The Spotlighters (1) (Los Angeles)

Personnel :

Joy Hall

Bill Harris

Gene Harris

Roy Lyon

?

Discography :

1955 - It's Cold / Bam Jingle Jingle (Imperial 5342)
1958 - Please Be My Girlfriend / Whisper (Aladdin 3436)
1959 - This Is My Story Cha Cha Cha / Preachin' (Aladdin 3441)

Biography :

The Spotlighters are one of many vocal groups of the 1950s fallen into oblivion, although both sides of their first  single on Aladdin are remarkably good. "Whisper", a haunting ballad, is probably the preferable side whereas the A-side ("Please Be My Girl Friend"), a polyphonic uptempo song, illuminates the scene that spawned the Beach Boys. Bob Thompson and his band provide a solid backing."  Members of the California group on this recording are Joy Hall, Bill Harris, Gene Harris, Roy Lyon @ another guy. The same site offered this about their follow-up single, "This is My Story (Cha Cha Cha)" b/w "Preachin' ":  [Aladdin 3441 (Jan 1959) Billboard January 19, 1959, p. 53 (Reviews of New Pop Records); Cash Box January 31, 1959, p. 52 (R & B Reviews)] "The Billboard reviewer saw moderate sales potential in "Preachin'": Bouncy rhythm-novelty is handed an okay vocal treatment by group. The A-side was rated lower: So-so cha-cha-styled rockaballad. The group had 1 earlier release on Imperial (in February 1955).

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

  
  It's Cold                                        Bam Jingle Jingle

  
Please Be My Girlfriend                                Whisper           

    
                             Preachin'                       This Is My Story Cha Cha Cha          

...

The Lafayettes (Baltimore, MD)

Personnel ;

Frank Bonarrigo (Lead singer)

Ben Proctor (Drums)

Jamie Hess (Piano)

Steve Taylor (Guitar)

Lee Bonner (Guitar)

Dick Svehla (Alto Saxophone)

Bob Kirschner (Tenor Saxophone)

Discography :

The Lafayettes
1962 - Life's Too Short / Nobody But You (RCA 47-8044)
1962 - Caravan Of Lonely Men / I Still Do (Dot 47-8082)

Frank James & The Lafayettes
1964 - I Lost My Way / My Heart Keeps Coming Up With You (Bona 1741)

Biography :

One morning in 1962, Lee Bonner and friend Phil Huth sat in the cool basement of a Towson rowhouse and penned a song. There was no particular inspiration, no shadows of Jack Kerouac or Bob Dylan. They were just playing and singing about teen-age love in their local band, the Lafayettes, named after the Baltimore avenue.

Back: Ben Proctor, Steve Taylor, Frank Bonarrigo, Jamie Hess Front: Dick Svehla, Bob Kirshner, Lee Bonner

Members included Lee Bonner, Phil Huth, drummer Ben Proctor, pianist Jamie Hess, lead singer Frank Bonarrigo, guitarist Steve Taylor, alto saxophonist Dick Svehla, and Bob Kirschner on tenor sax. Most of them attended Towson High School. In 1962, they won a "battle of the bands" contest on the Buddy Deane Show with their original song "Life's Too Short", which became a national hit on the RCA label. Their hit song 'Life's Too Short' was featured in the original John Water's film 'Hairspray" (1988).  In May 2017 they were inducted into the Maryland Entertainment Hall of Fame.
https://baltimorejam.org/Lafayettes/lafayettes_SUNart7-28-03.htm

Songs :

The Lafayettes

  
I Still Do                                        Life's Too Short

  
Caravan Of Lonely Men                          Nobody But You       


Frank James & The Lafayettes

  
My Heart Keeps Coming Up With You                   I Lost My Way                

...

The Freelancers (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Personnel :

Dan Williams (Lead)

Bob Doan

Charles MacMillen

Frank Santoro

Joe Seta

Discography:

The Freelancers
1962 - Why / High School Flame (Freelance 20)

Dan Williams & The Freelancers
1962 - Why / High School Flame (Beth 45)

Biography :

The Freelancers were students at Central Art Academy in Cincinnati. They were a five member vocal group. The group members were Bob Doan, Charles MacMillen, Frank Santoro, Joe Seta, and Dan Williams. Their two excellent doo wop : "Why" "High School Flame" are recorded  at King in late 1962, and releasedt on their own Freelance label. The group appeared on the Bob Braun TV show in December, 1962 and sang both songs. Dan Williams, with Joe Seta and Gene Dennis, are credited as songwriters. The single would be released again the following year on the Beth label, this time as       Dan Williams & The Freelancers .
by http://www.buckeyebeat.com

Songs :

  
High School Flame                                         Why       


...

