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Reed Harper & The Three Notes (1) aka The Notes (2) aka Reed Harper Trio

Posted on by dion1

Reed Harper & The Three Notes (1) aka The Notes (2) aka Reed Harper Trio

Reed Harper & The Three Notes (1) (Brooklyn, NY)
aka The Notes (2) aka Reed Harper Trio

 

Personnel :

Reed Harper (Lead)

Paul Cardile

Joe Dopico

Bobby Fiola

 

Discography :

Reed Harper & The Three Notes (1)
1958 - Oh Elvis / O Sole Mio-Rock N Rol (Pyramid 4012)

Reed Harper & The Notes (2)
1958 - Shaky Little Baby / Walking Together (RCA 7426)
1958 - Sweetheart Of The Prom / I Miss You So (Vik 328/Smart 1001)
1960 - Three Charms / It's worth Remembering (Luck 105)

Reed Harper Trio
1960 - Mother Please / I've Got You Out Of My System (Terry 108)
1962 - Cleopa-Ter-A / Meadowland (Ford 118)

Unreleased :
N/A - The Seniorita With The Golden Fan
N/A - I'm Flyin'
N/A - Shuffin' Along
N/A - Wasting My Time

 

Biography :

Vocal group from Brooklyn fronted by Pop and doo-wop singer Reed Harper.  The members of the group were Paul Cardile, Joe Dopico and Bobby Fiola. In 1957, They recorded an obscure and much sought after Elvis tribute record entitled "Oh, Elvis on the Pyramid label under the name Reed Harper and the Three Notes.

Reed Harper & The Three Notes (1) aka The Notes (2) aka Reed Harper Trio    Reed Harper & The Three Notes (1) aka The Notes (2) aka Reed Harper Trio


On September 10 of 1955, RCA Victor announces that label "X" will be renamed Vik Records. In April of 1956 RCA reports that Vik will move into the R & B field. They have signed two performers who originated much of the R & B style, Bill Kenney former lead singer of The Inkspots, and Louis Jordan, and in May the label signs The Treniers. The label went on to sign a number of great R & B artists, such as Brook Benton, Mickey and Sylvia, Champion Jack Dupree, The Heartbreakers, The Sh-Booms (aka, The Chords) and Reed Harper.

Reed Harper & The Three Notes (1) aka The Notes (2) aka Reed Harper Trio    Reed Harper & The Three Notes (1) aka The Notes (2) aka Reed Harper Trio

Paul Cardile, Reed Harper, & Joe Dopico. Not pictured: Bobby Fiola.

In 1958 with RCA Victor, the group recorded "Shaky Little Baby" b/w "Walking Together" under the name Reed Harper & The Notes and the same year, they Cut "Sweetheart Of The Prom" b/w "I Miss You So" on the Vik label. On the following disc, there is the great "Three Charms" recorded on Luck records in New York . "Three Charms" and " It's worth Remembering"  written by Vinny Catalino. They will record two new singles in the early 60s under the name of "Reed Harper Trio".

 

Songs:
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

Reed Harper & The Three Notes (1)

      
          O Sole Mio-Rock N Rol                               Oh Elvis                  

Reed Harper & The Notes (2)

     
  Three Charms                Sweetheart Of The Prom            Shaky Little Baby

  
      I Miss You So                  It's Worth Remembering

 ...

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Robert & Johnny

Posted on by dion1

 


Robert & Johnny (Bronx, New York)



Personnel :


Robert Carr

Johnny Mitchell




Discography :

