The Spades (1) aka The Slades

The Slades  (Austin, Texas)
aka The Spades (1)

Personnel :

Don Burch

John Goeke

Tommy Kasper

B.Doyle (Bass)

Discography :

The Spades (1)
1957 - Baby / You Mean Everything To Me (Domino 200/100/ Liberty 55118)

The Slades
Singles:
1958 - You Cheated / The Waddle (Domino 500)
1958 - No Time / You Gambled (Domino 800)
1959 - Summertime / You Must Try (Domino 1000)
1961 - Just You / It's Better To Love (Domino 901)
1961 - Take My Heart / It's Your Turn (Domino 906)
Unreleased :
N/A - I've Had It (Domino)
N/A - Ling Ting Tong (Domino)
N/A - Little Star (Domino)
N/A - So Tough (Domino)
N/A - Gee Whiz (Domino)
N/A - In The Still Of The Night (Domino)

Joyce Webb & The Slades
1958 - After You've Gone / Right Here (Domino 300)

Joyce Harris  & The Slades
1961 - I Cheated / Do You Know What It's Like To Be Lonesome (Joce Harris)(Domino 905)

Biography :

Don Burch, Bobby Doyle, John Goeke, and Tommy Kasper -- formed at Lamar High School in Austin TX, later adding Jimmy Davis. Signing with the fledging Domino Records after graduation, they put college on hold, much to their parents' chagrin. In 1957, Burch's composition "You Mean Everything to Me" started making noise.  Unable to distribute nationally, Domino leased it to Dot Records for $600. On both Domino and Liberty Records they were the Spades, but the name offended people, so Liberty pressed more copies and renamed them the Slades without informing anybody.

Joyce Webb & The Slades

The fellows originally picked Spades after the playing card suit; it had nothing to do with race or trying to be black. The Spades, a white group, had a Black/Chicano sound. "You Cheated" became their biggest hit. Its flip "The Waddle, " a dance song, was the original plug side. Joyce Webb was also on the Slades "You Cheated"- she was singing the Doo Wop   in  the background! She continued singing backups on many Domino sessions and had her  own  group the "Debs". The Slades  recorded at the University of Texas' Radio House, and later at Austin Recording. Bobby Doyle, a blind child prodigy, played standup bass on the sessions. Domino started with 11 people who pooled resources for financing.

Jocks thought little of Domino's pick, but loved "You Cheated" and played the aching ballad. Once again, bigger companies clamored for a lease deal, but Domino refused, upset at the small amount received before, and furious that the sales plummeted under Liberty's imprint. Domino's refusal prompted a distributor to provide funds for George Motola, head of Tender Records, to cut a cover version. Motola assembled a group of Los Angeles R&B singers and cloned the recording. Now you had two choices: the Slades, and the Shields.

 Tender leased the Shields' cover to Dot Records and it smoked the original -- zooming to number twelve, while the Slades' stalled at number 42 in 1958. The cover benefitted Domino, who also published the song. But the competition destroyed the Texas natives' shot at fame. "You Gambled" followed, it made Billboard's Hot Pics then died. In 1959, they released "Summertime" to deaf ears. They had no releases in 1960. "Just You" dropped in 1961, and later that year "Take My Heart" came and went unnoticed. A final release, "I Cheated" answered "You Cheated." Joyce Harris changed the lyrics and sang lead. Caucasian also, Harris developed her soulful singing style by hanging around blues musicians in her hometown, New Orleans. When the answer song failed, the guys called it a date. Only Davis had his heart in music, and their parents wanted them to quit.

Besides, they hated touring: in Arkansas, they practically got booed off the stage, and were only appreciated in West Texas. Kasper operates a business and has a computer degree. Burch is a family man and a grandfather; his son is a doctor. Goeke teaches at a Lutheran college. Davis drifts but stays around music. Harris lives in Bogalusa, LA. The company and Burch profited from "Mr. Blue, " a number one hit, because Dolton Records made the Fleetwoods' remake of "You Mean Everything to Me" the B-side.

The Domino Records Story, available on Ace Records, includes almost every Slades' recording, and some by other Domino artists. According to Lora Jane Richardson, an original owner "Ace didn't want the country songs the group cut." Domino forged on releasing records on Joyce Harris, the Daylighters, and others. You won't find "You Cheated" on many compilation albums. According to Richardson "the little checks (one arrived for $12.64) aren't worth all the paperwork you have to do."
http://www.colorradio.com/Slades.htm
http://www.colorradio.com/joyce_harris.htm

Songs :
 (Update By Hans-Joachim) 

The Spades (1)

  
Baby                          You Mean Everything To Me

The Slades

       
You Cheated                 The Waddle                        No Time 

       
You Gambled                       You Must Try                        Just You 
        
It's Better To Love                    Take My Heart                     It's Your Turn

      
Ling Ting Tong                       Little Star                          So Tough

  
Gee Whiz                        In The Still Of The Night

Joyce Harris  & The Slades

I Cheated

Joyce Webb & The Slades

After you've gone

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