The Savoys (3) aka The Pretenders (1) aka The Jones Boys

The Savoys (3)  (New York)
aka  The Pretenders (1) aka The Jones Boys

Personnel :

Jimmy Jones（Lead）

William Walker（Tenor）

Bobby Moore（Tenor）

Melvin Walton（Baritone）

Kerry Saxton（Bass）

Discography :

The Savoys (3)
Singles :
1956 - You / Say You're Mine（Savoy 1188）
1960 - With All My Heart / Please Say You're Mine（Savoy 1586）
Unreleased :
1956 - We Made A Vow (Savoy)

The Pretenders (1)
1956 - Possessive Love / I've Got To Have You Baby（Rama 198）
1956 - Lover / Plain Old Love（Rama 207）
1957 - Close Your Eyes (Sleep And Dream) / Part Time Sweetheart（Whirlin' Disc 106）
1958 - Tonight / I Love You So（Holiday 2610）
1958 - Blue And Lonely / Daddy Needs Baby（Central 2605/Apt 25026）

Jimmy Jones & The Pretenders (1)
1956 - Lover / Plain Old Love（Rama 210/Roulette 4243）
1960 - Blue And Lonely / Daddy Needs Baby（ABC Paramount 10094）
1964 -  Close Your Eyes (Sleep And Dream) / Part Time Sweethear（Port 70040）

Barbara Gorman And Sister Viv bb The Jones Boys
1957 - Was It Just For Fun / 8 O'Clock（Arrow 714）

Jimmy Jones & The Jones Boys
1957 - The Whistlin' Man / Heaven In Your Eyes（Arrow 717）

Biography :

Jimmy Jones, who had spent a long apprenticeship singing in R&B vocal harmony groups, became a rock 'n' roll star in the early 1960s singing "Handy Man" and other hits with a dramatic and piercingly high falsetto. When Jimmy was around twelve years old he moved from his native Birmingham, Alabama, to New York City.

The Sparks of Rhythm

At that time he was already an accomplished tap dancer, but singing was equally important to him. Role models were Louis Jordan and the Ink Spots and later especially Clyde McPhatter and Jackie Wilson. Early in 1955 he joined a vocal group, the Sparks of Rhythm (originally the Berliners), who landed a recording contract with Apollo Records in July 1955.

Four songs were recorded at their first session, three of them led by Jimmy. When the two resulting singles went nowhere, Jones left the Sparks of Rhythm to form his own group, the Savoys, soon renamed the Pretenders. Their first session was for Herman Lubinsky's Savoy label (for which they were named), on February 2, 1956 and yielded the single "Say You're Mine"/"You" (Savoy 1188).

 
Jimmy Jones - Bottom LtoR : Lee"Moe" Gail, William Walker, Bobby Moore & Melvin Walton

By coincidence, this was one day after the Sparks Of Rhythm, now without Jimmy, recorded four - then unissued - songs for Apollo, among them Jones's composition "Handy Man" (with bass Andrew Barksdale on lead). In 1957, the Pretenders hooked up with Arrow Records and for some reason, though, there were no records by the "Pretenders"; they were called the "Jones Boys."

Their first task at Arrow was doing the backup on "Was It Just For Fun"/"Eight O'Clock Date" by "Barbara Gorman and Sister Viv. The Jones Boys themselves recorded "The Whistlin' Man" and "Heaven In Your Eyes," which were released in September 1957. "Whistlin' Man".

  
Jimmy Jones                                                              Gorman Sisters

Jimmy led the Pretenders on a series of doowop sides for a number of New York based labels : Savoy, Rama, Whirlin' Disc, Arrow, Holiday, Central and Apt, but nothing came close to denting the charts. In 1959 he was getting tired of groups ("too much responsibility") and decided to go it alone.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/JimmyJones/jimmyjones.html

Songs :
pdated by Hans-Joachim

 
The Savoys (3)

     
Say You're Mine                    With All My Heart                       You

  
Please Say You're Mine               We Made A Vow

The Pretenders (1)

   
I've Got To Have You Baby / Possessive Love                     Lover / Plain Old Love

   
Close Your Eyes / Part Time Sweetheart             Blue And Lonely / Daddy Needs Baby

       
Tonight                               Lover / Plain Old Love             I Love You So


The Jones Boys

  
Heaven In Your Eyes               The Whistlin' Man

Barbara Gorman And Sister Viv (bb The Jones Boys)

8 O'Clock / Was It Just For Fun

...