The Dovells aka The Brooktones (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
(By Hans-Joachim)


Personnel :


Len Borisoff (Len Barry) (Lead and Tenor)

Jerry Gross (Jerry Summers) (First Tenor)

Mark Gordesky (Mark Stevens) (Tenor)

Mike Freda (Mike Dennis) (Second Tenor)

Arnie Silver (Arnie Satin) (Baritone)

Jim Mealey (Danny Brooks) (Bass)



Discography :

-Singles

1961 - No No No / Letters Of Love (Parkway 819)
1961 - Bristol Stomp / Out In The Cold Again (Parkway 827)
1961 - Bristol Stomp / Letters Of Love (Parkway 827)
1962 - Do The New Continental / Mope-Itty Mope Stomp (Parkway 833)
1962 - Bristol Twistin' Annie / The Actor (Parkway 833 )
1962 - Hully Gully Baby / Your Last Chance (Parkway 845)
1962 - The Jitterbug / Kissin' In The Kitchen (Parkway 855)
1963 - Save Me, Baby / You Can't Run Away From Yourself (Parkway 861)
1963 - Wildwood days / You Can't Sit Down (Parkway 867)
1963 - You Can't Sit Down / Stompin' Everywhere (Parkway 867)
1963 - Betty In Bermudas / Dance The Froog (Parkway 882)
1963 - Stop Monkeyin' Aroun' / No No No (Parkway 889)
1964 - Be My Girl / Dragster On The Prowl (Parkway 901)
1964 - Happy Birthday Just The Same / One Potato Two Potato Three Potato Four (Parkway 911)
1964 - What In The World Has Come Over You / Watusi With Lucy (Parkway 925)
1965 - Happy / Alright (Swan 4231)
1964 - Our Winter Love / Blue (Jamie 1369)
1966 - Happy summer days / Long after (Diamond 198)
1966 - There's A Girl / Love Is Everywhere (MGM 13628)
1968 - Her comes the judge / Girl (by the magistrales) (MGM 13946)
1969 - One winter love / Blue (Jamie 1369)
1970 - Kiss the hurt away / He cries like a baby (Decca 32919)
1970 - Roll Over Beethoven / Something About You Boy (Event 3310)
1972 - Mary's Magic Show / Don't Vote For Luke McAbe (MGM 14568)
1972 - Sometimes / Far Away (Verve 10701)
1974 - Dancing In The Streets / Back On The Road Again (Event 216)
1983 - Baby work out / Hully gully baby (Abkco 4029)
N/A - L-O-V-E, love / We're all in this together (Paramount 0134)


-Albums

1961 - Bristol Stomp / Out In The Cold Again / Little Girl Of Mine / Desirie / Foot Stompin' / Three Coins In The Fountain / Mope-Itty Mope / I Really Love You / Change / No No No / Let's Twist Again (Parkway LP 7006)

1962 - In The Still Of The Night / There Goes My Baby / Your Last Chance / Trickle Trickle / The Clock / Two People In The World / Bristol Twistin' Annie / Why Do Fools Fall In Love / To Make A Long Story Short / Little Bitty Pretty One / I Want You To Be My Girl / Oh What A Night (Parkway LP 7010)

1962 - Hully Gully Baby / Jitterbug / Kissin' In The Kitchen / Stompin' Everywhere / Time For The Madison / Hully Gully Square Dance / Country Club Hully Gully / Cheat/Do The New Continental / Why Not You / Hully Gully / Stop Look And Listen (Parkway LP 7021)

1963 - You Can't Sit Down / Short Fat Fanny / 36-22-36 / Maybellene / Miss Daisy De Lite / Hey Beautiful / Baby Workout / Wildwood Days / If You Wanna Be Happy / Lockin' Up My Heart / Summer Job / Havin' A Good Time (Parkway LP 7025)

1963 - You Can't Sit Down / Bristol Stomp / Hully Gully Baby / Baby Workout / If You Wanna Be Happy / Trickle Trickle (Cameo LP 1067)

1964 - Dance The Froog / The Jitterbug / Stop Monkeying Around / Bristol Stomp / Time For The Madison / Swimmin' USA / Stompin' Everywhere / Hully Gully Baby / Betty In Bermudas / Do The New Continental (Wyncote LP 9052)

1965 - Hearts Are Trump (Len BARRY) / Don't Come Back (Len BARRY) / Havin' A Good Time / Lockin' Up My Heart / Save Me Baby / Miss Daisy DeLite / Little White House (Len BARRY) / Jim Dandy (Len BARRY) / Bristol Stomp / You Can't Sit Down / Betty In Bermudas / 36-22-36 (Cameo LP 1082)

1965 - Bristol Stomp / Hully Gully Baby / The Jitterbug / Letters Of Love / You Can't Run Away From Yourself / You Can't Sit Down / No No No / Country Club Hully Gully / Dragster On The Prowl / Be My Girl (Wyncote LP 9114)


Biography :

The Dovells are best known for a handful of early-'60s dance hits, including their biggest one -- "The Bristol Stomp" -- number one (according to Cash Box) and number two (Billboard) on the pop charts in 1961, climbing its way to number seven on the R&B charts as well. They went on to have four more dance hits, three of which charted in the Top 40, giving them five different charters to five different dances in a little over a year during 1962, including "Do the New Continental" (number 37), "Bristol Twistin' Annie" (number 27), "Hully Gully Baby" (number 25), and a Top 100 charter, "The Jitterbug" (number 82).

the Brooktones

The Dovells originally formed in 1957 as the Brooktones, taking their name from Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, where each of the original members -- Jerry Gross (aka Jerry Summers), lead and first tenor, Len Borisoff (aka Len Barry), lead and tenor, Mike Freda (aka Mike Dennis), second tenor, Arnie Silver (aka Arnie Satin), baritone, Jim Mealey, bass, and part-timer Mark Gordesky (aka Mark Stevens), tenor -- attended classes. They began singing at local school functions and occasionally at John Madara's record store, located at 60th and Market Streets in Philly. (Madara had co-written "At the Hop" for Danny & the Juniors, in addition to other classics).

