The Young Lads : Aaron Broadnick, James Straite, Ronnie Watson, Carl Williams, Luther Morton

The Young Lads (1) (Brooklyn, New York)
aka   Pearl & The Deltars

Personnel :

Ronnie Watson (Lead)

Carl Williams (First Tenor)

James Straite (Second Tenor)

Luther Morton (Baritone)

Bootsie Aaron Broadnick (Bass)

Discography :

The Young Lads (1)

Singles :
1956 - Moonlight / I'm In Love (Neil 100)

 Pearl & The Deltars 

Singles :
1961 - Teenage Dream / Dance Dance Dance (Fury 1048)
Unreleased:
1961 - Back To School Again (Fury)
1961 - Where Are You? (Fury)

Biography :

The Young Lads' only record was 'I'm In Love'/'Moonlight' (Neil 100), the Brooklyn group consisting of five boys:  Ronnie Watson, Carl Williams, James Straite, Luther Morton and Aaron Broadnick. They needed to replace Ronnie Watson, who had been missing rehearsals, and heard that Pearl and the Kodaks had split up. Nate Rogers, of the Chesters, hooked up Pearl and the Young Lads and, with Pearl replacing Ronnie Watson, they started rehearsing.

Pearl McKinnon with the Kodaks

This was difficult, since they all lived in Brooklyn, except for Pearl, who lived in Newark. Obviously the name "Young Lads" had to go, and they named themselves after Delta Airlines, as the Deltars. Pearl & The Deltars cut one single  for Robinson's Fury label released in the winter of 1961: "Teenage Dream" / "Dance Dance Dance". Dance, Dance, Dance received some local and proved that Pearl could modernize her sound in the early sixties. Unfortunaly, Bobby Robinson & his small Fury office staff soon became overwhelmed  with gladys Knight & The Pips and their "Every Beat Of My Heart" smash.
(Thanks to Marv Goldberg)


Songs :

The Young Lads (1)

  
Moonlight                                           I'm In Love


Pearl & The Deltars

  
Dance Dance Dance                              Teenage Dream

..

Top : Buddy Scott, Ike HickMan and Howard (Seaphus) Scott
Botom :Tommy Scott, Walter Scott & Charles Scott

The Masquerades (Chicago)
aka The Masquarades
aka The Five Masqueraders


Personnel :

Howard (Seaphus) Scott

Charles Scott

Tommy Scott

Ike HickMan

Jimmy Thompson


Discography :

Seaphus Scott & The Five Masqueraders
1958 - Summer Sunrise / Nature's Beauty (Joyce 303)

The Masquarades
1960 - The Whip / Fanessa (Boyd 1027)

The Masquerades
1960 - These Red Roses / Mister Man The Guitar Man (Formal 1012)

Unreleased :

N/A - Portia
N/A - These Foolish Things
N/A - Good Golly Miss Molly
N/A - That's When Your Heartaches Begin


Biography :

The Masquerades were formed in 1957 as the Elpeccios and originally consisted of Howard, Charles, and Robert Scott, and cousin Jesse "Chico"Golden. Golden and Robert Scott soon dropped out, and in early 1958 the group reorganized as the Masquerades, consisting of Howard, Charles, and Tommie Scott, Jimmy Thompson, and Ike Hickman. Robert Scott entered the professional boxing ranks as a welterweight, fighting in the same stable as world junior welterweight champion Eddie Perkins. The group went down to St. Louis to record two sides for Ike Turner on the Joyce label, "Summer Sunrise" backed with "Nature's Beauty." But nothing happened for the group.

The Masquerades were discovered by Entrepreneur Don Talty in 1958 singing in a North Side nightclub. At the time, the group consisted of Howard, Walter, Charles, and Tommie Scott, plus Ike Hickman and guitarist Howard Taylor. Jimmy Thompson had left the group to take up guitar, and years later would emerge as a well-respected Chicago blues performer  Jimmy Johnson. Thompson changed his name to "Johnson" after his brother Syl had achieved fame as a soul singer under the name "Syl Johnson." The following year Buddy Scott replaced Taylor on guitar and the group came out with "The Whip" backed with "Fanessa"  on the Boyd label. "The Whip" was intended to promote a dance and was considered the A side. Talty even had artwork done to show the dance steps, but nothing came of the record.

