Doo Wop - Rhythm & Blues

The playgirls (1)

Posted on June 5 2009 by dion1

The playgirls (1)

The Playgirls (1) (Los Angeles, California)
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

aka The Blossons
aka The Rollettes
aka The Dreamers (3)
aka The Angels (4)
aka The Girlfriends (3)
aka The Coeds (2)
Ref Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans

Personnel :

Fanita Wright Barrett (First tenor)

Darlene Wright (Love) (First tenor)

Nanette Williams Jackson (Second tenor)

Gloria Jones (Baritone)

Discography:

Singles:
1959 - Hey Sport / Young Love Swings The World (RCA Victor 47-7546)
1960 - Gee, But I'm Lonesome / Sugar Beat (RCA Victor 47-7719)

Unreleased
1960 - Who (RCA Victor)
1960 - I Ran To You (RCA Victor)

Biography:

The Blossoms' recordings for Capitol were quite a departure from the California R&B they were singing behind Richard Berry and Etta James. Their reputation to mutate their sound into other genres of music was being utilized to its fullest potential. Capitol Records, however, did not know how to promote them as primary artists. What made The Blossoms versatile also made them misunderstood by the major labels.

The playgirls (1) Clockwise from top: Darlene Wright (Love), Nanette Williams, Gloria Jones, Fanita Wright

A short stay at RCA under the name The Playgirls during 1959 and 1960 yielded two very unusual singles, “Hey Sport/Young Love Swings The World” and “ Sugarbeat/Gee But I'm Lonesome”. “Hey Sport” is straight out of a pop song book with an incongruous response by Darlene at the chorus, belting out a decidedly R&B “So what!” “Sugarbeat” was a minor chart item, featuring a pop chorus and skating rink organ. Again, Darlene saves the song from pop obscurity with her trademark “oh yeahs” in the verse. The beautiful “Gee, But I'm Lonesome” was penned by future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston, who nagged Gloria until she presented the song to the group.

John Clemente (Girl Groups: Fabulous Females That Rocked the World)
http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/blossoms.htm
http://www.redbirdent.com/page2.htm
http://www.electricearl.com/dws/dreamers.html

Songs:


Hey Sport                     Young Love Swings The World


Gee, But I’m Lonesome                     Sugar Beat

…

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The Crescendos (2) aka The Casual Crescendos aka The Creschendos

Posted on June 2 2009 by dion1

The Crescendos (2) aka The Casual Crescendos aka The Creschendos
(L to R) Cynthia Badie, Wanda Burt, Ernie, George Banks and Odell Alford

The Crescendos (2) (Berkeley, CA.)
aka The Casual Crescendos
aka The Creschendos

Personnel :

Wanda Burt (Lead)

Cynthia Badie (Tenor)

Ernie (Tenor)

George Banks (Tenor/Baritone)

Odell Alford (Bass)

Discography :

The Creschendos
1960 - My Heart's Desire / Take My Heart (Music City 831)

The Crescendos (2)
1960 - My Heart's Desire / Take My Heart (Gone 5100)
1960 - I Don't Mind / Teenage Prayer (Music City 839)

Wanda Burt (bb The Crescendos)
1961 - Scheming / Your True Love Is Standing By (not them) (Music City 840)

The Casual Crescendos
1963 - Wish That You Were Here / Uncle Ben's Concentrated Blueberry Jam (MRC 12001)

Biography :

In 1950, Ray Dobard decided to open a record shop, Berkeley’s Music City in Adeline Street, San Francisco. Not long after that, Ray founded his first record label Delcro Records. Three years later, with his latest business expanding his record store, now called Music City Record Store moved to new premises. Music City Record Store’s new premises were at 1815 Alcatraz Avenue. Behind the shop, there was an empty space. Ray decided to build a small studio. This meant he could record artists, release their music on his own label and sell them in Music City Record Store. In 1960, Dobard signed a quintet composed of two young women and three men. The group had began at Willard Junior High several years before, with tenor/baritone George Banks and Bass Odell Alford . At Berkeley high, a tenor named Ernie, beauty queen alto Cynthia Badie and sweet-voiced lead singer Wanda Burt gravitated to the group, who now called themselves the Crescendos.

(L to R) George Banks, Cynthia Badie, Odell Alford, Wanda Burt and Ernie

Wanda Burt, of all Music City Artists should have achieved a measure of stardom. Born Arkansas in 1942 and raised in Berkeley, she worked at Dobard’s store on the Weekends. One day she gave Dotard a Crescendos’demo. Dobard decided he wanted to record this group. Tough all the members sang lead during their live shows, Wanda became the only Crescendo voice on Music City-and no wonder. The Crescendos first release, "My Heart's Desire" in October 1960, in fact inspired Goldner to lease the record for another one of his labels, Gone. The song made some noise on the East Coast but never broke out. Impressed with Burt Potential, Dobard made a concession to the white mass market on the Crescendos’ next records, "Teenage Prayer" by adding violins. The added expense must have gnawed on him. One thing is certain : Those strings did more harm than good to the ballad, which was in the first place not as interesting as it flipside "I Don't Mind".