   
Inspired by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers -- they would even record "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and "I Want You to Be My Girl" -- the Brooktones performed for the next few years and even though their "No, No, No" gained some recognition in Philadelphia, the group had little success outside the immediate area and disbanded. Summers and Dennis left to form a new group called the Gems with Mark Stevens and Alan Horowitz in the summer of 1960. In the meantime, Barry and the other Brooktones were negotiating to sign with Bob Marcucci's Chancellor Records (home to teen idols Fabian and Frankie Avalon), adding William Shunkwiler and Jerry Sirlin.

  
In December of 1960, after a live audition was arranged for the quintet with Cameo/Parkway, they were quickly signed to the label. Barry later asked Summers to come back and help out on the harmonies and at Summer's suggestion, Mike Dennis also joined the group as well. They were now back to the core group. Cameo exec Bernie Lowe suggested the Brooktones change their name to the Deauvilles (after the Deuville Hotel in Miami Beach), but the group thought it was too hard to spell and changed it instead to the Dovells.

The Dovells' first single, released in March 1961, was a re-recorded version of "No, No, No" which fared little better the second time it was released. In May, the Dovells recorded "Out in the Cold Again" (a remake of the Teenagers' ballad) and a new song based on a dance that Parkway promotion man Billy Harper had witnessed kids doing at the Goodwin Fire Hall in Bristol, PA, just outside Philadelphia. It was called "The Stomp," so the Dovells' decided to give it a more formal name on their recording: "The Bristol Stomp." The song didn't chart during the summer of 1961, but in September, just as school was once again in session, the song broke out of the Midwest and began to get airplay, gaining enough momentum to go national by September 11. By mid-October, it was climbing the charts, making it all the way to number one

      
Parkway followed up the Dovells' "Bristol" with several dance-related Top 40 tunes. During 1962, the Dovells were immortalizing every dance Dave Appell and Kal Mann (who wrote many of the Dovells' songs) could think of, but didn't have another hit until "You Can't Sit Down," their version of Phil Upchurch's "break" song. In 1964, the Dovells recorded one of the first covers of "She Loves You" by a new English group called the Beatles, but Parkway delayed its release, and when the original shot to number one, it seemed like a bad idea to release the Dovells version (which continues to sit in a vault somewhere).

The Dovells backed up Fabian, Chubby Checker, and Jackie Wilson at the Brooklyn Fox and often recorded as an uncredited vocal group behind Checker (that's them on the hit "Let's Twist Again"). They toured continuously too, until the inevitable tensions arose and ultimately exploded at a Christmas show performance in Miami Beach in December 1963. Len Barry quit the group. (He later signed with Decca as a solo act and is today remembered best for his hit single "One, Two, Three," which charted at number two on the pop charts in November 1965.) Now down to a trio, the remaining Dovells recorded three Parkway singles in 1964 and toward the end of 1965, they appeared in the film Don't Knock the Twist, appearing alongside Dion, Chubby Checker, and the Marcels.

 
In the spring of 1968, Summers came up with an idea for a song based on a skit he saw on TV's "Laugh-In" comedy show. The song -- -- like the repeated phrase from the skit -- was "Here Come the Judge." It was recorded with a female lead, Jean Hillery, and was later released on MGM Records under the name "The Magistrates". The other Dovells later heard the song and were clearly miffed. That summer, "Judge" became East Coast smash (#54 on Billboard's Pop charts), and the Dovells toured behind it with Hillery; when she came out they'd become the Magistrates (despite the hit, they'd never record again). Later, Dennis was replaced by part-time Dovell Mark Stevens.

 
In 1974, the Dovells recorded a cover of "Dancin' in the Street," which had been a huge hit for Martha and the Vandellas ten years before in 1964, but their version -- for the Event label -- barely charted at number 105. They continued to perform until Satin gave notice that he, too, would be leaving the group. Stevens and Summers decided to continue, having band members filling in on vocals and developing a Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis-styled stage act to go with their million-selling hits. This approach enabled them to work for another 16 weeks a year in Las Vegas.

In 1991, Len Barry rejoined for two reunion performances. Summer and Stevens continue to perform nationally and internationally and have performed for former president Bill Clinton twice at inaugural balls. Summers also produces corporate events and runs an advertising agency when not performing with the Dovells.

Bryan Thomas, All Music Guide


http://www.classicbands.com/dovells.html
http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/dovells.htm
http://thedovells.com


Videos :

CD :





MP3 :

The Rocketones (Brooklyn, New York)

Personnel :

Bill Witt (Lead Tenor)

Ronald Johnson (Tenor)

Allan Days (Tenor)

Harold Chapman (Baritone)

Arthur Blackman (Bass)

Discography :

1957 - Mexico / Dee I (Melba 113)

Biography :

Once upon a time there was a vocal group made up of five Brooklyn teenagers who called themselves The Avalons. They were Bill Witt, Allen Days, Harold Chapman, Ron Johnson, and Arthur Blackman. After many hours harmonizing in the school halls and on the streetcorners of their neighborhood. When the boys felt that they were ready for an attempt to put out a record they headed over to Manhattan and made the rounds of the independent record companies. The most encouragement the group received was from record man Morty Craft who at the time was the head of Melba Records.  When the arrived for rehearsals for their time in the recording studio, they ran through two songs that Bill Witt had written for the group. The songs were "Mexico" and "Dee I". Although the group had recorded the sides, the actual record was not released for a number of months. Finally in 1957, the record was released on Melba # 113. The Avalons were surprised that they had become The Rocketones, due to other groups using their original name. Also their version of "Mexico" had been given some added 'atmosphere' with the obvious spliced in intro of the tyraditional  pasodoble - the authentic call to order at bull fights in Spain. It may have been a surprise to the group that made the record, but to listeners it was a rock classic. It had an irresistable "hook" that never seemed to leave your mind for any length of time, and it was a hummable tune that made you snap your fingers and smile. "Mexico" was a favorite on radio in the Northeast and gave a lot of promise of things to come from the group.  But unbelievably, that was the entire history of the group known as The Rocketones. In a year Bill Witt went on to join The Paragons and other groups in future years. The others drifted away, some to the military and the group never recorded again. So we have the archetype example of the "one hit wonders" so prevalent in the age of the rock 'n roll single records. But what a one hit it was. One of the greatest jump tunes by a vocal group in the fifities, "Mexico" is the perfect example of the glory of the times.

