Freddie Hughes

The Markeets (Oakland, Ca.)

Personnel :

Freddie Hughes (Lead Tenor)

George Aubrey (Bariton)

Robert Shands (Bass)

Butch Newton (Tenor)

Discography :

1958 - Tear Drops / Baby Please (Melatone 1005)

Biography :

At Junior High, Freddie Hughes hitched up with an unnamed all-women's vocal group. The aggregation often held forth at the Bushrod. Recreational Center on 59th Street in. North Oakland. Freddie began writing songs for the group to perform. He was also called to sing solo at his family Church. At age 15, Freddie along with a handful of school buddies organized a vocal group called the Markets. The Markeets were composed of. George Aubrey, baritone (who later became road manager for the. Whispers), tenor 'Butch' Harlindsa Newton who had a voice remarkably like Smokey Robinson's, Robert Shands who sang bass, and Freddie who assumed tenor lead and filled in on backgrounds.

 
                                                                                                      Freddie Hughes

The quartet sang around the Oakland school system but never opted to go professional. Freddie and the Markeets did not get along too well as Freddie was often criticized for sounding too "Churchy". In 1958, group manager Billy Dunley. Barnes took the fellas to the tiny. Melatone label based in Compton, CA where they recorded the beautiful "Tear Drops' on which Freddie's lead singing is a joy to hear. His melismatic, gospel-sounding vocabulary is so rich; one never really encounters it as much  on his later recordings. The single (currently valued around five hundred dollars) failed to click and was soon forgotten. It is unfortunate that the Markeets disbanded soon after the Release. In his early years Freddie played in quite a few outfits including the Holidays, Five Diciples, Casanova Two, Music City Soul Brothers and The Four Rivers.

Songs :

  
Tear Drops                                       Baby Please


...

The Tangents from 59 - 60. Bill Redd (Billy Thedford) top right

The Tangents (Pacoima, Ca)
aka The Twilighters (4)
aka The Twiliters (3)
Thanks to  Liam

Personnel :

Billy Thedford (Lead)

Jodell Base

Howard Hogains

Willie Marshall

Leonard H.

Discography :

The Tangents
1960 - Send Me Something / I Can't Live Alone (Fresh 1)

Horace Wooten & The Tangents
1961 - That Lucky Old Sun / Never Leave Again (Fresh 2274)

The Twilighters (4)
1961 - Nothin’/ Do You Believe (Eldo 115)

Ron Holden & The Twiliters (3)
1962 - Things Don't Happen That Way / Ya Got That Lovin' Touch (Baronet 3)


Biography :

Vocal Group from Pacoima, Ca. in the San Fernando Valley.  The group consisted of Billy Thedford (Lead), Jodell Base, Howard Hogains, Willie Marshall and Leonard H..In 1960, The Tangents recorded "Send Me Something" and "I Can't Live Alone" released in may 1960 on the Fresh Label owned by Danny Sanford Coggins. For their next record on the label, Horace Wooten joined the group .Horace "Pookie" Wooten has been part of many Los Angeles groups like The Chimes, The Shields (The Touring Group), The Lions, The Wonders, The Wanderers and probably others. With Horace Wooten on lead, they recorded "That Lucky Old Sun" and "Never Leave Again".

   
Horace "Pookie" Wooten                                                                  Ron Holden                     

With almost the same team, but under a new name, The Twilighters, they recorded the fantastic doo wop "Nothin’" and "Do You Believe". The disc will be released by Eldo record founded by Johnny Otis. After the success of 'Love You So" Ron Holden, moved to Los Angeles and met the Group when he recorded "I'll Be Happy" and "I'll Always Have You" at Eldo Records. For their last single The group backed Ron Holden as the Twiliters on "Things Don't Happen That Way" and "You Got That Lovin' Touch" Released on Baronet..

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

The Tangents

  
Send Me Something                              I Can't Live Alone   

Never Leave Again

Horace Wooten & The Tangents

That Lucky Old Sun

The Twilighters (4)

  
Nothin'                                         Do You Believe

Ron Holden & The Twiliters (3)

  
Things Don't Happen That Way           Ya Got That Lovin' Touch      

...

