• The Love-Tones aka The Melodeers
    (L to R) Stan Bracely, Carl Jones, Mickey Stevenson  & Joe Miles 

    The Mello-Dees  (Detroit)
    aka The Love-Tones

     
    Personnel :

    Carl Jones (Lead)

    Mickey Stevenson (Tenor)

    Joe Miles (Baritone)

    Stan Bracely (Bass)

     

    Discography :

    Herman Griffin & The Mello-Dees
    1960 - Hurry Up And Marry Me / Do You Want To See My Baby (Anna 1115/Stepp 237)

    Tall Tonio (Tony Clark) & The Mello-Dee’s
    1960 - Hod Rod Car / Ten Reasons (Stepp 235)

    Marvin Gaye & The Love-Tones
    1962 - Soldier's Plea / Taking My Time (Tamla 54063)

    Gino Parks & The Love-Tones
    1962 - For This I Thank You / Fire (Tamla 54066)

    Henry Lumpkin & The Love-Tones
    1962 - Mo Jo Hanna / Break Down And Sing (Motown 1029

    
Mary Wells & The Love-Tones
    1962 - The One Who Really Loves You / I'm Gonna Stay (Motown 1024)
    1962 - You Beat Me To The Punch / Old Love (Let's Try It Again) (Motown 1032)
    1963 - Laughing Boy / Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right (Motown 1039)

    The Love-Tones aka The Mello-Dees aka The Lovetones (1)     The Love-Tones aka The Mello-Dees aka The Lovetones (1)

     

    Biography :

    Just as The Andantes were Motown's female backing singers of note, so The Love-Tones were briefly their male equivalents. When the Teardrops dissolved after one single for Sampson in 1952/53, Stan Bracely & Carl Jones stayed together and with baritone Joe Miles  and second tenor Mickey Stevenson, they formed the Mello-dees. Initially, they backed Herman Griffin & Tony Clarke’s first single under the name of Tall Tonio for Mickey Stevenson's Stepp Records in 1960, but when Stevenson quit singing to concentrate on producing, they changed their name to the Love Tones and became the in-house male backing group.

    The Love-Tones aka The Mello-Dees aka The Lovetones (1)  The Love-Tones aka The Mello-Dees aka The Lovetones (1)

                                                                                                     Tony Clark (Tall Tonio)

    Although their contributions were usually credited, they were seldom if ever allowed to release anything under their own name, with the result their contribution to Motown would be easy to overlook. However, Carl Jones, Mickey Stevenson, Joe Miles and Stan Bracely had recorded under their own name.

    The Love-Tones aka The Mello-Dees aka The Lovetones (1)   The Love-Tones aka The Mello-Dees aka The Lovetones (1)   The Love-Tones aka The Mello-Dees aka The Lovetones (1)    

      Mary Wells                                                              Gino Parks                                                   Marvin Gaye            

    Whilst at Motown they appeared on recordings by Marvin Gaye (Soldier Boy), Henry Lumpkin (Mo Jo Hanna),  Gino Parks (For This I Thank You), Mary Wells on her big 1962 hits, “The One Who Really Loves You” and “You Beat Me To The Punch” and many other singers, sometimes credited. They exited Motown in 1962 and seemingly broke up thereafter, although they reformed for a series of recordings for Ian Levine's Motorcity label in the 1990s.






    Songs :

    (updated by Hans-Joachim) 

    Herman Griffin & The Mello-Dees

    Hurry Up And Marry Me / Do You Want To See My Baby


    Marvin Gaye & The Love-Tones

      
    Soldier's Plea                      Taking My Time



    Gino Parks & The Love-Tones

      
    For This I Thank You                                 Fire


    Henry Lumpkin & The Love-Tones

      
    Mo Jo Hanna                     Break Down And Sing

    
Mary Wells & The Love-Tones

         
    The One Who Really Loves You           I'm Gonna Stay      You Beat Me To The Punch

         
    Old Love (Let's Try It Again)            Laughing Boy            Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right






     …



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