The Debonairs (3) (New York)




Personnel :

Paul Dino (Lead)





Discography :

The Debonairs (3)
1962 - Going To Town / Will You Marry Me (Carol Ann 1001)

Paul Dino
1960 - Goin' In Town / Will You Marry Me (Flame 301)
1961 - Ginnie Bell / Bye-Bye (Promo 2180)
1962 - That's How I Miss You / Tonight's The Night (United Artists 481)
1963 - I Like Your Style / Your Candy Kisses (Entré 101)

Biography :

Paul Dino  Bertuccini is a former American singer-songwriter and musician, who appeared fleetingly as a teen crooner in the early to mid-1960s.  Paul Dino had decided to become a barber and in the late '50s he started a band called The Nite Caps, adopted the shortened professional name Paul Dino, and before long the job of singing an assortment of songs in nightclubs won out over warbling "Shave and a Haircut" a couple dozen times a day. Paul had learned to play several instruments during high school including piano, saxophone and drums; he even became quite the accordion assimilator.

No word on whether he was ever proficient with a pair of scissors. Songwriting was a passion as well and he began making regular excursions into New York City to knock on the doors of the various music publishing houses. He made overtures to some of the record labels too, but they didn't seem interested. After more than a year of attempts, he got his foot in the door at a very small company, Flame.

     

With his group, the Debonairs , Dino recorded two songs he had written  "Goin' In Town" and "Will You Marry Me". The Record was released in early 1960 as Paul Dino. Two Years later the single was re-released as the Debonairs. Dino was signed to Promo label, and his single “Ginnie Bell” debuted in January 1961, which eventually broke into the Top 40 that year. Dino took advantage of this success by appearing on shows such as Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.

Paul Dino & Justine Carrelli  with The Paul Dino group

Promo didn’t bother to follow up “Ginny Bell”s success however, and Dino would record for a number of labels until his days as a teen idol were over and a new status as a one-hit wonder would loom. Dino and his wife Justine Carrelli (a former regular dancer on American Bandstand) moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where they performed at lounge bookings before going into a successful real estate business.

http://www.waybackattack.com/dinopaul.html

Songs :

The Debonairs (3)

  
Going To Town / Goin' In Town                   Will You Marry Me          



Paul Dino

     
          Ginnie Bell                          Bye-Bye                           That's How I Miss You






...

Faith Taylor & The Sweet Teens (2) (Chicago)



Personnel :

Faith Taylor (Lead)

Yvonne Waddell

Saundra Long

Marry Collins

Curtis Burrell (Bass) 


Discography :

1958 - Your Candy Kisses / Won't Someone Tell Me Why? (Federal 12334)
1959 - I Need Him To Love Me / I Love You Darling  (Bea & Baby 104)
1959 - Please Be Mine / Paper Route Baby (Bea & Baby 105)


Biography :

Faith Taylor was born in Dumas, Arkansas, in 1948. She began performing at the age of four and won her first amateur contest in Little Rock. She came to Chicago with her family in 1957 and continued her music career by singing at small club affairs. She also worked in a few combos, including that of Muddy Waters. In June 1957 she entered and won the "Morris B. Sachs Amateur Hour" on WGN-TV. The following year a friend of Taylor, Charles Jones, was assembling a vocal group and brought her in as the lead. Other members of this group were alto Yvonne Waddell (age seventeen), tenor Saundra Long (sixteen), soprano Mary Collins (seventeen), and bass Curtis Burrell (seventeen). Most of the group came from two South Side high schools, DuSable and Dunbar. Faith Taylor and the Sweet Teens were unlike most "teen tenor lead" groups in being mostly comprised of females. From that start, the group was not going to be a "girl group" but one patterned after Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.

The group made its first recordings in August 1958, recording "Your Candy Kisses" and "Won't Someone Tell Me Why," released back to back on the Federal label. Both were written by Charles Jones. "Your Candy Kisses" opens with a sax flourish, followed by Taylor doing a patented Frankie Lymon "oh oh ooh oh oh ooh." However, she sounds a tad too young, like the ten-year-old she was  (although newspaper reports at the time stated she was nine). The vocal support is a bit weak, but Curtis Burrell' s bass work is good. "Won't Someone Tell Me Why" opens with an impact, a vocal arpeggio, or bell-tone, and young Taylor goes into her "oh oh ooh" thing again. After that it sounds a bit ragged. They return to the "bell-tone" just before the bridge, again with good effect, and Burrell again distinguishes himself. Central to the appeal of both songs is Faith Taylor, who knew at a tender age exactly how she was supposed to sing them, but with all her talent she is still a bit raw.

