Ella Lee Lewis Jr.

The Ivoleers ((Manhattan, New York)
aka The Ivories (2)

Personnel :

Ella Lee Lewis Jr. (Lead)

Johnny Earl Jackson (Baritone/Bass)

Richard Lewis (First Tenor)

Moses Brown (Baritone)

"Blinky"  (SecondTenor)

Discography :

The Ivories (2)
1957 - Me And You / I'm In Love (Mercury 71239)

The Ivoleers
1959 - Lovers' Quarrel / Come With Me (Buzz 101)

Biography :

When the Ivories / Love Notes disbanded in the Summer of 1957, Johnny Earl Jackson, who was part of the original Ivories who recorded on Jaguar Records "Alone" and "Baby Send A Letter",  formed a new group. Since the Ivories were no longer in existence (having become the Love Notes), he recycled the name.  The New Ivories group consisted of his girlfriend, Ella Lee Lewis Jr. (lead), her brother, Richard Lewis (first tenor),  Moses Brown (baritone), a second tenor named "Blinky" and Johnny Earl Jackson (baritone/bass).

 They recorded "Me And You" and "I'm In Love" released by Mercury Recordsin November 1957. Moses Brown left the Ivories and was replaced by a baritone named "Chink." , They changed their name by  to the Ivoleers and  recorded "Lovers' Quarrel" and "Come With Me" for Bobby Smith's Buzz label in early 1959. http://www.uncamarvy.com/Ivories/ivories.html

Songs :

The Ivories (2)

  
Me And You                                   I'm In Love

The Ivoleers

  
Come With Me                                Lovers' Quarrel



...

Fred Parris & Lewis "Lou" Peeples

Freddie & Lou  (New Haven, Connecticut)
ref The Five Satins

Personnel :

Fred Parris

Lewis "Lou" Peeples

Discography :

1961 - You'll Be Mine Tonight / Rosalie (Thunder 2150 / Astra 1003)

Biography :

Fred Parris & Lewis Peeple were part of The Five Satins, best known for their 1956 million-selling song, "In the Still of the Night." After a few singles as the Scarlets, the New Haven quintet know as the Scarlets was called by Uncle Sam. Fred Paris was then stationed in Philadelphia and was able to return to New Haven for weekends. He formed a new group that included Lou Peebles (tenor), Ed Martin (baritone), Stanley Dortch (tenor), and Jim Freeman (bass). Fred wanted a new name since none of these new members had been in the Scarlets. He liked the idea of something soft and red like the Velvets and the Scarlets. The result: the Five Satins.

        
Lewis "Lou" Peeples

In 1961, after several years punctuated by a few hits, Fred and company decided to keep making name changes until something stuck, so they became the Wildwoods (“When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano,” Caprice) and the New Yorkers, whose “Miss Fine” (Wall) reached number 69 Pop and This is also where Fred Parris & Lewis Peeple recorded "You'll Be Mine Tonight" b/w "Rosalie" as Freddie & Lou. not much recognition there for an act that’s spent five years under another name, so they went back to the Five Satins for one side on United Artists .

Songs :

  
          Rosalie                                  You'll Be Mine Tonight

...

 Bob Feldman, Barry Mann & Jerry Goldstein

Bob & Jerry & Their Friends (Brooklyn, New York)
aka Ezra & The Ivies (2)
aka The Kittens (1)
aka Bobbi & The Beaus (2)

Personnel :

Jerry Goldstein

Bob Feldman

Discography :

Ezra & The Ivies (2)
1959 - Comick Book Crazy / Rockin Shoes (Baca Laca Ling Dong) (UA 165)

The Kittens (1)
1959 - A Letter To Donna / It's All Over Now (Unart 2010)

Bobbi & The Beaus (2)
1959 - Melvin / Losing Game (Unart 2009)

Bob & Jerry
1961 - Dreamy Eyes / We're The Guys   (Who Drive Your Baby Wild) (Bob & Jerry & Their Friends) (Columbia 42162)
1962 - Chubby Isn't Chubby Anymore / Nursery Rhyme Folk (Musicor 1018)


Biography :

Born in Brooklyn in 1940, Feldman grew up in an orthodox Jewish home and originally studied to be a cantor. The Feldmans lived across the street from Neil Diamond’s folks, just around the corner from the Sedakas, whose son, Neil, was a promising classical pianist, and a couple of blocks away from members of the Tokens, all Lincoln High School graduates and friends. By the mid-50s, doo wop was all the rage and Feldman soon fell in with various groups practising harmonies on the Brooklyn backstreets. He teamed up with his neighbourhood buddy, Jerry Goldstein, and wrote some songs that brought the pair to the attention of Jack Lewis, an A&R man at United Artists Records. Lewis allowed the enthusiastic 18 year-old to sit in on sessions at weekends and mentored him on various aspects of the music business.