Singles :
1956 - I Believe In You / Train To Paradise (Old Town 1021)
1956 - You're Mine / Million Dollar Bills (Old Town 1029)
1957 - Don't Do It / Baby Come Home (Old Town 1038)
1957 - Broken Hearted Man / Indian Marriage (Old Town 1043)
1957 - We Belong Together / In The Rain (Old Town 1047)
1958 - Marry Me / I Know (Old Town 1052)
1958 - Marry Me / I Believe In You (2nd version) (Old Town 1052)
1958 - Eternity With You / I'm Truly, Truly Yours (Old Town 1058)
1958 - Truly In Love / Give Me The Key To Your Heart (Old Town 1065)
1959 - Dream Girl / Oh My Love (Old Town 1068)
1959 - Wear This Ring / Bad Dan (Old Town 1072)
1960 - Hear My Heartbeat / Try Me Pretty Baby (Old Town 1078)
1960 - We Belong Together / In The Rain (Old Town 1086)
1960 - I Got You / Baby Girl Of Mine (Old Town 1091)
1960 - Please Me Please / You're Mine (Old Town 1100)
1961 - I Got You / Togetherness (Old Town 1108)
1962 - Wear This Ring / Broken Hearted Man (Old Town 1117)
1963 - A Perfect Wife / Pretty Brown Eyes (Sue 792)
1963 - Hear My Heartbeat / Try Me Pretty Baby (Barry 1015)

Unreleased:
N/A - Your Kisses (Old Town)
N/A - Gosh Oh Gee (Old Town)
N/A - God Knows (Old Town)
N/A - Jungle Party (Old Town)
N/A - I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance (Old Town)





Biography :

This R&B duo came from the Bronx, New York, USA. Robert Carr and Johnny Mitchell grew up in the same neighbourhood and attended high school together, in a centre of doo-wop culture.

   

Thus, upon their signing to Old Town Records in 1956, their duets captured the sound of the then popular doo-wop groups. ‘I Believe in You’, featured the duo’s trademark approach of sighing and pausing, where one vocalist took the lead and then the two came together on the choruses.

This song established their name in New York City, but no further west than the Hudson River. ‘We Belong Together’, did however, establish the duo as rock ‘n’ roll immortals, reaching number 12 R&B and number 32 pop in 1958. Robert and Johnny, alas, were fated to be one-hit-wonders and ended their recording career in 1962.

   

‘We Belong Together’ fared far better, being revived on the charts in 1966 by Dee Brown and Lola Grant and in 1968 by the Webs.

http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/Great_Duos_part_Two.html
http://www.uncamarvy.com/RobertAndJohnny/robertandjohnny.html


 

Videos :

 

 

Songs :

      
I Believe In You                     Dream Girl                              You're Mine

       
We Belong Together               Marry Me                            Train To Paradise

       
Wear This Ring                        Baby Baby                           I'm Truly Truly Yours

     
Eternity With You                  Million Dollar Bills                 Tell Me Pretty Baby

 

 

CDs :


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.... 

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The Four Guys (1)

Posted on by dion1

 

The Four Guys (1) (Brooklyn, New York)

 

Personnel :

Billy Austin

Larry Austin

Bert Carroll

Dee Carroll

 

Discography :

Singles :
1954 - May this be your life / Bye Bye (Wing 90036)
1954 - Not As Stranger /  Tonight‚The Night (Mercury 70452)
1955 - Add a word / Money Mad (Mercury 70575)
1955 - Say you do / Money Mad (Mercury 70575)
1956 - Drive-In Rock / Do Unto Others (Mercury 70908)
1956 - When i fall in love / somewhere nowhere (Mercury 73013)
1956 - You Took My Heart By Surprise  / You Didn't Have To Tell Me (Kent 111)
1956 - Don't Leave Me  / You Don't Have To Tell Me (Kent 112)

Eps :
1956 - Once in a lifetime /The Shadow of your smile / Sunrise, Sunset / I love Paris (Eclipse 4681)

Lps :
1956 - The Four Guys Live (Eclipse AU-4532)
I Love You / Saturday Night / Gina / Discoteque / Bill Bailey / Havah Nagila / Alley Cat / The New World / May This Be Your Life

 

 

Biography :

NEW INTERRACIAL QUARTET
Five months ago, four singing Brooklyn neighbors (two sets of brothers) decided to organize a new interracial agreed to call themselves "The Four Guys."