      

Despite the record's evident flaws, it is a terrific rock 'n' roll pairing that deserves to belong in anyone's record collection. The two songs were paired on a single and released in September 1958. The record made a bit of a stir in Chicago and several other markets but never managed to crack the national charts. Faith Taylor and the Sweet Teens appeared on Jim Lounsbury's record hop on WBKB-TV in October and played a few clubs in the Chicago area, notably Budland in the Pershing Hotel. The Budland date would seem strange todayas the group shared the bill with a bluesman (Dr. Jo Jo Adams), a jazz combo (Prince James Combo), and an avant garde group (Sun Ra). In late 1959 Faith Taylor and the Sweet Teens joined Narvel Eatmon's Bea and Baby label. Members of the Bea and Baby group, besides Faith Taylor, were Curtis Burrell and Mary Collins from the original group, and two new members,  Elizabeth Shelby and Ernestine Fisher. 

The Bea and Baby release, "I Need Him to Love Me" backed with "I Love You Darling," featured two outstanding sides in the Frankie Lymon mode. "I Need Him to Love Me," the ballad side written by Bernice Williams, is sublime, with chorusing  by the rest of the group that sounded angelic. Faith Taylor now had the depth of expression to come across with a terrific soulful feeling. The flip is a rousing jump written by Charles Jones, and again the chorusing is terrific. Noticeably absent on both sides is the good bass work of Burrell. The group was gone by the summer of 1960, when Faith Taylor appeared by herself at the annual Bud Billiken Picnic Show in August. She appeared again on the next year's picnic show as part of a youth package of performers,  Paula Greer and Eddie Purrell among them. She was heard last in December 1961, when she performed for patients at a veterans hospital. Except for Curtis Burrell, who became a member of the Daylighters in 1964.







Songs :

  
     Your Candy Kisses                    Won't Someone Tell Me Why?

  
I Need Him To Love Me                         I Love You Darling     





...

Jimmy & The Fabulous Earthquakes (Winter Park, FL)

Personnel :

James Walter Hopkins (Jimmy "Dale" Jordan) (Guitar and Lead Vocals)

Carl Larson (Drums and Vocal)

Lonnie Lee (Guitar and Vocal)

Discography :

The Fabulous Earthquakes
1960 - In The Chapel In The Moonlight / Please Be My Girl (Meridian 1518)

Jimmy Jordan
1962 - The Grass Looked Greener / Tick Tock (Roulette 4501)






Biography :

James Walter Hopkins Was born in Knoxville, TN. Talented musician and vocalist, he formed his group in 1959 named Fabulous Earthquakes with Carl Larson, Lonnie Lee. The group recorded in 1960 "In The Chapel In The Moonlight" b/w "Please Be My Girl". The disc will be released at the end of 1960 by meridian Records in Floride as Jimmy & The Fabulous Earthquakes, vocal by Jimmy Hopkins and the Starfire, It is in fact the same group. The record has a bit of success and Jimmy & The Fabulous Earthquakes played in Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, Daytona Beach...

  
                                                                                                              The Fabulous Earthquakes

In 1962, Jimmy Hopkins went to Roulette and recorded "The Grass Looked Greener" b/w "Tick Tock" released under the name of Jimmy Jordan. Jimmy Jordan traveled in the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars with such stars as Dale and Grace, The Dovels, Timi Yuro, and Lou Christie.” Jimmy later teamed up with Connie Sattenfield and became Jimmy "Dale" Jordan  and started using the stage name of Dale & Grace . The pair recorded an album called "Dale and Grace - Together Again" and toured as "The All New Dale & Grace Show".

  
Jimmy Jordan                                                                                                                        

The duo recorded a Gospel album called "Dale & Grace - In God's Hands" in 1998 and own Dale & Grace Ministries, as well as having a syndicated, Gospel radio show. Although the name of their act is the same, they make it clear that they are not the duo that sold over seven and half million Rock 'n' Roll records, although many fans are often confused. Dale Houston continued on the road with his band and Grace Broussard sang as a solo act across the United States. They were inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame in 1997, and into the Gulf Coast's Hall of Fame in 1998.

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

The Fabulous Earthquakes

  
        Please Be My Girl                 In The Chapel In The Moonlight


Jimmy Jordan

  
              Tick Tock                             The Grass Looked Greener

...

The Robinson Bros. (Los Angeles)

Personnel :

Robin Robinson

Robbie Robinson





Discography :

Robinson Bros
1962 - Party Time / Never Look Back (Flair 102)

Robin Robinson
1957 - I Promise You / Gypsy In My Soul (Antler 4002/ Atlantic 1135)
1957 - More Than Anything / Please Give Your Love To Me (Poplar 114)

Robbie Robinson
1962 - Close To You / Just A Little More Time (Flair 104)

Biography :

In 1956, Robin Robinson recorded "I Promise You" on Buck Ram's Antler records. It was a pop ballad, written by Buck Ram. The disc made enough noise that in April of 1957, Atlantic purchased it from Buck Ram and released it. Robinson had just one other record "More Than Everything" recorded for Poplar records in 1958.

