Eddie Wilson, Don Sampson, Al Wilson & Willie Willingham

 The Rollers  (Los Angeles)
aka The Jewels (2) aka The Marbles

 

Personnel :

Don Sampson (Lead)

Eddie Wilson (Tenor)

Al Wilson (Baritone)

Willie Willingham (Bass)

Discography :

1961 - Got My Eye On You / Bonneville (Liberty 55303)
1961 - The Continental Walk / I Want You So (Liberty 55320)
1961 - The Bounce / The Teenagers' Waltz (Liberty 55357)
1962 - The Bug / Troubles (Bel Star 102)

Biography :

By 1961 Johnny Torrence had left the Jewels, leaving the remaining members of Al & Eddie Wilson, Don Sampson and Willie Willingham to re-brand themselves as "The Rollers". Signing to Liberty records they released three singles starting in January of "61 with "Got My Eye On You" and on the flip, "Bonneville."

Their next single on Liberty is a quirky dance craze tune written by Don Covay and John Barry titled "Continental Walk." It's a bit of a heavier R&B tune with a similar rhythm and beat to the dance track of the 50's "The Stroll."  The first two releases on Liberty sold fairly well locally but the relationship between label and artist began to turn sour over royalties and the flop of the last single put out "Teenage Waltz/The Bounce". After parting from Liberty the group released one more single on the Bel Star label.

"Troubles" and the flip "The Bug" were un-impressive tracks even compared to "Continental Walk" or the earlier "Pearlie Mae" on Antler. The group disbanded. Eddie went back to doing spirituals while Sampson joined the Incredibles. Willingham left the industry altogether. Al joined another group.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Jewels/jewels.html

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

  
Got My Eye On You                       The Continental Walk

  
 I Want You So                               The Bounce


  
A Teenagers' Waltz                               Troubles

  
Bonneville                                       Troubles

...

The Buddies (8) (Brooklyn, New York)
aka The Four Winds (3) aka  The Tokens (2)

Personnel :

Hank Medress

JaySiegel

Mitch Margo

Phil margo

Stephen Friedland

Discography :

The Buddies (8)
1964 - On The Go / Only My Friend (Swing 102)

The Four Winds (3)
1963 - Dear Judy / Come Softly To Me (Crystal Ball 102)
1963 - Goodbye Maureen / Arlene (Crystal Ball 105)
1964 - Remember Last Summer / Strange Feelings (Swing 100)
1968 - Let it ride / One Face in the Crowd (B.T. Puppy 555)

Biography :

Originally known as The Linc-Tones when they formed in 1955 at Lincoln High School. Original members Hank Medress, Neil Sedaka, Eddie Rabkin and Cynthia Zolitin didn’t have much impact in their early days recording for Melba. They later disbanded, but Medress re-formed the group in 1960 as The Tokens. Brothers Phil and Mitch Margo and Jay Siegel were the new members, and the group recorded for Warwick in 1960, then had their one glorious hit in 1962, The Lion Sleeps Tonight (based on a Zulu song called Wimoweh). The Tokens formed their own label in 1964 called BT Puppy, but they couldn’t keep the hits coming. In addition to making their own records, The Tokens also recorded under other names, including The Four Winds and The Buddies.

Songs :

The Four Winds (3)

   
      Dear Judy                              Remember Last Summer

   
    Arlene                                             Come Softly To Me



...

The Pirates (4) (Detroit, Michigan)
aka The Temptations (4) 

Personnel :

Otis Williams

Melvin Franklin

Eddie Kendricks

Paul Williams

Elbrige Bryant

Discography :

1962 - Mind Over Matter  / I'll Love You Till I Die (Mel-O-Dy 105)

Biography :

In 1962 Berry Gordy released "Mind Over Matter" on the Mel-O-dy label by The Pirates, who were The Temptations and according to Otis Williams this was the only time they prayed for a flop, and it did. They covering the Nolan Strong & The Diablos classic Detroit hit, "Mind Over Matter (I'm Gonna Make You Mine).

Songs :

   
Mind Over Matter                    I'll Love You Till I Die

...