   

Negro "Guys are Billy and Larry Austin; white "Guys" are Bert and Dee Carroll. Friends since high school days, "The Four Guys" do harmony-rhythm routines, have appeared on radio and television in New York and Philadelphia, at the Baby grand Cafe in Harlem and have recorded for mercury.
Jet -  Sep 17, 1953

The group was interracial, which Carroll said was extremely rare for the time. He went on to arrange music, writing a song for Elvis Presley called "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck." He also worked with Frankie Avalon and Frankie Lymon, among others.

 

 

Songs :

   
You Didn't Have To Tell Me       May this be your life

 

Book :

Four… Too Soon Bert Carroll "The Four Guys"
During the '50s, four young men banded together to reach out for fame and fortune. They possessed all the creativity, talent, charisma, and drive to fulfill their dream. However, one huge mountain of an obstacle stood in their way...bigotry.  "FOUR...TOO SOON" is the true life story of the inter-racial pop vocal group, "THE FOUR GUYS".  Everywhere this multi-talented ( two black and two white) group performed during the 50s (before Martin Luther King Jr. , the Civil Rights Movement, JFK, RFK ) striving for fortune and fame , they were met and blocked by a "WALL OF BIGOTRY".

      

When "THE FOUR GUYS" performed at "THE EL CORTEZ (1955 Downtown Las Vegas..." they were taboo on the strip), the manager of the hotel said it all, "You guys are great , but you're "50 YEARS TOO SOON "! It is now exactly 50 years since that statement was made. If those were "the words" of a prophet, then now is the time, at last , for "THE FOUR GUYS" to take their deserved" PLACE IN THE SUN" through the "black on white"

...

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The Four Gents (1)

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The Four Gents (1)
(The Four Gents) Eddie Sullivan, Waymon Bryant, John Staples and Louis Pritchett

The Four Gents (1) (Chicago)
Ref: The Belvederes (3)
Ref: The Twi-Lites (2)

 

Personnel :

Eddie Sullivan

Waymon Bryant

Louis Pritchett

John Staples

 

Discography :
  Single:
1957 - On Bended Knee / Linda (Park 13)
Unreleaseds :
1957 - Our Love (Park)
1957 - Stormy Weather (Park)

 

Biography :

Around 1954, in grade school, Eddie Sullivan meet the futures members of the Four Gents, Sullivan was with these individuals through high school. After being together all those years and practicing for so long, they finally recorded a disc. "On Bended Knee," the ballad side, was weighed down by a rudimentary musical accompaniment and amateurish production. Sullivan, however, could write a solid melody even if the lyrics were simplistic , so the vocal arrangement and tune were carrying the record. "Linda," also written by Sullivan, sported a Latin tempo, as did so many droops of the era.

The Four Gents (1)  The Four Gents (1) 
                                                                                                                        Eddie Sullivan & John Staples (Belvederes)   

Around 1958, the Four Gents split in half. Louis Pritchett and Waymon Bryant joined Matthew Perkins and Calvin Baron to form the Twi-lites and Eddie Sullivan and John Staples joined with Willie Crowley, and brothers Jerry and Kenneth Brown to form the Belvederes. Eddie Sullivan on lead and the Belvederes recorded "Let's Get Married" b/w "Wow Wow Mary Mary" on Trend Records, a subsidiary of Kapp Records owned by Fred Kaplan. The latter group lasted one year before breaking up. A few years later, in 1963, Eddie Sullivan recorded another record as a member of the Desideros.




Songs :
 

    
On Bended Knee / Linda                                Our Love           




 

 

....

