The Cordials (4) (Newark. N.J)

Personnel :

Mike Bonczek (Lead)

Raymond LaBranche (Tenor)

Ray Andrejcik Sr (Baritone)

Manny Cruz (Bass)

Discography :

1962 - My Hearts Desire   / Listen My Heart (Whip 276)

Biography :

Vocal group from Bloomfield Ave. in Newark. composed by Mike Bonczek (Lead), Raymond LaBranche (Tenor), Ray Andrejcik Sr (Baritone) and Manny Cruz (Bass). The group will record two tracks "My Hearts Desire" and "Listen My Heart" which will be released by Whip records in 1962.

Songs :

  
 My Hearts Desire                                Listen My Heart


...

James W. Kisling

The Arc-Angels (Pasadena, CA.)

Personnel :

James W. Kisling (Lead)

Robert G. Whiteside

Tony Smith

Bill Hutton (Piano)

Discography :

1961 - Goddess / Little Wheel (Lan-Cet 142)

Biography :

When Bill Aken (Zane Ashton) was a teenager in the San Joaquin Valley, most of his peers were listening to Patti Page, Johnny Ray, etc, etc. I was being influenced by an entirely different kind of music... 1950's Groups like The Crows, The Ravens, and The Dominoes.  Lots of his  schoolyard friends in the San Joaquin Valley couldn't understand him, saying, "You're white... how can you like that kind of music ???" . His family moved to East Los Angeles in 1952, Bill found others who were into R & B like him and they formed their own band, The Nomads (Los Nomadas) to do their own kind of music.  In 1958, even tho they was recording 'pop' music,  Rochelle and The Candles came along and re-kindled his desire to do real 'R & B.'

  
Bill Aken (Zane Ashton)                                                                                                                          

In 1961 his own record label and production company division was in it's infancy and  a vocal group called 'The Arc-Angels' would be his first independent 'R & B' production.... The group was composed by James W. Kisling (Lead), Robert G. Whiteside , Tony Smith and Bill Hutton (Piano). The Arc Angels showed up with a song named "Goddess" written by Kisling. Kisling and Whiteside wrote "Little Wells" on a Saturday before their first recording session because they needed an original song for the B side. "Little Wheel" was done in two takes and "Goddess" was done in five.

Songs :

  
Goddess                                          Little Wheel


...

1959 The Golden Tones (Joe Simon - second from right)

The Golden Tones (2) (Richmond, Ca.)

Personnel :

Joe Simon (Lead)

Bill johnson Jr

James Spells

Lynn Foster

Lawrence Thomson

Discography :

1959 - Little Island Girl / Doreetha (Hush 101)
1960 - You Left Me Here To Cry Alone / Ocean Of Tears (Hush 102)

Biography :

Joe Simon (born September 2, 1943, Simmesport, Louisiana) is a chart-topping, Grammy Award winning, soul and R&B artist. Like many other African-American artists from the era, Simon began singing in his father's Baptist church. He pursued his vocal abilities full-time once the family moved to Richmond (near Oakland, California) in the late 1950s. There Simon joined the Golden West Gospel Singers and became influenced by Sam Cooke and Arthur Prysock.

The Golden West Gospel Singers

In 1959, Golden West Bass Bill Johnson persuaded Joe Simon to quit gospel singing and try his hand at R&B. Johnson offered Simon a place in his son's secular quartet the Echo Tones. The Echo Tones were then composed of James Spells, Lynn Foster, Lawrence Thomson & Bill johnson Jr.

   
                  Joe Simon                                                                                      The Golden Tones

The ensemble changed their name to the Golden Tones in 1959, releasing "Little Island Girl" b/w "Doreetha", which was followed by the single "You Left Me Here To Cry Alone" b/w "Ocean Of Tears". Following the release, Hush Records owners, Gary and Carla Thompson, urged Joe to take on a solo career, which he pursued with the Veejay imprint releasing 'My Adorable One' in 1964. He later had a successful career as a soul singer in the 60's and '70s

Songs:

  
Doreetha                                    Little Island Girl

  
You Left Me Here To Cry Alone                Ocean Of Tears

...

