The Love Notes (4) (Brooklyn, New-York) aka The Five Sounds
Personnel :
Andew Taylor (Lead)
Wesley Hazzard (Baritone)
Lawrence Campbell (First Tenor)
Robert Williamson (Second Tenor)
Bonny Rivers (Bass)
Discography :
The Love Notes (4) 1957 - Dream Girl / Treat Me Right (Peak 5003)
Russ Riley & The Five Sounds 1957 - Tonight Must Live On / Crazy Feeling (Aljon 115/Arcade1005)
The Five Sounds 1958 - The Greatest Gift Of All / Chalypso Baby (Deb 1006) 1960 - Good Time Baby / That's When I Fell In Love (Baritone 940/941)
Biography :
Before recording for the Aljon label, The Five Sounds were earlier know as the Love Notes, when they recorded "Dream Girl" and "Treat Me Right" for Peak/Joyce Records in February of 1957 - which was originally released only with the wrong label. The group included Andew Taylor (Lead), Wesley Hazzard (Baritone), Lawrence Campbell (First Tenor), Robert Williamson (Second Tenor) and Bonny Rivers (Bass). Russ Riley was their new lead singer on "Tonight must live on" and "Crazy Feeling". Arcade Records re-issued the songs on their own label in 1977.
Unreleased : 1962 - Eillene 1962 - In My Heart 1962 - I Feel So Bad (Acap) 1962 - I'm in love (Acap)
Biography :
Nothing is known about this group, except that they went into studio in 1962 and cut some sides For Don Ames, head of Sinclair Records, along with Hal Weiss & Vinnie Catalano.
The Devilles (1) (Los Angeles, Ca) aka The De Villes
Personnel :
Willie Gibson
Little Marge Newton
Red Julian
Calvin Patterson
Bert Daniels
Discography :
The De Villes 1958 - Do Wop / Kiss Me Again And Again (Aladdin 3423)
The Devilles (1) 1959 - Tell Me So / Joan Of Love (Orbit 540) 1960 - Goddess Of Angels (My Only Love) / Just Keep Me In Mind (Talent 103x) 1961 - Down On The Farm / Give Your Love To Me (Acclaim 1002)
Biography :
Vocal group from Los Angeles, The De Villes/Devilles had Four records between 1958 to 1961 for Alladin, Orbit, Talent and Acclaim records.
In 1958 The De Villes on Aladdin Records, #3423, recorded " Do Wop" on the flipside of "Kiss Me Again and Again." Historic record in that it's one of the earliest uses of Doo Wop (Do Wop) recorded.
1961 - Now, Ain't That A Shame / Judy, My Love (Judy Mi Amor) (Swami 553/554)
Biography :
Interracial hispanic group from Brooklyn first know as The Mello-Tones and composed by Pablo Rosario (Lead) John Zervos, James Mingo, Raul Echevarria and Paul Ward. In 1961, They recorded "Now, Ain't That A Shame" b/w "Judy, My Love (Judy Mi Amor)" released by Swami Record, 551 Rogers Ave. in Brooklyn.
The Versalettes 1963 - Shining Armor / True Love Is A Treasure (Witch 116) 1964 - Don Juan In Town / Don Juan In Town (Witch 120)
The Trinkets (2) 1964 - The Fisherman / Nobody But You (Cortland 111)
Biography :
The Versalettes were an exciting Chicago female group of the mid-'60s whose records never amounted to anything. Forming at Marshall High School in 1961, Theresa Legg, Kathleen Spates, Vera Rugulus, and Viola Floyd built a reputation doing talent shows and community functions. Personnel at Cortland/Witch Records caught wind of the Versalettes' buzz and signed them in 1963, while they were still in high school.
Donald Jenkins worked with them and imprinted his doo wop sound on their recordings, which, supposedly, they hated. At the urging of their manager, Bobby Mason, they added Helen Greenfield before cutting their first single, "Shining Armor" b/w "True Love Is a Treasure," in 1963 on Bill Erman's Witch label; the Blenders ("Daughter") recorded the B-side a year earlier.
Disc jockeys Lucky Cordell and Herb Kent gave it perfunctory hometown spins; for this favor, the Versalettes did free record hops for them. Around this same time, Erman released "The Fisherman" b/w "Nobody but You" on his Cortland imprint and credited it to the Trinkets, who were really the Versalettes. Again, sales were virtually nonexistent.
