Doo Wop - Rhythm & Blues

The Charades (1) aka The Rockaways (1)

Posted on May 11 2009 by dion1

The Charades (1)

The Charades (1) (Elmont, New York)
aka The Rockaways (1)

Personnel :

Lewis Berryman

RobertCarrillo

Alan Richwald

Maurice Iazetta

Joe Pastorelli

Discography :

Alicia & The Rockaways (1) - Ken Darrell & Rockaways (1)
1956 - Why Can't I Be Loved / Never Comin' Back (Epic 9191)
1957 - I'm Not Goin' Steady / Faleroo (Epic 9226)

The Charades (1)
1958 - Now I´ll cry / ? (Lancer 101)
1958 - Make Me Happy, Baby / Shang Lang A Ding Dong (U.A. 132)
1959 - Bright Red Shiney Pants / Let Me Love You (U.A. 183)

Jody Lin bb The Charades (1)
1959 - Why Is He Staying Away / Oh Henry (Luxor 100)

Biography :

Vocal & instrumental group from New York formed in 1955 and composed by Lewis Berryman, Robert Carrillo, Alan Richwald, Maurice Iazetta and Joe Pastorelli. The band performed in New York and its surroundings for a year before being discovered by Zober & Salmi.

The Charades (1)

The Rockaways with Kenneth Darrell & Alicia Iazetta

Writers Bert Salmirs and Wally Zober were based in New York as was Atlantic Music Corp. They were so impressed with the harmony and performance, They quickly introduced the group to Epic Records launched in 1953 by Columbia Records . The group began their recording careers as the Rockaways, and backed Maurice Iazetta's sister, Alicia and pop singer Ken Darrell on two singles. Both singles written by Bert Salmirs and Wally Zober.

The Charades (1)

Little success has led the group to change company and name. The Group signing a recording contract with United Artists as the Charades. Formed in New York City in 1956, United Artists not only had their own recording artists, but were used to launch recordings from other labels to the national scene.

The Charades (1)
Jody Lin
The Charades recorded two singles and backed Jody lin on "Why Is He Staying Away" and "Oh Henry" on her Luxor single. Again, all the songs are written by Bert Salmirs and Wally Zober .

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

Alicia & The Rockaways (1)

Why Can't I Be Loved I'm Not Going Steady

Ken Darrell & The Rockaways (1)

Never Comin' Back Faleroo

The Charades (1)

Now I´ll cry                   Make Me Happy, Baby            Shang Lang A Ding Dong


Bright Red Shiney Pants              Let Me Love You

Jody Lin bb The Charades (1)

Why Is He Staying Away Oh Henry

...

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The Concords (1)

Posted on May 11 2009 by dion1

Milton Love

The Concords (1) (Manhattan, N Y)

Personnel :

Milton Love (Lead)

Joe Willis (First Tenor / Baritone)

Bob Thompson (Second Tenor)

Jimmy Hunter (Bass)

Discography :

The Concords (1)
1954 - Monticello / Candlelight (Harlem 2328)

Pearl Reaves & The Concords (1)
1955 - You Can't Stay Here / I'm Not Ashamed (Harlem 2332)

Biography :

Milton Love was born in Chatham County, North Carolina on July 8, 1937. He began singing as a child, Milton's family moved to New York City where Love, Joe Willis, Bob Thompson, and Jim Hunter formed the Concords as classmates at Seward Park High School in 1952. Two years later, their manager, Morty Shad, arranged a record deal with a local company. They only made one record. Milton Love wrote and sang lead on both sides, the ballad "Candlelight" and the Latin-flavored "Monticello", issued in 1954. In 1955, the group backed up Harlem artist Pearl Reaves of Roxbury, Mass., on her single "You Can't Stay Here"/"I'm Not Ashamed".

The Concords (1)
Pearl Reaves

However, the Concords were almost history. Herman Curtis, lead of the Solitaires, had been drafted and Monte Owens (their guitarist) brought Milton Love to the audition, held around May 1955. Pat Gaston, Solitaires' bass, said that when the group heard Milton they sent all the other applicants home without even listening to them. As far as is known, no other members of the Concords ever sang with any other groups.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Concords/concords.html

Songs :

The Concords (1)

Monticello Candlelight

Pearl Reaves & The Concords (1)

You Can't Stay Here / I'm Not Ashamed

...