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The Bluenotes (4) aka The Blue Notes (2) aka The Epidemics

Posted on by dion1

The Blue Notes (2)  (Asheboro in North Carolina )
 aka The Bluenotes (4) aka  The Epidemics  



Personnel :

Joe Tanner (gtr)

Pat Patterson

Tom Underwood

Ralph Harrington


 

Discography :

The Blue Notes (2)
1955 - Christmas Chimes / There'll Always Be a Christmas (Colonial 408)
1956 - On A Sleepy Sunday Afternoon / Who's Gonna Sing Your Love Songs  (Colonial 409)

The Bluenotes (4)
1958 - You're A Tiger / Let Her Know  (Colonial 7779)
1958 - I Waited   / Never Never Land  (Colonial 9999)
1959 - I Don't Know What It Is / Summer Love (Brooke 111)
1959 - You Can't Get Away From Love / I Don't Know What It Is (Brooke 111)
1960 - I'm Gonna Find Out / Forever On My Mind  (Brooke 116)


The Bluenotes (4) (Featuring Doug Franklin)
1957 - Page One / Mighty Low (Colonial 434)

The Bluenotes (4) (Featuring Ralph Harington)

1960 - Summer Love / It Had To Be You (Brooke 119)

Doug Franklin & The Bluenotes (4)
1958 - My Lucky Love / Drizzlin' Rain  (Colonial 7777)
1958 - I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now / I Used To Wonder (Colonial 8888)

Johnny Dee & Bluenotes (4)
1957 - Teenage Queen / It's Gotta Be You (Colonial 433)
1957 - 1000 Concrete Blocks / In My Simple Way (Colonial 435)

Ebe Sneezer (Johnny Dee)  & The Epidemics
1957 - Asiatic Flu / That's All I've Got (Colonial 436)




Biography :

The Bluenotes were a vocal group featuring Tom Underwood, Joe Tanner, Pat Patterson, and Ralph Harrington.  They recorded at Colonial and Brooke Records, two labels of North Carolina. Their first single, Page One/Mighty Low, was released in 1957 on the Colonial label and the last single, It Had To Be You/Summer Love, was released in 1960 on the Brooke label.

  
With Ebe Sneezer (Johnny Dee ) &  Cecelia Batten                                                                         

They also sang on several other records on Colonial with other artists. They had a pop singles chart entry in 1959 with "I Don't Know What It Is."  So, masquerading as Ebe Sneezer with the Epidemics, Johnny Dee recorded the "Asiatic Flu" and "That's All I've Got" with the Bluenotes.
Joe Tanner had success after the breakup of The Bluenote.

He worked with Roy Orbison. He also arranged and produced many songs, including In Dreams (Roy Orbison), A Rose and a Baby Ruth (George Hamilton IV), and Sittin' In the Balcony (John D. Loudermilk. He also played guitar on Orbison's hit, Oh, Pretty Woman.


With Ebe Sneezer (Johnny Dee )
http://www.rocky-52.net/chanteursb/bluenotes.htm
http://www.ihesm.com/Loudermilk1.html



Songs :

   
I Don't Know What It Is                                   Mighty Low         

   
Summer Love                                       You're A Tiger

 

 

...

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The Jac-O-Lacs aka The Flairs (1)

Posted on by dion1


The Jac-O-Lacs aka The Flairs (1) (Los Angeles)



Personnel :


Cornell Gunter (Lead)

Thomas 'Pete' Fox (Tenor)

Obediah 'Obie' Jessie (Baritone)



Discography :


The Jac-O-Lacs

1955 - Cindy Lou  / Sha-Ba-Da-Ba-Doo  (Tampa 103)

The Dooley Sisters (bb The Jac-O-Lacs)

1955 -  Shtiggy Boom / Johnny, My Love (Dooley Sisters) (Tampa 101)



Biography :

The last recordings done by this Flairs group were  "She Loves To Dance" and "My Darling, My Sweet,"  two more tunes led by Cornell Gunter and released in March 1955.
After this, Charles Jackson left to join the Chimes (who would soon record "Zindy Lou" for Specialty). Randy Jones departed too, becoming an emergency replacement for Bruce Tate in the Penguins, when they went to New York to do an Alan Freed show.


