The Mudlarks (Luton, Bedfordshire, England)



Personnel :


Jeff Mudd

Fred Mudd

Mary Mudd



Discography :

Singles :
1958 - Mutual Admiration Society / A New Love (Columbia DB4064)     
1958 - Lollipop / Young Dove's Calling (Columbia DB4099)     
1958 - Book Of Love /Yea, Yea (Columbia DB4133)     
1958 - There's Never Been A Night / Lightnin' Never Strikes Twice (Columbia DB4190)
1958 - My Grandfather's Clock / Which Witch Doctor (Columbia DB4210)          
1959 - The Love Game / Abdul The Bulbul Amer Cha Cha (Columbia DB4250)     
1959 - Tell Him No / Time Flies    (Columbia DB4291)      
1959 - Waterloo / Mary (Columbia DB4331)          
1959 - True Love, True Love / Tennessee    (Columbia DB4374)      
1960 - Candy / Never Marry A Fishmonger (Columbia DB4417)          
1960 - You're Free To Go /(You've Got To) Move Two Mountains (Columbia DB4513)   
1961 - When Mexico Gave Up The Rumba / Toy Balloon (Columbia DB4636)        
1961 - The Mountain's High / Don't Gamble With Love (Columbia DB4708)          
1962 - Coney Island Washboard / Them Twistin' Bones (Columbia DB4788)          
1962 - Manana Pasado Manana / March Of The Broken Hearts (Columbia DB4861)   
1962 - I've Been Everywhere / Just The Snap Of Your Fingers (Decca F11537)   
1962 - The Little Cracked Bell Of San Raquel / La De Da (Decca F11601)     
1964 - Walk Around / Here's Another Day (Fontana TF495)     

Eps:
1958 - The Mudlarks (with accompaniment by Ken Jones) (Columbia SEG7854)
There's Never Been A Night / Lollipop  / Lightnin' Never Strikes Twice / Book Of Love

Biography :

The Mudlarks were an unusual musical phenomenon in several ways. Unusually, the group were composed, at least for most of its lifetime, by real siblings- the children of the Mudd family from Luton in Bedforshire. Jeff, Fred and Mary are all alleged to have had jobs at the large Vauxhall motor plant which dominated the town.

However, they spent their spare time singing together whenever the opportunity arose. They enjoyed singing the kind of pop tunes that were to become popular during the second half of the 1950s- not quite rock and roll, and not conventional ballads either.

Their's was an up-beat novelty style and it attracted the attention of David Jacobs who had only recently established himself as a top disc jockey at the BBC. After an appearance on the the seminal "6-5 Special" TV show, a recording contract with Columbia quickly followed.

The Mudlarks' first release didn't sell well, but their second, the novelty "Lollipop" (a cover of a record by Americans, Ronald and Ruby), went almost to the top despite having another cover version from U.S. four-piece girl group, "The Chordettes" close behind.

They chose another US number for their next release. Despite this being a doowop number, from the deeper voiced US group "The Monotones", they successfully transformed it into another novelty and again managed the top ten.

Sadly, this was to be their last major hit on record although the group remained popular until well into the 1960s. Despite the fact that record buyers seem to have gradually lost their taste for the pop novelties that the Mudlarks were so good at producing, the group remain one of those that surely pioneered the emergence of a new UK grown sound.  http://www.45-rpm.org.uk/dirm/mudlarks.htm




Songs :

   
Lollipop                                    Book Of Love

   
Which Witch Doctor                       Time Flies

   
You're Free To Go                   My Grandfathers Clock

Richard Barrett & The Chantels (Bronx, New York)




Personnel :

Richard Barrett (Lead)

Sonia Goring (Second Tenor)

Jackie Landry (Second Alto)

Rene Minus (Alto / Bass)




Discography :

1959 - Come Softly To Me / Walkin' Through Dreamland (Gone 5056)
1959 - Summer's Love / All Is Forgiven (Gone 5060)    



Biography :

When Arlene Smith, the Chantels' original lead singer, decided to leave to pursue a solo career and Harris had left the group. The Chantels didn't replace either singer and continued as a trio.