(L to R) Johnny Lawrence, Russell Stevens, Wayne Lassiter & Roger Freeman

The Stars (3) (Mobile, Alabama)

Personnel :

Johnny Lawrence

Russell Stevens

Wayne Lassiter

Roger Freeman

Discography :

1959 - Night Train / No Letter From You (Vega 002)
1959 - Let's Cuddle Again / When You Love (Vega VM 100)

Biography :

The Stars were a swinging-singing quartet from the Mobile area. The leader of the “Stars” is Johnny Lawrence, former band instructor at a high school in Prichard. While teaching a school, he coached the boys Russell Stevens, Wayne Lassiter and Roger Freeman , and later  organized them into a professional singing group. All three of the youths were band students of Lawrence while he was instructor at Vigor High School. The Stars made two records in 1959. The first is “Night Train” and “No Letter From You” followed by "Let's Cuddle Again" and "When You Love". Both Records were released by Vega owned by  Johnny Lawrence.

Songs :

  
No Letter From You                            Night Train


Let's Cuddle Again / When You Love


...

Bill Hall & The Sonnets (2) (Nashville, Tennessee)

Personnel :

Bill Hall (Lead)

Leonard Gentry (Tenor)

Joe Robinson (Tenor)

Denver Lockens (Baritone)

Elridge Patton (Bass)

Discography :

Single :
1958 - Make It Soon / Three Wishes (Checker 884)

Unreleased :
1958 - Lonely Hours (Checker)
1958 - Let Me Get Close (Checker)

Biography :

The Sonnets were a vocal group from Nashville Tennessee. They are most widely known by tunes on the Checker label: "Three Wishes" "Make It Soon" "Let Me Get Close" and "Lonely Hours". Managed by Nathaniel Buchanan the group is composed by Bill Hall lead singer, Leonard Gentry tenor, Joe Robinson tenor, Denver Lockens baritone and Elridge Patton bass. They have had some appearances on radio and television.

Songs :

  
Make It Soon                                     Three Wishes

...

The Young Sisters (Detroit)

Personnel :

Patti Masaglia

Lisa Pomilia

Angela Pomilia

Discography:

The Young Sisters
1962 - Casanova Brown / My Guy (Twirl 2001)
1963 - Playgirl / Hello Baby (Twirl 2008)

1964 - She Took His Love Away / Jerry Boy (Mala 467)

Del Shannon (bb The Young Sisters)
1962 - Little Town Flirt / The Wamboo (Bigtop 3131)
1963- Two Kind Of Teardrops / Kelly (Bigtop 3143)
1963 - Two Silhouettes / My Wild One - London HLX-9761

Biography :

The Young Sisters were three italian girls from the east side of Detroit that were discovered by Harry Balk of EmBee Productions, who also managed and produced Del Shannon and Johnny & The Hurricanes. Harry had his staff writer, Maron McKenzie (who co-wrote "Little Town Flirt" and six other tunes with Del Shannon) tailor two songs for the young girl group.  "Casanova Brown" backed with "My Guy", both McKenzie compositions, was released on Balk's own record label, Twirl Records, as #2001. It barely broke into the Billboard Top 100 in September 1962, peaking only at #94. McKenzie started writing "Little Town Flirt" which originally was intended for The Young Sisters. Balk teamed Maron and Del together to co-write. The result? "Flirt" was completed, and Shannon had another single to chart at #12 in January of '63.

Maron swiftly wrote "Playgirl" and "Hello Baby" for the Young Sisters to replace "Flirt" which was originally intended for them as the follow-up.   Irving Micahnik and Harry Balk decided to use the Young Sisters to back Del in the studios on three consecutive singles. This included "Little Town Flirt" b/w "The Wamboo", and "Two Kind of Teardrops" b/w "Kelly". The girls were also used for the third intended single "Two Silhouettes" b/w "My Wild One" on London records. Shannon recorded "From Me To You" while on tour in Britain in May of 1963, and the American singles succession looked a little different than what was intended.  Maron (who goes by Robert McKenzie today) wrote a third single for the girls,

  
                                                                                                                                                         Del Shannon

"She Took His Love Away" (written with Dick Bossi) b/w "Jerry Boy", released on Mala Records. Patti Young from the group went on to record one single as a solo artist, "Head and Shoulders (Above The Rest)" b/w "The Valiant Kind", produced by Fred Saxon and arranged by Mike Theodore. "Head and Shoulders" went on to become a Northern Soul classic.

Songs :

The Young Sisters

  
Casanova Brown                                       My Guy      

  
Playgirl                                      Hello Baby

  
She Took His Love Away                               Jerry Boy            

...