Ray & The Darchaes (Asbury Park, NJ)

Personnel :

Ray Dahrouge (Lead)

Tonny Julian (Falsetto)

Louie Scalpati (Tenor)

Sal Capalungo (Second Tenor)

Denny Testa (Baritone)

Sam Siciliano (Bass)

Discography

Singles:
1962 - Carol / Little Girl So Fine (Aljon 1249/1250)
1962 - Darling Forever / There Will Always Be (Buzzy 202)

Unreleased :
1961 - When I Woke Up This Morning
1962 - To Get A Hold On You
1962 - I Don't Care

Biography :

Long before Bruce Springsteen drew attention to Asbury Park, Ray Dahrouge and his doo-wop group, the Darchaes ruled over the New Jersey coastal city. With Dahrouge's lead vocals accompanied by falsetto Tony Juliano, first tenor Louie Scalpati, second tenor Sal Capalungo, baritone Denny Testa and bass Sam Siciliano, Ray And The Darchaes had the clubs along the seaside jumping.

Dahrouge and the Darchaes recorded two singles -- "There Will Always Be You" and "Little Girl Of Mine" b/w "Carol" .Nickie Addeo replace Dahrouge When he left to embark on a solo career in 1963.

Ray Dahrouge, Barry Rufus Edwards, Louie Scalpati, and Sam Siciliano

Although Ray never broke through to a national audience, he recorded a string of regional hits including "Steppin' Out", "Rendezvous With Destiny", "Lifetime Guarantee Of Love", "Stepping Out" and "I Can See Him Makin' Love To You".


Songs :

     
             Carol                                 Little Girl So Fine             When I Woke Up This Morning
 
    
Darling Forever                      There Will Always Be           To Get A Hold On You 

...

 Gladys Knight & The Pips (Atlanta, Georgia)
(The Doo wop years)

Personnel :

Gladys Knight (Lead)

Merald "Bubba" Knight

William Guest

Edward Patten

Langston George

Discography :

Singles :

The Pips
1958 - Ching Chong / Whistle My Love (Brunswick 55048)
1961 - Every Beat Of My Heart / Room In Your Heart (Huntom 2510/Vee Jay 386)
1962 - Darling / Linda (Fury 1067)

Gladys Knight & The Pips
1961 - Every Beat Of My Heart / Room In Your Heart (Fury 1050)
1961 - Guess Who / Stop Running Around (Fury 1052)
1961 - Letter Full Of Tears / You Broke Your Promise (Fury 1054)
1962 - Operator / I'll Trust In You (Fury 1064)
1963 - Come See About Me / I Want That Kind Of Love (Fury 1073)

Lps :

1962 - Letter Full Of Tears (Fury FULP 1003)
Letter Full Of Tears / You Broke Your Promise / Operator / I’ll Trust In You / Morning, Noon And Night / I Can’t Stand By / Every Beat Of My Heart / Room In Your Heart / Guess Who / Stop Running Around / What Shall I Do ?

Biography :

Gladys Knight was born May 28, 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of seven in 1952, she won Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour television show contest. The following year, she, her brother Bubba, sister Brenda, and their cousins William and Eleanor Guest started a singing group called "The Pips" (named after another cousin, James "Pip" Woods). The Pips began to perform and tour, eventually replacing Brenda Knight and Eleanor Guest with cousins Langston George and Edward Patten in 1959.

The Pips scored their first hit in 1961 with "Every Beat of My Heart", a cover of a Hank Ballard & The Midnighters song written by Johnny Otis. The group had recorded the song for a friend in Atlanta, who promptly sold the master to Vee-Jay Records and cut the group out of the record's profits. The Pips recorded a second version of "Every Beat" with Bobby Robinson as the producer, and the song became a #1 R&B and #6 pop hit.

  
The Pips (1959)                                                                                                          

Shortly afterwards, Langston George left the group, and the remaining members continued as a quartet, now billed as Gladys Knight & the Pips. Typically, most of the act's recordings featured Knight's contralto on lead vocals and the three male members of the group, usually referred to as "The Pips" by themselves, providing characteristic background vocals.

After a second Vee-Jay hit, "Letter Full of Tears", in 1962, Knight quit the group to start a family with husband James Newman, giving birth to James Gaston Newman III in August of that year. Her second child Kenya Maria Newman was born in November the following year.The Pips toured on their own for two years, until Knight returned to the act in 1964 in order to support her two children.
http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/gknight.htm

Songs :

Gladys Knight & The Pips

   
Letter Full Of Tears                        Operator           

   
You Broke Your Promise               Every Beat Of My Heart

The Pips
(Merald  Knight, William Guest & Edward Patten)

   
Linda                                           Darling

 ...