The Norvells

Richard Pegue (with the glasses) & Toya Perry (Girl)

The Norvells (Chicago, IL,)





Personnel :

Richard Slaughter (Lead)

Billy Smith (Tenor)

Richard Pegue (Baritone)

Claude “Dee-Dee” Wyatt  (Tenor)

Victor Trice (Bass)

Toya Perry





Discography :

1963 - (Why don’t You Try That) Greasy Kid Stuff / As I Walk Alone (Checker 1037)
1968 -  Without You / Whv Do You Want To Make Me Sad (Penny 107/Janis 6366)

Biography :

Richard Pegue was born on July 29, 1943, in Chicago to a beautician and a policeman. His father died in the line of duty when he was only two years old. Pegue would go on to develop a strong career in radio. This career began at age eleven, when Pegue's grandmother gave him a reel-to-reel tape recorder for his birthday. By sixteen, he was using his recorder to D.J. at dances at South Side schools. Richard Pegue With Billy Smith, formed a vocal group named the Belvederes at Hirsch High School. They recruited replacements from the Hirsch cafeteria. They brought in first tenor Claude "Dee-Dee" Wyatt, bass singer Victor Trice, and primary lead/second tenor Richard Slaughter, who had transferred in from Parker High. Gary, Indiana's Spaniels were the foundation from which the Belvederes built their sound.

  
Richard Pegue (with the glasses)                                                                                                                    

Slaughter's voiced gave the group an edge over other kids at Hirsch who didn't sound like the biggest stars of local radio. Keen marketers, the Beleveders created a special Yuletide program for the school hallways. These flashes of creativity sold them at the newly integrated Hirsch, where they were a bit of an anomaly. In 1963, the Belvederes changed their name to the less-square Norvells, a brainchild all Pegue's. The Novells cut two songs for Checker at the end of 1962 "Greasy Kid Stuff" b/w "As I Walk Alone". In 1965, Pegue wrote and produced “I’m Not Ready to Settle Down.” Performed by the Cheers, the song still enjoys radio airplay today. In 1968, he became the music director at WVON Radio. In 1968, Penny Records will release another Norvells single "Without You" b/w "Whv Do You Want To Make Me Sad". When WVON was sold in 1975, Pegue found work at various radio stations in Chicago and Northwest Indiana, including WOPA and WGCI, where he worked as a program director and fill-in disc jockey.





Songs :

  
              As I Walk Alone               (Why don’t You Try That) Greasy Kid Stuff

  
Whv Do You Want To Make Me Sad                   Without You                      



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