Songs :

  
Mexico                                                    Dee I

...

The El Dorados (1) (Chicago)

Personnel :

Pirkie Lee Moses（Lead）

Arthur Basset（Tenor）

Jewell Jones（Tenor）

Louis Bradley（Tenor）

James Maddox（Baritone）

Richard Nichens（Bass）



Discography :

The El Dorados (1)
1954 - Baby I need you / My loving baby（VeeJay 115）
1954 - Annie's answer / Living with Vivian（VeeJay 118 ）
1954 - One more chance / Little miss love（VeeJay 127）
1955 - At my front door / What's buggin' you baby（VeeJay 147）
1955 - I'll be forever loving you / I began to realize（VeeJay 165）
1955 - Now that you've gone / Rock'n' roll's for me（VeeJay 180）
1956 - A fallen tear / Chop ling soon（VeeJay 197）
1956 - Bim bam boom / There in the night（VeeJay 211）
1957 - Tears on my pillow / A rose for my darling（VeeJay 250）
1957 - Three reasons why / Boom diddle boom（VeeJay 263）
1958 - Lights are row / Oh what a girl（VeeJay 302）
1970 - In over my head / You make my heart sing (Torrid 100)
1981 - She don't run around (Charly LP 1022)
1981 - Trouble trouble (Charly LP 1022)
1984 - Love my own (Solid Smoke LP 8025)
N/A - She Don’t Run Around
N/A - It’s No Wonder
N/A - Love Of My Own
N/A - Make Me A Sweetie
N/A - Trouble, Trouble
N/A - Language Of Love
N/A - Always My Love
N/A - Why Must I
N/A - Lord Knows I Tried

The El Dorados (1) with Hazel McCollum
1954 - Annie's answer / living with vivian (Vee Jay 118)

The Four El Dorados
1958 - A Lonely boy / Go! Little Susie (Academy 8138)

 


Biography :

One of the leading R&B vocal groups on Vee Jay, the El Dorados had a relatively short career with their first lineup, during which they scored a massive crossover hit, 1955's "At My Front Door" (number 17 on the pop charts and number one R&B, where it remained for 18 weeks). They managed only one other charting record -- 1956's "I'll Be Forever Loving You" -- before their initial breakup in 1959. Subsequent lineups and name changes (and alterations) brought no further success, but they continued performing well into the '80s.

   
The original group featured five members -- Pirkle Lee Moses Jr. (lead), Louis Bradley (tenor), Jewel Jones (second tenor and baritone), James Maddox (baritone and bass), and Robert Glasper (bass) -- when they formed in the Englewood section of Chicago's south side in 1952 while still attending Englewood High School (the same school that the Moroccos attended). They were calling themselves the Five Stars. Johnny Moore, their high school custodian, liked the group so much and thought they showed so much promise, that he became their manager.

In 1954, just after graduation, Moses and Glasper took advantage of the Air Force's 90-day active duty program, but while Moses returned, Glasper remained with the Air Force. By then, Arthur Bassett (tenor) had temporarily replaced Moses, and Richard Nickens came in for Glasper. The Five Stars were now six, and a name change was inevitable. They were about to become the Cardinals (apparently, they had no knowledge of Atlantic's New York-based group) when the craze for naming your group after a popular car model hit, and since they couldn't call themselves the Cadillacs, the settled for Cadillacs' luxurious two-door model, the El Dorado, for inspiration. The El Dorados came to the attention of local Chicago WWCA disc jockey Al Benson, who witnessed first-hand how their gorgeous blend of harmonies and talent made for an exciting new group that he could support. They had already won first prize at a local talent show at the Club De Lisa. Benson arranged for the group to audition at a contest hosted by Vee Jay Records at the Park City Skating Rink. Amateur groups were challenged to compete against Vee Jay's Spaniels. The El Dorados rose to the challenge, winning the contest and a recording contract with the label.

   
The El Dorados' first single, a bluesy ballad called "My Loving Baby," was issued in September 1954, and was a popular regional seller. Their next effort had the group backing up Hazel McCollum on "Annie's Answer," which was Vee Jay's contribution to the ongoing "Annie" saga begun by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. Perhaps tiring of all the Annie nonsense, Arthur Bassett ankled the El Dorados (he also joined the Air Force), and the sextet slimmed down to a quintet. During the third week of September 1955, Vee Jay released the group's "At My Front Door," which stormed the Billboard R&B charts on September 24th and the Top 100 on October 15th. The song featured Al Duricati's pounding drum rhythm and a rousing sax solo. The so-called "baby talk" pre-finale by Moses Jr. made the record soar even further, and the lyrics about that "crazy little mama" became as legendary as the Annie saga. By the end of the year it had climbed to number 17 on the pop charts and number one R&B, where it remained for 18 weeks. (Pat Boone later did a cover version that charted at number seven pop).