    
Howard (Seaphus) Scott                                                                                                            

The Masquerades released "Mister Man" backed with "These Red Roses" in 1960 on the Formal label. No more records by the Masquerades were released for Talty. They continued on, and guitarists who worked for them in the following years included their old vocal mate, Jimmy Johnson, and his brother, Syl Johnson. Around 1963-64, the Masquerades called it quits as a vocal group, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes re-emerged as the Scott Brothers Band. Seaphus Howard Scott started a label called Al-Tog in Chicago working with several artists in the 1960s publishing several songs through his music publishing company (Scot-Tees Publishing Co.) and releasing them with record labels such as Numero One and Okeh!.


Songs :

The Masquarades

  
Fanessa                                           The Whip


The Masquerades

  
These Red Roses                     Mister Man The Guitar Man


Seaphus Scott & The Five Masqueraders

 
Summer Sunrise


...

Top : John Thomas Steele and Ralph Martin - Bottom : Tony Middleton, Joe Martin and Richie Davis

The Willows (1) aka The Five Willows (Harlem, New York)

Personnel :

Tony Middleton（Lead）

Richie Davis（First Tenor）

Ralph Martin（First Tenor）

Joe Martin（Baritone）

John Thomas “Scooter" Steele（Bass）

Discography :

The Five Willows
1953 - My Dear, Dearest Darling / Rock Little Francis（Allen 1000 / Lost-Nite 174）
1953 - Dolores / All Night Long（Allen 1002 / Lost-Nite 183）
1953 - The White Cliffs Of Dover / With These Hands（Allen 1003 / Lost-Nite 187）
1953 - Love Bells / Please Baby（Pee Dee 290 / Lost-Nite 192）
1954 - Lay Your Head On My Shoulder / Baby, Come A Little Bit Closer（Herald 433）
1955 - Look Me In The Eyes / So Help Me（Herald 442）

The Willows (1)
Singles :
1956 - This Is The End / Don't Pull, Don't Push, Don't Shove（Club 1014/michelle 501）
1956 - Church Bells Are Ringing / Baby Tell Me（Melba 102）
1956 - Church Bells May Ring / Baby Tell Me（Melba 102）
1956 - Do You Love Me /  My Angel (Melba 106)
1957 - My Angel / Little Darlin'（Melba 115）
1959 - This Is The End / Dont Push, Don't Pull (Michelle 501)
1959 - You / My Dear, Dearest Darling (Warwick 524)
1961 - There's A Dance Goin' On / Now That I Have You (Four Star 1753)
1964 - It's Such A Shame / Tears In Your Eyes (Heidi 103)
1964 - Sit By The Fire / Such A Night (Heidi 107)
Unreleased :
1957 - Fooled By Her Kisses/ Lazy Daisy (Mercury)

Tony Middleton & The Willows (1)
1957 - First Taste Of Love / Only My Heart (Eldorado Eld 508)
1957 - Let's Fall In Love / Say Yeah (Gone 5015)

Tony Middleton
1958 - I'm On My Way / Lover (Saxony 104)
1959 - Count Your Blessings (See What Love Has Done) / I Just Want Somebody (Triumph 600)
1959 - The Universe / Blackjack (Triumph 605)
1960 - Untouchable / I Need You (Alto 2001)
1960 - Unchained Melody / Sweet Baby Of Mine (Big Top 3037)
1961 - I'm Gonna Try Love (One More Time) / Is It This Or Is It That (Roulette 4345)


Biography:

The Story of The Willows goes back to 114th Street in Harlem, where Tony Middleton (born June 26, 1934) in Richmond,Virgin) lived in I952. He received an invitation to Mrs. Clarisse Martin's house on 115th Street while he was training his boxing at a local gym. Mrs. Martin's twin sons, Joe and Ralph were rehearshing under her guidance with John Thomas “Scuotem Steele (bass) and Richie Davis (1. tenor)  . Being very impressed by Tony‘s fancy footwork and choreography in the ring she knew for sure that the chance to archive some success with this guy in the group would be great - if she could teach them assiduity and discipline. Having been the main impulse behind the recording career of The Willows from 1952 to 1965, she let them practise every day. So you could find the group singing at the corner of 115th and Lenox Ave. in hospitals,at church benefits and at dances at the Chelsea Vocational High School. While still known as “The Dovers», they sometimes used Doc Green as additional singer. One of Green's favourite songs was “The Whiffenpoof Song" by the Cabineers, and so the group decided to try their luck with the same company the Cabineers had recorded for. Abbey Records under the management of Pete &, Goldie Durain had meanwhile moved and changed its name to Allen Records.

