• The Arrows (Los Angeles)
    aka The Convincers aka The Appeggios


    Personnel :

    Leroy Bishop  (Lead)

    Mel Alexander  (Second Tenor)

    Frank Alexander (Bass)

    Frank Dixon (High Tenor)

    Malvin Perkins (Baritone)
                            


    Discography :

    The Arrows
    Singles :
    1958 - Indian Bop Hop / Annie Mae (Flash 132)

    The Convincers
    Singles :
    1962 - Rejected Love / Go BacK Baby (Movin' 100)
    Demos :
    1959 - Betty
    1959 - Sufferin With The Blues
    1959 - My Baby Don't Love Me
    1959 - What Did I do

    The Appeggios
    Singles :
    1963 - Mary / I'll Be Singing (Aries 01)
    Demos :
    1956 - Rejected Love
    1956 - We Belong Together
    1956 - She's Not Bad
    1956 - Lonely
    1956 - Baby Let Me Come To Your House Tonight


    Biography :

    The group begin as the Arpeggios in New Orleans and sang strictly gospel, switching to the Arrows to sang R&B. The Original members are Mel Alexander (Second Tenor), Frank Alexander (Bass), Leroy Bishop (Lead), Frank Dixon (High Tenor) & Sidney Jones (Baritone).

      
    Mel Alexander                                                                                                                                     

    One by one  the Arpeggios came out to California. The Arrows composed of Mel Alexander, Frank Alexander, Leroy Bishop, Frank Dixon  & Malvin Perkins signed a contract with Charlie 'Flash' Reynolds of Flash record on 29th July,1958. Two months later "Indian Bop Hop" backed with "Annie Mae" hit the Streets.


    The Appeggios with Mel Alexander on lead (Los Angeles, 1957)

    They Changed their name from the Arrows to the Convincers. The Convincers were made up of Mel, his brother, Jones, Dixon and Willie Gibson on lead. The Group recorded the Beautifull "Rejected Love" spliced with "Go BacK Baby" for Movin' Records. In 1963, Mel & his quarter Friends, now renamed the Arpeggios (Misspelled Appeggios) with the Convincers' Line-up recorded "Mary" backed with "I'll Be Singing" for the Tiny Los Angeles based Aries label.

     

    Songs :
     (Update By Hans-Joachim)

    The Arrows

     
    Indian Bop Hop                    Annie Mae

    The Appeggios

         
    I'll Be Singing                    Mary        Baby Let Me Come To Your House Tonight

           
    Lonely                                 She's Not Bad                       Rejected Love


    We Belong Together


    The Convincers

         
     Rejected Love                   What Did I do                        Go BacK Baby

      
    My Baby Don't Love Me                       Betty

     

    .....


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  • The Jades (4) aka The Debonairs (1) aka The Debonaires (2)

    The Debonairs (1) (Long Beach, CA)
    aka The Debonaires (2) aka The Jades (4)

     

    Personnel :

    Arthur Holly (Lead)

    David Kelly

    Joe Sprewell (Tenor , Piano)

    Willie "Hootie" Melvin

    Bobby Miles (Bass)

     

    Discography :

    The Debonairs (1)
    Singles :
    1957 - Why Can't We Be As Other Lovers Are / The Bill Collector (Combo 129)
    1957 - Cause Of A Bad Romance / For The Woman I Love (Combo 149)
    Unreleased :
    1957 - In My Memories (Combo)
    1957 - Christmas Time (Combo)
    1957 - Crazy Santa Claus (Combo)
    1957 - Nita (Combo)

    The Debonaires (2)
    Singles :
    1959 - Every Once In A While / Mama Don't Care (Dore 526)
    1961 - Every Once In A While / Gert's Skirt (Dore 592/702/795)
    1962 - Hold Back The Dawn / Mama Don't Care (Dore 654)
    1964 - Everybody's Movin' / Mama Don't Care (Dore 712)
    Unreleased :
    1959 - Dorothy (Dowley)
    1959 - Laura (Dowley)
    1959 - Fare Thee Well (Dowley)

    The Jades (4)
    1963 - Hold Back The Dawn / Mama Don't Care (Dore 687)

     

    Biography :

    The Debonairs from Long Beach, California, evolved through numerous line-up changes into an accomplished amateur vocal group in the early 50s. They recorded some material for Johnny Otis' Dig label in 1956 and for Dootsie Williams in 1957 but this was shelved.

