Les Ledo & The Consorts

Les Ledo & The Consorts (1) (Manhattan, New York)
aka Nick Marco & The Venetians

Personnel :

Les Ledo (Lead)

Nick Marco (Lou Bonini)

Joe Walsh

Bobby Fava

Danny Conboy

Discography :

Nick Marco & The Venetians
1960 - Little Boy Lost / Would It Hurt You (Dwain 813)

Les Ledo & The Consorts (1)
1959 - Nina /  I Got Me A Sweetheart (Nina 1601)

Biography :

Joe Walsh wound up with four other guys in a group called Les Ledo and his Consorts, a name that particularly vexed the rest of the guys. The group would hang out at local recording studios and get side work as background singers.

Nick Marco & The Venetians

The group even recorded its own 45 rpm on the small Nina studio label. It was at a session for Dion and the Belmonts in 1959 that Walsh had a fleeting brush with fame. One of the Belmonts was unable to attend the scheduled recording session at the famous Brill Building. Walsh was at the studio that day looking for work when he was asked if he could sing second tenor.

Nick Marco & The Venetians

The song, "A Teenager in Love," immediately began to climb the charts, and soon sold over 1 million copies. That same year, Jim Gribble, who managed a number of successful groups, including Jay and the Americans, The Passions, the Fiestas and The Mystics, heard Les Ledo and his Consorts at a studio session. The record companies liked the Consorts but didn't care much for Les Ledo's voice. Gribble offered to manage the Consorts if Ledo wasn't in the group. So at the next rehearsalthe Consorts walked out and went back to Gribble.

Gribble took the boys on, made member Louis Bonini the lead singer, and renamed him Nick Marco. He also changed the name of the group to Nick Marco and the Venetians. Gribble got the group a recording contract in 1959, but unlike some of the other acts he managed, this contract was on Dwain records, a small company with hardly any budget for distribution.

 
Nick Marco & The Venetians 

 The 45 rpm recording of "Little Boy Lost," with "Would It Hurt You" on the flip side, got some regional East Coast air play. But when fans went to the record stores to purchase a copy, it was difficult to find. About the same time, disc jockey Alan Freed of WINS-AM, the premier doo-wop and rock station in New York, was indicted for taking bribes in what became known as the "payola" scandal. 

Songs :

Nick Marco & The Venetians 

   
 Little Boy Lost                                 Would It Hurt You

Les Ledo & The Consorts (1)

   
Nina                                         I Got Me A Sweetheart

…..

The Camerons (2) (Bronx, New York)
aka The Demilles

Personnel :

Mike DeMartino "Mike Taylor"  (Lead)

Bobby Falcone

Al Crisci

Dave Romano

Discography :

The Camerons (2)

Single :
1961 - Guardian Angel / The Girl That I Marry (Cousins 1003)

Unreleaseds:
1960 - Red Red Robin (Cousins)
1960 - Laura (Cousins)
1962 - Barbara's Doin' The Twist (Cousins)
1962 - Swinging On A Star (Cousins)

Mike Taylor "DeMartino" bb The Camerons (2)
1962 - He´s A Lover / Mi-A-Suri Talk (Dream)

Carlo bb The Camerons (2)
1963 - Little Orphan Girl / Mairzy Doats (Laurie 3157)

The Demilles
1964 - Donna Lee / Um-Ba-Pa (Laurie 3230)
1964 - Cry And Be On Your Wy / Lazy Love (Laurie 3247)

Biography :

Formed by Bobby Falcone, Al Crisci and Mike DeMartino (aka Mike Taylor), This Camerons have no relation to the earlier Camerons on Cousins Records. This was a totally different group which simply "borrowed" the name (they had once been know as the Idols) for their Cousin release "Guardian Angel". "Guardian Angel" The song had come to Cichetti's attention via the previous recording by Al Reno & the Selections (Antone 101) and was one which he was anxious to record himself. Once completed and released on Cousins, the masters eventually was acquired and issued by Felsted (a subsidiary of london records). Dave Romano (Of the Tremont) joined the Camerons after their recording. They recorded four songs " Red Red Robin", "Laura", "Barbara's Doin' The Twist" and "Swinging on a star", which remained unreleased.

 Their next release was "Mi-A-Suri Talk", written by Ernie Maresca in honor of Murray the K, a famous New York DJ. The record was produced by group member Mike DeMartino, who had it release under his own stage name of Mike Taylor. Bobby Falcone sang together with Dave Romano (Tremonts), Carlo (Belmont) as the Glen Stuart Chorus, Backing an unknown "Dion" imitator on Abel Records in 1963. The Camerons' next move was to Laurie records, where they became The Demilles.  The Demilles had two releases on Laurie records. The first release "Donna Lee" had Carlo of the Belmonts added to the Group.