A third single, "Don Juan in Town," a dated doo wop, floundered as well; the Witch recordings never captured the group's essence. The song was an answer to "Don Juan," which was recorded by Donald Jenkins and Ronnie Strong as the Starr Brothers. Cortland also issued the song by the Ideals on the B-side of "Gorilla." Jenkins (Delighters) got them ready to record, but Bob Catron, the A&R man, got the production credits. Cortland/Witch stopped making records in 1964, and the original Versalettes took the opportunity to axe Greenfield, whom they considered a wayward outsider anyway. After graduating from high school in 1965, they continued the community gigs but didn't record again for awhile.
A final single surfaced in 1968 on Okeh Records. The nondescript sides "So Glad Your Love Don't Change" b/w "Love Made to Order" didn't have a chance. The group never even knew Okeh released the single until the '90s because nobody bothered to tell them; Okeh credited it to the Little Foxes. Bill Erman is reclusive about his Cortland/Witch recordings, which is why they aren't found compiled on any albums, cassettes, or discs. ~ Andrew Hamilton
(L to R) Denny Naughton, George Arnold, Elden Landolt, Tim Cox, Rick Wind
The Uniques (11) (Livermore, Iowa)
Personnel :
Denny Naughton (Bass,Vocals)
George Arnold (Keyboards,Vocals)
Elden Landolt (Guitar,Vocals)
Tim Cox (Guitar Vocals)
Rick Wind (Drums)
Discography :
1964 - Baby Don't Cry / Little Angel (Bangar 609)
Biography :
The idea for starting the Fabulous Uniques was conceived by Elden Landolt one evening during the summer of 1962 at the Pocahontas drive-in theater. Over the next five years the band entertained rock and roll fans throughout Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska. They performed at most ballrooms, several fairs, including the Iowa State Fair, as well as playing many high school proms and homecoming dances. The Uniques appeared regularly at the Cobblestone Ballroom in Storm Lake, the Roof Garden at Arnolds Park, The Star in Dakota City, Guys and Dolls in Gilmore City and the Laramar at Fort Dodge.
(L to R) George Arnold, Tim Cox, Rick Wind, Elden Landolt, Dennis J Naughton
In 1963 the band opened for the Everly Brothers at the Laramar Ballroom and again in 1964 at the Starline Ballroom in Carroll. The same year, they backed the Rip Chords at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. In 1964, the band recorded “Baby Don’t Cry” and “Little Angel” on the Bangar record label. Initial members of the Uniques were Elden Landolt and Tim Cox from Gilmore City on guitars and vocals, Denny Naughton (bass and vocals) and Rick Wind (drums) from Pocahontas. Within a year Rick Wind from Humboldt took over drums from Box and George Arnold from Mallard joined the band on keyboards and vocals. In September of 1964 Harold Powell from Fort Dodge replaced Naughton on bass. The band cut back to a quartet in late May of 1965 when Landolt enlisted in the Air Force. The original version of the band broke up that September when Wind and Arnold left for college.
(top) Bernard Harris, Jimmy Pierson and Jimmy Scruggs (bottom) Harry Blackwell & Dwayne Harris
The Five Dots (Indianapolis) aka The Counts (2)
Personnel :
Bernard Harris
Harry Blackwell
Dwayne Harris
Jimmy Scruggs
Jimmy Pierson
Discography :
The Five Dots 1954 - The Other Night / Each Night (Dot 1204) 1955 - I Just Love The Thing She Do / Well, Little Baby (Note 10003)
The Counts (2) 1956 - Sweet Names / I Guess I Brought It All On Myself (Note 2000)
Biography :
Harry Blackwell, Bernard Harris, Dwane Harris, Jimmy Pierson, and Jimmy Scruggs had formerly been known as the 5 Dots. The Five Dots formed in early 1954 and recorded one single for Dot Records: "The Other Night" b/w "Each Night". In 1955, they sign a recording contract with Note records. Note was a local Indianapolis label owned by Mel Herman. Mel Herman was a veteran in record retailing and one-time manager of The 5 Diamonds (soon after to become the Counts of "Darling Dear"). From the early 50s onwards, he operated record distribution branches in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, which later became part of his "Mel Herman Enterprises".
