The Chimes (3) (Los Angeles)
aka The Champs (1)
ref: The Wonders (4) aka The Wanderers (3)

Personnel :

Horace "Pookie" Wooten (Tenor)

David Cobb (Second Tenor)

Charles Jackson (Tenor)

Booker Jones (Baritone)

Talbert Walton (Bass)




Discography :

The Chimes (3)
Singles :
1955 - Zindy Lou / Tears On My Pillow (Specialty 555)
1956 - Chop Chop / Pretty Little Girl (Specialty 574)
Unreleased :
1956 - The Chimes Ring Out (Specialty)

Tony Allen & The Chimes (3)
1956 - Especially / Check Yourself, Baby (Specialty 570)

Tony Allen & The Champs  (1)
1955 - Nite Owl / I (Specialty 560)

The Wonders (4)
1958 - Be My Love Be My Love / Tell Me    (Forward 601)

Tony Allen & The Wonders (4)
1958 - Be My Love, Be My Love / Tell Me  (Tampa 157)
1959 - Loving You / Lookin' For My Baby (Jamie 1119)

Bobby Starr (Tony Allen & The Wonders (4))
1959 - Sweet Man / Please Give Me A Chance (Radio 120)

Tony Allen & The Wanderers (3)
1961 - Everybody's Somebody's Fool / If Love Was Money (Kent 356)

Biography :

In August 1955, The Chimes from South Central, Los Angeles, under band leader Horace "Pookie" Whooten signed a contract with Specialty Records. The group consists of Horace "Pookie" Wooten (Tenor), David Cobb (Second Tenor), Charles Jackson (Tenor), Booker Jones (Baritone) and Talbert Walton (Bass) . In September, they released "Zindy Lou" and "Tears on My Pillow" their first single, the A-side with influences of African rhythm and a hypnotic singing in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, the local charts reached, but without nationwide reactions.

  
                                                                                                                                                    Tony Allen

Robert Alexander "Bumps" Blackwell songwriter and arranger at Specialty Records make session With Tony Allen, held at Master recorders in Hollywood on 12 August 1955 with The Chimes singing behind him even though they were billed on the Record as The Champs.  The Chimes backed everybody on Specialty.  They were properly named on Allen's sequel Single Especially. The back of Especially was improvised in the studio based on an idea by Charles Jackson "Check Yourself, Baby". The collaboration as a session musician with Allen was abruptly terminated by its breach with Specialty. Then the band released again in April 1956 under their own name "Pretty Little Girl" and "Chop Chop".

  
David Cobb & Horace "Pookie" Wooten                                                                                     

The record career of the Chimes was already finished in 1956, but the connection to Tony Allen was maintained: So supported him  Horace "Pookie" Wooten, Charles Jackson & David Cobb as "The Wonders" and "The Wanderers" repeatedly in various publications. Horace "Pookie" Wooten, Charles Jackson & David Cobb would go on to form The Lions in 1960, and later reformed as The Resonics.

Songs :

The Chimes (3)

     
Zindy Lou                      Tears On My Pillow                        Chop Chop

  
  Pretty Little Girl                   The Chimes Ring Out


Tony Allen & The Chimes (3)

  
       Especially                      Check Yourself, Baby


Tony Allen & The Champs (1)

  
Nite Owl                                             I       


The Wonders (4)

  
Be My Love Be My Love                   Tell Me                   


Tony Allen & The Wonders (4)

  
       Loving You                      Lookin' For My Baby

Bobby Starr (Tony Allen & The Wonders (4))

  
      Sweet Man                     Please Give Me A Chance

Tony Allen & The Wanderers (3)


Everybody's Somebody's Fool / If Love Was Money



…

Claude Robinson & The Creations (4) (Cleveland, OH)

Personnel :

Claude Robinson (Lead)

Annette Tucker

Robert Ray Jamison

Tyrone Robinson

Rudolph Rome

Discography:

Claude Robinson bb The Creations (4)
1960 - Kisses / Cotton Pickin' Mama [no group] (Studio 1002)

The Creations (4)
1962 - Seventeen / You'll Always Be Mine (Patti-Jo 1703)

Biography :

The Creations, a short-lived group from Cleveland, OH, consisted of Annette Tucker, Claude Robinson, Rudolph Rome, Robert Ray Jamison & Tyrone Robinson. Tucker was fascinated by show business, and befriended Johnny Bristol when he appeared in Cleveland with Jackey Beavers as Johnny & Jackey. They regularly rode in from Detroit to appear at the Play-Mor, the Circle Ballroom, and other venues. Claude Robinson was the leader of this group and lead singer.

