Cortez "Winky" Greer, Ed Johnson and Bobby Bender

The Cupids (7) (Chattanooga, TN.)


Personnel :

Cortez "Winky" Greer (Lead)

Bobby Bender (Tenor)

Ed Johnson (Bass)


Discography :
 

Single :
1962 - Troubles Not At End / I Don't Know (Chan 107)
Unreleased:
1962 - Wanda (Chan)
1962 - Mardi Gras (Chan)


Biography :

Cortez Greer grew up in Chattanooga and was a 1962 graduate of Howard High School. He was discovered as a result of his performance on the Ted Mack Original Talent Show and since then, he traveled the world and performed for the likes of James Brown and toured with Bill Cosby. Cortez completed one album "Live At Scarlett O'Hara's" and another was slated for release in February 1977.

 
The Squires

In 1961, Cortez Greer made his debut professional singer in a Doo-Wop group called The Cupids with Ed Johnson and Bobby Bender. Both The Squires and The Cupids were from Chattanooga and they were signed by Chan Records at the same time and traveled to Fernwood studios in Memphis, TN to record their first records.  The Squires backed The Cupids on Three songs, "Troubles Not At End", "Wanda" and "Mardi Gras". The Squires was composed by Ted Ledford (Guitar), Larry Blanks (Guitar), Allen Lutes (Bass), Don Jackson (Sax), Jimmy Harris (Piano) and Butch Thomas (Drums). "Troubles Not At End" and  "I Don't Know" with a different instrumental group and a girls group will be released by Chan Records. Their two other recordings were never released. The Squires will record two singles for Chan Records in 1962.



Songs :

  
 Wanda                                              I Don't Know

  
Troubles Not At End                              Mardi Gras      

…

Delmer Wilburn

The Squires (2) (Los Angeles)



Personnel :

Delmer Wilburn (Lead)

Otis White (First Tenor)

Jimmy Richardson (Second Tenor)

James Myles (Baritone)

Maurice Giles (Bass)


Discography :

Singles :
1953 - Let's Give Love A Try / Whop (Combo 35)
1954 - Oh Darling / My Little Girl (Combo 42)

Unreleased :
1954 - Where Are You Tonight (Combo)
1954 - I Want A Girl (Combo)
1954 - Am I A Fool (Combo)



Biography :

The Squires consisted of Delmer Wilburn (lead), Otis White (first tenor), Jimmy Richardson (second tenor), James Myles (baritone), and Maudice Giles (bass). They first got together in the Greenmeadows Playground in L.A. In the fall of 1953, Jess Willard, who owned a record shop, heard them practice and brought them to the attention of Vernon "Jake" Porter, owner of Combo Records. In late 1953, they recorded at least seven songs for Combo. Two of these, "Let's Give Love A Try"/"Whop," came out that year. Two others, "Oh Darling"/"My Little Girl," were issued in early 1954.

 
Maurice Giles                                                                                       Vernon "Jake" Porter      

There are three known unreleased tracks: "Where Are You Tonight," "I Want A Girl," and "Am I A Fool." When they drifted apart, Delmer Wilburn eventually ended up in the Turks with Gaynel and Alex Hodge. Later on, he was part of Eli Price & the Manhattans on Dooto, and then the Mandels, who recorded for Lilly in 1961 [Alice Smith, Ann Cain, Pearline Bradford, and Emily Mayweather]. Maurice Giles became a member of the Hollywood Saxons.


http://www.uncamarvy.com/Squires/squires.html

Songs :

  
Let's Give Love A Try / Whop                      Oh Darling                   

  
        My Little Girl                             Where Are You Tonight

  
I Want A Girl                               Am I A Fool



...

The Pyramids (1) (Los Angeles, CA.)
aka The Tempo-Mentals

 

Personnel :

Sidney Correia (Lead)

Joe Dandy

Lionel Cobbs

Melvin White

Kenneth Perdue

Tom Williams


Discography :

The Pyramids (1)
1955 - Deep in My Heart for You / And I Need You (Federal 12233)

The Tempo-Mentals
1957 - Dearest / Burning Desire (Ebb 112)



Biography :

The group was formed under the leadership of Sidney  Correia. The rest of the group includes Joe Dandy, Lionel Cobbs, Melvin White, Kenneth Perdue and Tom Williams. It didn't take Federal A&R man Ralph Bass long to decide that he had a great potential recording act when he first heard the Pyramids sing in a Los Angeles night club. He got the group together in between shows and signed them to a recording contract and immediately made plans for their first recording session. The two sides of the session were "Deep in My Heart for You" and "And I Need You". With this disc the band will perform all over the region. in 1957, with almost the same members, the group changed its name and became The Tempo-Mentals. The group signs a recording contract with Ebb records and recorded two song /"Deep in My Heart for You" was reworked into "Burning Desire" and "Dearest". In, 1959 Melvin White join The Cyclones on Forward Records.