Cornell Gunter, Obie Jessie & Pete Fox

This left the trio of Cornell Gunter, Pete Fox and Obie Jessie. To get some "fast cash," they recorded a single record as the "Jac-O-Lacs" for Robert Scherman and Irving Shorten's Tampa label.
"Cindy-Lou" and "Sha-Ba-Da-Ba-Doo" were released in May 1955.


Obie Jessie, Cornell Gunter & Pete Fox

Since there's a bass present, they might have gotten Randy Jones back for a while, but Pete has no memory of this session at all. Actually, while they were accumulating that fast cash, they also backed up the Dooley Sisters on their version of "Shtiggy Boom," released in February.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Flairs/flairs.html



Songs :


   
Sha-Ba-Da-Ba-Doo                   Cindy Lou



Cds :


 

 

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The Laddins

Posted on by dion1

The Laddins 

The Laddins (Harlem, New York)
 (By Hans-Joachim)

 

Personnel :

Sylvester 'Sonny' Johnson(Lead)

Ernest 'Mickey' Goody(Tenor)

Earl Marcus(Tenor)

John Marcus(Baritone)

Robert Jeffers " Bobby Jay" (Bass)

 

Discography:

Singles :
1957 - Did It / Now You`re Gone (Central 2602)
1959 - Yes, Oh Baby Yes / Light A Candle (Gry Cliff 721)
1960 - She's The One / Come On (Isle 801)
1961 - Oh How I Hate To Go Home / There Once Was A Time (Theatre 111)
1962 - I'll Kiss Your Teardrops Away / If You Need Me, I'll Be There (Angie 1790)
1962 - Try, Try Again / That's What You Do To Me (Groove 4-5)
1963 - Push, Shake, Kick And Shout / Push, Shake... (inst.) (Angie 1003 / Bardell 776)
1963 - Dream Baby / Dizzie Jone’s Birdland (Butane 779)

Album
1974 - Bobby Jay presents The Laddins (Central / Relic LP 5018)
Did It / Now You're Gone / Yes, Oh Baby Yes / Light A Candle / She's The One / Oh How I Hate To Go Home / There Once Was A Time / That's What You Do To Me / Try, Try Again / I'll Kiss Your Teardrops Away / I'll Be There / Dream Baby / Dizzy Jones Birdland / Diamons And Pearls (prev. unrel.) / You Talk Too Much (prev. unrel.) / A Hundred Pounds Of Clay (prev. unrel.) / Tossin' And Turnin' (prev. unrel.) / Every Beat Of My Heart (prev. unrel.) / Mother-In-Law (prev. unrel.)

 

Unreleased :
1957 - My Baby's Left Me (Central)
1957 - I'm Falling In Love (Central)
1959 - Eternally (Grey Cliff)
1959 - So Long Darling (Grey Cliff)
1960 - A Certain Kind Of Love (Isle)
Diamonds And Pearls (prev. unrel.) 

 

Biography:

Originating from Harlem, NY, in the mid-'50s, the Laddins carved an unspectacular recording career from 1957 to 1964 on a succession of hotdog-stand recording companies. The originals members were David "Pinky" Coleman (lead), Ernest "Micky" Goody (first tenor), Early "E.J." Marcus (lead/second tenor), and John Marcus (baritone). Bobby Jay (bass) joined in 1957 and missed seemingly their only early photo session, which depicts the Laddins as a quartet. They scored a now-sought-after single that did little when released, entitled "Did It," on Central Records in 1957. Disappointed, Central allowed scheduled releases for 1958, "My Baby's Left Me" and "I'm Falling In Love," to gather dust.

The Laddins    The Laddins

"Yes, Oh Baby Yes" appeared on Grey Cliff Records in 1959; but history repeated itself as proposed follow-ups, "Eternally" and "So Long Darling," never were released. Their next release was "Come On" on Isle in 1960; but its pre-picked successor, "A Certain Kind of Love," was shelved. Initially, companies loved the Laddins, but withdrew the adulation after their first singles with the labels bombed. Their most popular failure came courtesy of Theater Records in 1961. The two-sided pleaser, "Oh How I Hate to Go Home" and "There Was Once a Time," was their only known release on the short-lived label.

