(L to R) - J.B.Bingham, Walter (Simtec) Simmons, Mathew Whitfield, Ronnie Simmons ( guitar).
The Vermacharms (Chicago)
Personnel :
J.B.Bingham
Walter Simmons
Mathew Whitfield
Ronnie Simmons
Biography :
J.B.Bingham was born on the 1st of September I945 in Chicago. As a teenager JB cut his teeth singing lead vocals and playing guitar with several neighbourhood groups. One group in particular under the unlikely name of “The Vermacharms” also featured Walter (Simtec ) Simmons, his brother Ronnie Simmons, Mathew Whitfield and JB J.B. Bingham . In 1970, J.B.Bingham and his group "Five Flights Up" had a hit with the song "Do What You Wanna Do"
The Jaynells 1963 -I'll Stay Home / Down Home (Inst.) (Cameo 286/Diamond 153) 1984 - Out Of A Million Girls / At The End Of A Sunset (Angela 101) 1984 - Portrait of Love / Hollywood Actor (Angela 102)
The Gleems 1963 - Sandra Baby / You Are The One (Parkway 893)
Biography :
When the four instrumentalists in the Jays merged their talents with the four vocalists in the Cornells in 1961, they logically called themselves the Jaynells. For the singers - Vic Spina, Cornell McDaniels, Phil Nigro and Pierre Massey - being a self-contained band meant a better shot at success. They Got that chance on October 28, 1963 when "I'll Stay At Home (New Year's Eve)", written bu George Davis and John Taylor of the Creators, and "Sandra Baby" were recorded under the supervision of Ben Archilla.
Phil Nigro, Pierre Massey, Cornell McDaniels and Vic Spina
Ben Archilla was an independent producer, he did not work for Cameo Parkway. If he really asked them "do you want to see the record released" he could've put it out independently. He shopped the master around until someone showed interest, and the Kolsky brothers bought it and issued it on Diamond records. Cameo records came in once the record started to take off, and bought the master from Joe Kolsky, along with the Jaynells contract. This immediately took the Diamond 45 off the market and by this point Cameo realized they were too late in getting their version of the disc out for the Christmas/New Years season, and decided to scrap re-releasing it. The group recorded a second 45 for Cameo, which was issued on their Parkway label, but when the 45 was released, their name was changed to the Gleems (which the band did not know about and was not happy about). In fact, the original tape box for the follow up single has the name the Jaynells on it, crossed out, with The Gleems written on top of it. Four songs from 1963' session were released in 1984 on the Angela label.
1959 - The Genie / Feeling Of Her Kiss (Sultan 1) 1960 - Angel In Disguise / Stool Pigeon (Al Brite 1650/1651)
Biography :
From 1957-1960 Edward Jehamy, Fred Trabulsi, Theodore Barber, James Ramsey and Joseph Cavanna are The Inspirations from Brooklyn who recorded a single called "The Genie" /"Feeling Of Her Kiss" . The Group have a second single for Al Brite Record .
Eddie Jehamy wrote "The Genie" and sang lead on the flip side " Feeling Of Her Kiss". In 1960 Joseph Cavanna joined The Classmates and recorded "Graduation" backed up with "Teenage Twister."
The Dootones (2) (Los Angeles, CA) aka The Creators (2)
Personnel :
Gentry Bradley (Bass / Baritone)
Gerald Middleton (Tenor)
Hillary Conedy
Royal Dillard
Discography :
The Creators (2) 1961 - I've Had You / Drafted, Volunteered, Enlisted (Dootoo 463) 1962 - Too Far To Turn Around / Hello There, Mister Gravedigger (Dore 635)
The Dootones (2) Singles : 1962 - Strange Love Affair / The Day You Said Goodbye (Dooto 470) 1962 - Sailor Boy / Down The Road (The Dootones 1) (Dooto 471) Unreleased : 1962 - If You Were My Darling (Dooto) (Unreleased)
Biography :
Formed in the Compton area of Los Angeles in 1960, The Creators rehearsed one of Perry's love ballads, "I've had you" and sent a tape of it to Dootsie Williams. Williams called the guys and had them come down to sessions man Austin McCoy's studio at 135th and Avalon. The Group cut "I've Had You" b/w "Drafted, Volunteered, Enlisted".
