato, Louis Passarelli and Bill Verrastro



The Don-A-Tones (Port Chester, New York)


Personnel :

John Passarelli

Fritz Falanka

John Belfato

Louis Passarelli

Bill Verrastro


Discography :

?


Biography :

Formed on a Port Chester street corner in 1956, the group was made up of a bunch of kids messing around. They are John Passarelli, Fritz Falanka, John Belfato, Louis Passarelli and Bill Verrastro. The Don-A-Tones were born, named after their manager’s (Don Catalano) baby girl, Donna.

One day, a passer by suggested that they try their luck at a local talent show. So they did and they won. Three years later, they were working out a deal for a high-paying record contract with RCA-Victor Records. But the music industry was really screwed up back then. There was a lot of payola going on with DJs and they didn’t really have the sources to get her records played.



…

Gary Edwards, Dave Osbourne, Bill Rauth, Jon Anderson, George Ridings, Larry Joe True & Tommy Colgin.

The Maroons (Louisville, KY.)

Personnel :

Chuck Campbell (Lead)

Jimmy "Hutch" Hutcherson (Voval)

Merl Dean (Vocal)

Ronnie Carter (Vocal)

Ernie Donnell (Lead Guitar), Carl Boyd (Rhythm Guitar), Larry Joe True (Bass Guitar), Jon Anderson (Sax), John Moore (Trumpet) , George Ridings (Drums)

Discography :

1962 - Someday I'll Be The One / Don't Leave Me Baby, Don't (Queen 24012)
1963 - At The End Of Each Day / Just Checkin (Inst) (Jimbo 6040/1)

Biography :

The Maroons, a singing group and band made up of Eastern students was formed in 1961. Led by Chuck Campbell, the group plays at colleges and high schools and has made an appearance on television. In April 1962, The Maroons recorded "Someday I'll Be The One" and "Don't Leave Me Baby, Don't". The single will be released on Queen Records (a King Records subsidiary label) . Some time after Chuck Campell left the group and was replaced by Gary Edwards. Gary Lynn Edwards was born in Corbin, Kentucky on February 9, 1941. His father, Mike Edwards, had a radio show on WCTT which is essentially where Gary got his start singing for large audiences. By the time he was 16, he was given his own radio show on WCTT as well. In addition to Gary Edwards, who replaces Chuck Campbell, the group will undergo many membership changes over the years: Bill Rauth (Guitar), Tommy Colgin (Keyboards), Dave Osbourne (Trumpet). In 1963, With Gary on lead the Maroons recorded "At The End Of Each Day" in the studios of WEKY in Richmond, KY. The Maroons were very popular in the Louisville area. The group will separate a few times later. Gary Edwards Graduated from Eastern University in 1963 and enrolled in the University of Kentucky Law School, at which time Gary formed the band called "The Embers" and continued to perform all over Kentucky, at fraternities, sororities, and sock hops, anywhere they could perform. 



Songs

  
Don't Leave Me Baby, Don't                 Someday I'll Be The One

  
At The End Of Each Day                      Just Checkin (Inst.)

...

The Vals (1) (Chicago, IL)


Personnel :

Billy Gibson (Lead)

David Wilkerson Jr.

Clarence Greene

Ernie Morris

William Taylor (Bass)



Discography :

The Vals (1)
1961 - Compensation Check / The Song of a Lover  (Unique Laboratories)

Vicki Johnson bb The Vals (1)
1961 - I'll Get You / Bells Are Ringing (Unique Laboratories)



Biography :

Connie Toole Owner of the label Theron Records,  recorded four sides: two on a vocal group, The Vals, "The Song of a Lover" and "Compensation Check." The record were released on Val Hutchinson's Unique Laboratories label, but the labels indicated that they were "Produced by Theron Record Company." According to Wilkerson of the Vals only 200 copies of each were pressed up, apparently to test the waters. When nothing happened the Vals record was dead. The mid-1950s doowop sound of the record made it too dated for 1961. Only five copies are still known to exist. The Vals  Billy Gibson (lead), David Wilkerson Jr.,Clarence Greene, Ernie Morris and William Taylor (bass) were used on one other Unique Laboratories release to back a singer named Vicki Johnson, but their support is anemic and of little interest to doowop fans.





Songs :

The Vals (1)

  
The Song of a Lover                       Compensation Check 


Vicki Johnson bb The Vals (1)


I'll Get You


...

The Leaguers (Montclair, New Jersey)


Personnel :

Sam Argote

Michael DeJesus

Ronald Bascombe

Albert Lawson


Discography :

?



...