The Laddins  

After two 1962 releases, "I'll Kiss Your Teardrops Away" b/w "If You Need Me, I'll Be There" on Angie and "Try, Try Again" on Groove, the Laddins left the Big Apple for the Big Orange (Miami, FL). You seldom hear of entertainers leaving New York City for recording opportunities, but that's exactly what they did the winter of 1962. In the interim, Angie unleashed "Push, Shake, Kick and Shout" in late 1962; Bardell Records reissued it in 1963. The Laddins refreshed their lineup with new lead singer Yvonne "Frankie" Gearing, Alfred Ellis, and Dizzy Jones, joining Goody and the Marcus brothers; other members came and went but these were the main cogs. (Bobby Jay joined the military). The new group had one single on Butane Records, "Dream Baby" b/w "Dizzy Jones Birdland," in 1964 before evolving into the Steinways, a group with a similar sound to Motown's Elgins and Philadelphia's Formations.

   The Laddins

Bobby Jay later worked as a DJ at WWRL and WCBS-FM in New York City, and stations in Augustus, GA; Memphis, TN; and Newark, NJ. Billboard honored him as Air Personality of the Year in 1977. Jay also acted off-Broadway, hosted a magazine-style talk show, appeared in the soap Guiding Light, and toiled as a record producer. He appeared sometimes in a revamped lineup of Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers with Lymon's brother, Lewis Lymon; long-time stand in Jimmy Castor; and original members Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago.  

The Laddins     The Laddins

Frankie Gearing sang with the Coeds, the Steinways (which also included Goody and the Marcus brothers), the Glories, Quiet Elegance, and recorded as a solo artist. She also relocated to her hometown, St. Petersburg, FL, where she's a popular entertainer. David Coleman is deceased. Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis toiled for years as a saxophonist for James Brown.
Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide

 

Songs :


     
     Yes, Oh Baby Yes         I'll kiss your teardrops away      If You Need Me I'll Be There 

           
    Oh How I Hate To Go Home       Push, Shake, Kick And Shout           Try, Try Again

     
Light A Candle                 She’s The One                   Come On

   
Oh How I Hate To Go Home / There Once Was A Time         Did It / Now You’re Gone

     
That's What You Do To Me       Push, Shake, Kick And Shou        t Push, Shake, Kick And Shout (inst. vers.)

  
Dream Baby / Dizzie Jone’s Birdland         Diamonds And Pearls / You Talk Too Much

  
A Hundred Pounds Of Clay / Tossin' And Turnin'         Every Beat Of My Heart / Mother-In-Law
 

 

 

...

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The Chancellors (2)

Posted on by dion1

The Chancellors (2)

The Chancellors (2) (Rahway, NJ)

 

Personnel :

Paul Bozung (Lead & Piano)

Don Girvan (Baritone / Guitar)

Joe Gassaway (Tenor / Bass)

Georges May (Bass / Drum)

 

Discography :

1956 - Too Many Memories / Everything Has A Place (Unique 341)
1957 - I'm Coming Home / Gotta Little Baby (XYZ 104/601)
1958 - Seaport At Sunset / Chalypso Train (XYZ 105)

 

Biography :

Paul Bozung, Joe Gassaway and Georges May are from Rahway. Don Girvan sings baritone and plays guitar in the quartet. Paul Bozung sings lead and plays piano. Joe Gassaway sings tenor and plays the Bass, Georges May Sings Bass and plays the CocKtail drum. After performing at parties, the group moved into the local club circuit and have little success. In 1956, The Chancellors recorded "Too Many Memories" b/w "Everything Has A Place" released by Unique Records. Unique Records Started in new York early 1955 by Bandleader, arranger, conductor, record producer and trumpeter Joseph J. Leahy , and bought out later by RKO Teleradio leaving Leahy as A&R manager.