Dootsie Williams
The record sold pretty well around L.A and the Creators played the Pacific Ballroom in San Diego, The Moulin Rouge and Palladium on Sunset Boulevard, The Long Beach Arena, and The El Monte Legion Stadium where masquerading as The Penguins we backed Cleve Duncan. In September 1962, a neighbourhood entrepreneur named Danny Merlin operating from his home on Western Avenue, Los Angeles, introduced the quintet to Bedell who signed them on the strength of 'Too Far To Turn Around'.
Top Lt to Rt . Gentry Bradley , Thomas Harris Bottom Lt. To Rt. Donald Neal, Charles Perry, Gerald Middlelton
This featured Charles Perry and Hillary Conedy (who replace Donald Neal) handling the lead and falsetto parts respectively, supported by Gentry Bradley, Tom Harris and Gerald Middleton - all five being named on the contract. After the single failed to chart, Charles Perry then broke away to record a solo single for the obscure Melic label owned by songwriter Jessie Mae Robinson.
The Ivories (2) ((Manhattan, New York) aka The Ivoleers
Personnel :
Ella Lee Lewis Jr. (Lead)
Johnny Earl Jackson (Baritone/Bass)
Richard Lewis (First Tenor)
Moses Brown (Baritone)
"Blinky" (SecondTenor)
Discography :
The Ivories (2) 1957 - Me And You / I'm In Love (Mercury 71239)
The Ivoleers 1959 - Lovers' Quarrel / Come With Me (Buzz 101)
Biography :
When the Ivories / Love Notes disbanded in the Summer of 1957, Johnny Earl Jackson, who was part of the original Ivories who recorded on Jaguar Records "Alone" and "Baby Send A Letter", formed a new group. Since the Ivories were no longer in existence (having become the Love Notes), he recycled the name. The New Ivories group consisted of his girlfriend, Ella Lee Lewis Jr. (lead), her brother, Richard Lewis (first tenor), Moses Brown (baritone), a second tenor named "Blinky" and Johnny Earl Jackson (baritone/bass).
They recorded "Me And You" and "I'm In Love" released by Mercury Recordsin November 1957. Moses Brown left the Ivories and was replaced by a baritone named "Chink." , They changed their name by to the Ivoleers and recorded "Lovers' Quarrel" and "Come With Me" for Bobby Smith's Buzz label in early 1959. http://www.uncamarvy.com/Ivories/ivories.html
The Camelots (2) (Coney Island, New-York) aka The Harps (2)
Personnel :
David Nichols (Lead/First Tenor)
Joe Mercede (First Tenor)
Milton Pratt (Lead/Second Tenor/Baritone)
Elijah Summers (Baritone)
Julius Williams (Bass)
Discography:
The Camelots (2)
Singles: 1963 - Your Way / Don’t Leave Me Baby (AAnko 1001) 1963 - Sunday Kind Of Love / My Imagination (AAnko 1004) 1963 - Don’t Leave Me Baby / [The Letter]* (Crimson 1001) 1963 - Pocahontas / Searchin’ For My Baby (Ember 1108) 1964 - Don’t Leave Me Baby / Love call (The Ebonaires) (Cameo 334) 1964 - Dance girl / That's my baby (By the Suns) (Time Square 32/Relic 541) 1965 - Chain of Broken Hearts / Rat race (The Bootleggers) (Relic 530) 1967 - Your Way / I Wonder (Dream 1001) *Credited to The Camelots, but the group is actually The Blue Notes (Lost Records)
Unreleased: n/a - Music To My n/a - Strange Love n/a - Love Sickness n/a - Moments Of Love n/a - No One Can Take Your Place n/a - Time n/a - Farewell My Love n/a - Peace Of Mind n/a - Darling, How Long
The Harps (2) 1964 - Marie / Daddy's Going Away Again (Laurie 3239)
Biography :
The five teens began harmonizing at a local YMCA in the late ’50s and by 1962 had attracted the attention of producers/managers Bill and Steve Jerome, who arranged a deal with the local Aanko record label. The boys’ role models included The Heartbeats and The Miracles. They were looking for a name as they traveled to Manhattan for their first recording session. The question was solved when they stepped out of the subway station onto 42nd Street and saw a billboard right in their path advertising the new hit musical Camelot. Presto! The Camelots sounded just right to them.
