The Mello-Harps  (Brooklyn, New-York)

aka The Levee Songsters
aka The Teen-Tones (1)
aka The Melloharps
aka The Teentones

Ref The Leopards (1)

Personnel :

Arnold "Johnny" Malone (Lead)

Vernon Staley (First Tenor)

Joe Gowder (Second Tenor)

Daniel Elder (Baritone)

Ossie Davis (Bass)



    


Discography :

The Mello-Harps
1955 - Love Is A Vow / Valerie (Do-Re-Mi 203)
1956 - Searchin' / Love Is A Vow (Rego 1003)
1958 - Gumma Gumma  / No Good (Casino 104)

The Melloharps
1955 - I Love Only You / Ain't Got The Money (Tin Pan Alley 145/146)
1956 - What Good Are My Dreams / Gone (Tin Pan Alley 157/158)

Teacho Wiltshire & The Melloharps
1956 - My Bleeding Heart / I Couldn't Believe (Tin Pan Alley 159/160)

The Teen-Tones (1)
1956 - Love Is A Vow / Walkie Talkie Baby (Rego 1004)

Lee and Larry & The Teentones
1956 - Have A Happy (The Dedications Song)/ Oh Yes (Rego 1005)

The Levee Songsters
1959 - Our Love Is A Vow / Walkie Talkie Baby (Karen 1004)

The Leopards (1)
1963 - Valerie / Mah Mah Chicken Pot Pie (Leopards 5006)






Biography :

Brooklyn-based R&B vocal group the Mello-Harps formed in 1955. According to Marv Goldberg's profile in the April 1990 issue of Record Collectors' Monthly, co-founders Arnold "Johnny" Malone (first tenor), second tenor Joe Gowder, baritone Daniel "Bunny" Elder, and bass Ossie Davis were longtime friends from the borough's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.

After adding a fifth member, high tenor Vernon Staley, the Mello-Harps began touring the local nightclub circuit, and while performing at Brooklyn's Club Baby Grand they negotiated a management deal with musician Larry Lucy, who quickly landed them a record deal with the Do-Re-Mi label.  The Mello-Harps beautiful debut, "Love Is a Vow," followed in the autumn of 1955. One of the scarcest singles of the doo wop era, it earned little attention upon its original release but later achieved cult classic status among R&B aficionados.

   
Teacho Wiltshire                                                                                                               

By year's end Davis resigned from the lineup, and upon adding bass Bobby Hawkins (the brother of NBA Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins), the Mello-Harps signed to Tin Pan Alley Records to issue their sophomore effort, "I Love Only You." "What Good Are My Dreams" followed in early 1956, and when the group's commercial fortunes failed to improve, Elder exited in the wake of their fourth single, "My Bleeding Heart." Tenor William Brown signed on prior to cutting a re-recorded "Love Is a Vow" for the Rego label. 

   
                                                                                                              A configuration of the Mello-Harps (or The Leopards)

Credited to the Teen-Tones, the song fared no better the second time around, and Staley was the next to turn in his resignation. Tenor David "Sonny" Forte signed on for 1957's "Gumma Gumma," a novelty tune that restored the Mello-Harps moniker. Despite saxophone contributions from the great King Curtis, the single went nowhere and after an aborted session for Juggy Murray's Sue label, the group split in 1959. In the early 60s, Joe Gowder formed another group, which re-recorded "Valerie" (with Joe himself doing lead). Along with the flip, "Mah Mah Chicken Pot Pie" (also led by Joe), it was released on the Leopard label in 1963, as the "Leopards." David Forte was also in this group.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/MelloHarps/melloharps.html



 

Songs :

The Mello-Harps

  
Love Is A Vow                                             Valerie

     
 Searchin'                       Gumma Gumma                             No Good



The Melloharps

  
I Love Only You                       Ain't Got The Money

  
What Good Are My Dreams                            Gone            


Teacho Wiltshire & The Melloharps


My Bleeding Heart / I Couldn't Believe


The Teen-Tones (1) / The Levee Songsters


1959 - (Our) Love Is A Vow / Walkie Talkie Baby


The Leopards (1)

  
             Valerie                              Mah Mah Chicken Pot Pie







…

L to R:  Guy Fredricks, Tony Fasce, Art Mayer, Sal LoCicero 

Johnny Angel & The Creations (3) (Bergenfield, New Jersey)
 

Personnel :

Tony Fasce (Johnny Angel)

Guy Fredricks

Art Mayer

Sal LoCicero


Discography :

1959 - We're Old Enough / Where's My Love (Jamie 1134)


Biography :

The Group's career was launched when they won 1st place in the CYO county talent championship in June of 1959. The Creations signed a recording contract with Jamie Records. Their first appearance was June 1959 on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. The show gave the song a 98% rating!