Richard Barrett, Valentines' lead singer, took over as their lead singer on a pair of singles, a cover of the Fleetwoods' "Come Softly To Me" and "Summer's Love" (a remake of the first Valentines record), which peaked at # 93 in Billboard (Gone 5060, 1959).
http://www.thechantels.com/discography.htm



Songs :

   
Summer's Love                      Come Softly To Me

   
All Is Forgiven                       Walking Trough Dreamland



Cds :

The Wisdoms (St. Paul, MN)

Personnel :

Gene "Butchy" Moore (Lead)

Horace Rivers (Tenor)

Ray "Bucky" Brown (Baritone)

Jerry Reed (Bass)

Discography :

1959 - Two Hearts Make One Love / Lost In Dreams (Gaity 169)

Biography :

The Wisdoms, which included St. Paul Central High School students Jerry Reed, Horace Rivers, Ray Brown, and Gene Moore, earned a quick following throughout the city of Minneapolis for their quick-footed dance moves and tender harmonies. In the summer of 1959, a year after forming, the Wisdoms recorded "Two Hearts Make One Love" and "Lost In Dreams"(Based on "Every Day Of The Week" by the Students) backed by the Glenrays. They were unhappy with the results and returned to Gaity to re-recorded the same songs this time with the Flames. They are a dozen or more unreleased tunes that cannot be retrieved; presumably they are lost forever.

Jerry Reed, Ray "Bucky" Brown, Horace Rivers and Gene "Butchy" Moore

The A-side is as sweet as can be, a romantic doo-wop ditty about a protagonist's undying love for his dear. The B-side hints at something a little more aggressive and rock-oriented, with members of the white garage rock band the Flames stepping in to add a marching-drum shuffle beat and a tiny sprinkling of surf-oriented guitar work. It was also in 1959 that the Wisdoms and the Flames would be invited to appear on KSTP's Hi Five program, which was modeled after Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Although they'd never experienced any discrimination at their live shows, despite playing parties in several different neighborhoods, it was at one of these televised events that the Wisdoms first experienced how impenetrable Minnesota's racial barrier was in the 1950s.

(The Wisdoms whith the Flames)

 "We were good dancers and girls wanted to dance with us,” Gene Moore told Jim Oldsberg's Lost and Found. “Predictably, a white girl would ask one of the Wisdoms to dance. The station, however, didn't condone interracial dancing.” “Because of our popularity, we were confident that Rob Hubbard, the owner of KSTP, wouldn't deny us the opportunity for singing programs altogether,” added Horace Rivers. “Our group had a brazen unwillingness, however, to compromise on who it was we could dance with, but our confidence was tempered with a healthy dose of reality.... Unlike Elvis Presley, who could only be shown on TV moving from the waist up, the Wisdoms could only be shown dancing on television from the waist down.

From "The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound" 

Songs :

     
Two Hearts Make One Love                        Lost In Dreams              

Unreleased Original Versions

   
Two Hearts Make One Love                 Lost In Dreams          

 ...

The Clusters (Brooklyn, New York)



Personnel:

Charlie Scardina (Lead)

Tom Mordente (First Tenor)

Donnie Milo (Second Tenor)

Henri Rico Ferro (Baritone)

Joe Gugliaro (Bass)

Discography :

The Clusters
1958 - Darling Can't You Tell / Pardon My Heart (Tee Gee 102/End 115)
1959 - Long Legged Maggie / Forecast Of Our Love (Epic 99330)

Gus Coletti & The Clusters
Single :
1957 - Hold My hand / Without Your Love ( Tin Pan Alley 206)
1957 - Sample Kiss / My Darling Wait For Me ( Tin Pan Alley 207)
Unreleased:
1957 - Sample Kiss (version 2) (Tin Pan Alley)

Gus Colletti (bb The Clusters) (uncredited)
1958 - At The Rock And Roll Party (no group) / Life Is Sad And Dreary (Tin Pan Alley 214)

Biography :

The original Clusters were formed in 1957. The group consisted of  Charlie Scardina (Lead), Tommy Mordente (first tenor), Donnie Milo (second tenor), Henry (Rico) Ferro (baritone) and Joe Gugliotta (Bass). All members were between 15 & 17 yrs. old out of Brooklyn, New York.

In April of 1958 The Clusters recorded "Darling Can't You Tell" and "Pardon My Heart" The record was released on the Tee Gee record label and became a New York hit. The record reached # 10 on the Regional Billboard charts and #23 on the WMCA music charts.

The group appeared on the Alan Freed big beat TV show and Ted Steeles show at the Paramount theater with Frankie Avalon, Bobby Darin, The Big Bopper, Clyde McPhatter and others.

