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The Vel-Tones (1) (Aliquippa, Pa.)

Personnel :

Willie Glenn (Lead)

Melvin Glenn (First Tenor)

Len Alford (Second Tenor)

Frank Abercrombie (Baritone)

William Kimbrough (Bass)

Discography :

1958 -  Please Say You'll Be True / Broken Heart (Vel 9177/9178 / Fee Bee 9177/9178)

Biography :

In 1954, Richie Blackson, Joe Freeman, Willie Glenn and Coyt Young formed a barbershop quartet from a Choir at Aliquippa High School in Aliquippa, Pa. In 1956, While in school Willie Glenn had been groomed to the more conservative musical stylings. Now, he and others would be crooners had become street corner vocalists. Not until early 1957 did a cohesive quintet, the Vel-Tones, surface with Willie Glenn, Melvin Glenn (Willie's brother), Len Alford, Frank Abercrombie and William Kimbrough. Initially, the only instrumental accompaniment was provided by Gorge Jones on piano and Organ. Although the Vel-Tones offerings lacked originally, their superb harmony impressed former original "Come Go With Me" Dell-Viking, Kripp Johnson. On account of contractual obligations, Johnson was still recording for Joe Averbach's Fee Bee Label with a new assemblage of Dell-Vikings, aka, the Versatiles.

  
Kripp Johnson                                                                    The Dell-Vikings - Willie Glenn in the Middle                                                      
Kripp johnson arranged an audition for the Vel-Tones at Averbach's home in Whitehall, Pa. The group brought along a new number called "Broken Heart" which had been written just for them In August, the group traveled to Cleveland, Ohio for a session at the Way Out Recording Studio. "Broken Heart" and "Please Say You'll Be True" were waxed. The Vel-Tones shared the stage with the Five Royales at the CIO Hall in Aliquippa. there were continuous engagements at a multitude of club in Pensylvania. In 1959, Kripp Johnson approached Willie Glenn about joining a new edition of the Del Vikings. Glenn agreed and With his departure the Vel-Tones finally Disbanded.

Songs :

 
Broken Heart / Please Say You'll Be True


...

Edward Harder, John Wray, Bob DelDin, Larry Chance & Larry Palombo.

The High Hatters (Bronx, New York)
aka The Earls (2)

Personnel :

Edward Harder (Lead)

Bob DelDin (First Tenor)

Larry Chance (Second Tenor)

John Wray (Baritone)

Larry Palombo (Bass/Baritone)

Discography :

Unreleased :
1959 - It's You (Rome)

Biography :

From the Bronx, The Earls began life as the High Hatters, cutting four demos in 1959 for Rome Records. They planned to buy themselves white tux & tails, spats, patent leather shoes, ruffled shirts, white gloves, white top hats and fancy white walking sticks. However, they had no money, so the name went out , along with the idea. At that time, the group consisted of Val Polillo (Lead), Bob Del Din, (First Tenor), Larry Palombo, (Bass/Baritone), John Wray,(Baritone), and Larry Chance, (Second Tenor). Val Polillo left and was replaced by Eddie Harder on lead.

        
Larry Palombo

Their First appearances as the High Hatters were at the Moose Lodge on 216th Street in the Bronx and at Teen Town in Mt. Vernon, NY. They sang all the standard street songs, "Zoom, Zoom, Zoom," "I'm So Happy," "Why Do Fools Fall In Love," "Thousand Miles Away," etc. Knowing they couldn't afford to buy the outfits they had wanted, they decided to change the name. However, they had five guys, all of whom thought that the name they wanted was best. Five members, five ideas. So, they decided that the only fair way to arrive at a new name would be to get a dictionary, open a page at random, place a finger on a word and call the group whatever came up. Finger landed on the word "EARL,... nobleman of high rank." That was it....they would be called "The EARLS!". Later, in 1959, the Earls lost their original member Larry Palombo in an army skydiving accident when his parachute failed to open during an exercise. In 1961, Rome released the Earls' first record "Life is But a Dream" (Rome 101 – 1961) b/w "Lost Love".

Songs :

...

