The Toledos aka The Highlighters

The Highlighters (Toledo, Ohio)
aka The Toledos

Personnel :

Frank Williams (Lead)

James Sutton

Howard Bell

Jay Hooker

Discography :

The Highlighters
1958 - Flang Dang Do / The Bull (New Song 115/116)
1962 - Las Vegas Drive / Well  (New Song 133/134)

Chuck Dockery bb The Highlighters
1958 - Baby Let's Dance / I Just Love You  (New Song 117/118)

The Toledos
1961 - This Is Our Night / John Smith's Body (Down 2003/End 1094)


Biography :

Frank Williams, James Sutton, Howard Bell and Jay Hooker were so proud to be from Toledo in the Nord of Ohio that they called themselves The Toledos. The group signed for the blues label New Song, label founded by Porter Roberts in the late 1940s. New Song was based in Toledo, Ohio, about ninety miles south of Detroit. Renamed the Highlighters By Porter, the group recorded a couple of single that passed without pain or glory : "Flang Dang Do" b/w "The Bull" in 1958 and "Well" b/w "Las Vegas Drive" in 1962. By the way, they were instrumentally accompanied by Fred Harris' Red Top Trio composed by Fred Harris (Organ), Big Joe Burrell (sax) and Louis "Swing " Lee (drums). Both disks came out under two different names, The Highlighters with Fred Harris' Red Tops Organ Trio and Fred Harris' Red Tops Organ Trio vocal by Highlighters.

 After their first single on New Song,  The Highlighters backed Chuck Dockery on "Baby Let's Dance" and "I Just Love You" (New Song 117/118). Chuck Dockery is native of northern Ohio his real name was Charle. Dockery was employed as an insurance salesman and as a bassist for some country artists. Dockery began a solo career when he was presented with the opportunity to record on the New Song blues label of his countryman Porter Roberts. He turned New Song into a rocker label thanks to songs like "Baby let's dance" (1958) or "Rock while we ride" (1960), but with no success he left the music almost totally. 

  
Chuck Dockery                                                                                                          

New Song would not last much longer in the business, and after some good album, among which we can highlight the high school "Darling" (1961) by Beverly Bea, would close its doors. The Highlighters's story does not stop there, the group records two tracks, "This Is Our Night" and "John Smith's Body". The single will be released by the Down label, a subsidiary of Gone records, a label founded by George Goldner. It will be published in 1961 under their original name, The Toledos.


Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

The Highlighters

  
Flang Dang Do                                           The Bull

  
    Well                                             Las Vegas Drive

 

The Toledos

  
This Is Our Night                             John Smith's Body


Chuck Dockery bb The Highlighters


Baby Let's Dance


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