The Five Dots recorded "I Just Love The Thing She Do" b/w "Well, Little Baby" for Mel Herman and in 1956 "Sweet Names" b/w "I Guess I Brought It All On Myself" released as The Counts. The Five Dots made many appearances at the local area clubs, at the Rhythm and Blues Show at the Walker casino, in Evansville, Ind., for a dance engagement at Club Paradise. They weren't the Counts (1) on Dot (also managed by Mel Herman.
The Jones Boys (New York) aka The Pretenders (1) aka The Savoys (3)
Personnel :
Jimmy Jones（Lead）
William Walker（Tenor）
Bobby Moore（Tenor）
Melvin Walton（Baritone）
Kerry Saxton（Bass）
Discography :
The Savoys (3) Singles : 1956 - You / Say You're Mine（Savoy 1188） 1960 - With All My Heart / Please Say You're Mine（Savoy 1586） Unreleased : 1956 - We Made A Vow (Savoy)
The Pretenders (1) 1956 - Possessive Love / I've Got To Have You Baby（Rama 198） 1956 - Lover / Plain Old Love（Rama 207） 1957 - Close Your Eyes (Sleep And Dream) / Part Time Sweetheart（Whirlin' Disc 106） 1958 - Tonight / I Love You So（Holiday 2610） 1958 - Blue And Lonely / Daddy Needs Baby（Central 2605/Apt 25026）
Jimmy Jones & The Pretenders (1) 1956 - Lover / Plain Old Love（Rama 210/Roulette 4243） 1960 - Blue And Lonely / Daddy Needs Baby（ABC Paramount 10094） 1964 - Close Your Eyes (Sleep And Dream) / Part Time Sweethear（Port 70040）
Barbara Gorman And Sister Viv bb The Jones Boys 1957 - Was It Just For Fun / 8 O'Clock（Arrow 714）
Jimmy Jones & The Jones Boys 1957 - The Whistlin' Man / Heaven In Your Eyes（Arrow 717）
Biography :
Jimmy Jones, who had spent a long apprenticeship singing in R&B vocal harmony groups, became a rock 'n' roll star in the early 1960s singing "Handy Man" and other hits with a dramatic and piercingly high falsetto. When Jimmy was around twelve years old he moved from his native Birmingham, Alabama, to New York City.
The Sparks of Rhythm
At that time he was already an accomplished tap dancer, but singing was equally important to him. Role models were Louis Jordan and the Ink Spots and later especially Clyde McPhatter and Jackie Wilson. Early in 1955 he joined a vocal group, the Sparks of Rhythm (originally the Berliners), who landed a recording contract with Apollo Records in July 1955.
Four songs were recorded at their first session, three of them led by Jimmy. When the two resulting singles went nowhere, Jones left the Sparks of Rhythm to form his own group, the Savoys, soon renamed the Pretenders. Their first session was for Herman Lubinsky's Savoy label (for which they were named), on February 2, 1956 and yielded the single "Say You're Mine"/"You" (Savoy 1188).
Jimmy Jones - Bottom LtoR : Lee"Moe" Gail, William Walker, Bobby Moore & Melvin Walton
By coincidence, this was one day after the Sparks Of Rhythm, now without Jimmy, recorded four - then unissued - songs for Apollo, among them Jones's composition "Handy Man" (with bass Andrew Barksdale on lead). In 1957, the Pretenders hooked up with Arrow Records and for some reason, though, there were no records by the "Pretenders"; they were called the "Jones Boys."
Their first task at Arrow was doing the backup on "Was It Just For Fun"/"Eight O'Clock Date" by "Barbara Gorman and Sister Viv. The Jones Boys themselves recorded "The Whistlin' Man" and "Heaven In Your Eyes," which were released in September 1957. "Whistlin' Man".