1958 - (From Left) Dale Sherwood, Chuck Ciaschi, Gus Eframson, Fred Ciaschi, Bill lucas & Bobby Comstock

Bobby & The Counts (4) (Philadelphia)
(Early Years)

Personnel :

Bobby Comstock (Lead)

Fred Ciaschi (Lead vocals & Piano)

Gus Eframson (Rhythm Guitar)

Dale Sherwood (Drums)

Chuck Ciaschi (Bass)

Discography :

Bobby & The Counts (4)
1958 - Tra-La-la (Im So Happy) / Too Young (Marlee 104)
1958 - Three Signs Of Love / Cellar Stomp (Count 6985)

Bobby Comstock & The Counts (4)
1959 - Sweet Talk / Tennessee Waltz (Blaze 349)
1959 - Jealous Fool / Zig Zag (Triumph 602)
1960 - Let's Talk It Over / Jambalaya (Atlantic 2051)
1960 - Bony Maronie / Do That Little Thing (Jubilee 5392)
1960 - Everyday Blues / Wayward Wind (Mohawk 124)
1961 - The Garden Of Eden / Just A Piece Of Paper (Festival 25000)
1962 - I Want To Do It / Let's Stomp (Lawn 202)
1963 - Jezebel / Your Big Brown Eyes (Jubilee 5396)
1963 - Susie Baby / Take A Walk (Lawn 210)
1963 - Sunny / Chicken Back (Lawn 217)
1963 - This Little Love Of Mine / Your Boyfriend's Back (Lawn 219)
1963 - I Can't Help Myself / Run My Heart (Lawn 224)
1964 - Since You Been Gone / The Beatle Bounce (Lawn 229)
1964 - Ain't That Just Like Me / Can't It Be True (Lawn 232)

Freddy Davis & The Counts (4)
1958 - I Hope You're Happy / Faith CAn Move Mountains (Count 405)

Biography :

Comstock was born in Ithaca, New York, and began singing and playing mandolin as a child. At the age of seven, he started appearing regularly with his brother on a local radio station, and then on country music radio in Sayre, Pennsylvania. In 1958, after hearing rock and roll broadcasts from Nashville, he formed his own band, Bobby and the Counts. As well as Comstock on guitar and vocals, other band members were Fred Ciaschi (lead vocals & piano), Gus Eframson (rhythm guitar), Dale Sherwood (drums), Chuck Ciaschi (bass) and (initially) Bill Lucas (bongos & vocals). 

The group recorded their first single, "Too Young"/"Tra-La-La", for Marlee Records in Trumansburg, New York, and in 1959 were signed to a national deal by Triumph Records, established by Herb Abramson after he left Atlantic. The group's moderately rocked-up version of the Patti Page hit "Tennessee Waltz" was released on the subsidiary Blaze label in late 1959 - with the group now being billed as Bobby Comstock & The Counts - and rose to no.52 on the Billboard pop chart.


(From Left) Chuck Ciaschi, Fred Ciaschi, Bobby Comstock, Gus Eframson  & Dale Sherwood.

As a result of its success, the group appeared on several package shows promoted by Alan Freed, toured nationally with artists such as Bobby Vinton and Freddie Cannon, and appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Their follow-up record, a version of Hank Williams' "Jambalaya", released on the Atlantic label, also made the national pop chart, reaching no.90.

The group, with various changes of personnel over the years, continued to release singles on Abramson's labels until 1962, with diminishing success, before signing to the Lawn label. Their first record for the label, "Let's Stomp", released as a Comstock solo single, reached no.57 on the US pop chart in early 1963.

The song was written by Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer, who later recorded as The Strangeloves.  It was reputedly performed by the Beatles in Hamburg, and was certainly performed by the Searchers and recorded by Lee Curtis and the All-Stars, a beat group featuring ex-Beatle Pete Best. Follow-ups were less successful, although the group broke into the US charts for a final time in 1963 with "Your Boyfriend's Back", an answer record to "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels, a female group recording on the same label.