Arthur Conley

Arthur & The Corvets (4) (Atlanta, Georgia)
aka The Corvetts (2)

Personnel :

Arthur Conley (lead)

Eddie Davis

Hubert Kimbrough

Mark Chapman

Discography :

Arthur & The Corvets (4)
1964 - Poor Girl / Darling I Love You (Na-R-Co 203)
1964 - I Believe / Miracles (NRC 2781-232)
1964 - Aritha / Flossie Mae (NRC 2871-34-1/2)

The Corvetts (2)
1965 - I'm Going To Cry / You're Blue (Moon 100)

Biography :

Born January 4, 1946, in McIntosh, GA, and raised in Atlanta, Conley was just 12 years old when he joined the Evening Smiles, a gospel group that appeared regularly on local radio station WAOK. Arthur joined a secular band named the Corvets and composed by Eddie Davis, Hubert Kimbrough & Mark Chapman. Arthur became their lead singer. Named Arthur & The Corvets, the group recorded "Poor Girl" and "Darling I Love You" both written by Arthur. The single was released by the Atlanta label National Recording Company in April 1964. The label will release a second single a few months later with "Miracles" b/w "I Believe". But, the NRC singles attracted little attention and Arthur left the group to mount a solo career. The group without its leader continues to record and the label released "Aritha" and "Flossie Mae" will be released shortly after retaining the name of "Arthur & The Corvets". Under the name of Corvetts a last single will be released in 1965 by Moon Records with "I'm Going To Cry" b/w "You're Blue".

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)  

Arthur & The Corvets (4)

  
    Poor Girl                                     Darling I Love You

  
Miracles                                   I Believe

Aritha / Flossie Mae

The Corvetts (2)

  
I'm Going To Cry                                       You're Blue  

...

The Six Teens (Los Angeles, California)
pictures update By Hans-Joachim 

Personnel :

Kenneth Sinclair（Lead）

Trudy Williams（Lead）

Darrell Lewis

Bevery Pecot

Ed Wells

Loise Williams

Discography :

The Six Teens

1956 - A Casual Look / Teen Age Promise (Flip 315)
1956 - Send Me Flowers / Afar Into The Night (Flip 317)
1956 - Only Jim / My Special Guy (ATG) (Flip 320)
1957 - Arrow Of Love / Was It A Dream Of Mine (Flip 322)
1957 - My Surprise / Baby You're Dynamite (Flip 326)
1957 - Stop Playing Ping Pong (With My Heart) / My Secret (Flip 329)
1958 - Love's A-Funny That Way / Danny (Flip 333)
1958 -  Baby-O / Oh, It's Crazy (Flip 338)
1959 - Heaven Knows I Love Him / Why Do I Go To School (Flip 346)
1960 - That Wonderful Secret Of Love / So Happy (Flip 350)
1960 - Suddenly In Love / Little Prayer (Flip 351) 

Trudy & Louise

1963 - Teenage Promise* / My Special Guy** (Flip 362)
*faster version of Teen Age Promise (rec. 1956)  ** same as on Flip 315

Biography :

The Six Teens' name derived from the average age of the six members divided by six; Ed Wells was the oldest at 17, and Trudy Williams the youngest at 12. Like most teenage groups of that era, they were inspired by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers.

Originally the Sweet Teens, they recorded one single under that name ("Don't Worry About a Thing" for Flip Records in 1956), with Wells singing lead on the first recording but Williams taking the helm for subsequent releases. The first Six Teens single, "A Casual Look," became their biggest hit. Flip's owner picked "Teenage Promise" but the disc jockeys flipped it, and it went to number 25 on the pop charts and number seven R&B.

The group began performing and spent much of the summer of 1957 performing in Hawaii. "Send Me Flowers," their second release, was number one there, but their third record, "Only Jim," did nothing to advance their career.

The fourth, "Arrow of Love," showed at number 80, and when Flip began marketing the Six Teens to teenyboppers, their songs and lyrics became unbelievably trite. Tunes like "Stop Playing Ping Pong With My Little Heart" had no chance for success, and a personnel shakeup did nothing to stabilize the group.



In 1957, the Six Teens recorded "My Surprise," credited to the Six Teens featuring (14-year-old) Trudy Williams. Three final recordings failed to chart, but they continue performing with different members until the late '60s.

 
Songs :

The Six Teens

     
A Casual Look                    Teen Age Promise                  Send Me Flowers

     
Afar Into The Night                    Only Jim                                My Special Guy

     
Arrow Of Love               Was It A Dream Of Mine                       My Surprise

     
Baby You're Dynamite               Stop Playing Ping Pong              My Secret         

    
Love's A-Funny That Way                      Danny                                 Baby-O                  

     
Oh, It's Crazy             Heaven Knows I Love Him          Why Do I Go To School

     
That Wonderful Secret Of Love                So Happy                     Suddenly In Love          


Little Prayer

Trudy & Louise

Teen Age Promise

...