  
Robin Robinson                                                                       Robbie Robinson

In the spring of 1958 , his younger brother, Robbie Robinson replaced Milton Grayson in the Dominoes and was part of the new Flairs in 1959,  renamed the Flares  by Buck Ram with Thomas Miller, George Hollis, Eddie King and Beverly Harris. In 1962, Robin and Robbie , The two brothers are gathered to record ”Party Time” b/w ”Never Look Back” as The Robinson Bros released on Flair records, a short-lived label owned by Jim Foulds.

  
                                                                                                                                        Robin Robinson   

From the same session, Flair released "Close To You" b/w "Just A Little More Time" by Robbie Robinson. Later Robbie Robinson had joined Charles Gray's Ink Spots group While robin disappears from the music scene.





Songs :

???




…

Alice Jean Wilton

The Mondellos (Pittsburgh, Ca)




Personnel :


Alice Jean Wilton (Soprano)

Ollie "Yul" McClay (Tenor)

Ron Lawson (Tenor)

Charles Jackson (Bass)

Gary Williams (Tenor)






Discography :

Alice Jean & The Mondellos
1957 - 100 Years From Today / Come Back Home (Rhythm 102)
1957 - Daylight Saving Time / That's What I Call Love (Rhythm 106))
1957 - Happiness Street / Hard To Please (Rhythm 109)

Yul McClay & The Mondellos
1957 - Never Leave Me Alone / Over The Rainbow (Rhythm 105)

Little Willie Littlefield (bb the Mondellos)
1957 - Ruby-Ruby / Easy Go (inst.) (Rhythm 108)

Bob Jeffries (bb the Mondellos)
1958 - Never Let Me Go / (Irma Special - Roland Mitchell) (Rhythm 110)

Jackie Gotroe (bb the Mondellos)
1958 - Raised On Rock And Roll / Rock It To The Moon (Rhythm 111)

Rudy Lambert & The Mondellos
1958 - My Heart / That's What I Call Love (Rhythm 114)

The Mondellos
1990 - You'll Never Know / Hard To Please (The Marcels) (Rhythm 118)

Biography :

Founded by Ollie "Yul" (nicknamed because he shaved his head like movie star Yul Brynner) McClay, Ron Lawson and Charles Jackson, the Mondellos were one of the first groups to sign and record on the Rhythm Records label created by Bay Area basketball great and later popular Bay Area disc jockey Don Barksdale. McClay, Lawson and Jackson began singing together in Pittsburg (California) like many doo-wop groups around the country. The Mondellos, who were still nameless and performed as "a local group" was formally started in 1957. McClay and Jackson were attending East Contra Costa Junior College (now known as Diablo Valley College) and added a college classmate, Gary Williams. At Lawson’s suggestion, the group listened to a 15-year-old high school girl named Alice Jean Wilton, who blew the group away with her singing and piano-playing ability, and was immediately asked to join the group.

   
Don Barksdale                                                                                                               

Ernie Petrucci, a drummer from Lafayette rounded out the group. Enjoying success at clubs and school dances, the group auditioned for Music City Records in San Francisco but was not signed. McClay’s girlfriend’s father knew Barksdale and arranged an impromptu audition for the group. Barksdale liked their sound, took them to his studio and recorded an old song "One Hundred Years From Today," originally recorded a decade earlier by the Jones Brothers. The flip side of the record was "Come Back Home." Barksdale gave the group its name, The Mondellos. Barksdale brought in Peewee Kingsley to front the band, and the record was released in May of 1957 with the group listed as Alice Jean and the Mondellos. 

    
 Bob Jeffries                                            Little Willie Littlefield                                                  Jackie Gotroe

The record received some air play, and the group, minus Petrucci, began to get billings on the R & B circuit. A near-tragic traffic accident that nearly cost Williams his life and left McClay badly injured forced the group to disband for a while, but when it got back together, it returned to Barksdale’s studio and recorded "Never Leave Me Alone" and "Over the Rainbow," which was released as a single listing the band as Ollie "Yul" McClay and the Mondellos. A third recording soon followed with Wilton again featured as the lead singer. The group also did some backup work for Little Willie Littlefield, Bob Jeffries and Jackie Gotroe.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Mondellos/mondellos.html

Songs:

Alice Jean & The Mondellos


100 Years From Today / Come Back Home

   
Daylight Saving Time / That's What I Call Love                Happiness Street / Hard To Please       


Yul McClay & The Mondellos


Never Leave Me Alone / Over The Rainbow


Little Willie Littlefield (bb the Mondellos)     Bob Jeffries (bb the Mondellos)

  
Ruby-Ruby / Easy Go (inst.)                    Never Let Me Go       

Jackie Gotroe (bb the Mondellos)

  
Raised On Rock And Roll             Rock It To The Moon    

 
Rudy Lambert & The Mondellos                  The Mondellos           

  
My Heart / That's What I Call Love                  You'll Never Know            





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