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The Wrens

Posted on May 7 2009 by dion1

The Wrens (Bronx, New-York)
https://www.uncamarvy.com/Wrens/wrens.html

Personnel :

Bobby Mansfield (Lead)

George Magnezid (First Tenor)

Francis Conception (Bariton)

Jimmy "Archie" Archer (Bass)

Discography:

The Wrens
Singles :
1954 - Love's Something That's Made For Two / Beggin' For Love (Rama 53)
1955 - Come Back My Love / Beggin' For Love (Rama 65)
1955 - (Will You) Come Back My Love / Beggin' For Love (Rama 65)
1955 - Come Back My Love/ Eleven Roses (Rama 65)
1955 - Love's Something That's Made For Two / Eleven Roses (Rama 110)
1955 - Hey Girl / Serenade Of The Bells (Rama 174)
1955 - Hey Girl / Love's Something That's Made For Two (Rama 174)
1955 - I Won't Come To Your Wedding / What Makes You Do The Things You Do (Rama 184)
1956 - C'est La Vie / [C'est La Vie - Jimmy Wright Ork.] (Rama 194)
1992 - Why Can't You / I'm Just The Kind Of Guy (Classic Artist 131)
Unreleased :
1955 - She's My Everything (Rama)
1955 - Betty Jean (Rama)

Bobby Mansfield backed by the Supremes
Unreleased
1956 - Reckless (Gee)
1956 - House of cards (Gee)

Biography :

The Wrens were one of the best of the dozens of R&B vocal groups who recorded in the mid- to late '50s for George Goldner, signed to his Rama and Gee labels in the wake of his success with "Gee" by the Crows. Lead singer Bobby Mansfield, George Magnezid (tenor), Francis "Frenchie" Concepcion (tenor), and James "Archie" Archer (bass) first started singing together in 1954 at a community center in the Bronx, NY. There they were spotted by Fred Johnson, a promoter who organized local talent shows, and he offered to manage the quartet. The Wrens were known best for their smooth, elegant harmony singing, which elevated both their ballads and their jump numbers above much of the competition. They sang R&B, but it tended more toward mature ballads and serious jump songs, rather than teen novelties.

Johnson got the group an audition with George Goldner's Rama Records and a recording contract followed late in 1954, with the group's first session taking place on November 21 of that year. Fred Johnson played piano behind them on that session and Goldner produced; in later recordings, legendary saxman Jimmy Wright led the band that backed them up. The group's first released single was "Love's Something Made for Two" b/w "Beggin' for Love," featuring Mansfield and Concepcion, respectively.It was their second single, "Come Back My Love," however, that achieved some local popularity in New York early in 1955 and put the Wrens on the map for R&B vocal fans.

At their best, the Wrens sounded a lot like the Moonglows -- Mansfield's singing at times bore a striking resemblance to Harvey Fuqua of the latter group, and both outfits were at their best doing mid-tempo jump numbers and ballads, though the Wrens' records also had a hard edge from Wright's sax and the bold sound of the Rama house band under his leadership. Goldner issued a total of six singles by the Wrens, but they never enjoyed a bigger hit than "Come Back My Love," which became their signature song despite competition from a cover version done by the Cardinals on Atlantic that same year. By 1956, however, Bobby Mansfield had split off from the group for a solo career, during which he made some records for Goldner with the Supremes (the male R&B vocal group, not the Motown trio) backing him.

The Wrens disappeared into the mists of R&B vocal group history, while Mansfield remained active into the 1990s, even recording with a new group of "Wrens" in the middle of the decade. The original Wrens all lived long enough to see themselves inducted into the United Group Harmony Association's Hall of Fame in 1998.

...

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The Four Coachmen (1) aka The Banners

Posted on May 6 2009 by dion1

The Four Coachmen (1) aka The Banners The Four Coachmen (1) (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
aka The Banners

Personnel :

William Bates

Discography :

The Four Coachmen (1)
1959 - My Own True Love / These Golden Years (MGM 12810)

The Banners
1960 - Fortune Teller / Sales Talk (MGM 12862)

Biography :

Little information on this group from Allentown in Pennsylvania. According to youtube, William Bates would be one of the members of the group. They are not related with the four Coachmen on Castle & Adonis records.