The Stratfords (1) (Bronx, New York)

Personnel :

Jerry Morano (Lead)

Ritchie Passerino (Second Tenor)

Randy Abbondanza (Baritone)

Sal Dilappi (Bass)

Jimmy Orce (First Tenor)

Discography :

The Stratfords (1)
Single
1961 - Promise Her Anything / Lover's Lullabye  (U.A. 1215)
Unreleased
1961 - I'll Never Smile Again
1961 - My Darling

King Louis bb The Stratfords (1)
1962 - Her Eyes Reveal / It Was Fun (U.A. 41562)

Biography :

First know as The Delvineers, the Stratfords were students from Evander Childs HS, Monroe HS in the Bronx and Lincoln HS in Yonkers ,NY and named after Stratford Ave. in the Bronx.  The group consisted of Jerry Morano (Lead), Ritchie Passerino (Second Tenor), Randy Abbondanza (Baritone), Sal Dilappi (Bass), Jimmy Orce (First Tenor). They started out with lots of radio play...WINS, WABC, WMGM and sold heavy for two-three weeks while Universal Artists Records was caught in the pay-for-play scandal. Mike D’Agnese, their manager send the group on December,1960 to recording session on the Soundcraft Recording Studio in Manhattan where they recorded the demos "My Darling"and /"I’ll Never Smile Again."

 In September,1961 The Stratfords signed with Jim Azar label Universal Artists Records and released in February,1962 the sides "Promise Her Anything"/"Lover’s Lullabye" . The A Side have a big local acceptacion and play on Jocko Herdenson’s and Murray the K’s radio shows also the group have in this time life perfomances in New Jersey and Connecticut. The next recording of the group was also in 1962 as backup vocals for King Louis on his Universal Artist’s sides "Her Eyes Reveal" b/w "It Was A Fun."


Songs :

The Stratfords (1)

  
Promise Her Anything But Give Her Love                  Lover´s lullabye             

   
I'll Never Smile Again                            My Darling

King Louis bb The Stratfords (1)

  
Her Eyes Reveal                                    It Was Fun   

...

The Sonics (2) (Newark, New Jersey)

Personnel :

Donald Sheffield (Lead)

William Franklin (Second Tenor)

Larry Davis (Baritone)


Discography ;

1957 - Evil Eye  /  Triangle Love (Nocturne 110 / RKO Unique 411)
1958 - Once In A Lifetime / It Ain't True (X-tra 107 / Candlelite 416)
1959 - This Broken Heart / You Made Me Cry (Harvard 801/ Harvard 922 / Checker 922)
1962 - Funny / I Get That Feeling (Armonia 102)
1962 - Preacher Man / It's You (Amco 001)

Biography :

Since The Kodoks, whose former tenor William Franklin and baritone Larry Davis subsequently became two-fifths of The Sonics, hailed from Baxter Terrace Newark, New Jersey (their Oh Gee, Oh Gosh came out on Bobby Robinson's Fury label in 1958, it seems a relatively safe bet that The Sonics hailed from that same vicinity as well. A group by the same name had a 1958 single on the New York-based X-Tra imprint coupling Once In A Lifetime and It Ain't True; the assumption is that it was the same quintet.

  
William Franklin & Larry Davis                                                                                                                                  

Franklin wrote the delectable ballad This Broken Heart, but it was tenor Donald Sheffield who ably fronted The Sonics on the engaging platter. Sheffield also led the flip side, You Made Me Cry, another Franklin composition. The number made enough East Coast noise on Art Gottfried's Harvard Records, another tiny New York imprint, that Chicago's Checker label picked it up in April of '59 for national consumption (Sheffield's featured billing went by the boards). It was a one-time deal for the group, which bounced from one highly obscure label - Nocturne, Amco, Armonia - to the next during the early '60s without ever attracting the interest that This Broken Heart


Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

  
Evil Eye                                             Triangle Love

  
Once In A Lifetime                                It Ain't True     

  
This Broken Heart                            You Made Me Cry

  
Funny                                            It's You

  
I Get That Feeling                           Preacher Man

...