    The Jades (4) aka The Debonairs (1) aka The Debonaires (2)    The Jades (4) aka The Debonairs (1) aka The Debonaires (2)

    Jake Porter                                                                                                         

    Jake Porter was one of the select group of independent record company owners who gave us the best of West Coast R&B and doo-wop music. Starting in the early 50s and persevering until the early 70s, Jake recorded numerous groups, duos and R&B outfits for his Los Angeles-based Combo label. Jake Porter recorded the Debonairs and released "Why Can't We Be As Other Lovers Are" b/w "The Bill Collector" and "Cause Of A Bad Romance" b/w "For The Woman I Love". When these failed to sell, they split up.

    The Jades (4) aka The Debonairs (1) aka The Debonaires (2)

    Reforming in 1959 with different personnel, the Debonaires laid down some tunes for the Downey label, run from a record store in the LA suburb of that name but, yet none of this was issued. Their next stop, a session for Dore on 17 June 1959, 'Every In A While', an outstanding ballad featuring Joe Sprewell on lead. It became such a favourite of Bedell's that he issued it four times between 1959 and 1967. In an attempt to update the arrangement, some extraneous overdubs including strings were added to the 1967 pressing .

     

    Songs : 

     

    The Debonairs (1)

      
    Cause Of A Bad Romance                   The Bill Collector       

      
    Why Can't We Be As Other Lovers Are          For The Woman I Love         

      
    Crazy Santa Claus                              Christmas Time     

      
        Nita                                             In My Memories

     

    The Debonaires (2)

      
                  Doroyhy                         Every Once In A While / Gert's Skirt

      
     Hold Back The Dawn                            Mama Don't Care        


    Everybody's Movin'

     


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  • Paste Up Picture : Karl White, Billy Mann, Rene Beard

    The Glens (2) (Los Angeles)
    aka The Gladiators (1) aka The Feathers

     

    Personnel :

    Billy Mann (Tenor)

    Rene Beard (Second Tenor)

    Karl White (Baritone)

    Cleo White (Bass)

     

    Discography :

    The Gladiators (1)
    1957 - Girl Of My Heart / My Baby Doll (Dig 135)

    The Glens (2)
    1960 - A Little Less Talk / Cherish My Love (Laitini 6666/Sudden 104)

     

    Biography :

    In 1957, The Feathers with out Johnny Staton (Rene Beard, Karl White, Cleo White, and Roy Allen) then became the Gladiators, releasing "My Baby Doll"/"Girl Of My Heart" on Johnny Otis' Dig label in March 1957 . In 1960, with second tenor Billy Mann in place of Roy Allen, they recorded as the Glens for Laitini ("Cherish My Love"/"A Little Less Talk". That record was re-released on Sudden in the following year.
    http://www.uncamarvy.com/Feathers/feathers.html


    Songs :

    The Gladiators (1)


    Girl Of My Heart /  My Baby Doll

    The Glens (2)

        
    Cherish My Love                                 A Little Less Talk

     ...


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  •   
    From top : Turner, Akens, Russel, Evans

    Terry & The Tyrants (Los Angeles)
    aka The Rainbows (4) aka The Turn-Arounds

     

    Personnel :

    Terry Evans

    Jewel Akens

    Jimmy Russell

    Thomas Turner

     

    Discography :

    The Rainbows (4)
    1963 - Till Tomorrow / Mama, Take Your Daughter Back (Gramo 5508)

    Terry Evans
    1963  - Just 'Cause / So Nice To Be Loved (Kayo 5102)

    Terry & The Tyrants
    Single :
    1964 - Weep No More /Yea, Yea, Yea, Yea, Yea, Yea (Kent 399)
    Unreleased :
    1964 - Say It Baby (Kent)
    1964 - Love Me To Death (Kent)