The Four Coachmen (1) aka The Banners

During the summer of 1959, the Four Coachmen recorded "My Own True Love" and "These Golden Years" which would be released by MGM. Some six months later, the group recorded two good new titles, "Fortune Telle" and "Sales Talk". Mgm released the single changing the name of the group by The Banners.

Songs :

The Banners

Fortune Teller Sales Talk

...

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The Coronets (1)

Posted on May 5 2009 by dion1

The Coronets (1)

The Coronets (1) (Cleveland)

Personnel :

Charles Carruthers (Lead)

Lester Russaw (First Tenor)

Sam Griggs (Second Tenor)

George Lewis (Baritone)

William Griggs (Bass)

Discography :

The Coronets (1)
Singles:
1953- Nadine / I'm All Alone (Chess 1549)
1953 - It Would Be Heavenly / Baby's Coming Home (Chess 1553)
1955 - I Love You More / Crime Doesn't Pay (Groove 0114)
1955 - Hush / The Bible Tells Me So (Groove 0116)
Unreleased :
1953- I Want You To Know (Chess)
1953- G.I. Misery (Chess)
1953- Should I (Chess)
1953- Cobella (Chess)
1953- Beggin' And Pleadin' (Chess)

The Bill Reese Quintet & The Coronets (1)
1955 - The Little Boy / Don't Deprive Me (Sterling 903)

Sammy Griggs & The Coronets (1)
1959 - Footsteps /Long John Silver (Job 100)

Biography :

The Coronets were Cleveland second most famous R&B vocal group behind the Moonglows. The group started around 1952 when they were students at Edison High School. The group included Sammy Griggs, brother Bill Griggs, Lester Russaw, and George Lewis. Not long after they started performing, Charles Carruthers joined as primary lead singer. The group made a couple demos to WJW DJ Alan Freed and he was able to get them signed to Chess records, at least a year before the Moonglows. The group wrote "Nadine" and that was the A side of their first 45 on Chess, and it was a big R&B hit. When the record was released, Alan Freed had put his name as writer, not the first and last time that happened. They were backed by the Sax Mallard Combo when they recorded at Chess.

The group returned to Chess and cut some more songs, two of them were released on a second., less successful 45. Meanwhile the success of "Nadine" got them shows at chitlin circuit stops in the Great Lakes and Midwest. Russaw and Carruthers left and the group replaced them with Bobby Ward. By 1955, Chess was no loger interested in them, and Freed and long given them up as both Chess and Freed picked the Moonglows to promote. The Coronets recorded a bunch of new songs locally (believed to have been done at Schneider), and were signed on to Sterling records, a short lived label run by Shelly Haims and Irving Lief. On the recordings, they were backed by the Cleveland R&B group the Bill Reese Quintet, who also recorded on their own for Sterling. Other names show up on the Sterling 45, LaMotta and Schroeder.

The Coronets (1)

Sterling was able to get RCA's R&B subsidiary Groove records to release 2 Coronets 45s apparently simultaneously. None of these records got much action, and the group continued to perform in the Cleveland area. Bobby Ward left and was replaced by the returning Charles Carruthers. In 1960 they made one more 45, with Charles singing lead and Sam Griggs writing the songs. The 45 was on the JOB label, a one-off which seems to have been their own. The record was recorded at Audio, with one side using Joe Petito's Big Song publishing.
The group disbanded at the end of 1960.

https://www.uncamarvy.com/Coronets/coronets.html

...

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Joey & The Twisters (3)

Posted on May 4 2009 by dion1

Joey & The Twisters (3)

Joey & The Twisters (3) (Manhattan, New York)
(By Hans-Joachim)

Personnel: :

Joey Villa (Vocals)

Bob Azzara (Piano)

Albert Leonardis (Drums)

Frankie Natale (Saxophone)

Discography :

1961 - Peppermint Twist Time / Silly Chili (Dual 502)
1962 - Bony Moronie / Mumblin’ (Dual 505)
1962 - Do You Want To Dance / Last Dance (Dual 509)
N/A - My Mother's Eyes / Jailer, Bring Me Water (Armour 2244)

Biography :

Joey & The Twisters was a Twist group formed from remnants of the original Royal Teens around 1961. The group was led by Teens vocalist Joey Villa (aka Joe Francovilla), along with several other members from the local Manhattan Doo Wop scene. The band played regularly at the Peppermint Lounge in Manhattan, alongside Joey Dee and the Starliters and other acts. The Twisters never released an album, but did release several singles on Duel Records, including remakes of Bobby Darin's "Jailer, Bring me Water," Bobby Freeman's "Do You Want To Dance," and "Bony Maronie," and penned "Peppermint Twist Time" in honor of the club that gave them a home.