The Chancellors (2)

Their two next records are for XYZ. XYZ Records was a record label founded by Frank Slay and Bob Crewe, mainly as an outlet for their own songs. The label opened in 1957 and was sporadically active till about 1960. Their only success was with The Rays "Silhouettes" that was taken over for national distribution by Cameo Records in Philadelphia.

    The Chancellors (2)

Their song, "I'm Coming Home,"  made the Top 10 in 1957, and went to No. 2 later that year when it was recorded by Sammy Davis Jr. Played at the Sands in Las Vegas, met Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Jerry Lewis and others. Has opened at conventions for the Fraternal Order of Eagles, performing before Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Connie Stevens, Lorrie Morgan, Billy Ray Cyrus and others. They appeared on the Today Show and twice on Dick Clark's American Band Stand and had appearances at the Sands in Vegas. Their second single on the label "Seaport at Sunset" b/w "Chalypso Train" goes unnoticed and the band split soon after ...

 

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 


  
Too Many Memories / Everything Has A Place

     
I'm Coming Home            Gotta Little Baby            Chalypso Train


Seaport At Sunset

 

 

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The Kodaks aka The Kodoks aka The Kadak's

Posted on by dion1

The Kodaks aka The Kodoks aka The Kadak's

The Kodaks  (Newark, New Jersey)
aka The Kodoks aka The Kadak's


Personnel :

Pearl McKinnon (Lead)

James Patrick (First Tenor)

William Franklin (Second Tenor)

Larry Davis (Baritone)

William Miller (Bass)

 

Discography :

The Kodaks
1957 - Teenager's Dream / Little Boy And Girl (Fury 1007)
1957 - Oh Gee, Oh Gosh / Make Believe Worlds (Fury 1015)
1958 - My Baby And Me / Kingless Castle (Fury 1019)
1958 - Guardian Angel / Run Around Baby (Fury 1020)

The Kadak's
1960 - Don't Want No Teasing / Look Up To The Sky (J&S-1683 / 1684)

The Kodoks
1961 - Twista Twistin' / Let's Rock (Wink 1004)
1961 - Mister Magoo / Love Wouldn't Mean A Thing (Wink 1006)

 

Biography :

An early male R&B group with a female lead, the Kodaks' chief asset was the uncanny similarity of Pearl McKinnon's voice to that of Frankie Lymon. Pearl's first group got together in Newark, New Jersey, at Robert Trent Junior High and consisted of 15-year-old Pearl, Marian Patrick, and Jean Miller. The boys, who grew up in the Baxter Terrace housing project, included Marian's brother James  (lead, tenor, and brother of Charles Patrick of The Monotones), William Franklin (second tenor), Larry Davis (baritone), and William Miller (bass). The guys met Pearl in 1957 and felt she would be the unique twist that would differentiate them from the volume of vocal acts singing throughout Newark. The group's influences included The Harptones, The Spaniels, The Heartbeats and Frankie Lymon's Teenagers.

The Kodaks aka The Kodoks aka The Kadak's
The Kodaks (1957) William Franklin, William Miller, James Patrick and Larry Davis

Whether conscious or not, Pearl's amazing ability to sound like Frankie made the group a popular quintet around the Baxter Terrace recreation hall where they rehearsed. They called themselves the Supremes  (over four years before the Detroit superstars) and when they felt confident enough headed for Harlem to audition for Fury label owner Bobby Robinson. Since Bobby had reportedly missed out on signing Frankie Lymon because he had been late for an appointment with Richard Barrett (who had then taken Lymon downtown to George Goldner's Gee label), he made up for it by grabbing the Supremes and recording "Teenager's Dream," a ballad Pearl and he collaborated on.

