The Versatiles (2) (Philadelphia)
aka The Majors (5) aka The Performers (3)

Personnel :

Rick Cordo (Lead)

Ron Gathers

Gene Glass

Idella Morris

Frank Troutt



Discography :

The Majors (5)
 

Singles :
1960 - Lundee Dundee / I'll Whisper In Your Ear (The Versatiles) (Rocal 1002)

1962 - A Wonderful Dream / Time Will Tell (Imperial 5855)

1962 - She's A Troublemaker / A Little Bit Now  (Imperial 5879)

1963 - Anything You Can Do / What In The World (Imperial 5914)

1963 - Tra La La / What Have You Been Doin' (Imperial 5936)

1963 - Get Up Now / One Happy Ending  (Imperial 5968)

1963 - Life Begins / Which Way Did She Go  (Imperial 5991)
1963 - Ooh Wee Baby / I'll Be There (Imperial 66009)

Lps :
1963 - Meet The Majors (Imperial Lp 9222)
A Wonderful Dream / Ooh Wee Baby / Time Will Tell / Tra La La / Twist and Shout / A Little Bit Now  / She's a Troublemaker / Don't Lose your Cool / I Wonder Who's Dancing With Her Now / What in the World / Come on Come On / Anything You Can Do

The Versatiles (2)
1960 - Lundee Dundee (The Majors) / I'll Whisper in your ear (Rocal 1002)
 
The  Performers (3)
1966 - Just Dance / Love Is A Answer  (ABC 10777)

Biography :

Robert Morris, Gene Glass, Frank Troutt, Rick Cordo, and Ron Gathers made up the original quintet, with Idella Morris soon replacing her brother Robert. The group first called themselves The Premiers and formed in Philadelphia in 1959. Although they attended different high schools, they hung around together after school, and on weekends, in Harlan Street, performing on the street corners between 19th and 20th streets. Idella was the youngest member at nineteen years and Gene Glass, who had just returned from the US Air Force, was the oldest group member, being twenty five.

 

The group met club owner Buddy Caldwell early in 1960 and he persuaded them to record for his Ro-Cal label. They recorded "Lundee Dundee" and "Let Me Whisper in Your Ear" as The Versatiles since the studio apparently had another group listed on their books as The Premiers. The record had local success, but Ro-Cal just wasn’t geared up for national distribution and the group received little in the way of royalties. At that point some of the male members went off to the service. Two and a half years later, the group reformed, with an identical lineup, as The Majors.

Jerry Ragovoy

When the group reformed Jerry Ragavoy heard them perform and he already knew of "Lundee Dundee".  Ragavoy liked The Majors enough to get them a recording deal with Imperial. In July 1962 they turned up at the Imperial studios and “A Wonderful Dream” b/w “Time Will Tell”. “A Wonderful Dream” entered the Cashbox pop chart on the 4th of August and rose to # 20 on September the 22nd, it made # 22 on Billboard and # 23 on the national R&B chart.

Following the success of “A Wonderful Dream” a lone and now quite collectible, LP was issued and, in rapid succession, six more singles.  The next release was a bouncy tune in the mould of Wonderful Dream, “A Little Bit Now (A Little Bit Later)” b/w “She's A Troublemaker”. Both sides made moderate moves on the national listing. “A Little Bit Now” peaked at # 63 and “She’s A Troublemaker” reached # 83. Three of the groups remaining five Imperial releases made the Bubbling Under list on Billboard.

“Anything You Can Do” reached # 117 in Februrary 1963. “Your Life Begins at Sweet Sixteen” made #125 in September 1963 and “I’ll Be There” reached #113 in February, 1964. At this point The Majors contract with Imperial Records concluded. The Majors, with their line-up intact, recorded just once more. In 1966 they entered Frank Virtue's studios as The Performers. ABC-Paramount issued the Peter DeAngelos’ produced disc, but it failed. The group continued to tour during the 1960s, but made no more recordings and disbanded.

In a 1986 a Dick Clark TV special gathered all of the original members for a performance. Rick Cordo, Idella Morris, who had by this time changed her name to Haleema Alkhatib and Gene Glass then, recommenced working as The Majors. Sometimes Troutt and Gathers also join them.
http://vicrock.com.au/community/showthread.php?2424-The-Majors

Songs :

The Majors (5)

     
Lundee Dundee                 A Wonderful Dream                  Time Will Tell

     
She's A Troublemaker                A Little Bit Now               Anything You Can Do

     
 What In The World                  Tra La La                  What Have You Been Doin'

     
Get Up Now                  One Happy Ending                     Life Begins

     
 Which Way Did She Go            Ooh Wee Baby                   I'll Be There

     
Twist And Shout                    Don't Lose Your Cool     Come On, Come On


I Wonder Who's Dancing With Her Now

The Versatiles (2)

I'll Whisper In Your Ear

The  Performers (3)

  
Just Dance                                 Love Is A Answer

Cds :



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