Joey & The Twisters (3)

They did launch on a national tour, the highlight of which was playing the Dream Room in New Orleans. The group dissolved as the Twist fell out of fashion. Joey Villa continued playing as a solo artist. Bob Azzara and Louis Burgio, along with friend Flip Cesario, who briefly played with The Royal Teens, later formed the band Mardi Gras.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_and_the_Twisters

Songs :

Do You Want to Dance Bony Maronie

Mumblin'
...

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The Youngsters (1) aka The Preludes (1) aka Tempters aka Them

Posted on May 4 2009 by dion1

The Youngsters (1) (Los Angeles)
aka The Preludes (1) aka Tempters aka Them

Personnel :

Homer Green (Lead)

Charles Everidge (Second Tenor)

Donald Miller (First Tenor)

Harold Murray (Baritone)

James Monroe Warren (Bass)

Discography :

The Youngsters (1)
1956 - Shattered Dreams / Rock'n Roll'n Cowboy (Empire 104)
1956 - Counterfeit Heart / You're An Angel (Empire 107)
1956 - Dreamy Eyes / Christmas In Jail (Empire 109)
1956 - Dreamy Eyes / I'm Sorry Now (Empire 109)

The Preludes (1)
1956 - Don't Fall In Love Too Soon / I Want Your Arms Around Me (Empire 103)

The Them
1956 - Shattered Dreams / I'm Sorry Now (Heg 501)

The Tempters
1956 - I'll See You Next Fall / I'm Sorry Now (Empire 105)

Biography :

The Youngsters had one good sized hit on the west coast, several records under different names, and members that were involved in other fine groups. The group formed at Manual Arts High School on Vermont Street in Los Angeles in 1955. Group members originally included Homer Green, Don Miller, Charles Everidge, Harold Murray and James Warren.

Their first recording was issued as the Preludes and was with the newly formed Empire record label, owned by George Motola and Jack Hoffman. Backing them on the session was noted pianist Ernie Freeman. "Don't Fall In Love Too Soon" was actually recorded at the same session as "Shattered Dreams" and "Rock And Roll Cowboy". Besides the Preludes and Youngsters, they also had the name of the Tempters.

Their next release stalled, and the group made a personnel change. Homer Green joined the service, and Herman Pruitt jumped aboard. He had sung with another fine LA vocal group, the Calvanes. And, coincidently, was also from Manual Arts High School. "Dreamy Eyes" became their best selling record and earned them spots on a few local tours and some great gigs.

The song was also covered by many groups, including the Squires on Aladdin, the Viceroys, the Sparklers, and others. By 1957, the Youngsters fortunes faded for at least a couple of reasons.Two members of the group left, and Empire records folded. Everidge and Warren eventually joined the Shields touring group, as they were then hot with "You Cheated".

Songs :

Shattered Dreams                   Rock'n Roll'n Cowboy              I'm Sorry Now


Counterfeit Heart / You're An Angel        Dreamy Eyes / Christmas In Jail

....

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The Go-Togethers aka The Everglades (1) ref The Ebbtides (5)

Posted on May 2 2009 by dion1

Charles Henderson, Johnny Johnson & Dave Bell - Top : Johnny Banks

The Everglades (1) (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
aka The Go-Togethers ref The Ebbtides (5)

Personnel :

Johnny Banks

Charles Henderson

Dave Bell

Johnny Johnson

Discography :

The Ebbtides (5)
1956 - Only Be Mine / What's Your Name Dear (Teen 121)

Johnny Banks & The Everglades (1)
1961 - While Sitting In The Chapel / Do You Miss Me (BPV 112277)