Jimmy Jones Gorman Sisters
Jimmy led the Pretenders on a series of doowop sides for a number of New York based labels : Savoy, Rama, Whirlin' Disc, Arrow, Holiday, Central and Apt, but nothing came close to denting the charts. In 1959 he was getting tired of groups ("too much responsibility") and decided to go it alone. http://www.uncamarvy.com/JimmyJones/jimmyjones.html
The Paradons 1960 - Diamonds And Pearls / I Want Love (Milestone 2003) 1960 - Bells Ring / Please Tell Me (Milestone 2005) 1961 - I Had A Dream / Never, Never, Never (Milestone 2015) 1961 - Never Again / This Is Love (Tuffest 102) 1961 - Take All Of Me / So Fine, So Fine, So Fine (Warner Bros. 5186)
The Trend-Tones 1961 - This Is Love / Never Again (Superb 100)
Biography :
The Paradons are know best for the beautiful "Diamonds and Pearls," which reached number 18 on the pop chart in 1960, nine rungs higher than it registered on the R&B chart. The quartet, comprised of friends William Powers and Bill Meyers plus Chuck Weldon and West Tyler, gigged at school dances and local clubs around Bakersfield, CA, singing what the audience requested until a chance to record came about with Milestone Records. Their first session, one night of work, yielded eight sides, including the hit "Diamonds and Pearls" and the B-side "I Want Love."
"Diamonds and Pearls" became a favorite on radio stations and generated appearances on American Bandstand, the Apollo, the Howard, and other top venues for R&B artists. Money problems put a monkey wrench in the mix, however, and the group disbanded after disenchantment set in.
The follow-up "Bells Ring" failed to do anything, and neither did "Take All of Me" nor "I Had a Dream." The group stayed together less than a year, but Milestone kept issuing Paradons sides until they exhausted the supply. Making rock & roll records, even good ones, didn't prove fruitful for the Bakersfield lads.
The final Milestone's Paradons, “Never Again” b/w “I Had A Dream” also showed up on Tufffest (102). The a-side, “Never Againz” b/w a new b-side, “This Is Love” was also issued as the Trend-Tones on Superb (100) in 1961. After this failure to properly cash in on an important hit, the Paradons moved on to the Warner Bros. http://rockinsteve.wordpress.com/page/2/ http://stormyweather.de/index.php?id=161&L=2
Songs :
Diamonds And Pearls (First Pressing with Guitar Intro!)
I Want Love Bells Ring Never Again
Please Tell Me I Had A Dream So Fine, So Fine, So Fine
The Teen-Clefs (Bronx, New York) ref : The Avalons (3), The Clickettes (2) & Shirley & Willie
Personnel :
Shirley Bryant-Ford
Tracey Brost
Mickey
Loretta
Jamie
Discography :
The Teen-Clefs 1958 - Hiding My Tears / There Goes Sputnik (Dice 98 / 99)
The Avalons (3) 1958 - Louella / You Broke Our Hearts (Dice 90 / 91)
Shirley & Willie 1958 - Calling You (Dice)
The Clickettes (2) (The Teen-Clefs) 1960 - Tonight And Forever (Unreleased)
Biography :
The Teen-Clefs met around 1957, Tracey Brost, Mickey, Loretta, Janie and Shirley Bryant-Ford all attended the same Burger Jr. High School (PS 139 ) in the Bronx, New York. They were discovered and originally managed by Morris Bailey (former postal worker and actor), he lived in the Bronx and also managed the Fascinations. Bailey than put The Teen-Clefs in touch with Zell Sanders (J&S records) and she later took over group from Mr. Bailey.
Zell Sanders The Clickettes with Shirley Bryant-Ford
The Teen-Clefs performed at dances in Harlem, they made the song Sputnik during that time. The group wrote most of their songs. ZelL Sanders managed The Clickettes from Harlem & Shirley Bryant-Ford was an alternate for the group when an original member was not available to perform. Shirley had to fill in for the Clickettes when they performed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
The Teen-Clefs (L to R) Loretta, Janie, Mickey, Shirley Ford and Tracey Brost
The Clickettes left the Dice label in 1960 but the record company continued to release singles by the Clickettes even when they were sang by other groups. ‘Tonight And Forever’ was credited to the Clickettes but it was likely sung by the Teen Clefs. The The Teen-Clefs broke up around 1960. Shirley Bryant-Ford with sisters Willie Bryant and another girl cut one single as the Avalons. The Two sisters cut another single as Shirley & Willie. Thanks to Jennifer Noble & Shirley Ford.
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