The Clusters reformed again in the 90's with new members and cut a CD called The Clusters 2000. In January of 2003,The Clusters decided to reform with original Clusters bass, Joe Gugliotta. The "New" Clusters are, Paulie Gee (lead), Joe Gugliotta (Original 1958 Bass), Jerry Pilgrim (first tenor lead), Tony Portalatin (second tenor lead), and Joe Miranda (baritone lead) The Clusters perform the hits of the 50's to the 80's.
http://www.theclusters.org/index.html

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

The Clusters

    
Forecast Of Our Love                 Darling Can't You Tell

    
Pardon My Heart                    Long Legged Maggie


Gus Coletti & The Clusters

   
Sample Kiss                 Without Your Love

  
Sample Kiss (version 2)                Life Is Sad And Dreary

 ...

The Del Rios (1)  (Memphis)
aka The Del-Rios

 

Personnel :

William Bell (Lead)

Louis Williams

Norman West

James Taylor

Discography :

The Del Rios (1)
1956 - Alone On A Rainy Night / Lizzie (Meteor 5038)
1962 - Dangerous Lover / Heavenly Angel (Bet..T 7001)

The Del-Rios
1962 - Just Across The Street / There's A Love (Stax 125)

Jimmy Hurt & The Del Rios (1)
Singles:
1960 - You Know, Darling (I'm In Love With You) / Oh What A Feeling (Do-Ra-Me 1401)
Unreleased:
1960 - Are You Old Enough (Do-Ra-Mi)
1960 - I Love You Dearly (Do-Ra-Mi)



 

Biography :

The Del Rios, one of Memphis, TN's pioneering vocal groups, started in the '50s. They became very popular in and around Memphis and all of the college circuit. They performed on shows with Phineas Newborn, a Memphis jazz legend, and found regular employment in clubs. The first line-up of the group was William Bell, Harrison Austin, Louis Williams, David Brown and Roy Webb.  It was a couple of years that they had the original group.  David got drafted first.  He was the oldest.  He was like twenty-three.  Melvin Jones came in to take David’s place.  They both sang bass.  Then Roy that was older got drafted, so they had to re-group and get new members.They came to the attention of Lester Bihari after winning the Mid-South Talent Contest.  They made their first recording for his Meteor label. They recorded a song Bell had written called "Alone on a Rainy Nite" and "Lizzie" on the b-side. The single was credited to “the Del Rios with The Bear Cats” and it was released on Meteor 5038 in late 1956, and it made some noise but only locally.

William’s Del Rios cut three singles altogether and backup Jimmy Hurt on another, so all the other recordings (on Big H, Earth, Amazon, Neptune, Warwick etc.) under the name of the Del Rios are by other groups.  A ballad called "Heavenly Angel" with an uptempo track titled "Dangerous Lover" formed the second single three years later on Bet…T 7001.  Betty Berger was during that time a night club owner.  She and her husband owned the Plantation Inn in West Memphis, right across the Mississippi river in Arkansas.  The Del Rios would do two gigs on the weekend.  They would play for the college kids at the Plantation Inn, which was like a high energy dance club, and then they had a later set at the Flamingo Room.  They recorded that single for her.

In 1960 The Del Rios did the back-up for Carla Thomas on her single “Gee Whiz,” ( Gee Whiz was recorded two times, one at Stax and one at Hi, the latter being the one finally issued) and met producer, writer, engineer and musician for early Satellite/Stax, Chips Moman who led to William’s first solo single. In December 1961, Stax released "You Don't Miss Your Water" b/w "Formula Of Love" . In 1962 the Del-Rios released their third and final single with William in the line-up, "Just across the Street" b/w "There’s a Love" (Stax 125).  William wrote both songs and leads on the perky and strongly doowop-slanted There’s a Love, while Louis Williams leads on a sweet and tender ballad on the flip. 

The Ovations

Besides William and Louis, the other Del-Rios boys at that time were Harrison Austin and Robert Huntley, and soon Norman West was to join the group.  After "You Don’t Miss Your Water" had become popular in the spring of 1962, William left the group replaced by  Nathan Lewis. Before breaking up for good, the latter members of the Del-Rios still included James Taylor (replaced Louis Williams), Johnny Jackson (replaced Harrison Austin) and Prentiss Anderson.  Louis and Nathan went on to become the Four Canes first and then the Ovations, and Norman West went solo and in 1968 became a member of the Soul Children .

Songs :

(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

The Del Rios (1) aka Del-Rios

     
Alone On A Rainy Night                Lizzie                           There's A Love

     
Dangerous Lover                 Just Across The Street             Heavenly Angel

Jimmy Hurt & The Del Rios (1)

  
You Know Darling                     Oh What a Feeling

  
Are You Old Enough                       I Love You Dearly

....