The Everglades (1)
1962 - I Went To The S&S / Tell Me Pretty Baby (Brenne 502)

The Go-Togethers
1963 - Train / Time After Time (Coast 100)

Biography :

Charles Henderson began singing with fellow Ben Framklin High Scool. In 1955, Charles Henderson with Johnny Banks, Horace Adams, Robert Lee and Betty McCann formed a group, Following a year of tedious practice, Johnny Banks made the connection with Teen/Sound Records in 1956. At The Reco-Arts Studio , they cut " What's Your Name Dear" with "Only Be Mine". Appearances ensued, most arranged by manage rRobinson. The Baby Grang in Harlem, another in Reading, Pensylvania, the O.V Catto hall at 16th & Fitzwater near Center City, the Ice House in South Jersey, a sleek show at the uptown theater accompanying the Blue Notes the Channels & The Continentals..…

WDAS concert - Uptown Thheater (ca 1960)

Some years later, Dave Bell and Johnny Johnson replaced Horace Adams and and McCann. This reformed aggregation was christened the Everglades by Johnny Banks. Six years or so following their dustup with teen records, they found themselves on the doorstep of BVP Records. The Everglades cut "While Sitting In The Chapel" /" Do You Miss Me". But the BVP platter wended its way to nowhere and the group cut another record for Brenne "I Went To The S&S" and "Tell Me Pretty Baby". The group have two other songs: "Train" and "Time After Time" released one year later on the Coast Label under the strange name "The Go-Togethers".

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

The Ebbtides (5)


Only Be Mine                              What's Your Name Dear

Johnny Banks & The Everglades (1)


While Sitting In The Chapel                      Do You Miss Me

The Everglades (1)

I Went To The S & S / Tell Me Pretty Baby

The Go-Togethers

Train / Time After Time

...

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The Velvets (2)

Posted on May 2 2009 by dion1

The Velvets (2) (Odessa, Texas)

Personnel :

Virgil Johnson (Lead)

Mark Prince (Bass)

Clarence Rigsby (Lead Tenor)

William Solomon (Baritone)

Bob Thursby (Tenor)

Discography:

Singles :
1961 - That Lucky Old Sun / Time & Again (Monument 435)
1961 - Tonight (Could Be the Night) / Spring Fever (Monument 441/515)
1961 - Laugh / Lana ( (Monument 448)
1962 - Love Express / Don't Let Him Take My Baby ( (Monument 458)
1962 - Let the Good Times Roll / Light Goes on the Light Off (Monument 464)
1963 - Crying in the Chapell / Dawn (Monument 810)
1964 - Here Comes That Song Again / Nightmare ( (Monument 836)
1964 - If / Let the Fool Kiss You (Monument 861)
1966 - Baby the Magic Is Gone / Let the Fool Kiss You (Monument 961)

Unreleased :
N/A - Be Ever Mine
N/A - You Done Me Bad
N/A - Kiss Me
N/A - Alicia
N/A - Bird Dog
N/A - My Love
N/A - Who Has the Right
N/A - I'm Trusting in You
N/A - Almost But Not Quite
N/A - Husbands & Wives
N/A - I Can Feel It
N/A - Poison Love
N/A - That's Out of My Line

Biography:

Virgil Johnson was the lead singer of the Velvets, a vocal quintet from Odessa, West Texas. They are best remembered for their 1961 hit "Tonight (Could Be The Night)", which peaked at # 26 on the Billboard pop charts. On that song the Velvets can be heard chanting "doo-wop" behind lead singer Johnson, one of the first uses of the phrase in a song. Still, the Velvets were not really a doo-wop group. Their sound was highly polished and the backing usually included strings.

Virgil Johnson was a teacher at Blackshear Junior High School in Odessa, where he taught English to eighth grade pupils. It was at this school that he heard two students, Mark Prince and Clarence Rigby, singing as a duo. He recruited two more students, adding Robert Thursby's first tenor and William Solomon's baritone to Rigsby's tenor and Mark Prince's bass. The quintet began to perform at school sock-hops and campus functions, with Johnson as lead singer.

