The Roomates aka The Roommates (Queens, New York)



Personnel :

Steve Susskind (Lead)

Jack Carlson (First Tenor and Falsetto)

Felix Alvarez (Second Tenor)

Bob Minsky (Bass)



Discography :

The Roomates

1960 - I Want A Little Girl / Making Believe (Promo 2211)
1961 - Glory Of Love / Never Knew (Valmor 008)
1961 - Band Of Gold / O Baby Love (Valmor 010)
1961 - My Foolish Heart / My Kisses For Your Thoughts (Valmor 013)
1961 - Gee / One Summer Night / Never Knew / Glory Of Love / Come Go With Me / To The Aisle (Valmor LP 789)
1963 - Answer Me, My Love / Gee (Philips 40105)
1963 - The Nearness Of You / Please Don't Cheat On Me (Philips 40153)
N/A - A place called love / Knowing youy (Ban 691)
N/A - Yes My Love (Relic LP 5041)
N/A - The Only Girl For Me (Relic LP 5041)
N/A - Song Of The Dreamer (Relic LP 5041)
N/A - To The Aisle (Relic LP 5041)
N/A - Come Go With Me (Valmor)
N/A - One Summer Night (Valmor)

1984 - Please Don't Cheat On Me / My Heart Belongs To Only You / Band Of Gold / Sunday Kind Of Love / Answer Me My Love / Gee / My Foolish Heart / My Heart / Making Believe / Glory Of Love / The Nearness Of You / Yes My Love / A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening / To The Aisle / I Want A Little Girl / Song Of The Dreamer / Oh Baby Love / The Only Girl For Me (Relic LP 5041)

The Roommates
1960 - My Heart / Just For Tonight (Canadian American 166)
1962 - Sunday Kind Of Love / A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening (Cameo 233)

Dick Dixon & The Roommates
1959 - Be Good, be good, be good / Caterpillar crawl (Kapp 292)

The Roomates (Fb Cathy Jean)

 
Biography :

From Kew Gardens, Queens New York, the Roommates were fifteen year old Steve Susskind and Bob Minsky of Russell Sage Junior High. Susskind originally sang with a local quartet called the Sparklers, but in 1959 he and Minsky became a duo. Later that year they took second place at a Forest Hills High School competition losing to Tom and Jerry who would later become Simon and Garfunkel.

Deciding to become a group several members came and went until the 1960 members included Steve Susskind (lead), Jack Carlson (first tenor and falsetto), Felix Alvarez (second tenor) and Bob Minsky (bass).
The group practiced after school and began writing songs. Realizing the songs weren't good enough they began going through their 45s to find workable material coming up with "One Summer Night" and "The Glory of Love." The group often sang in the lobby of the Forest Hills apartment building where Jody Malis lived. Malis was the record librarian at WMGM radio, which had one of the nation's first top 40 formats. Along with her husband Gene she signed them to a management contract.

The Roommates first single was a country hit from the '50s "Making Believe". "Making Believe " received some airplay, but soon disappeared.
On May 3, 1960 the Malis' recorded another new single for their recently established Valmor label. The singer, fourteen year old Cathy Jean, recorded the ballad "Please Love Me Forever." Feeling that something was missing the Roommates were brought in and overdubbed the harmony parts. Cathy Jean had already left the studio by the time the Roommates recorded so they never met her. Feeling that if they had a hit they would have two acts, the Malis' credited both on the label.

"Please Love Me Forever" won Murray the K's Boss record of the Week on WINS in New York City in late 1960. On February 27th it entered the Billboard Hot 100 and by April it was at number twelve, reaching number two in New York. None of Cathy's follow-ups sold many copies.
As a reward for their part in "Please Love Me Forever" The Malises gave the Roommates a free session at the Regent Sound Studio. That night, November 25, 1960 they recorded "Band of Gold," "Glory of Love," and "My Foolish Heart." "Glory of Love" entered the charts and rose to #49. "Band of Gold," made it into the top twenty in New York, but failed to chart nationally for a technical reason.

Before Valmor Records closed down in 1962 a Cathy and the Roommates album was issued. George Rodriguez was added to the Roommates. Versions of "Gee" and "A Sunday Kind of Love" were recorded, but no one was buying. In the spring of 1965 the Roommates disbanded.
Cathy later got married and quit the business. With her children grown Cathy is back. As Cathy Jean Ruiz she sings with a new version of the Roommates and has hosted a Saturday morning talk show on WNYG in Long Island, NY.
http://www.bsnpubs.com/la/valmor.html

CD :