Their follow-up, "I'll Be Forever Lovin' You" (originally recorded by the Rip Chords but never released), was issued during the second week of December. It was a rocker that exuded jazz, pop, and R&B overtones, but although it made it to number eight R&B in February 1956, it never charted on the pop lists. Soon after the release of the follow-up, Nickens left and the El Dorados soldiered on as a quartet. A few additional singles performed well in certain U.S. cities, but didn't measure up to their prior hit status. Their next single, "Tears on My Pillow" (a different song from Little Anthony and the Imperials' hit record), was the last by all of the original El Dorados; soon after its release, the group and Pirkle Moses Jr. separated over a disagreement on new management.

  
Moses Jr. soon joined another Vee Jay act, the Kool Gents, who had been left without a singer when their frontman, Dee Clark, departed for a solo career. John McCall (tenor), Douglas Brown (second tenor), Teddy Long (second tenor and baritone), and Johnny Carter (bass) of the Kool Gents joined with Moses Jr., to become the New El Dorados. They released two singles in 1958 for Vee Jay, but when neither sold, they eventually left Vee Jay in a money dispute and subsequently disbanded altogether.

During this same time, the remaining El Dorados -- Jones, Bradley, and Maddox -- joined up with new lead singer Marvin Smith. Smith had moved with his family to the west side of Chicago in the late '40s, where he attended Crane High and sang on street corners and in church choirs, before joining the group as their new lead vocalist. To avoid legal problems with Vee Jay, the group's name was changed to Those Four El Dorados for 1958's "A Lonely Boy," Academy Records of Chicago. Jewel Jones' name on the label was spelled J-u-e-l-l (each member's name was listed). Those Four El Dorados' later traveled to the West Coast, and connected with a former NBA basketball star Don Barksdale, who had formed his Rhythm Record Company in Oakland, CA. The group changed monikers again, this time calling themselves the Tempos, but the group faltered again, and returned to Chicago, splitting up in 1961.
Bryan Thomas

http://www.destinationdoowop.com/eldorados.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/eldos.html
http://home.att.net/~marvart/Eldorados/eldorados.html


CD :

MP3 :

Bobby Russell & Buzz Cason

The Todds  (Nashville, T.N.)
aka The Countdowns (1) aka The F. J. Babies

Personnel :

Buzz Cason

Bobby Russell

Tony Moon

Discography :

The Todds
1961 - Tennessee / May We Always (Todd 1064)
1962 - Popsicle / Sugar Hill (Todd 1076)

The Countdowns (1)
1961 - Watermelon / The Writing On The Wall (Image 5002)

The F. J. Babies
1962 - She Has    / And The Moon Came Down (Apt 25068)  

Biography :

By 1957, The Casuals had become a touring act, replacing The Everly Brothers on a tour of 60 fair dates. Later, legendary manager, Dub Albritton heard the group and The Casuals became Brenda Lee's backing band. The original Casuals were Buzz Cason, Richard Williams, Billy Smith, Chester Power and Johnny McCreery. During this same period, Buzz Cason met Bobby Russell, an aspiring writer at the old Globe Recording Studio in Nashville located above Mom's Tavern (now Tootsie's Orchid Lounge) and the two began to co-write.  Gary Paxton became a publisher for Lowery Music of Atlanta and published their "ba- ba-ba" Jan and Dean-type song, "Tennessee." They made another Todds single on the tune "Popsicle," which, like "Tennessee," was later covered by Jan and Dean  on Liberty. The Todds' session was produced by their new production company, Tri-Arts, which Bobby Russel and Buzz Cason formed with Tony Moon (From Dante & The Evergreens). They opened an office together on 16th Avenue, but soon realized they had no viable way to pay rent.

The Casuals with Tonny Moon (Harmonica)

They managed to raise money to do "Popsicle" as The Todds and "Watermelon," using the name The Countdowns, on Kenny's Image label and "She Has" by the F.J. Babies. The records featured  Buzz Cason, Bobby Russell & Tony Moon on vocals and many of the instruments. The "F.J" on the "She Has" disc stood for Felton Jarvis, the personable head of the ABC record label in Nashville and the record came out on the APT label, a subsidiary of ABC. In 1963 and for two years, Buzz Cason & Bobby Russell sang under pseudonyms for Hit Records and Giant Records. Hit Records of Nashville was a 1960s budget label who recorded and released "sound-alike" recordings of hit singles by artists who often recorded under pseudonyms.

                                                                                                        Tony Moon

 These were in most cases as good as or better than the originals, and sometimes even outsold the original releases. Bobby Russell and Buzz Cason were in charge of the Pop and Rock & Roll recordings of which Bobby would go on to become one of the most successful songwriters of the 1960s with titles like "Honey" and "Little Green Apples" to his credit. Buzz Cason & Bobby Russell sang under the name of The Chellows on Many Four Seasons' Songs like "Walk Like A Man", "Big Girls Don't Cry" on Hit Records . They are the Shaw Brothers on "That's old fashioned" on Hit Records and they are the Belles on "Ain't that A Shame" b/w "If You Wanna' Be Happy" on Giant.

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

 The Todds

  
May We Always                                       Popsicle        

  
‪Sugar Hill‬                                         Tennessee

The F. J. Babies

  
And The Moon Came Down                          She Has                 


...