In 1960 they impressed Roy Orbison, who heard them whilst visiting Odessa, and recommended the group to Fred Foster, the owner of Monument Records and the producer of Roy's big hit at that time, "Only the Lonely". Foster signed the group and came up with the name The Velvets. In fact, he decided it should be the Velvets featuring Virgil Johnson because there was another group called the Velvets, years before. They had a song out called "I" on Bobby Robinson's Red Robin label.

The Velvets (2)

The group's first session was held in late 1960, at Nashville's RCA studios and produced four tunes, which would be issued on their first two singles: "That Lucky Old Sun"/"Time And Again" and "Tonight (Could Be The Night)"/"Spring Fever". The two B-sides were from the pen of Roy Orbison, while "Tonight" was written by Virgil Johnson. The accompaniment came from some of Nashville's finest session players, including Boots Randolph and Floyd Cramer. After the success of "Tonight", the group's next release was "Lana"/ "Laugh", both written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. "We should never have put those two songs out together", says Johnson."

The Velvets (2)

Part of the country was playing one side and another part of the country was playing the other side". "Laugh" stalled at # 90, but "Lana" (soon also recorded by Orbison himself) was # 1 in Japan. Monument continued putting out Velvets' singles, nine in all, until 1966. Some of them were quite good, but there were no further chart entries and the group called it a day and went back to a Texas they had never really left. Johnson kept on teaching, and in 1993, he retired from his job as principal of Lubbock's Dunbar-Struggs Junior High School, a post he had held for 25 years. In Lubbock he also was a deejay on Radio KSEL. Clarence Rigsby died in a car crash in 1978. Johnson is adamant on the reasons for the group's relatively short chart life. "You got to realise, in the early sixties there were two music markets in the US. You had a black market and you had a white market. We were extremely popular with whites, but we were never extremely popular with blacks. We were black and we didn't sound like it. People didn't know we were a black group. We couldn't tour and that really hurt us."

Songs :


      That Lucky Old Sun            Time & Again                Tonight (Could Be the Night)


Spring Fever                   Laugh                          Lana


Love Express          Don't Let Him Take My Baby            Let the Good Times Roll


Light Goes on the Light Off       Crying in the Chapell                   Dawn


Here Comes That Song Again         Nightmare                 If


Let the Fool Kiss You               Baby the Magic Is Gone            Let the Fool Kiss You

...

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Gene & Eunice

Posted on May 2 2009 by dion1

Gene & Eunice

Gene & Eunice (Los Angeles, CA)
(By Hans-Joachim)

Personnel:

Forest Gene Wilson aka Gene Forrest

Eunice Hazel Russ aka Eunice Levy

Discography:

Singles:
1954 - Ko Ko Mo / You And Me (Combo 64)
1955 - Ko Ko Mo / You And Me (Aladdin 3276)
1955 - This Is My Story / Move It Over Baby (Aladdin 3282)
1955 - Flim Flam / Can We Forget It (Aladdin 3292)
1955 - Have You Changed Your Mind / I Gotta Go Home (Aladdin 3305)
1956 - Hootchy-Kootchy / I'll Never Believe In You (Aladdin 3315)
1956 - Let's Get Together / I'm So In Love With You (Aladdin 3321)
1956 - Hi Diddle Diddle / Bom Bom Lulu (Aladdin 3351)
1957 - Strange World / The Vow (Aladdin 3374)
1957 - Don't Treat Me This Way / Doodle Doodle Doo (Aladdin 3376)
1958 - The Angels Gave You To Me / I Mean Love (Aladdin 3414)
1959 - Poco-Loco / Go-On Kokomo (Case 1001)
1959 - Ah! Ah! / You Think I'm Not Thinking (Case 1002)
1959 - You Drive Me Buggy / Without Love (Case 1005)
1960 - Sugar Babe / Let's Play The Game (Case 1007)
1962 - Got A Right To Know / Everlovin' Baby (Lily 512)*
1967 - Soul Loving / Walking Away (Cenco 113)*
*By Eunice Levy and Gene Taylor

Ep:
1960 - Hully Gully / Poco Loco / You Think I'm Not Thinking / Beatnick (Case EP 100)

Gene & Eunice

Unreleased demos:
1954 - Can We Forget It (Combo)
1954 -Flim Flam (Combo)
1954 - I Know A Girl (Combo)
1954 - Move It Over Baby
1954 - Tell Me That You Love Me (Combo)
1954 - This Is My Story (Combo)
1954 - I'll Never Forget You (Combo)*
*Eunice Levy (bb Gene Forrest & The Four Feathers)