Songs :

The Camerons (2)

     
Guardian Angel                             The Girl That I Marry

     
Laura                                            Red Red Robin

Mike Taylor "Mike DeMartino" bb The Camerons (2)

   
He´s A Lover                                    Mi-A-Suri Talk

The Demilles

  
Donna Lee                           Um-Ba-Pa


Cry And Be On Your Wy

...

The Travelers (2) (Brooklyn, New York)

Personnel :

Frenchie Concepcion "Frank Lopez" (Lead)

James Baldwin (Baritone)

Freddy (Baritone)

Discography :

Singles :
1957 - Lenora / Betty Jean (Atlas 1086)

Unreleased :
1957 - Love Is All I Crave (Atlas)

Biography :

Frenchie Concepcion met a quartet who sang at local community centers in the East New York section of Brooklyn. The quartet took him in as their new lead singer, under the name "Frank Lopez." They practiced mostly standards  as well as songs they'd written themselves.

One day they heard about an audition being held by Tommy Robinson, owner of Atlas records at a studio at 124th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, in Harlem. In mid-1957, the Travelers recorded "Lenora," a song Frenchie had written and the old Wrens song, "Betty Jean" who were released on Atlas in August. After being together for about two years, a couple of the guys went into the service and that was the end of the Travelers.

Songs :

  
Lenora                                               Betty Jean


Love Is All I Crave

...

The Drapers (2)  (New York)
aka The Duvals (2)

Personnel :

Ike Mason

Charlie

James

Arnold


Discography :

The Duvals (2)
1956 - Ooh Wee Baby / You Came To Me (Rainbow 335)
1956 - Guide Me / Happiness (Gee 1003)

The Drapers (2)
1960 - Best Love / One more time (Vest 831)


Biography :

Ben E. King was made a soloist (releasing "Show Me The Way"/"Brace Yourself" on Atlantic's Atco subsidiary in April 1960) and Lover Patterson remained his manager.  On many of his early sides, Ben E. King was backed up by another of Lover Patterson's groups, the Duvals (also known as the Drapers [an attempt to find a name that sounded like "Drifters"]). (Lover Patterson, aside from being the Drifters' road manager, remained the Duvals' manager. Since there was no longer a Crowns group, he initially re-named the Duvals "The Crowns." [The Duvals on Kelit, LaSalle and Boss are different groups.] In 1960, he changed their name again, this time from the Crowns to the Drapers, a name that was supposed to sound a bit like the "Drifters." As the Drapers, they recorded "Best Love"/"One More Time" for Vest. Note that the Drapers on Gee ["(I Know) Your Love Has Gone Away"/"You Got To Look Up"] from 1963 was a different group, containing Dock Green, Tommy Evans, Johnny Moore, and "Carnation" Charlie Hughes - all former members of the Drifters! Presumably Lover Patterson was their manager.)
http://www.uncamarvy.com/5Crowns/5crowns.html

Songs :

The Duvals (2)

       
Ooh Wee Baby                      You Came To Me                    Guide Me

The Drapers (2)

One more time

...

Clockwise from Top : Bill Newmiller, Bob Hummel, Edward "Farrell" Finn and Fred Baker.

Farrel & The Flames (5) (Upper Darby, PA)




Personnel :

Edward "Farrell" Finn Jr (Lead)

Bill Newmiller (Soprano)

Bob Hummell (Bass/Baritone)

Fred Baker (Tenor)

Discography :

Single :
1961 - Dreams And Memories / You'll Be Sorry (Fransil 14)

Unreleased :
1961 - Vita (Fransil)
1961 - When I'm Near You (Fransil)

Biography :


White group from Upper Darby, PA consisted of Bill Newmiller (Soprano), Bob Hummell (Bass / Baritone), Edward "Farrell" Finn Jr. (Lead) and Fred Baker (Tenor). They practicing on Farrell's house on their high school and by the local streets. In early 1960 signed Steve Kurtz and Steve Todarello of The Vocal-Lords as their managers who send the guys with Dj Ron Joseph to participe in his show, the group have great perfomances in the Philadelphia, Delaware and Upper Darby area.

From Left :  Fred Baker, Bill Newmiller, Bob Hummel and Farrel.

The group moved to Reco Arts where recorded four sides : Dreams and Memories / You'll Be Sorry / Vita / When I'm Near You. presented the masters to Silvio Scerbo and Bob Scale of Fransil Records this label released the two first sides in the spring of 1960.

The A side was very popular locally and play in many radio stations but the rockin B side on the order of The Rockin Chairs died soon. The group managers want the boys moved to New York but by their ages (13-14) and the school, they refused, never recorded again and finally with their graduation disbanded in late 1961.

Songs :

  
       You'll Be Sorry                                 Dreams And Memories

…