Songs :

     
Too Young  / Tra-La-la (Im So Happy)       Three Signs Of Love             Cellar Stomp               

     
Sweet Talk                      Tennessee Waltz                           Jealous Fool

     
Zig Zag                        Let's Talk It Over                    Jambalaya  

     
Bony Maronie                       Do That Little Thing                   Everyday Blues

     
Wayward Wind                  The Garden Of Eden            Just A Piece Of Paper

     
I Want To Do It                     Let's Stomp                                Jezebel

     
Your Big Brown Eyes                     Susie Baby                         Take A Walk         

     
             Sunny                              Chicken Back                     This Little Love Of Mine

     
Your Boyfriend's Back              I Can't Help Myself                   You Been Gone      

     
The Beatle Bounce                   Ain't That Just Like Me                Can't It Be True      


...

Diane & Susanne

Dee & Di (San Diego, California)

Personnel :

Susanne Roshay

Diane Roshay

Discography :

1960 - Just You / Dream (Keen 82121 / Sims 153)
1961 - (Then I'll Say) Goodbye / Lucky Girl (Keen 8219)
1961 - Silly Billy / Roses Are Red (Acclaim 1007)

Biography :

Dee & Di were Susanne and Diane Roshay, two graduates from Clairmont High School, San Diego, class of 1960. The Girls first recorded for the Bob Keane's label Keen in 1960 with a session that produced four tracks. The Four tracks were recorded in Hollywood at Gold Star Studios with arranger, Hank Levine who provided a lovely arrangement that was sparse yet quite dreamy, showcasing Diane and Susanne's harmonic lead voices.  "Just You" b/w "Dream" were both composed by the girls as was the follow up Keen single released in February 1961, "(Then I'll Say) Goodbye" b/w "Lucky Girl".  While attending Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, the final Dee & Di disc, "Silly Billy" b/w "Roses Are Red" was released in September 1961 on the Acclaim label.

Diane & Susanne

By the summer of 1965, Susanne, Diane and five young men had formed the folk/pop group, the Lively Set and recorded one single for Mercury Records.  They moved to Capitol Records the following year and under the production of David Axelrod, in August released only one single as well.  The final known Lively Set single was from October 1966 on the Straight Ahead label.  After that, the doings and whereabouts of Susanne and Diane Roshay are not known other than their  names are now Diane Roshay Finnegan and Susanne Roshay McClain.  Anthony Reichardt

Songs

  
Dream                                         Just You

  
Lucky Girl                       (Then I'll Say) Goodbye

  
Silly Billy                               Roses Are Red

...

Vernon Green

Vernon Green & The Phantoms (1) (Los Angeles)

Personeel :

Vernon Green (Lead)

Bobby Relf (Tenor)

Jerry Williams (Tenor)

Johnny Moss (Bass)

Discography :

Vernon Green & The Phantoms (1)
Single :
1956 - Sweet Breeze / The Old Willow Tree (Specialty 581)
Unreleased :
1956 - Tell Me Why (Specialty)
1956 - How Do You Kiss An Angel (Specialty)


Lynn Roberts & The Phantoms (1)
1956 - Miss You Tonite / I'll Be Around (Oriole 101)

Biography :

In mid-1956, Vernon Green (Lead singer of the Medallions put together another group (called the Phantoms) at the request of Specialty Records' owner Art Rupe. The Phantoms were, Bobby Relf (tenor; lead of the Laurels and future "Bob" of Bob & Earl), Jerry Williams (tenor), and Johnny Moss (bass). [The Specialty files tell a different identity of the Phantoms: Vernon Green, Johnnie Moss, Edward Earl Daniels, Madalyn Marselle, and Sidney Runnels.) When the Specialty sides were released, in July, the label credits even included Vernon's name! The association lasted only a short time, and a second Phantoms release on the Oriole label had the group, minus Vernon, backing Lynn Roberts.
https://www.uncamarvy.com/Medallions/medallions.html

Songs :

Vernon Green & The Phantoms (1)

  
Sweet Breeze                                  The Old Willow Tree


How Do You Kiss An Angel

Lynn Roberts & The Phantoms (1)

  
Miss You Tonite                           I'll Be Around


...