Their first single (1963) was a reworking of the Heartbeats’ “Your Way” and received a degree of airplay in the New York area but was treated more like an instant oldie because of its 1950s type sound.The first real success of The Camelots was “Pocahontas” on the Ember label in 1964, telling the story of the Indian maiden in a doo wop/R&B setting and taking it to several cities’ charts. The Camelots then played Harlem’s Apollo Theatre with The Temptations and The Contours. Curiously, “Pocahontas” became their only single for Ember, though that same year they did record an excellent neo-gospel-flavored a cappella rocker called “Don’t Leave Me Baby” for Cameo. In 1964, the group recorded an original a cappella ballad, “Dance Girl,” for the Times Square label, and when Relic Records bought that company out “Dance Girl” and “Chain of Broken Hearts” were issued as singles. Both were popular with oldies and a cappella lovers in the tri-state area. In 1964, they signed a contract with Laurie records and Recorded as the Harps the two sides "Marie" and "Daddy's Going Away Again" . By the mid-’60s the group had separated, giving in to the “British invasion.”
The Cupids (6)
The Cupids: Lenny Colton (Lead), Henry Jensen, Nicky Hughes and Danny Hughes enjoyed a big Hit with "Brenda" (First Issued on Aanko and leased to KC) but their career came to a sudden halt with the death of Lenny Colton, their lead singer. This caused hardly a bother to their record company. Typical of the times, they simply took one of their other groups and gave them the name.
The Camelots, David Nicholas , Milton Pratt , Joe Mercede , Elijah Summers and Julius Williams from Coney Island got a free ride as the Cupids on the strength of "Brenda" but they were already quite popular as the Camelots and later did well as the Harps.
Songs :
The Camelots (2)
Your Way / Don’t Leave Me Baby Sunday Kind Of Love My Imagination
Pocahontas Dance girl Chain Of Broken Hearts
I Wonder Music To My Ears Strange Love
Love Sickness Moments Of Love No One Can Take Your Place
The Gay Tunes (Brooklyn, New york) aka The Gaytunes
Personnel :
Earl "Chubby" Kirton (Lead)
Waymon "Butterman" Carey
Harry Pinchback (Baritone)
Fred Davis
Harry Hutchinson (Guitar)
Discography :
The Gay Tunes Singles : 1953 - Why-y-y Leave Me This Wa-ay-ay / Thrill Of Romance (Timely 1002) 1958 - Got You On My Mind / Don't Go (Dome 502) Unreleased : 1953 - I'll Always Love You (Acappella) (Timely) 1953 - I Want You To Love Me Too (Acappella) (Timely)
The Gaytunes Singles : 1957 - I Love You / You Left Me (Joyce 101) 1958 - Plea In The Moonlight / Pen Pal (Joyce 106) Unreleased : 1957 - Heaven Sent You (Joyce) 1957 - Tell Me You Love Me (Joyce) 1957 - Sad Am I (Joyce) 1957 - Pen Pal (Different) (Joyce)
Biography :
The Gay Tunes were organized in 1949 when the fad of vocal group for vocal groups had reached a peak. It seemed that in 1952 the Gay tunes were fading, but this was not so, for most of the boys in the group were being called for military duty. With their duty to their country lover, the Gaytunes were reunited with greater aspect than ever. the group was composed by Earl "Chubby" Kirton, Waymon "Butterman" Carey, Harry Pinchback, Fred Davis, and Harry Hutchinson on guitar. The Group started out singing on Street corners adjacent to P.S. 41 and P.S. 83 then move on to Alexander Hamilton and Boys High in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Herman "Hy" "Siegal announcing the start of a new label called Timely Records. Siegal was one of the original founders of Apollo in 1943. The Gay Tunes first encountered Siegal after an apollo thither amateur show in the summer of 1953. They auditioned for Timely with a few songs, still miraculously preserved on an apollo audition tape they recently located in a Chicago warehouse. The Gay Tunes only Timely Single "Why-y-y Leave Me This Wa-ay-ay" b/w "Thrill Of Romance" was probably cut on August 22, 1953 and released a month later.
Al Browne The Gaytunes on Joyce
The group had been completely revamped from their Timely days. The photo is the Gay Tunes in their Joyce days, maybe Freddy in the photo is Fred Davis, but the only other member who carried over to Joyce is Earl Kirton. Kirton's warm, expressive lead voice comes through strong on the Gaytunes 1957 ballad "I Love You" (Written for his daunter) released on Brooklyn-based Joyce Records. They worked closely with pianist-arranger Al Browne, and appeared at shows and dj hops in Boston, Baltimore and West Virginia and cut a second single for Joyce. The Gaytunes' last single was "Got You On My Mind" d/w "Don't Go" for Julie Rifkind's Dome label in 1958. It would seem that the group with many more changes recorded under the name of the Verdicts in 1961.