He wrote and composed all their songs.  The Patti-Jo label that they recorded for was out of Philly. The group broke up because the boys went into the Service, Claude Robinson who was married, went back to college, Annette got married. This was in 1960. Claude was working in New York in 1960. And the others were in the service.

Songs :

The Creations (4)

You'll Always Be Mine

Claude Robinson bb The Creations (4)

  
Kisses                                     Cotton Pickin' Mama

…..

 The Renaults (1) (Washington D.C.)

Personnel :

Benjamin Hawkins

Bernard Jefferson

Eugene Williams

James Izzard

McKinley Dixon

Melvin Newman

Discography :

1961 - Just Like Mine / Another Train Pulled Out (Wand 114)
1962 - Only You / Hully Gully Lamb (Wand 120)
1963 - Two Face / Ten Questions (Chicory 1600)

Biography :

In 1961, from the Southeast section of Washington D.C. appeared the Renaults. Original members of the group were Benjamin Hawkins, Bernard Jefferson, Eugene Williams, James Izzard, McKinley Dixon and Melvin Newman. The Renaults sign a recording contract with Wand Records. Wand was started in 1961 by Florence Greenberg as the rhythm & blues subsidiary of Scepter Records, but also included rock artists like the Kingsmen and Don & the Goodtimers, as well as a few reissues of bands such as the Animals and the Beach Boys. Florence Greenberg sold Wand, along with Scepter Records, to Springboard International in 1976. Since that time, the Springboard/Wand masters have been obtained by Gusto Records in Nashville, Tennessee. The group cut two excellent singles for Wand records with the fantastic "Just Like Mine" on Wand 114, as well as a nice cover of the Platters "Only You" on Wand 120. The group will have a last single in 1963 on the Label Chicory.

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

  
  Just Like Mine                               Another Train Pulled Out

  
         Only You                                   Hully Gully Lamb    
 
  
Ten Questions                                         Two Face

...

Wallace & Walter Scott

The Utopians (2) (Los Angeles)

Personnel :

Jesse Godfred James (Lead)

Carl Gilbert (Tenor)

Wallace Scott

Walter Scott

Discography :

1962 - Dutch Treat / Ain't No Such Thing (Imperial 5861)
1962 - Along My Lonely Way / Hurry To Your Date (Imperial 5876)   
1963 - Let Love Come Later / Opera Vs. The Blues (Imperial 5921

Biography :

This Los Angeles group contained two future members of The Whispers, the Scott brothers, identical twins Wallace (a/k/a "Scotty") and Walter, both from Compton, CA. The other two members were Jesse Godfred James and Carl Gilbert. James was the leader, was responsible for the group's name and got them connected to Kent Harris, an L.A. area singer ("Boogaloo" on Crest), who connected them to producer Eddy Ray of Imperial. The group had three releases. All were on Imperial: two in 1962 & one in 1963. They broke up in 1963, the Scott brothers went on to form the Whispers. At about the same time, Jesse Godfred James and Carl Gilbert formed the Incredibles, together with Waymon Cal, Jean Smith and Alda Edward. James dropped out of that group and began to work with Brenda Holloway.

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

  
  Dutch Treat                                  Ain't No Such Thing

  
Along My Lonely Way                   Hurry To Your Date

  
Let Love Come Later                            Opera Vs. The Blues

...

Gary Haines & The Five Sequins (Marine City, Michigan)

Personnel :


Gary Haines (Lead)

Al Quatrine

Albert Alagna


Discography :

1961 - Tse Tse Fly / Another Girl Like You (Kapp 383)




Biography :

Gary Haines had been singing before audiences since he was 3 years old with his Mom Edith as his first accompanist. As a child, he sang in churches and camp meetings all over the state of Michigan. He had grown up in the Detroit Bethel Church of the Nazarene, living with his mother and brother in the home of his grandparents. His interest and development with music continued as he honed his skill as a young musician. Early on, he became enamored with the swing music of the day and began experimenting with its rhythms and sounds.  As a result, he organized his own group called "Gary Haines and The Sequins," a five-member band of singers and musicians that soon started to get radio play along with the demand to perform in high school dances and eventually clubs.

  
                                                                                                                                             Gary Haines

In 1961, they recorded "Tse Tse Fly" b/w "Another Girl Like You" released by Kapp Records.  After the Sequins disbanded, Gary continued to sing solo in some of the best nightclubs in Detroit, and from all appearances, was embarking on a promising career. For the next 11 years, he enjoyed increasing fame and the so-called "good" life in a city that demanded the best by way of talent.

Songs :

  
     Tse Tse Fly                                    Another Girl Like You

...