The Parliaments (1) (Plainfield, New Jersey)
(The Early Years) 

Personnel :

George Clinton (Lead)

Ray Davis

Fuzzy Haskins

Calvin Simon

Grady Thomas

Discography :

Singles :
1958 - Poor Willie / Party Boys (APT 25036)
1959 - Lonely Island / You Make Me Wanna Cry (Flip 100)
1965 - Heart Trouble / That Was My Girl (Golden Word-46)

Unreleased :
1959 - Daisy Mae (APT)
1959 - I Know  (APT)
1963 - You're Not Hurting Him (Jobete)

Biography :

The Parliaments were a doo-wop quintet from Plainfield, New Jersey, formed in the back room of a barbershop in the late 1950s and named after the cigarette brand. After some early personnel changes their lineup solidified with George Clinton, Ray Davis, Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas. Clinton was group leader and manager, and part owner of the barbershop where the group convened to entertain customers.

The Parliaments were supposed to be Clinton’s take on Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, but as you might expect from something that Clinton was involved in, they developed their own funky style. Still, hits weren’t easy to come by. The group had a tough time through most of the ’60s, recording singles that went nowhere for a variety of small labels. Early efforts included “Poor Willie” on Apt Records, “Lonely Island” on Flip Records, and “Heart Trouble” on Golden World Records.

Eventually, Clinton gained employment at Motown Records as a songwriter and producer, making weekly trips to Detroit to produce for The Pets, Roy Handy, and other acts. In 1967 the Parliaments released "(I Wanna) Testify" on Revilot and finally achieved a hit single, with the song reaching #3 R&B and #20 Pop on the Billboard charts.

Songs :

  
Poor Willie                               Party Boys

  
You Make Me Wanna Cry                      Lonely Island             

  
Heart Trouble                                  That Was My Girl

Daisy Mae
….