The Crescendos (2) aka The Casual Crescendos aka The Creschendos
Wanda Burt (1961)

The Crescendos’ third release, "Scheming" must have disappointed the other members of the group, because their name was nowhere in sight. Instead Dobard put it out as the B-side "Your True Love Is Standing By", which Burt had cut with another group. and he featured Burt as solo on the label. Wanda Burt had also stepped out on her own as a live performer. In late 1961, she appeared on the bill at a huge concert at San Fransisco’ Cow Palace with Chubby Checker, Eugene Church and girl group the Marvelettes. Unfortunately, health and personal problems sidelined her before she could build any momentum, and bought her promising career to a premature close. The Crescendos replaced her with a sound alike, Anna Lois Jones, and recorded as The Casual Crescendos for the MRC label. Cynthia Badie left the group to go to College, and nowadays she’s the manager of a successful young pop group, The New edition.

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

The Crescendos (2)

My Heart's Desire Take My Heart

Take My Heart / I Don't Mind

Wanda Burt (bb The Crescendos)

Scheming Your True Love Is Standing By

The Casual Crescendos

Wish That You Were Here Uncle Ben's Concentrated Blueberry Jam

…

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Betty & Dupree aka Etta & Harvey

Posted on June 2 2009 by dion1

Betty & Dupree (Chicago, Il.)
aka Etta & Harvey

Personnel :

Etta James

Harvey Fuqua

Discography :

Betty & Dupree
Single :
1959 - I Hope You're Satisfied / If It Ain't One Thing (Kent 318)
Unreleased :
1959 - We're In Love (Kent)

Etta & Harvey
1960 - If I Can't Have You / My Heart Cries (Chess 1760)
1960 - Spoonful / It's A Crying Shame (Chess 1771)

Biography :

The success of "Roll with Me Henry" on the Bihari brothers' Modern label prompted Etta James to split from the Peaches and pursue a solo career. She had a few more but minor hits, notably "Good Rockin' Daddy" (1955) and "Tough Lover" (1956 ). She also did some appealing duets with Harvey Fuqua of the Moonglows as "Betty and Dupree," but by the late 1950s James had fallen into obscurity.

James and Fuqua were also romantically involved, and Fuqua, who was becoming more immersed in A&R work for Chess, was thus the reason that James left Modern and joined Chess in 1959. James and Fuqua were quickly recorded together under the name of "Etta and Harvey," and came up with a fine double-sided hit, "My Heart Cries' and 'If I Can't Have You" (1960).

But the songs harked back to the 1950s and did not represent James' subsequent work on chess. There was another Etta & Harvey duet release in December 1960. This time it was "Spoonful"/"It's A Crying Shame."
Robert Pruter "Chicago Soul"

Songs :

I Hope You're Satisfied If It Ain't One Thing

We're in Love

...

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The Caslons

Posted on June 2 2009 by dion1

The Caslons (Brooklyn, New York)

Personnel :

Sal Mondeuri (Lead)

Lou Smith (Second Tenor)

Richie Smith (First Tenor)

Joe Carvelli (Baritone & sometimes Lead)

Bernie Belkin (Bass)

Discography :

The Caslons
1961- Anniversary Of Love / The Quiet One (Seeco 6078)
1962- For All We Know / Settle Me Down (Amy 836)

Lani Zee bb The Caslons
1961 - Funny, Funny, Funny / Sea Tides (Seeco 6074)

Biography :

Sal Mondeuri (Lead), Richie Smith (First Tenor) Lou Smith (2d tenor), Joe Carvelli (baritone), Bernie Belkin (bass) . The Caslons initially got together in 1960 in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn as students at Madison High School. They made many local appearances and rehearsed a great deal. It was their manager/promoter Lou Stallman who wrote "Anniversary of Love" and "The Quiet One." The Caslons recorded demo tapes and Stallman took them around to record companies for their review. The Label Seeco Recorded the Caslons and released the Single.

TThe Label will use the group to support Lani Zee (Lani Zarief) on "Funny, Funny, Funny" and "Sea Tides."Shortly after recording "Anniversary of Love" in Spring 1961, Bernie Belkin joined the Army, leaving the Caslons. Since most performances at the time werelip-synched, the group decided to remain a quartet. Late in 1961 , Amy Records released "For All We Know" b/w "Settle Me Down." Nothing happened with this release and Lou Smith decided to join the army. The Caslons' magic was gone and the group split.

Songs :

The Caslons


Anniversary Of Love    The Quiet One


For All We Know                                 Settle Me Down

Lani Zee bb The Caslons

Sea Tides Funny, Funny, Funny

...

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