    The Turn-Arounds
    Single :
    1964 - Run Away And Hide / Ain't Nothin' Shakin' (Era 3137)
    Unreleased :
    1964 - Tic Tac Toe (Era)

     

    Biography :

    Terry & The Tyrants, a foursome that also recorded as The Rainbows in 1963  and as The Turn Arounds in 1964, included Jewel Akens, Terry Evans, Jimmy Russell & Thomas Turner. The grand tradition of RnB vocal groups,Terry & The Tyrants start out with a ballad and then proceed to romp up a bit on the flip. Only, these guys are singing soul rather than doo-wop, and a terrific, churchy, deep soul at that.

      
                         Jewel Akens                                                                                  

    Jewel Akens recorded with Eddie Daniels as Jewel and Eddie on the Silver Records label in 1960. A number of his recordings featured Eddie Cochran on guitar. Jewell was part of the Four Dots, a group led by Albert ("Jerry") Stone, formerly of the Fascinators, who had recorded for Dootone. He later went solo and recorded "The Birds And The Bees" in 1965, on the Era Records label. The single went to Number 3 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year, and Number 2 on the Cash Box chart.


     

    Songs :

    Terry & The Tyrants

       
    Weep No More                              Yea, Yea, Yea, Yea, Yea, Yea


    Say It Baby

    The Rainbows (4)

       
    Till Tomorrow                          Mama, Take Your Daughter Back


    ...


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  • Buddy Gibson & The Vanguards (3) aka The Jesters (2) Themes Pappas (Manager) & Buddy Gibson with the Vanguards behind. 

    Buddy Gibson & The Vanguards (3) (Ventura, Ca.)
    aka The Jesters (2)

     

    Personnel :

    Leroy (Buddy) Gibson (Lead Singer & Pianist)

    Don Johnson (Vocal)

    Dave Johnson (Guitar & Vocal)

    Ron  Perry (Pianist & vo­cal)

    Corky Wilke (Sax­ophone & vo­cal)

    Yvonne Gallegos (Vocal)

    Joyce Gallegos (Vocal)

     

    Discography :

    Buddy Gibson & The Jesters (2)
    1958 - To Be Or Not To Be / Meet The Beat (inst) (Spy 118)

    Buddy Gibson & The Vanguards (3)
    1959 - Just A Game / The Session (Swingin’615)

     

    Biography :

    Vocal group from Ventura, California, The Jesters aka The Vanguards were composed by Buddy Gibson, singer and Piano player and a group of young people from Ventura Colllege, Oxnard High School, Ven­tura High School and Oxnard Air Force Base. They were Ron Perry : Pianist and vo­calist. In the Air Force. He is 19 and come from Washington.D.C., Don Johnson, Vocalist, The oldest member of the group at 22. Also in the Air Force, from Columbus., Dave Johnson, Plays the elec­tric guitar and sings. He is a 17 year old senior at Ventura High, Corky Wilke, 16, Plays sax­ophone and sings. He is a Junior at Ventura High, Drummer Mike Flaherty, a former VC student,  a psy­chiatric technician trainee at Camarillo State Hospital.

    Buddy Gibson & The Vanguards (3) aka The Jesters (2)    Buddy Gibson & The Vanguards (3) aka The Jesters (2)
    When he was five Buddy made appearances with his sister Betty as a dancing team before numerous lodges and service clubs.

    Two Oxnard girls, Yvonne, 19, and Joyce, 17, Gallegos joined the band on their second single as a vocal duet. Yvonne attends VC. Joyce is a senior at Oxnard High. In 1959, Buddy with the Vanguards (aka the Jesters) made two records (Four songs) records of tunes written by Gibson, One "To Be Or Not To Be" made the Top 20. His other recording songs are "Just A Game", "The Session" and "Meet The Beat" an instrumental with the band in which Buddy plays the piano.

     

    Songs :

    Buddy Gibson & The Jesters (2)


    To Be Or Not To Be

    Buddy Gibson & The Vanguards (3)


    Just A Game


    ...


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