The Kodaks aka The Kodoks aka The Kadak's    The Kodaks aka The Kodoks aka The Kadak's
                                                                                                                  Pearl McKinnon

At this time the group decided to change their name to the Kodaks after the camera company. Both "Teenager's Dream" and its flip, the rollicking "Little Boy and Girl," were immediate New York airplay favorites, and the group's smooth yet enthusiastic harmonies gave both the songs and Pearl's lead an aura of quality not found in many of the Lymon-like groups. The group's second single, "Oh Gee Oh Gosh," written by Pearl when she was 12, became their best-known effort; it did well in the Northeast and reached number eight R&B on their hometown chart in June 1958. They performed a number of times at the Apollo, did the chitlin circuit from Philadelphia's Uptown Theatre to the Howard in Washington, and appeared on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand." Around this time Franklin and Davis left to join the Sonics ("This Broken Heart," Harvard, 1959).

The Kodaks aka The Kodoks aka The Kadak's    The Kodaks aka The Kodoks aka The Kadak's

They were replaced by Harold "Curly" Jenkins and Richard Dixon. The group had two more Fury singles, neither of which reached the level of the previous efforts, and within a year the Kodaks had disbanded. Pearl married and stopped performing; James Patrick joined his brother in the Monotones. Miller, along with his wife Jean, Harold Jenkins, and Renaldo Gamble (the Schoolboys, Okeh), formed a new Kodaks and recorded one single for Zell Sanders' J&S label in 1960 and two for Sol Winkler's Wink label, the best side being "Love Wouldn't Mean A Thing". In 1960 Pearl, along with Carl Williams (first tenor), James Straite (second tenor), Luther Morton (baritone), and Aaron Broadnick (bass), became Pearl and the Del tars and did another version of "Teenager's Dream" for Robinson's Fury label.

 

Songs :

The Kodaks

     
Teenager's Dream              Little Boy And Girl                   Oh Gee, Oh Gosh

     
Make Believe Worlds            My Baby And Me                           Kingless Castle

  
Guardian Angel                     Run Around Baby

 

The Kadak's

  
Don't Want No Teasing               Look Up To The Sky  

 

The Kodoks

  
Twista Twistin' / Let's Rock               Mister Magoo      


Love Wouldn't Mean A Thing


...

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The Heartbreakers (4)

Posted on by dion1

 

The Heartbreakers (4) (Los Angeles, California)


 


Personnel :


Benny Rodriguez

Joe Rodriguez


 

Discography :

1963 - Everytime I See You / Cradle Rock (Donna 1381)
1963 - Leavin' It All Up To You / Corrido Marsh (Brent 7037)

1964 - Please Answer / She Is My Baby (Linda 114)



Biography :

Brothers, Benny & Joe Rodriguez were born in El Paso, Texas. When Benny was 14 and Joe was 12, they moved to East Los Angeles where Benny attended Roosevelt High School. They were discovered by Billy Cardenas (more on Billy later) who was the manager of the group, the Romancers. The Romancers were under contract to producer Bob Keane. At Paul Buff's Pal Studio in Rancho Cucamonga, California they recorded "Cradle Rock" and "Everytime I See You".



"Cradle Rock" was a re-make of a song recorded by the Rhythm Heirs on the Yucca label in 1959. The flip side "Everytime I See You" was co-written by Frank Zappa and Ray Collins (of Little Julian Herrera & The Tigers). The record was released on the Donna label (Donna 1381). The Heartbreakers next single, also in 1963 was "Leavin' It All Up To You" and "Corrido Marsh" on the Brent label (Brent 7037). "Leavin' It All Up To You" was a remake of the Don & Dewey hit & "Corrida Mash" was a rockin' instrumental.

  

These two songs were produced by Bumps Blackwell. In 1964 the Heartbreakers recorded "Please Answer" and "She Is My Baby" for producer Eddie davis and the Lind label (Linda 114). For these two tracks, they were backed by The Mixtures, a mixed-race band from Pomona, California.
http://wwwyoufoundthateastsidesoundcom.blogspot.fr/2011/10/eastside-legends-heartbreakers.html



Songs :

  
Everytime I See You                     Please Answer

  
Cradle Rock                              She Is My Baby

 

 

 

 

 

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