The Bob Knight Four (Brooklyn, New York)


Personnel :

Bobby Bovino (Lead)

Paul Ferrigno (First Tenor)

Ralph Garone (Second Tenor)

John Ropers (Bass)

Discography :

Singles :

The Bob Knight Four
1961 - So So Long (Good Goodbye) / You Tease Me (Taurus 100)
1961 - Good Goodby / How Old Must I Be (Laurel 1020)
1961 - For Sale / You Gotta Know (Laurel 1023)
1961 - Well I'm Glad (Laurel 1025)
1962 - I'm Selling My Heart / The Lazy Piano (by The Lazy four) (Taurus 356)
1962 - Memories / Somewhere (Josie 899)
1963 - Two Friends / Crazy Love (Jubilee 5451)

Eddie Delmar & The Bob Knight Four
1961 - Blanche / Love Bells (Madison 168)
1965 - Garden In The Rain / My Heart Beckons You (Vegas 628)

Eps :

Acappella - Bob Knight Four (Nemo 009)
1983 - Crazy For You / Mexico / When I'm With You / Shadrack

Biography :

The Bob Knight Four were one of thousands of doo wop groups whose sounds illuminated the street corners, teen clubs, and local dances of New York and dozens of other American cities from the late '50s through the mid-'60s -- a handful, such as the Belmonts, achieved national fame and even international recognition, while most never got heard outside of their own neighborhoods; the Bob Knight Four were somewhere in between, a Brooklyn-based act from Bedford-Stuyvesant, no less (when Bed-Stuy still had a significant white population), who got their work recorded and released by a major label, but never ascended higher than the lowest region of the Billboard Hot 100. The group's origins go back to an amateur outfit called the Dolphins, based at Franklin K. Lane High School in East New York, formed by Ralph Garrone, Louie Martino, and siblings John Nappier and Joe Nappier.

They got to record an original song of John Nappier's called "Hymn of Love," which didn't do much apart from showing its author and Ralph Garrone some potential for music, though not with that lineup. Soon they were looking for serious local talent to work with and eventually put together a group with Bob Bovino -- already a kind of local celebrity from his stint on a pre-teen talent showcase called Star Time -- on lead and Paul Ferrigno as first tenor, while Garrone took second tenor and baritone and Nappier sang bass, and a fifth member, Charlie Licata, filling the gaps between them; they also took on a new name, the Bobby Dells. They began performing regularly in their neighborhood and building a reputation, and also recording demos, going after a coveted recording deal. There was one major change along the way, with Licata getting drafted and leaving the group in 1959, leaving the Bobby Dells a quartet. With help from a local manager and a local promoter, they were introduced to Tony Sepe, the owner of Laurel Records, who was willing to record them but wanted a new name for the quartet.

Thus was spawned the Bob Knight Four, the name under which they released their debut single, "Good Good Bye," which turned into a regional hit, charting in New York (where it made the local Top Ten on some listings), Philadelphia, and parts of California. Their next two records failed to perform to expectations, in part -- in the case of the initial follow-up -- because of a split in the airplay between the A- and the B-sides. But biggest opportunities were beckoning for the group -- an old friend, Michael Eichner (later a vice president at Columbia Records), who worked for Jubilee Records, got them a recording contract with his label, and in April of 1962 their fourth single, "Memories" b/w "Somewhere," was released. Amid their activity for Jubilee over the next few months, the group suddenly found themselves competing with their older sides as Laurel started licensing their older songs, often with re-recorded backings and unrelated B-sides, to other small labels.

They also kept busy recording demos for various songwriters and artists associated with Jubilee, most notably the song "Cara Mia," written by Bob Nemser, which was later turned into a hit by Jay & the Americans. Nemser became the manager of the Bob Knight Four during the mid-'60s, a period in which the original group splintered amid the burgeoning British Invasion and the accompanying decline of interest in harmony vocal music. Former Bobby Dells member Charlie Licata joined Garrone and Nappier in a new version of the Bob Knight Four, with Eddie Delmar and Frank Iovino on lead. They endured into 1966, crossing paths with the Tokens at the time. They hoped to record for the latter's B. T. Puppy label, but that never worked out -- yet a version of the group survived into the early '70s, in time to cash in on the oldies revival. They even got a greatest-hits LP out, issued on the Kape label. The group was still performing on the oldies circuit in the 1990s at the time that Garrone lost his battle with cancer, and they continued performing into the middle of the decade with his younger brother filling his spot.
Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

...

The Silhouettes (Philadelphia)
informations by Olaf Sell : http://doowopy.de/

 

Personnel :

Bill Horton (Lead)

Earl Beal (Baritone)

Richard "Rick" Lewis (Tenor)

Raymond Edwards (Bass)

Discography :

1957 - Get A Job / I Am Lonely (Junior 391/Ember 1029)
1958 - Headin' For The Poorhouse / Miss Thing (Ember 1032)
1958 - Bing Bong / Voodoo Eyes (Ember 1037)
1958 - I Sold My Heart To The Junkman / What Would You Do (Junior 396/Ace 552)
1959 - Evelyn / Never Will Part (Junior 400/Ace 563)
1960 - Never / Bull Frog (20th Fox 240)
1962 - Wish I Could Be There / Move On Over (To Another Land) (Grand 142)
1962 - The Push / Which Way Did She Go (Imperial 5899)
1963 - Rent Man / Your Love (Is All I Need) (Junior 993)
1967 - Climb Every Mountain / We Belong Together (Jamie 1333)
1968 - Not Me Baby / Gaucho Serenade (Goodway 101)



Biography :

Formed in 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, the Silhouettes recorded one of the classics of the doo-wop era, "Get A Job". The song was written by tenor Rick Lewis (b. 23 September 1933) while he was in the US Army, stationed in Germany.

Upon returning home, Lewis joined a singing group called the Parakeets. He left them to front a band called the Gospel Tornadoes, comprising lead singer Bill Horton (b. 25 December 1929, d. 23 December 1995), bass singer Raymond Edwards (b. 22 September 1922) and baritone Earl Beal (b. 18 July 1924). When the gospel group changed to secular music, it took on a new name, the Thunderbirds. A disc jockey, Kae Williams, signed the group to his own Junior Records in 1958 and "Get A Job" was recorded as the b-side to the ballad "I Am Lonely".

 
The group's name was changed to the Silhouettes (after a 1957 hit by the Rays) and the record was released on the larger Herald-Ember label. "Get A Job" received more attention than the ballad side and ultimately found its way to number 1 in the USA, becoming, in time, one of the best-known up-tempo doo-wop records. The nonsense phrase "sha-na-na-na", part of its lyric, was borrowed in the late 60s by the rock 'n' roll revival group Sha Na Na.