Songs :

The Pyramids (1)

  
Deep in My Heart for You                            And I Need You    


The Tempo-Mentals

  
Burning Desire                                 Dearest


...

(L to R) Huey Davis, Sylvester Potts, Juanita Davis and Tony York

The Hi-Fidelities (Detroit, Mi.)

 

Personnel :

Huey Davis

Sylvester Potts

Juanita Davis

Tony York

Discography :

The Hi-Fidelities
1957 - Street Of Loneliness / Help, Murder, Police (Hi-Q 5000 )

Gino Parks & The Hi-Fidelities
1957- Last Night I Cried / Just Go (Gino Parks)  (Fortune 528)



Biography :

Sylvester Potts was a singer and composer as well as an off and on member of The Contours and a one time member of The Four Sonics. Songs that he has either composed or co-composed have been recorded by The Contours, Mamie Galore, Jimmy Ruffin and The Temptations.Sylvester Potts was on January 22, 1938 and attended North Eastern High, the same school where Martha Reeves, Mary Wilson, and Bobby Rogers were educated at. Due to his love of the music and the excitement he got from it once said he wanted to die on stage.

  
Gino Parks                                                                                                                 

In the late 1950s, Sylvester Potts was a member of a group called The Hi-Fidelities who's line up consisted of Huey Davis, Potts, Juanita Davis and Tony York. They released two singles, "Street Of Loneliness" b/w Pott's own composition, "Help Murder Police" on Hi-Q 5000 in 1957 and backed  Gino Parks "Last Night I Cried"  on Fortune 528 in 1958. In 1959 late 1950s, Billy Gordon, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea, Potts and Hubert Johnson formed The Blenders in 1959. They would later rename themselves as The Contours.

Songs :
 

The Hi-Fidelities

    
Street Of Loneliness               Help, Murder, Police

Gino Parks & The Hi-Fidelities

Last Night I Cried

...

The Selections (Brooklyn, NY.)



Personnel :

Al Reno "Di Paola" (Lead)

Joe Rivera (Tenor)

Gerald Bart Emptage (Baritone)

Tony Gravagna  (Bass)

John Tari (Tenor)



Discography :

The Selections
1958 - Guardian Angel / Soft and Sweet (Mona-Lee 129/Antone 101)

Al Reno bb The Dials (2)
1961 - Cheryl / Congratulations (Kapp 432)



Biography :

Lou Cicchetti was proprietor of the “Cousins” record label and the owner of the “Cousins Music Shop” in Fordham Road (The Bronx)  which was frequented by many local neighborhood groups (Dion/Belmonts, Earls, Consorts). These groups wanted Lou to record the songs they were singing on the street corner and help propell them to stardom. It was in this fashion that Cicchetti first encountered Al Reno, an important influence in the sense that this association led him into the business of producing records as well as selling them. Reno (whose subsequently co-wrote Dions's hit recording of "Lonely Teenager" under his real name, Al Di Paola) had recorded "Guardian Angel" b/w "Soft and Sweet" on the Antone Label with the Selections and had given Cicchetti the record to carry in the store.

   
Lou Cicchetti                                                                                                                        

Cicchetti was impressed not only by the sound of the record but by the relative ease which such a record seemingly could be made. The Selections were a Brooklyn-based group composed by Al Reno, Joe Rivera, Gerald Bart Emptage, Tony Gravagna (Later with the regents) and John Tari. "Guardian Angel" b/w "Soft and Sweet"  was reissued by Specialty Records owner Art Rupe's former wife, Lee, on her Mona Lee label in late 1958 and revived a few years later by the Imaginations from the borough of Queens.  Al reno will participate in many recordings on Lou Cicchetti's Cousins Records. In 1961, Al Reno recorded a solo single on Kapp Records backed by The Dials.





Songs :

The Selections

  
Guardian Angel                              Soft and Sweet


Al Reno bb The Dials (2)

  
     Cheryl                                           Congratulations

...