The Masquerades aka The Masquarades aka The Five Masqueraders

Top : Buddy Scott, Ike HickMan and Howard (Seaphus) Scott
Botom :Tommy Scott, Walter Scott & Charles Scott

The Masquerades (Chicago)
aka The Masquarades
aka The Five Masqueraders


Personnel :

Howard (Seaphus) Scott

Charles Scott

Tommy Scott

Ike HickMan

Jimmy Thompson


Discography :

Seaphus Scott & The Five Masqueraders
1958 - Summer Sunrise / Nature's Beauty (Joyce 303)

The Masquarades
1960 - The Whip / Fanessa (Boyd 1027)

The Masquerades
1960 - These Red Roses / Mister Man The Guitar Man (Formal 1012)

Unreleased :

N/A - Portia
N/A - These Foolish Things
N/A - Good Golly Miss Molly
N/A - That's When Your Heartaches Begin


Biography :

The Masquerades were formed in 1957 as the Elpeccios and originally consisted of Howard, Charles, and Robert Scott, and cousin Jesse "Chico"Golden. Golden and Robert Scott soon dropped out, and in early 1958 the group reorganized as the Masquerades, consisting of Howard, Charles, and Tommie Scott, Jimmy Thompson, and Ike Hickman. Robert Scott entered the professional boxing ranks as a welterweight, fighting in the same stable as world junior welterweight champion Eddie Perkins. The group went down to St. Louis to record two sides for Ike Turner on the Joyce label, "Summer Sunrise" backed with "Nature's Beauty." But nothing happened for the group.

The Masquerades were discovered by Entrepreneur Don Talty in 1958 singing in a North Side nightclub. At the time, the group consisted of Howard, Walter, Charles, and Tommie Scott, plus Ike Hickman and guitarist Howard Taylor. Jimmy Thompson had left the group to take up guitar, and years later would emerge as a well-respected Chicago blues performer  Jimmy Johnson. Thompson changed his name to "Johnson" after his brother Syl had achieved fame as a soul singer under the name "Syl Johnson." The following year Buddy Scott replaced Taylor on guitar and the group came out with "The Whip" backed with "Fanessa"  on the Boyd label. "The Whip" was intended to promote a dance and was considered the A side. Talty even had artwork done to show the dance steps, but nothing came of the record.

    
Howard (Seaphus) Scott                                                                                                            

The Masquerades released "Mister Man" backed with "These Red Roses" in 1960 on the Formal label. No more records by the Masquerades were released for Talty. They continued on, and guitarists who worked for them in the following years included their old vocal mate, Jimmy Johnson, and his brother, Syl Johnson. Around 1963-64, the Masquerades called it quits as a vocal group, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes re-emerged as the Scott Brothers Band. Seaphus Howard Scott started a label called Al-Tog in Chicago working with several artists in the 1960s publishing several songs through his music publishing company (Scot-Tees Publishing Co.) and releasing them with record labels such as Numero One and Okeh!.


Songs :

The Masquarades

  
Fanessa                                           The Whip


The Masquerades

  
These Red Roses                     Mister Man The Guitar Man


Seaphus Scott & The Five Masqueraders

 
Summer Sunrise


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