(L to R) : Arthur Crier, Gary Morrison, John Murray, Gene Redd Jr.
The Five Chimes (New York) aka The Chimes(2)
Personnel:
John Murray (First/Second Tenor & Baritone)
Gary Morrison (Second Tenor, Baritone & Bass)
Gene Redd Jr. (Lead & Baritone)
Arthur Crier (Baritone & Bass)
Discography :
The Chimes (2) 1953 - A Fool Was I / Dearest Darling (Royal Roost 577)
The Five Chimes 1953 - Rosemarie / Never Love Another (Betta 2011)
Biography :
John Murray, Gary Morrison and Gene Redd Jr. were neighbors. Gary brought his friend, Arthur Crier into the group and the Gay Tones were in business. Gene Redd Sr. was a saxophone player of some note - He took the group to Teddy Reig, who owned Royal Roost Records with Jack Hook. The group was only together about two months before they went into the studio to record. They came up with the name "the Chimes." the Chimes had two singles released on Royal Roost Records and on its Betta subsidiary (as the Five Chimes), but then John Murray died of spinal meningitis at the age of only 16 and it wasn't the same without him. Crier and Morrison formed another group in early 1956, the Hummers and the Mellows.
1960 - I Got A Gal / Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered (Val-ue 211)
Biography :
The Mohawks started as a street corner group in South Philly. Before recording they sang at skating rinks and local talent shows. The Mohawks were together for three or four years before recording. The group went through many personnel changes. Eventually, the personnel stabilized at Richard Tabron (lead, tenor), Fred Cohen (lead, tenor), Andrew “Sonny” Adams (baritone), Charles “Charlie Boy” Williams (second tenor) and Everett “Buzzy” Kilpatrick (bass). The Mohawks were eventually signed by organist and Philly music icon, Doc Bagby in 1960. Bagby co-owned the Val-ue label with Felix Valdera (of Paramount Record stores) and was looking for new artists to record.
Fred Cohen
The Mohawks were supposed to audition for someone else. They sang "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" , Doc Bagby liked the new arrangement they did and gave them another tune to record for the flip side. That was "I Got A Gal". They made their own arrangement and Doc Bagby liked that better, That was supposed to be the A-side”. “I Got A Gal” was written by John Ivy and had been recorded before by Philly’s own Ivy Tones under the title “Oo Wee Baby” (Red Top #105). Since Bagby was connected to Red Top Records, it was natural he was still trying to make the song a hit. The Mohawks version was so different it was barely resembled the original version. Fred Cohen sang lead on "I Got A Gal" and Richard Taybron sang lead on "Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered". While “Bewitched” sold locally, it never broke nationally. Within six months of the Val-ue release, Fred left the group & rejoined Teddy & The Twilights. The original Mohawks broke up. Some of the other Mohawks continued to sing.
The Three Kays (Cincinatti, Ohio) aka The Arnold Sisters aka The Three K's
Personnel:
Kathy Arnold
Kay Arnold
Karen Arnold
Discography :
Vicki Spencer bb The Three Kays 1961 - I Wait / Hello Mr. Dream (Fraternity 883)
The Arnold Sisters 1964 - Jelly Bean / Angel Laughter (Sound Stage 7)
The Three K's 1964 - Jelly Bean / Angel Laughter [Carousel 1001]
Biography :
The Three Kays were a vocal trio composed by Kathy, Kay and Karen Arnold. In MarCh/April 1961, Vickie Spencer was living in Florence Kentucky when she met the Arnolds while attending Boone County High School. A day, she hear girls sing their harmony, Their voice quality is the same so upper and lower notes blend perfectly in a natural harmony. Vickie called their dad Verne Arnold and asked permission to coach them. Vickie Spencer brought them along to sing background music for tunes she was recording for Fraternity Records in Cincenatti. Some months later, at the age of 16 Vicki Spencer leaves for Hollywood and appeared as a featured performer in not one but two motion pictures with Dion and Chubby Checker. Those were Teenage Millionaire (with Jimmy Clanton) and Twist Around The Clock (with Clay Cole). The teen-age Arnolds (they range from 14 to 17) will continue to perform locally as The Three Kays, but it will be necessary to wait until 1964 for the girls to record two songs, "Jelly Bean" and Angel Laughter" released under two different labels... as well as under two different names: The Arnold Sisters and The Three K's.
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