L to R: Art Mayer, Sal LoCicero, Guy Fredricks, Tony Fasce, Father Bruce 

There was even a recording by The Creations on Jamie 1197 from 1961 that you would think is the same group, recording on the same label just two years later. However, this later record was produced by Phil Spector and the group sounds quite different
http://bergenfieldalumni.com/doowops/




Songs :

  
 Where's My Love                             We're Old Enough

….

The Five Secrets  (Staten Island, New-York)
aka The Secrets (1) aka The Loungers  - ref :The Uniques (6)

Personnel :

Dave Concepcion (Lead)

Pat Russo (First Tenor)

Vinnie Santorelli (Second tenor)

Steve Murphy (Baritone)

Franck Del Cavo (Bass)

Discography :

The Five Secrets
1957 - Queen Bee / See You Next Year (Decca 30350)

The Secrets (1)
1957 - Queen Bee / See You Next Year (Decca 30350)

The Loungers
1958 - Remenber The Night /  / Dizzy Spell (Herald 534)
1991 - Wedding Bells / Teenage Bells (Park Ave.5)

The Uniques (6)
1962 - Do You Remember / Come Marry Me (Flippin 202)

Biography :

The group formed on Staten Island in 1955, initially singing for fun. In 1956 they decided to get serious about their talent. They soon got themselves a manager and shortly thereafter signed with Decca. Their first release with Decca came in 1957. The recording received little promotion, but it nevertheless afforded them many appearances. Early copies show "Secrets" on the label. Several weeks following the release of this first disc, the Five Secrets signed with Herald.

   

As a legal precaution, they changed their name to the Loungers. Because of Herald/Ember's preoccupation with the Mellokings and The Five Satins, the Loungers received little or no attention.At Herald the material was written by the group, whereas at Decca Management gave them the material to record. This is most probably why they sounded so different on the two labels. Additionally, Decca had told the group that they wanted to sound pop. Shortly before the group broke up, Murphy Left and was replaced by Pat Russo's brother, Bernie. The group broke up at the end of 1958, and it was three years later that Vinnie Santorelli and Bernie Russo decided to form a new group "the Uniques". In 1962, the Uniques recorded "Do You Remember" b / w "Come Marry Me" released by Flippin Records.
Encyclopedia of Rhythm and Blues and Doo-Wop Vocal Groups by Mitch Rosalsky


Songs :

The Five Secrets

   
See You Next Year                       Queen Bee         


The Loungers

     
Teenage Bells                       Remenber The Night                        Dizzy Spell

Wedding Bells

The Uniques (6)

   
Do You Remember                 Come Marry Me   

...

L

*LA CHORDS
*LADDINS
LAFAYETTES
*LAMPLIGHTERS
*LANES
*LARADOS
*LA-RELLS
LARKS (1)
LARKS (2)
*LARKTONES
*LASSIES
LAURELS
*LAURELS (7)
*LEADERS
*LEEDS
LEGENDS
*LEISURE LADS
*LEXINGTONS (2) (JOEY & THE)
*LIMELITES (SHEP & THE)
*LIMELIGHTERS (1)
*LINC-TONES
*LINKS
*LITTLE BEATS
*LITTLE DIPPERS
*LOCOMOTIONS
*LOUNGERS
*LOVE NOTES (2)
*LOVE NOTES (3)
*LOVE NOTES (4)
*LOVE-TONES
*LOVETTES (2)
*LUCKY CHARMS
LY-DELLS
*LYRES
*LYRICS (2)
*LYRICS (3)
*LYRICS (4)
*LYRICS (5)

...

