Lee Andrews & The Hearts (3) (Philadelphia)

Personnel :

Lee Andrews aka Arthur Lee Andrew Thompson (Lead）

Rory Calhoun aka Royalston Calhoun (Tenor）

Thomas 'Butch' Curry（Tenor）

Jimmy McCallister（Baritone）

John Young（Bass）

Discography :

Lee Andrews & The Hearts (3)
1954 - Maybe tou'll be there / Baby come back（Rainbow 252/Riviera 965）

1954 - White cliffs of Dover / Much too much（Rainbow 256）

1954 - The fairest / Bells of st. Mary's（Rainbow  259）

1955 - Bluebird of happiness / Show me the merengue（Gotham 7318）
1956 - Lonely room / Leona（Gotham 7320）
1956 - Just suppose / It's me（Gotham 7321）

1957 - Long lonely nights / The clock（Mainline 102/Chess-1665/Grand 157）

1957 - Teardrops / The girl around the corner（Argo 1000/Chess-1675/Grand 156）

1958 - Try the impossible / Nobody's home（UA 123/Casino 452）

1958 - Why do I ? / Glad to be here（UA 136）

1958 - Maybe you'll be there / All I ask is love（UA 151）
1962 - Together Again / My Lonely Room (Gowen 1403)
1962 - I'm sorry Pillow / Gee but I'm lonesome (Parkway 860)
1966 - You're Taking A Long Time Coming Back / Quiet As It's Kept  (RCA 47 8929)

1967 - Island Of Love / Oh My Love (Crimson 1002)
1967 - Cold Gray Dawn / All You Can Do (Crimson 1005)

1967 - Never The Less  / Never The Less (Crimson 1009)
1967 - Island Of Love / Never The Less (Crimson 1009)
1968 - I've Had It / Little Bird (Crimson 1015)

1968 - Cold Gray Dawn / All You Can Do (Lost nite 1001)

1968 - Oh My Love / Can't Do Without You (Lost nite 1004)
1968 - Quiet As It's Kept / Island Of Love (Lost nite 1005)
1981 - Sipping A Cup Of Coffee / Just Suppose (alt. take) (Gotham 323)
1981 - Window Eyes / Long Lonely Nights (alt. take) (Gotham 324)

1981 - I Miss My Baby / Boom (alt. take) (Gotham 325)

Lee Andrews With The Hearts (3)
1959 - Just suppose / Boom（UA 162）
1959 - I wonder / Baby Come Back (Casino 110)
1961 - I've got a right to cry / I miss you so (Swan 4065)
1961 - A night like tonight / You Gave me (Swan 4076)
1961 - P.S I love you / I Cried (Swan 4087)
1965 - You You You / Hug-a-bee (V.I.P 1601)

The Hearts (3)
1960 - It's Unbelievable / On My Honor (Chancellor 1057)

The Five Hearts (3)
1959 - Unbelievable / Aunt Jenny (Arcade 107)

The Famous Hearts
1962 - Aisle of love / Momma (Guyden 2073)

Congress Alley
1972 - God Bless the children / Congress Alley (Avco 4610)
1973 - God Save America  (Avco 4616)

Biography :

Lee Andrews & The Hearts By Marv Goldberg © 2004 by Marv Goldberg “Long Lonely Nights,” “Tear Drops,” “Try The Impossible”: those were the hits, the charted legacy of Lee Andrews and the Hearts, one of the finest groups to emerge from Philadelphia. Their story had more downs than ups, but they turned out a body of wonderful music.

Arthur Lee Andrew Thompson (guess where the “Lee Andrews” came from) was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina to a musical family. His father, Beechie Thompson, had been with the Dixie Hummingbirds gospel group. When Lee was two (around 1940), his family moved to the Woodland Avenue and 49th Street section of Southwest Philadelphia, where Lee grew up. He attended Bertram High School, where, in 1952, he helped to form a vocal group called the Dreamers. This group, which would go on to become the Hearts, was comprised of: Lee (lead), Royalston “Roy” Calhoun (first tenor), Thomas “Butch” Curry (second tenor), Jimmy McCalister (baritone), John Young (bass), and Kenny Lowe (piano).

Their influences were the usual: the Orioles, the 5 Keys, the 5 Royales, and the Ravens. Lee's special influences were Nat “King” Cole and Bing Crosby; he loved pop music, and it shows in the recordings, which are not as heavily R&B as those of their contemporaries. They originally sang spirituals, guided by Butch's aunt. But little by little they expanded their repertoire to include Rhythm 'n' Blues In July, they played the Apollo, sharing the stage with Lloyd Price, the Moonglows, the Teenchords, and the Hearts (the Baton group, of “Lonely Nights” fame).

In August, the Hearts appeared on Philadelphia's TV Bandstand. The end of the month saw them as part of the Apollo Theater's Labor Day Week show, on the same bill with the Harptones, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Big Maybelle, the Cookies, Little Joe and the Thrillers and the Reuben Phillips Orchestra. Guess who the MC was (I'll give you a hint: his initials were “Jocko”).

Another Jocko show followed on the 14th of September at the Laurel Gardens in Newark. This time they took the stage with Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Doc Bagby, the Teenagers, the Chantels, the Channels, the Love Notes, the Sentimentals, the Shepherd Sisters, and the Shells.

By the time “Long Lonely Nights” had peaked, it had gone to 45 on the pop charts and 11 on R'n'B. In spite of the fact that the record-buying public favored Clyde's version then (it went to 1 on the R'n'B charts), it's rarely heard today. Regardless of talent, most R&B vocal groups never make the charts. Lee Andrews and the Hearts were there three times.

They weren't major hitmakers, but they did better than most. As with any group, there are a few clinkers in there, but for the most part, they came off as a polished, professional group, that probably should have done even better than they did.

http://www.myspace.com/leeandrewsandthehearts
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Ev1tiger/leehearts.html
http://www.destinationdoowop.com/leeandrewsandhearts.htm
http://home.att.net/~marvart/Lahearts/lahearts.html



SONGS :

The Hearts (3)

   
It's Unbelievable                      On My Honor



Lee Andrews & The Hearts (3)

   
All i ask is love                      Boom



CD :