The Sharps (1) (Los Angeles)
 

aka
The Rivingtons
The Four After Fives
The Crenshaws
The Twisters (2)
The Ebbtides (3)
 The  Friends (3)

Personnel :

Carl White (Lead)

Al Frazier (Tenor)

Sonny Harris (Lead)

Turner "Rocky" Wilson Jr (Bass)

Discography :

The Sharps (1)

Singles:
1956 - Six Months, Three Weeks  / Cha - Cho Hop (inst.) (Tag 2200/Chess 1690)
1957 - Come On / Sweet Sweetheart (Jamie 1040/Vik 0264)
1957 - Our Love Is Here To Stay / Lock My Heart (Lamp 2007)
1957 - What Will I Gain / Shugglin' (Aladdin 4301)
1958 - All My Love  / Look What You've Done To Me (Combo 146/Dot 15806)
1958 - Look At Me / Have Love, Will Travel (Jamie 1108)
1958 - Here's A Heart / Gig - A - Lene (Jamie 1114)

Unreleased :
1958 - Honey Babe (aka Tapun, Tapun) (Combo)
1958 - Hold Me (Combo)
1958 - I’m Such A Lovin’ Man (Combo)

Thurston Harris & The Sharps (1)
1957 - Little Bitty Pretty One / I Hope You Won't Hold It Against Me (Aladdin 3398) 

Thurston Harris bb The Sharps (1)
1958 - Do What You Did / I'm Asking Forgiveness (T.Harris)  (Aladdin 3399)

Biography :

Thurston Harris recorded with the Lamplighters, one of the many groups on the early R&B scene in South Central Los Angeles, in the early '50s. This group later evolved into the Tenderfoots, then the Sharps, and it was under this last name they were credited to when they backed up Harris on his 1957 solo hit, "Little Bitty Pretty One" (# 2 R&B and # 6 pop) for Aladdin. Harris had one other hit the following year, the excellent "Do What You Did" (# 14 R&B, # 57 pop). But back to the early fifties. In addition to Harris, the Lamplighters' lineup included former Hollywood Flame second tenor Willie Ray Rockwell, Matt Nelson and Al Frazier. They formed in the spring of 1952, shortly after Harris had moved to California, and began recording for Federal in 1953, with Harris singing lead most of the time.

In spite of the high quality of many of their recordings, the Lamplighters/Tenderfoots never had a national hit. In 1957 - and now signed as a solo artist to Aladdin - Harris recorded a cover version of Bobby Day's "Little Bitty Pretty One," a classic novelty number, with a solid band featuring the ubiquitous Earl Palmer on drums, Plas Johnson on tenor sax and his friends the Sharps doing background vocals. The single propelled Harris immediately to the front-ranks of the R&B scene, touring with the top names from the era.

Meanwhile, after Harris moved on, the Sharps - now Carl White, Al Frazier, John "Sonny" Harris, and Turner "Rocky" Wilson Jr. and added Darryl White in 1960 - continued to perform into the early '60s. The name game continued; as the Sharps, they recorded the great "Lock My Heart" and for a spate of labels calling themselves the Rebels, the Four After Fives, and the Crenshaws (sometimes with Harris, but usually without).

  
Thurston Harris                                                                                          Duane Eddy            

Back again as the Sharps they provided sound effects, handclaps, and vocal choral treatments on some of Duane Eddy's big hits. Unfortunately, they had more success with their live appearances in the greater Southern California area than they did with any of their releases. In 1962, the Sharps joined up with producers Kim Fowley and Gary Paxton, who helped reconfigure the group as a black surf novelty act, now calling themselves the Rivingtons. Under this moniker, they scored a big hit (# 48) with the immortal "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" for Liberty (1962).

Songs :

The Sharps (1)

     
Six Months, Three Weeks  / Cha - Cho Hop    Come On / Sweet Sweethear    Our Love Is Here To Stay / Lock My Heart

     
What Will I Gain / Shugglin'         All My Love  / Look What You've Done To Me            Look At Me / Have Love, Will Travel

     
Here's A Heart / Gig - A - Lene                  Honey Babe (aka Tapun, Tapun)           Hold Me

  
I’m Such A Lovin’ Man                    Do What You Did


Thurston Harris & The Sharps (1)

  
Little Bitty Pretty One             I Hope You Won't Hold It Against Me

 .....