Marty & The Symbols (1)  (Astoria, Queens, New York) 
aka  The Devotions (2) 

Personnel :

Ray Sanchez

Bob Weibrod

Bob Havorka

Joe Pardo

Frank Pardo

Discography :

The Devotions (2)

Singles :
1961 - Rip Van Winkle / For Sentimental Reasons (Delta 1001/Roulette 4406/4541)
1964 - Sunday Kind Of Love  / Tears From A Broken Heart (Roulette 4556)
1964 - Zindy Lou / Snow White (Roulette 4580)
1972 - How Do You Speak To An Angel / Teardrops Follow Me (Kape 701)

Unreleased :
1964 - Practice What You Preach
1965 - Looking For My Baby

Acapella :
Seceret Love
Soft And Sweet
Sunday Kind Of Love
Rip Van Winkle
Little Girl Of Mine
Stormy Weather
Who Can She Be
Teardrops From A Broken Heart
Sincerely
Three Wishes

Marty & The Symbols (1) / Mr Bassman & The Symbols (1)
1963 - You're The One / Rip Van Winkle (Graphic arts 1000)

Biography :

The Devotions were formed in 1960, in Astoria (a borough of Queens, New York City), originally as a sextet. Soon they were pared down to a quintet, consisting of Ray Sanchez (bass vocalist), Bob Hovorka, Bob Weinbrod and the brothers Frank and Joe Pardo. After six months of practicing virtually seven days a week, they met record promoter Joe Petralia, who lived down the street from Frank and Joe. Petralia introduced them to Bernie Zimming, owner of the small Delta label in NYC.

Top : Bob Weibrod , Joe Pardo - Bottom : Bob Havorka, Ray Sanchez & Frank Pardo

The Devotions auditioned with doo-wop classics like "Sunday Kind Of Love", "Life Is But A Dream" and "For Sentimental Reasons". Zimming liked the group, but he wanted something more gimmicky that would sell to teens. Ray Sanchez then wrote a novelty song in keeping with the kind that was popular around 1960. The result was "Rip Van Winkle", based on the classic tale of a man who slept for twenty years.

Zimming liked the song so much that he took the group into the studio on the very day he first heard it. For the B-side the Devotions recorded "For Sentimental Reasons". The group would give out copies on the street and leave signs in record shops that they would be giving away autographed copies. Despite these efforts, "Rip Van Winkle" (Delta 1001) slipped into obscurity almost immediately. In 1962, Times Square, a New York oldies store that specialized in vocal group records, began promoting "Rip Van Winkle" on a local radio show hosted by the store's owner, Slim Rose. Roulette Records heard of its popularity among Times Square's customers, bought the Delta masters, and reissued the record on Roulette 4406.

It still didn't chart, but gave the group a chance to appear on Slim Rose's rock and roll show in September 1962 at Palisades Park (New Jersey), one of the first oldies shows and years ahead of Richard Nader's late '60s successes. In late 1963, Roulette released an "oldies but goodies" compilation called "Golden Goodies". Why a flop like "Rip Van Winkle" was included among all those Top 20 hits is a mystery. A disc jockey in Pittsburgh, Porky Chadwick, started plugging "Rip Van Winkle" and the request phone lines started lighting up.

Porky Chadwick                                                              The Devotions

This prompted the folks at Roulette to reissue the record once again in January 1964, this time on Roulette 4541. Within a week of its release, "Rip Van Winkle" had sold 15,000 copies in Pittsburgh alone. Three years after its initial release, the song finally became a hit, peaking at # 36 in Billboard, in the midst of Beatlemania.

Top : Joe Pardo, Ray Sanchez - Bottom : Frank Pardo, Andy Sanchez & Bob Havorka

It turned out that two of the original Devotions were in the armed forces, so a new group was formed with Louis DeCarlo replacing Ray Sanchez on lead and Larry Frank as a replacement for Bob Weisbrod. The group went on the road, had two further releases on Roulette, but received no radio attention and Roulette soon lost interest, after which the group disbanded. The Devotions reformed in the 1970s with Andy Sanchez (Ray's brother) on lead, and ironically they performed more in that decade than when they had their only hit.
American singing groups: a history from 1940s to today‬ by Jay Warner

Songs :

 The Devotions (2)

        
Rip Van Winkle               For Sentimental Reasons          Sunday Kind Of Love


        
Tears From A Broken Heart                      Zindy Lou                                  Snow White


        
How Do You Speak To An Angel         Soft And Sweet                   Teardrops Follow Me

   
Looking For My Baby        Practice What You Preach

Marty & The Symbols (1) / Mr Bassman & The Symbols (1)

   
You're The One                     Rip Van Winkle

....