1958 the Silhouettes recorded a number of follow-ups, Bing Bong for example, but never again returned to the charts. With numerous personnel changes, the group managed to stay afloat until 1968, latterly as the New Silhouettes.

The four original members reunited in 1980 and carried on working the revival circuit until Horton's death in 1995.

http://doowopy.de/old/e-02.html
http://www.classicurbanharmony.net/Silhouettes.htm
http://www.theSilhouettes.org/
http://home.att.net/~marvart/Silhouettes/silhouettes.html


Video :

CD :

MP3 :

The Contours (Detroit, MI)



Personnel :


Billy Gordon (Lead)

Sylvestre Potts

Joe Bilingsley

Dennis Edwards

Billy Hoggs

Benny Reeves

Hubert Johnson (Bass)

Discography :

1961 - Whole lotta woman / Come on & be mine (Motown 1008)
1961 - Funnt / The Stretch (Motown 1012)
1962 - Do you love me / Move Mr man (Gordy 7005)
1962 - Shake Sherry / You better get in line (Gordy 7012)
1963 - Don't let her be your baby / It must be love (Gordy 7016)
1963 - You get ugly / Pa, I need a car (Gordy 7019)
1964 - Can you do it / I'll stand by you (Gordy 7029)
1964 - The day when she needed me / Can you jerk like me (Gordy 7037)
1965 - Searching for a girl / First i look at the purse (Gordy 7044)
1966 - Determination / Just a little Misunderstanding (Gordy 7052)
1967 - It's so hard being a loser / Your love grows more precious (Gordy 7059)

Biography :

The Contours are widely remembered for their 1962 smash "Do You Love Me?," one of the early hits that helped put Motown on the map.

Yet they aren't always associated with their contribution to the label; they were one of the roughest, hardest R&B groups Berry Gordy ever signed, and their sound simply didn't resemble the smooth, sophisticated blueprint that later became Motown's trademark. Nor did their stage presence; in contrast to the slick choreography and wardrobe of Motown's signature artists, the Contours were all wild, irrepressible energy, leaping and sliding all over the stage and even doing the splits. As a result, they fell out of favor once Motown got its crossover-friendly hit factory up and running, and never duplicated the success of their first hit.

Formed in Detroit in 1958, the Contours originally began life as a quartet called the Blenders. Lead singer Billy Gordon, Billy Hogg, Sylvester Potts, and Joe Billingslea were soon joined by Hubert Johnson, a cousin of the legendary Jackie Wilson, as well as guitarist Huey Davis. Changing their name to the Contours, the group landed an audition with Berry Gordy's fledgling Motown label. Gordy was not impressed and told them to try again in a year, and they enlisted Jackie Wilson's aid in honing their act. Wilson personally recommended the group to Gordy, who finally relented and signed them up in 1961. The Contours' first single "Whole Lotta Woman" sank without a trace, and Gordy nearly dropped them until Wilson once again interceded on their behalf. The move paid off handsomely when Gordy offered them a chance to cut "Do You Love Me?," a song originally intended for the Temptations, who couldn't quite nail down the rough and rowdy feel Gordy wanted. Released in 1962, "Do You Love Me?" zoomed straight to the top of the R&B charts in just a few short weeks, peaking at number three on the pop side.

Although the Contours were riding high thanks to their hit and their exciting live act, they found the momentum difficult to maintain. They were able to score a follow-up hit, "Shake Sherrie," in 1963, and ran off a string of R&B Top 40 singles over 1965-1966: "Can You Jerk Like Me?," the Top Ten "The Day When She Needed Me," the Smokey Robinson-penned "First I Look at the Purse," and "Just a Little Misunderstanding." Despite the often high quality of those singles, the Contours simply weren't getting the attention -- either from the label or the public -- that Motown's top stars were, and their sound was more of an anomaly at Hitsville than ever. By this time, the original quintet was no longer intact; new members included Joe Stubbs, brother of the Four Tops' Levi Stubbs, and Dennis Edwards, who went on to replace David Ruffin in the Temptations.

 
The Contours had their last charting single in 1967 with "It's So Hard Being a Loser"; Billingslea and Potts subsequently led versions of the group on the oldies circuit during the '70s and '80s. Sadly, Johnson committed suicide in 1981, and wasn't around to witness the 1988 revival of "Do You Love Me?" thanks to the wildly popular film Dirty Dancing. Billingslea, Potts, and their new cohorts hit the oldies circuit with renewed vigor, and also cut the album Running in Circles for U.K. Motown revivalist Ian Levine's Motorcity label in 1990.

Stubbs passed away in 1998, and guitarist Davis did likewise in 2002.

Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Video :

CD :





  

MP3 :

The Heartbeats (1)(Brooklyn, New York)
aka The Three Friends (1)
 (By Hans-Joachim)

Personnel :

Joe Villa (Lead)

Frank V. Stropoli  (Tenor)

Tony Grochowski (SecondTenor)

Discography

The Heartbeats (1)
1955 - Finally / Boil and Bubble (Jubilee 5202)

The Three Friends (1)
1956 - Blanche / Baby I'll Cry (Lido 500/ Relic 1021)
1956 - I'm Only A Boy (To her) / Jinx (Lido 502)
1957 - Chinese Tea Room / Jinx (Brunswick 55032)
1957 - Now That You'Re Gone / Chinese Tea Room (Lido 504)

Joey of The Original Three Friends (1)
1962 - Blanche / The Oriental (Chevron 500)

Joey Villa
1962 - Blanche / Mona Lisa (MF 101)

Eddie Robbins bb The Three Friends (1)
1957 - Dear Parents / A Girl Like You (Power 214/Dot 15702/Tip Top 214)

Biography:

The Heartbeats were formed in 1954 at a time when Rock N Roll was in its infancy.  The group came together while all four members were attending New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn, NY. The Heartbeats were comprised of Frank V. Stropoli (Lead), Al Rosenberg (First Tenor), Tony Grochowski (Second Tenor) and Joe Sucamele (Bass) . The Group cut one single for for Jubilee in 1955.