Back then, the quickest route to a potential hit was a novelty recording and Feldman and Goldstein chose this path as the most likely way of securing airplay in a crowded market. Thus "Comic Book Crazy" by Ezra & the Ivies, "Melvin" by Bobbi & The Beaus with singer Barbara Robert and "‘A Tribute To Donna" by the Kittens - both probably recorded at the same session under Lewis’ supervision, appeared in March 1959, the latter being a tribute to Ritchie Valens, issued within weeks of his death in the plane accident that also claimed Buddy Holly’s life. None of these early efforts were particularly distinguished or hitworthy, but they enabled Feldman and Goldstein to establish a toehold in the business as part-timers.

    

The two pals would grab a sandwich andhustle music publishers in their lunch breaks. Young, enthusiastic and markedly persuasive, they began to get some bites, mainly as a novelty turn, twice riding on the coat-tails of existing hits with ‘We’re The Guys’ (an answer record to Barry Mann’s ‘Who Put The Bomp’) as Bob & Jerry on Columbia Records and ‘Chubby Isn’t Chubby Anymore’ (a daft nod to the King of The Twist) on the Musicor label. Another of their songs, ‘Charm Bracelet’, was recorded by teenage pop vocalist Bernadette Peters. Though they were making inroads, it wasn’t until Feldman and Goldstein met Richard Gottehrer in a music publisher’s waiting room in the spring of 1962, that they tasted their first chart success.They formed the Strangeloves consisted of Bob, Jerry and Richard Gottehrer. Although they left their mark under the name Strangeloves with only four singles and one album, their fascinating story extends both before and beyond the group’s brief tenure.

Songs:

Ezra & The Ivies (2)

  
Rockin Shoes (Baca Laca Ling Dong)               Comick Book Crazy               

The Kittens (1)

  
A Letter To Donna                                It's All Over Now

Bobbi & The Beaus (2)

  
Losing Game                                               Melvin

Bob & Jerry & Their Friends


We're The Guys (Who Drive Your Baby Wild)

Bob & Jerry

  
        Dreamy Eyes                                     Nursery Rhyme Folk

...

The Vels (1) (Vicksburh, MS.)

Personnel :

Sidney Caldwell

Terry Lee Evans

Charles Marion "Sug" Knight Sr.

Alvin Sanders

Discography :

1961 - Please Be Mine / Mysterious Teenage (Trebco 702)

Biography :

They were originally  "The 5 Knights" from Vicksburg, Mississippi and If Sidney Caldwell, Terry Lee Evans, Marion Knight, and Al Sanders lived in New York or Philly in 1961, they would undoubtedly have hit the big time as one of the best doo-wop groups ever. Instead, there were few recording opportunities for The Vels in Jackson, Mississippi. Their sole record came about when 17- year-old Tim Whitsett convinced a local jeweler /  label owner to let him take The Vels into the studio. Backed by Whitsett’s band, The Vels cut two originals for Trebco Records, “Mysterious Teenage” and “Please Be Mine”. Recorded in a single-car garage with a single track tape recorder, the record has become a doo-wop favorite over the past 50 years.

Songs :


Please Be Mine


...

The Salems (Brooklyn, New York)

Personnel :

Jimmy Vinson (Lead)

Billy Vinson

John G.

Discography :

1961 - My Precious Love / I'll Still Go On Loving You (Mercury 71754)
1961 - Maria / O'l Man River (Epic 9480)

Biography :

Vocal group from Brooklyn composed by Jimmy Vinson, Billy Vinson and friend John G.... Jimmy Vinson and Billy Vinson wrote "My Precious Love" and Jimmy wrote "I'll Still Go On Loving You". The group known as the Salems recorded the two songs backed by two girls - Brenda Smith & Betty Jean Smith. The single released in January 1961 by Mercury Records will have a small success locally. This recognition will allow them to release a new single on Epic by taking up "Maria", one of the West Side Story's best songs.

Songs :


My Precious Love

...