The first release for Allen under the name of The Five Willows was the street song "My Dear, Dearest Darling", introducing for the first time the famous bass intro by John Thomas “Scooter" Steele to the public. This gimmick was carefully planned to be their trademark. later reviewed in "Little Darlin'" and "Do You Love Me". Billboard magazine called this release in June “kinda weird and somewhat hypnotic", and so you can hear the group sometimes out of key, while the flipside "Rock Little Francis" (the obligary iump) sounds amateurish, but nevertheless interesting.  Tony was also featured as lead on "The White Cliffs Of Dover". While he shared the vocals with Richie on "Dolores"  - the latter coupled with "All Night Long" on their second Allen release in September.  At the end of 1953, their third Allen record was out, but again no chart entries were noted for "With These Hands" (lead by Richie). When Pete Durain decided to part business with Mr. Allen. The Willows went with him and recorded their next release for Pee Dee Records in early 1954, entitled "Love Bells" b/w "Please Baby". Pete Durain himself went out of business in 19510, but the group was able to record four sides for Herald  in the same style, but again without success.

When Tony met Morty Craft in 1955, who had just left his partners at London Records to form his own Melba label, a chance to record again was in sight. TheWillows  (as they were known now, just dropping the “Five") offered him a ballad entitled CHURCH BELLS MAY RING. which was written by Tony from an idea of his wife Betty. When first released as "Church Bells May Ring"  (mislabeled on early copies), it had transformed into a wonderful rocking tune with a now famous bass bridge (“Hello hello again,my friend, I'm hopin‘ that we'll meet again"). close harmony-and as a gimmick chimes (played by the still unknown Neil Sedaka from a suggestion by Morty Craft) plus a shuffle rhythm. Hitting the R&B charts on April 18,1956, the song reached no. 11 and stayed for 2 weeks, but it had more success before on the pop charts, first appearing at no. 74: on March 28 then climbing to the middle of the Top 100 listing. Soon cover versions by The Cadets. Sunny Gale and The Diamonds followed, and The Diamonds' version nearly outsold The Willows original on all main markets.

1956 at the Alan Freed Easter Show - The Brooklyn Paramout : T.Middleton, R. Martin, F. Donovan, Ri. Davis and J. Martin

The same story happened again, and so the guys didn‘t get paid more then S 200 for their million seller, even after they took Morty Craft to court, where he declared bankruptcy then. Ironically. the bass bridge at the hit song was sung by Richard “Rico» Simon, a neighborhood friend just substituted for “Scootem" Steele for that session only. Two more records on Melba followed in late 1956,  early 1957, but no follow-up gave The Willows the succes the sure had exspected. Especially "Little Darlin‘ " was in the same vain as "Church Bells May Ring" . While "My Angel" was one of the earliest writing affords of Neil Sedaka and his school pal Howard Greenfield. All Melba recordings  featured the bass riffing of Freddie Donovan. because “Scootem" permanently missed rehearsals, and Tony had to let him go.

When they left Melba through the help of attorney Aber Greenberg, who had sued Morty Craft for the missing royalties and got their release. they turned the contract over to Carl Edelson, who had his office of Club Records in the same building (1550 Broadway) as their attorney (and Melba Records, too). Four songs were recorded at a September 19,1556 session, but only two were released (see Relic LP 51122) in November on Club,while “Frantically» stays in the can (Edelson later re-released the Club record on his Michelle label in 1963). Eldorado Records, owned by Buchanan and Goodman(of “Flying Saucers» fame) was their next stop in early 1857 (also located 1550 Broadway). and a big band style recording was released in April - "First Taste Of Love" b/w "Only My Heart". They eventually went to Mercury, recording two songs with piano backing by Fats Domino. which were their best tracks according to Richie, Joe and Ralph.