Biography :

Gene & Eunice were Los Angeles' answer to New Orleans' Shirley & Lee (their label mates at Aladdin Records), except that Gene & Eunice's duets were much lighter and lyrical. And unlike Shirley, Eunice could actually sing on key. Also unlike Shirley & Lee, Gene & Eunice were actually sweethearts, and the two married and had several children together. Eunice Levy met Gene Forrest at local DJ Hunter Hancock's talent show in Los Angeles. Gene was looking for a girl to sing harmony with his group, the Four Feathers (named after a make of drink). This changed when they began dating, they then started rehearsing and writing in Gene's garage. Older and more experienced than Eunice, Gene dominated the relationship from the start, but Eunice was his co-writer from the beginning. Gene and Eunice wrote most of their own songs.

Hunter Hancock with Gene & Eunice

In the spring of 1954, they pitched a folio of songs to Jake Porter. The outstanding song penned by the duo was “Ko Ko Mo” b/w “You And Me” and Porter released it on the Combo label in the fall of 1954. Aladdin Records, which already had Gene Forrest under contract as a solo artist, claimed ownership of the team of Gene & Eunice in late January 1955 and rushed them into the studio with Johnny Otis's band (billed as Johnny's Combo -- perhaps as a slap at Combo Records) to record a second version of “Ko Ko Mo.” The Combo and Aladdin singles, counted as one unit by Billboard's compilers, climbed as high as #6 R&B in early 1955. They became extremely popular and made appearances in such diverse arenas as the Apollo Theatre and Dick Clark's TV show. The duo returned to the studio for Aladdin to cut “This Is My Story” b/w “Move It Over Baby.” “This Is My Story” reached # 8 R&B, their only purely Aladdin hit. Great songs like “Let's Get Together” and “Bom Bom Lulu” failed to click. A further session didn't improve sales and Aladdin let them go in 1958.

A Canadian company set up a new label, Case Records, and searching for an established act to kick start the label, they signed Gene & Eunice. They cut “Poco-Loco” b/w “Go-On Kokomo“ and it charted in the fall of 1958, reaching # 48 in the hot hundred. Further 45s flopped. By the end of 1960, the duo had parted, Gene back in a blue collar job, whilst Eunice married an English record distributor named Jack Frost. She recorded another duo 45, “Got A Right To Know” b/w “Ever Lovin’ Baby” with Gene Taylor. Mike Gradny’s Cenco Records from Los Angeles issued in 1967 the last record by the pair, “Soul Loving” b/w “Walking Away.” Eunice Levy passed away in 2002 and Gene Forrest died in 2003.

http://electricearl.com/dws/gene&eunice.html
http://www.geocities.ws/shakin_stacks/eunicelevy.txt
http://www.colorradio.com/Gene_And_Eunice.html
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gene-eunice-mn0000801739/biography
https://acerecords.co.uk/go-on-ko-ko-mo
http://www.45cat.com/artist/gene-and-eunice

Songs:

Ko Ko Mo / You And Me (Combo)       Ko Ko Mo / You And Me (Aladdin)


This Is My Story          Move It Over Baby                   I Gotta Go Home

Flim Flam / Can We Forget It               The Vow / Strange World


Have You Changed Your Mind     I'll Never Believe In You         Hootchy-Kootchy


Let's Get Together        I'm So In Love With You       Bom Bom Lulu


Hi Diddle Diddle            Doodle Doodle Doo      Don't Treat Me This Way

I Mean Love / The Angels Gave You To Me          Ah! Ah! / You Think I'm Not Thinking

Without Love / You Drive Me Buggy Sugar Babe / Let's Play The Game

Poco-Loco                       Go-On Kokomo                      Soul Loving


Hully Gully / Beatnick                Got A Right To Know / Everlovin' Baby


Walking Away              Can We Forget It (demo)            Flim Flam (demo)


I Know A Girl (demo)     Move It Over Baby (demo)      Tell Me That You Love Me (demo)


This Is My Story (demo)         I’ll Never Forget You (demo)

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