The Five Stars (3) aka The Five Notes (2) aka The Five Masks

 The Five Stars (3) (Dallas, Texas)
aka  The Five Notes (2) aka The Five Masks

Personnel :

Al Bragg (Lead)

Cal Valentine (Lead)

Robert Lee Valentine

Jesse Floyd

Billie Fred Thomas

Discography :

The Five Notes (2)
1955 - Show Me The Way / Park Your Love (Chess 1614)

The Five Stars (3)
1957 - Hey, Juanita / So Lonely Baby (Blues Boys Kingdom 106)

The Five Masks
1958 - Forever And A Day / Polly Molly (Jan 101)

Biography :

While at school, Cal met up with another youngster who shared his love of music, Al ’TNT’ Bragg who was also to make a name for himself on the R&B scene in the sixties and seventies. Together with several more of their friends they formed The Five Notes.

     
Al ’TNT’ Bragg                                                                   The Five Stars

The group entered a local talent contest which they duly won, rapidly becoming one of the hottest groups in the Dallas area. The Five Notes were signed up by agent Mike Coggs and appeared on shows with groups like The Five Keys and The Spaniels, and in 1955 they made their recording debut on the Chess label with the release of the single Park Your Love/Show Me The Way (Chess 1614).

A change of name to The Five Masks and another single on the Jan label, Polly Molly/Forever And A Day (Jan 101) were to follow before the group, now called The Five Stars, signed for B.B. Kings short lived Blues Boy Kingdom label.

Although a single was released, Hey Juanita/So Lonely Baby (Blues Boy Kingdom 106), B.B.s discovery by the white blues market and the subsequent upsurge in his popularity led to the demise of the label and the groups eventual return to Dallas where their popularity guaranteed them regular work and even an outstanding performance in the 1957 movie, Rock Baby, Rock It, along with Roscoe Gordon.

Videos :

The Five Stars (3)


Hey, Juanita (Rock Baby, Rock It)


Your Love Is All I Need (Rock Baby, Rock It)


Songs :

The Five Notes (2)

   
Show Me The Way                             Park Your Love

The Five Stars (3)


So Lonely Baby & Hey, Juanita

The Five Masks

   
Polly Molly                                   Forever And A Day

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