When Richie went into the service in 1985, The Willows continued without him, although two very good songs were released on Gone Records at the end of 1957. With a little bit of promotion, "Let's Fall In Love" (backed with "Say Yeah") could have been a hit for the group. Richie recorded two (still unreleased) songs in Detroit with a different backing group (including Tony), before Tony himself decided to quit the group. The remaining members (plus Richie) backed a guy named Bobby Holiday on “Tiajuana» 8.  “My Letter", while the Martin twins, Freddie Donovan, Joe's wife Dotty and another singer once again did a session for Morty Craft, from which "My Dear, Dearest Darling"  and "You"  (a different version of “Church Bells May Ring" is still unreleased) with lead vocals by Dotty. Under the guidance of Mrs. Martin, the group stayed together until I965, having released their last two records for Heidi (an Atco subsidiary) in 19611. Richie sang lead on “It's Such A Shame" and “Sit By The Fire"  while the latter featured once again Freddie's bass vocals. Tony Middleton has done countless solo recording since then and is still active in the music field and as an actor. So he was nominated in 1972 for a Grammy Award for his recording of “Don't Ever Leave Me.»

...

The Matadors (5) (Los Angeles)
aka The Gents (1) aka The Dories (2)


Personnel :

Vic Diaz

Manuel Sanchez

Tony Minichiello


Discography :

The Gents (1)
1961 - Why do i love her / Jump in the Line (Liberty 55332)

The Dories (2)
1962 - Stompin' Sh-Boom / Breakup (Dore 629)

The Matadors (5)
1963 - Ace of Heart / Perfidia (Colpix 698)
1964 - La Corrida / I've Gotta Drive (Jan & Dean)  (Colpix 718)
1964 - C'mon Let Yourself Go / C'mon Let Yourself Go (Part 2) (Colpix 741)

Biography :

The Matadors — Tony Minichiello, Vic Diaz, and Manuel Sanchez — were a talented trio that sang harmonies on Jan & Dean’s early Screen Gems recordings. They provided the disctinctive harmonies (along with Jan & Dean themselves) on the Surf City and Drag City Lps in 1963, and on part of the Dead Man’s Curve / The New Girl In School LP in 1964 (Liberty Records). The Matadors were a vital part of the Jan & Dean vocal sound, at the peak of the duo’s popularity. Tony and Manny had been schoolmates with Jan Berry at University High School in Los Angeles.

They recorded as the Gents on Liberty Records in 1961 (with music arranged by Jan). Vic Diaz was a solo artist for Del-Fi Records, who then connected with Tony and Manny for a single on Dore Records, produced by Kim Fowley in 1962. Thanks to his songwriting and producing contracts with Screen Gems, Jan was able to write, arrange, and produce for artists other than Jan & Dean (with oversight from Lou Adler). In addition to singing back-up for Jan & Dean, the Matadors had a record deal with Colpix Records, which fell under the aegis of Screen Gems. So it was only natural that Jan would produce the Matadors for Colpix.  

In addition to arranging and producing for the Matadors, Jan also co-wrote several songs for the group, and sang bass on their single “Perfidia,” released in 1963.  Jan also sang lead on the trio’s release of “I Gotta Drive” (which was also included on Jan & Dean’s Drag City LP).  Jan’s writing credits for the Matadors included “Ace of Hearts” (co-written with Gary Zekley and Vic Diaz), “La Corrida,” and “Come On Let Yourself Go,” Parts 1 & 2 (co-written with Artie Kornfeld) — 1963-1964.



Songs :

The Matadors (5)

   
Perfidia                                                Ace Of Hearts

I've Gotta Drive

The Dories (2)

   
 Breakup                                       Stompin' Sh-Boom 

The Gents (1)

     
Why Do I Love Her                                     Jump In The Line

...

Douglas Rodriguez

The Rialtos (3) (Bronx, New York)


Personnel :

Douglas Rodriguez

Hector Ruiz

Fred Campos

Francisco Zubillaca

Patrick Gaul

Discography :

1964 - It Hurts / Let Me In (CB 5009)


Biography :

The Rialtos were five young lads from the Bronx composed by Douglas Rodriguez, Hector Ruiz, Fred Campos, Francisco Zubillaca & Patrick Gaul. They recorded in 1961 "It Hurts" b/w "Let Me In" at Musicmakers Studios W.57th St. in New York with King Curtis's Band and his great Sax backed up the Group on "Let Me In" .

 
                                                                                             King Curtis

The single will not come out right away. CB Records owned by Bob Schwaid and Craig Clark released the single two years later when president Kennedy was killed. In 1961, Douglas Rodriguez and his first group, the Celebrities had already recorded at Musicmakers Studios with King Curtis's Band. In 1966 Douglas Rodriguez became a member of the The Latin Souls with Frank Ruiz,Anthony Florez, & Sammy Marrero.

Songs :

  
It Hurts                                              Let Me In

…