The Mandells (1) (Albuquerque, NM.)

Personnel :

Charles “Chuck” Young  (First Tenor, Lead)

Eranious McNeil Murray (Bass, Baritone, Lead, Piano)

Jimmy Smith (First Tenor, Second Tenor, Lead)

Russell"Peesburgh" (Second Tenor, Lead)

Charles Clemons (Baritone, Bass, Lead)

Discography:

1961 - Darling (I'm Home) / Who, Me? (Smart 323/Chess 1794)
1961 - Because I Love You / I Don't Have You (Smart 325)



Biography :

 The Mandells were military men stationed at 2 airforce bases (Kirtland and Manzano) in Albuquerque, NM. The year was 1956, and Neil "Eranious" Murray and his vocal group The Supremes were starting to do well. In fact, they actually won the European championships! The following year, Neil and another member of his group (The Supremes) ended up going over to Libya (the Libyan Sahara Desert) and became the nucleus of another vocal group, which they called The Desertiers.

In 1957, Neil, still in the Air Force, arrived at Kirtland Air Force base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There, he met a group of folks who were in a vocal group that needed a bass singer, so he decided to join this group. Around January of 1958, this group became known as The Vocaltones with Jimmy Smith & Eranious Murray.  The Vocaltones had a lot of performing talent, and began to grow in popularity. They entertained people around Albuquerque and won various competitions.
 

  
The Desertiers                                                                                               The Vocaltones

In the spring of 1959, The Vocaltones won the talent championships held at Kirtland Air Force Base. The Vocaltones is the group that later evolved into The Mandells. The Vocaltones as a group existed from

January 1958 until mid-1959

During the early afternoon of April 8th, 1961 The Mandells went into the studio in Phoenix for the recording session. The session itself was relatively quick, and lasted for only about two or three hours . The songs were recorded completely live and all in one take (the songs were “Darling, I’m Home”, “Who, Me?”, “I Don’t Have You”, and Because I Love You”).

Darling I’m Home  was originally released in 1960 on the Smart record label, and because it did get some notice in some East Coast cities, it was picked up by Chess Records and released on that label in June of 1961.  Jimmy Smith was discharged in February of 1962, and The Mandells thereafter broke up.
http://www.beaudaddy.com/mandells/index.html

Songs :

  
Darling (I'm Home)                                Who, Me?

  
Because I Love You                              I Don't Have You

...