The Three Friends

After the records release, the Heartbeats went through some personnel changes and Joe Villa was recruited in to their ranks. Before the end of 1955 a record called "Crazy For You" was getting a lot of New York City action thanks to deejay Alan Freed. Well this record was also by another Heartbeats group, the one that is familiar to most doo-wop lovers.

The Other Heartbeats "Crazy For You"

To avoid confusion, our guys decided that they needed a new name for their group. About this time, they had begun to collaborate with Teddy Randazzo of the Three Chuckles. Joe Villa credits Randazzo as the one who suggested the group's new name, the Three Friends.

 
Teddy Randazzo

"Blanche" was an original song penned by the group, and inspired by a young lady who had attended their High School. The group came to the attention of Leo Rogers, who had them record the tune on his newly formed Lido label. The dreamy teen ballad was released in September of 1956.

The Three Friends

The record was reviewed in Billboard the week of October 27 and received a three stars or "very good" rating. Alan Freed liked the record, which meant it got excellent exposure on his New York City radio show, and almost immediately put the Three Friends on the map. Riding high on the success of "Blanche" the Three Friends took almost a year to release some follow up discs. Although the group were fine singers, they could not recapture their initial success with "Blanche".

    
Eddie Robbins

The Three Friends also used their polished harmonies to back up other artists. They can be heard (although un-credited) behind Eddie Robbins on his 1958 Power release of "Dear Parents" backed with "A Girl Like You". They also provided back-up vocals to Eddie Reardon on his 1958 Brunswick recording of "Who Is Eddie" and "Just Trying".

The Royal Teens

Following his tenure with the Three Friends, Joe Villa would go on to front a combo called the Royal Teens, who had a big success in 1958 with the novelty rocker "Short Shorts" originally released on Power and later picked up by ABC Paramount. And on some of the Royal Teens later recordings such as "Believe Me", it's none other than the Three Friends providing the vocal harmonies.
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/three-friends-mn0000587487/biography

Songs :

The Heartbeats (1)

 
 Boil and Bubble / Finally

The Three Friends (1)

  
Blanche / Baby I'll Cry                     I'm Only A Boy (To her)

   
Now That You'Re Gone / Chinese Tea Room              Jinx

   Joey Villa of The Original Three Friends (1)

    
The Oriental

    Joey Villa      

Blanche / Mona Lisa

Eddie Robbins bb The Three Friends (1)

  
Dear Parents                                  A Girl Like You

...

(Beltones/Symbols) B. Brown, R. Brown, B.Cottman, A.Pope, C.Williams

The Symbols (2)  (Jamaica, Queens, New York)
aka The Beltones (1) aka The Masters (4)

 

Personnel :

Andrew Pope (Lead)

Clayton "Dickie" Williams（First Tenor）

Buster Cottman （Baritone）

Robert Brown（Bass）

Wilbur "Buzzy" Brown (Second Tenor)

Discography :

The Beltones (1)
1957 - I Talk To My Echo / Oof Goof (Hull 721)

The Symbols (2)
Unreleased:
1958 - Crying My Heart Out  (Old Town)
1958 - Lover, Lover, Lover  (Old Town)
1958 - Last Rose Of Summer  (Old Town)
1958 - Country Boy  (Old Town)

The Masters (4)
1961 - A Man Is Not Supposed To Cry / Look Out (End 1100)
1962 - Crying My Heart Out / I'm Searching（Le Sage 713/714)

Discography :

The Beltones were a product of the thriving Jamaica, Queens, doo wop community that also launched the Rivileers, the Deltairs, and the Five Sharps. According to Marv Goldberg's profile in the December 2000 issue of Discoveries, the quartet was founded in 1954 by lead Andrew Pope, first tenor Clayton "Dickie" Williams, baritone Herb Rooney, and bass Robert Brown -- the latter also moonlighted in rival vocal group the Love Larks, and when their career began taking off, Brown exited to join their ranks full-time.

The Love Larks

With new bass Alva Martin, the Beltones eventually signed to Hull Records, recording their debut single, "I Talk to My Echo," in the summer of 1956. For reasons unknown Hull did not issue the disc until the following spring, and when it predictably failed to generate much excitement, the label parted ways with the group. By that time, the Love Larks were no more, so Brown returned to the Beltones, prompting Martin's exit. Brown brought with him fellow Love Larks alum/second tenor Wilbur "Buzzy" Brown (no relation). Soon after, Rooney resigned, and with new baritone George "Buster" Cottman, the Beltones signed to the legendary Old Town label to cut a four-song session in the spring of 1958.

   
The Masters (4)  :B.Cotteman, H.Rooney, C.Williams, D.Banks, F.Turner)  

While the group mulled a name change to the Symbols, Hull got wind of the session and threatened a breach of contract suit, effectively rendering any moves moot. Old Town shelved the tapes, and although the Beltones continued touring the Queens live circuit for more than a year, in 1960 Pope was called to military duty, and "Buzzy" Brown quit soon after. The remaining trio convinced Rooney to return, adding lead David Banks and changing their name to the Masters. This lineup recorded the 1961 End Records effort "A Man Is Not Supposed to Cry," followed a year later by "Crying My Heart Out," originally written by Pope for the Old Town session. In 1962 the Masters dissolved and Rooney joined their sister group, the Masterettes, which as the Exciters later recorded the classic smash "Tell Him."
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Beltones/beltones.html

Songs :

The Masters (4)

  
A Man Is Not Supposed To Cry                 Look Out

  
Crying My Heart Out                         I'm Searching


The Beltones (1)

  
I Talk To My Echo                                 Oof Goof

The Symbols (2)

  
Crying My Heart Out                   Lover, Lover, Lover

  
Last Rose Of Summer                         Country Boy

.....

