The Holidays (2) (Oakland, Ca.)


Personnel :

Ken Pleasents (Lead/Tenor)

John Foster (Lead/Tenor)

Elton Stevens (Tenor)

Stan Harris (Second Tenor)

Isaah Brown  (Baritone)


Discography :

Singles :
1958 - Never Go To Mexico / [Johnny George - Music City Hop (instrumental)] (Music City 818)
1961 - Got My Letter / The New Trucking (Lyons 107)
1963 - Send Back My Love / Deacon Brown Vs. The Devil (Galaxy714)

Unreleased :
1958 - I'm Going (Music City)
1958 - Station L.O.V.E.  (Music City)
1958 - Hoochie Coochie Man (Music City)
1958 - Angel iIn My Heart (Music City)
1958 - Church Bells Will Ring (Music City)
1958 - PS My Darling (Music City)
1958 - Wouldn't Believe (Music City)




Biography :

The Holidays were formed in 1955 by Kenneth Pleasents at Oakland High. In 1957, The Holidays were composed of Ken Pleasents, Tenor and lead; Elton Stevens, Tenor; John Foster, Lead Tenor; Stan Harris, Second Tenor and Isaah Brown , Baritone. The group went to Ray Dobard at Music City. They stood in Dobard's makeshift back room studio with its rag-covered walls and recorded five songs, "I'm going,""Station L.O.V.E.,""Hoochie Coochie Man," the ballad "Angel" , and a novelty which sounded like an answer record to the Coasters' waxing of "Down in Mexico" without the Latin beat entitled "Never go to Mexico."

Elton Stevens, Ken Pleasents, John Foster, Stan Harris & Isaah Brown

Some weeks later when the record came out, the group rushed down to the pressing plant on East 14th Street in Oakland, expecting to pick up a 45 rpm record with two of their own numbers on it, only to find a novelty song on one side ("Never go to Mexico") and an instrumental, "Music City Hop" . By 1961, the group was being managed by Fat Daddy Lyons, founder and proprietor of the Lyons label on which blues soloist Eddie Foster is best remembered. Fat Daddy recorded the Holidays with Wylie Trass who also waxed for Lyons as a single.

The group's one Lyons record, "Got my letter," was a pretty ballad marred only by the cheap pressing and poor fidelity. Anguished lead vocals and wailing harmonies prevailed. "The new trucking," the jump tune chosen for the reverse, was a conscious effort to climb on the prevailing dance-craze bandwagon and is significant because good close-harmony singing is certainly better demonstrated here than on other more melodic Holidays recordings. In 1963, the Holidays cut their third and final record for Galaxy entitled "Send Back My Love."


Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

 
     
Never Go To Mexico                   Got My Letter                 Send Back My Love

       
Deacon Brown Vs. The Devil        Station L.O.V.E                Hoochie Coochie Man

       
Angel In My Heart            Church Bells Will Ring             PS My Darling


Wouldn't Believe
 

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