Willie Davis & Lloyd McCraw

The Thor-Ables (Los Angeles)

Personnel :

Willie Davis (Lead Tenor)

Bobby Baker (Second Tenor)

James Lanier (Baritone)

Lloyd McCraw (Baritone/Bass)

Discography :

1962 - Our Love Song / Get That Bread (Titanic 1001)
1962 - My Reckless Heart / Batman And Robin (Titanic 1001)

Biography :

Willie Davis has been Lead & first Tenor for the Jacks and The Cadets, In 1958 he joined the Flairs (soon to become the Flares). In June 1961, The Flares were in Europe and Davis who had not gone on tour was working in a car wash. That's where he met Bobby Baker in 1962, who, along with his partner James Lanier, was an aspiring songwriter. Bobby interested Willie in some of his songs and the three of them decided to record. Calling themselves the "Thor-Ables" (after the space satellite launching rocket), they approached Lloyd McCraw (the original baritone of the Jacks/Cadets), who was setting up the Titanic label.

 
                                                                                            Willie Davis

The Thor-Ables recorded four songs. Two of them ("Our Love Song" and "My Reckless Heart") have the trio of Willie Davis (lead tenor), Bobby Baker (second tenor), and James Lanier (baritone). (Note that "My Reckless Heart" was a remake of a song Willie had done with the Rocketeers/Rockets/Planets on McCraw's M.J.C. label in 1958.) On the other two tunes ("Get That Bread" and "Batman And Robin"), the trio is joined by baritone/bass Lloyd McCraw, who was also the group's manager. All four sides were released in late 1962. While James Lanier remembers the songs being pushed for a short while by Rudy Harvey on KGFJ, the Thor-Ables only had a few appearances (including one in Willow Brook, California and some with Big Jay McNeely) and soon broke up.

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Flairs/flairs.html





Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

  
Our Love Song                       Get That Bread

  
Batman And Robin                           My Reckless Heart






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