Singles : 1956 - The Heaven And Earth / Don't You Know (Federal 12286)
Unreleased : N/A - Shame On Me (Federal) N/A - Days A Week (Federal)
Biography :
Since there were other Playboys groups at the time (one on Rainbow and another on Tetra), Federal asked them to use a different name and James Gibson suggested the "Ramblers" (after the car). "The Heaven And Earth"/"Don't You Know" were released in December 1956.
The Falcons (5)/Fabulous Playboys with Hollowell
Probably during the summer of 1957, Frank Holt was replaced by second tenor/baritone Alton "Bart" Hollowell, who had been in the Enchanters on Coral. They later became The Falcons (5). The group, fronted by Carl 'Sonny' Monroe would later become The Fabulous Playboys and from there evolve into The Falcons after the original group of the same name had disbanded. http://www.uncamarvy.com/Falcons/falcons.html
The Carmelettes 1959 - My Foolish Heart / Promise Me A Rose (Alpine 53) 1960 - Aching For You / Something Tells Me I'm In Love (Alpine 61)
Neil Sedaka (bb The Carmelettes) 1959 - Oh! Carol / One Way Ticket (RCA 47-7595)
Carole King (bb The Carmelettes) 1960 - Oh, Neil / A Very Special Boy (Alpine 57)
The Kittens 1960 - Dark, Dark Sunglasses /Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini (Alpine 64) 1960 - A Letter On His Sweater / Broken Dreams (Alpine 67)
Biography :
Trio named after Our Lady of St. Carmel Church composed by Angela LaPrete (Angela Murphy), Vickie Cevetello and Virginia Verga. The Carmelettes were a group of Italian-American teenage girls from Jersey City, NJ -- a working class city just across the Hudson River from Manhattan -- in the late 50's.
Beatrice Verdi was their songwriter, arranger, and mentor, and she is the songwriter credited on Aching for You and Ding Dong. The group was signed to Alpine, a subsidiary of Epic Records, in about 1958 and recorded their own songs as well as background vocals for Neil Sedaka's Oh Carol.
When Carole King, for whom the song was written, recorded the answer song, Oh Neil, the girls were hired again to recreate the sound of the original song. This began a long collaboration with Carole King, although the girls were no longer called the Carmelettes.
The Kittens
Virginia Verga left the group, and Angela and Vickie became the Kittens. They continued to record with Carole and for Alpine until they fazed themselves out of the business at age 18.
The Four Kings (3) (Menphis, Tenesee) aka The Canes
Personnel :
Don Bryant (Lead)
James "Jamie" Bryant (Tenor)
Elvin Lee Jones (Second Tenor)
Lionel Byrd (Baritone)
Discography :
Willie Mitchell & The Four Kings (3) 1958 - Tell It To Me Baby / Walking At Your Will (Stomper Time 1160) 1958 - Walkin' Alone / Rag Mop (Stomper Time 1163)
The Four Kings (3) 1963 - Farmer John / Round And Round (Moc 651) 1963 - Early In The Morning / I Want To Be There (Moc 655)
The Canes 1962 - Why Should I Suffer With The Blues / I'll Never Give Her Up (My Friend) (Stax 123)
Biography :
1942, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. A significant songwriter for Joe Cuoghi"s (and then Willie Mitchell"s) Hi Records, especially for (and sometimes with) his wife, Ann Peebles, Bryant was also a superb soul stylist, although most of his own recordings for Hi were cut long before Al Green, in particular, gave the label the commercial soul base it needed for continued survival. One of 10 children, Bryant"s father (Donald Snr.) featured in the gospel quartet the Four Stars Of Harmony, and in 1955, Don Jnr. and four of his brothers formed their own gospel group, the Five Bryant Brothers, which soon became "secularized" as the doo-wopping Quails.
Four Stars Of Harmony
At Booker T. Washington High School, Bryant joined a group variously called the Canes and the Four Canes, named after their "manager", local Radio WLOK DJ, D. Cane Cole. or their live gigs the Canes dressed in striped jackets and straw hats and carried walking canes. Don"s brother James was also in the group, along with Lee Jones and William Walker, reputed to be the later Goldwax, Checker and Pawn soulman, (Wee) Willie Walker. A group called the Canes were taken to Stax Records by D. Cane Cole in early 1962 where they cut "Why Should I Suffer With The Blues", but they have since been identified as probably being the Largoes, led by Lorece Thompson.
Willie Mitchell
FEventually, Bryant split from Cole and changed the group"s name to the Four Kings. The new quartet became Willie Mitchell"s singing group at the band leader"s live gigs at Memphis clubs. Bryant himself was still underage, and, to enable him to work, Mitchell became his legal guardian.Mitchell was also producer for the Home of The Blues label, whose featured artists included the ex-King group the Five Royales. They recorded Bryant"s first commercial composition, "Is There Someone Else On Your Mind". Meanwhile, the Four Kings cut "Crawl Parts 1 & 2" with the Willie Mitchell Band for Hi, before the group dissolved. Bryant went solo in 1964, making his debut with a storming version of Chris Kenner"s "I Like It Like That".
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