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


...

 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.

  
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


...

Steve Barri & Carol Connors 

The Storytellers (2) (Los Angeles)
aka The Story Tellers (2)
ref The Nortones



Personnel :

Steve Barri (Steven Barry Lipkin)

Carol Connors (Annette Kleinbard)

Cheryl Connors (Cheryl Kleinbard)


Discography :

The Story Tellers (2)
1962 - When Two People (Are In Love) / Time Will Tell (Dimension 1014)

The Storytellers (2)
1962 - When Two People (Are In Love) / Time Will Tell (Ramarca 501)
1961 - I Don't Want An Angel / Down In The Valley (Capitol 5042)

Biography :

Steve Barri was born Steven Barry Lipkin in Brooklyn, New York, on February 23, 1942. His family moved to California when he was just a child. He began his career as a songwriter. He submitted his songs to Screen Gems Music which was run by Lou Adler. Adler liked Barri's songs, and helped him get his first recording of a Barri original. Steve Barri teamed with Bernie Reed. Warner wrote "The Nortones, Bernie Reed and Steve Barry, The two 18-years-olds who comprise the group, play their own guitar accompaniment as well as write their own material". In May Their manager, Norty Beckman sends them to the studio were they record four songs. The same month, Warner released "Suzie Jones" / "That's The Way The Cookie Crumbles" as the Nortones.

  
Carol Connors                                                                                Steve Barri

The single wasn't a hit but it was a way into the business for the newly minted music professional, and over the next few years Barri tried several other avenues of expression, including cutting a few records as a singer, all to no avail. In the early '60s he teamed up with Carol Connors. Carol Connors born Annette Kleinbard, 13 November 1940, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. Based in Los Angeles, California, USA, Connors began her singing career under her birth name as a member of the Teddy Bears, a late 50s vocal group that also featured Phil Spector in its line-up. She then recorded singles for Imperial Records and Dunes Records as Annette Bard and Carol Collins respectively. Her first single under her own name, released in 1961, coupled ‘You Are My Answer’ with ‘My Diary’.

  
Carol Connors                                                                                             

Steve Barri and Carol Connors formed a trio, the Storytellers, with Connors' sister Cheryl, and their debut single on Dimension, "When Two People (Are in Love)," brought Barri back into the orbit of Lou Adler, who produced the record. This successful entrepreneur then paired Barri with protege (Phil) P.F. Sloan and together the new team began creating material for many of Adler's acts. Jan And Dean, Johnny Rivers and Terry Black were among those benefiting from Sloan/Barri songs, while the duo also recorded in their own right under various pseudonyms, notably the surfing act the Fantastic Baggys.


Discography :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

  
When Two People (Are In Love)                       Time Will Tell               

  
I Don't Want An Angel                                I Want Your Love    

  
The Story Of The Ring

…

The Gaylords (Newark, New Jersey)
aka The Imperials (2)
 

Maybe The Ambassadors (1)

Personnel :

George Copes

Rudy Copes

James Morris

Earl Thomas

Louis Van Dyke

Discography :

The Gaylords
1953 - Get Mad, Baby / Go On, Baby (Savoy 852)

The Imperials (2)
1953 - My Darling / You Should Have Told Me (Savoy 1104)
1954 - Why Did You Leave Me / Hard Workin' Woman (Derby 858)

 The Ambassadors (1)
Single :
1954 - Darling I'm Sorry (I Made You Cry) / Willa Bea (Timely 1001)
Unreleased :
1954 - Calling For love  (Timely)
1954 - Moanin'  (Timely)

Biography :

Vocal group from Newark, New Jersey, The Gaylords consisted of George Copes, Rudy Copes, James Morris, Earl Thomas, Louis Van Dyke. May 23, 1952, the group recorded four sides in the same session : "Get Mad Baby","Go On Baby", "My Darling" and "You Should Have Told Me". Savoy released "Get Mad Baby" b/w "Go On Baby" as the Gaylords (# 852).

Because there was a pop group at mercury also called the Gaylords, Savoy changed this group's name to the Imperials and released " My Darling" b/w "You Should Have Told Me". The same Imperials, in July 1954, had a release on Derby (# 858): "Why Did You Leave Me" b/w "Hard Workin' Woman". Louis Van Dyke was part of the Ambassadors  that recorded for Timely in Sept '53, maybe the imperials became the Ambassadors…???

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

The Gaylords

  
       Go On, Baby                                  Get Mad, Baby      


The Imperials (2)

  
              My Darling                           You Should Have Told Me

  
Why Did You Leave Me                    Hard Workin' Woman


The Ambassadors (1)

  
Willa Bea  / Darling I'm Sorry.....                       Calling For love       


Moanin'

...

The Val-Aires (Pittsburgh)
aka The Valaires

Personnel :

Bill Burkette (Lead Baritone)

Don Miller (Baritone)

Hugh Geyer (First Tenor)

Chuck Blasko (Second Tenor)

Neil Foster

 

Discography :

Singles :
1959 - Launie, My Love / Which One Will It Be? (Willette 114/Coral 62119/62177)

Unreleased :
1959 - I Go Lookin' For Jeanie (Coral)

1959 - Jolyn (Coral)

 
Biography :

The story began in 1958 at Turtle Creek High School. There were at least four different vocal harmony groups in school, whose members would sing at assemblies or on the street corner. Two groups joined forces - three fellows came from one group, two fellows from the other group.

  
The Val-aires                                                                                                                    

From one group came Burkette, first tenor Hugh Geyer and bass vocal Don Miller. The other group consisted of second tenor Chuck Blasko and another vocalist, Neil Foster.After rehearsing and getting their vocal harmonies to meld properly, they named themselves the Val-Aires and impressed a local producer, Elmer Willett, who later became their manager.

  
                                                                                                         The Vogues

Willett produced the Val-Aires' first release, "Which One Will It Be / Laurie My Love" (Willett 114), and it sold enough copies in Allegheny County that in Coral Records picked it up for national distribution (Coral 62177). 'Which One Will It Be' was just a regional hit, but The Val-Aires then picked up a supporter when the top rock and roll DJ in Pittsburgh, Porky Chedwick, added the group to the rock and roll shows and record hops that his station promoted.

The Vogues

After high school, a couple of the guys got drafted and went into the service, then came out of the service and we got back together again. they did shows with the Drifters, the Platters, the Dells, groups like that when they came into town. Before the Val-Aires could have another hit, Hugh Geyer and Don Miller joined the Army, while the other band members went to college or found jobs in the factories surrounding Turtle Creek. A few years later, the five friends decided to record again. Bill Burkette, Don Miller, Hugh Geyer and Chuck Blasko  became the Vogues.
 

http://ryono.net/xtra/oldies/1968/vogues.htm




Songs :

     
Launie, My Love                  Which One Will It Be?                    Jolyn


I Go Lookin' For Jeanie

...