Glenmore Jackson, Ross Buford, Leroy Binns, Stephen Brown & Joe Grier


The Charts (Harlem, New York)

Personnel :

Joe Grier (Lead)

Stephen Brown (First Tenor)

Glenmore Jackson (Second Tenor)

Leroy Binns (Baritone)

Ross Buford (Bass)

Discography :

1957 - Deserie / Zoop (Everlast 5001)
1957 - Dance Girl / Why Do You Cry (Everlast 5002)
1958 - You're The Reason / I've Been Wondering (Everlast 5006)
1958 - All Because Of Love / I Told You So (Everlast 5008)
1958 - My Diane / Baby Be Mine (Everlast 5010)
1963 - What's Your Excuse / Keep Dancing With Me(Vel-V-Tone 102)
1965 - Deserie / I Wanna Take You Home (not by the Charts) (Lana 117)
1966 - Desiree / Fell In Love With You Baby (Wand 1112)
1966 - Livin' The Nightlife / Nobody Made You Love Me (Wand 1124)





Discography :

A group of Harlem teenagers had a dream. The dream was to make the charts…  and they did. The Charts were probably one of the only groups in America to get booed off the stage at an Apollo Theatre amateur night and still go on to success. One of those New York City street-gang vocal groups (like the Juveniles on Mode and The Belmonts on Laurie), the Charts must have seemed like a logical next step when street fighting lost its charm. Originally eight gang members from the 115th Street area, the group had pared itself down to a quintet by late 1956, leaving Joe Grier (lead), Leroy Binns (first tenor), Steven Brown (second tenor), Glenmore Jackson (baritone), and Ross Bu- ford (bass).

At The Apollo , July 1961 - Joel Gray, Leroy Binns, Stephen Brown

They practiced on street corners and in hallways until they felt ready for the stairway to stardom that was the Apollo's Tuesday night amateur competition. Always scanning Billboard magazine, the group decided to name themselves after name themselves after Billboards hits list with the intent of one day  seeing themselves on the charts . Joe Grier, the oldest member at 17, wrote a song entitled "Deserie"  that fit the group's raw, free-form style perfectly.  While the first and second tenor and baritone "wah wah-ed" and the bass "aye yah-ed," Joe alternated between a smokey-voiced lead and a soaring falsetto that reminded many of a yodel. It was this sound coupled with "Deserie's" three slow and seemingly endless verses (with no chorus or bridge) that the Apollo crowd heard on that fateful night, and sure enough the combination was too weird to be taken seriously.

The group wah-wahed its way through the boos. Shaken (but not stirred) they barely made it off the stage. Among the onlookers, however, was one Les Cooper , formerly of the Whirlers on Bobby Robinsons Whirling Disc label and a member of the Empires on Harlem, Whirling Disc, and Wing. Cooper felt this unusual sound had potential and immediately introduced himself to the nervous teens. Shortly after the Apollo fiasco, Cooper — now the group's manager — introduced them to Dan Robinson (Bobby's brother), who was  starting his own label. By June 1957, Everlast 5001 was being played all over the tri-state area.By July 15, 1957, it had reached Billboard's Pop chart spending four weeks in the rarified air of success and peaking at number 88.

Joe Grier

"Deserie" became a huge East Coast doo wop cult classic and has been listed among the top 10 oldies of the New York area each year for more than three decades. Such was and is the extent of the record's airplay that in the more than 30 years since its release it's reported to have sold well over a million singles. (Good for the group but not too good for young Joe Grier, who had sold off the writer's share of the song to a photographer of the stars named James Kriegsman .) Meanwhile the B side, "Zoop," an up-tempo, infectious rocker, was getting lots of  play on its own. It was a quality cut in an era when B sides were often throwaways. The group next released "Dance Girl," a "Zoop"-like recording that featured Joe Grier's immediately identifiable nasal rock sound. It saw local activity but neither " Girl" nor its beautiful ballad B side "Why Do You Cry" reached sales levels as high as they deserved. The single "You're the Reason" (arguably their best ballad) closed out 1957 with little fanfare; "their Latin-based "All Because of love" had the same non-effect on the general population during its early 1958 run.

The Charts - 1966 - Top : Tonny Harris, Leroy Binns - Bottom Frankie Pierce and Stephen Brown

The group's last Everlast single was a "Deserie" sound-alike entitled "My Dianne" (Spring 1958) which had absolutely no exposure and therefore no chance to chart. Joe Grier joined the service after "My Diane" flopped, and the group disbanded. When Joe returned he hooked up with his old manager to play tenor sax on a composition entitled "Wiggle Wobble." The contagious instrumental became a number 22 hit for Les Cooper and the Soul Rockers. Grier never returned to the Charts, but a revised group (that included holdovers Steven Brown [now on lead] and Leroy Binns [now on bass] along with newcomers Frank ie Fears and Tony Harris) recorded an up-tempo powerhouse version of "Deserie" on Wand Records in 1966. It Flopped. its follow-up ("Living the Nightlife") failed, and the group once again dispersed, only to be reincarnated in 1976 as the Twelfth of Never.
American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today (Jay Warner)
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Charts/charts.html

Songs :

     
Deserie                                   Zoop                                   Dance Girl

     
Why Do You Cry                  You're The Reason                 I've Been Wondering

     
All Because Of Love                       I Told You So                         My Diane             

     
            Baby Be Mine               What's Your Excuse                 Keep Dancing With Me    

     
Deserie                   Fell In Love With You Baby                    Deserie

  
   Livin' The Nightlife               Nobody Made You Love Me

….