Doo Wop - Rhythm & Blues

The Youngtones (2)

Posted on September 29 2016 by dion1

The Youngtones (2) (Coney Island, New York)

Personnel:

Johnny Marsi (Lead singer)

Gilbert Rivera (First Tenor)

Joe Crespo (Second Tenor)

Willie Rivera (Baritone)

Louis Figueroa (Bass)

Discography :

Singles :
1958 - You I Adore / It's Over Now (X-tra 104)
1958 - By The Candleglow (accompanied by The Dolls) / Patricia (X-tra 110)
1958 - Come On Baby / Oh Tell Me (Brunswick 55089)
1959 - Can I Come Over / Gonna Get Together Again (X-tra 120/121)
1964 - I Do / Day Train (by the Blasters) (Time Square 31)

Unreleased :
1961 - Memories Linger On
1961 - Mary
1961 - Moondust
1961 - What Am I Gonna Do

Biography :

Ben Smith had been, with Big Al Sears, a sax player in Andy Kirk's Clouds Of Joy and then lead of the Ben Smith Quartet. Aside from Teenage Records (co-owned with Bill Gordon), he owned the X-Tra label at 1650 Broadway in New York in 1956.

The Youngtones (2)

"You I Adore" b/w "It's Over Now" was the first release by the Coney Island based Youngtones for the new label. The Youngtones were a Hispanic group whose group members included Johnny Marsi (lead), Gilbert Rivera (first tenor), Joe Crespo (second tenor), Willy Rivera (baritone) and Louis Lugo (aka Louis Figueroa) (bass).

The Youngtones (2)

The Group biggest records was "Patricia" released as X-tra 110 In February 1958. The Group also recorded two sides for Brunswick in the late of the Summer 1958, and their last effort for X-tra, the haunting ballad called "Can I Come Over", appeared in 1959.

The Youngtones (2)

Ronald Jackson, the brother of Adam jackson who sung lead for the Jesters on Winley, did the lead honors on "Can I Come Over". Unreleased song was issued in the early sixties on Time Square Records by Irv "Slim" Rose when he bought the X-tra catalog from Ben Smith in 1962.

The Youngtones (2)

Two of the members of the Youngtones, Johnny Marsi and Gil Rivera later joined with Bobby "Ziggy" Andriani to record as Marci and the Mates for two releases on the Big Top record label, and would later record under other names (Johnny, Gil and Bobby; Hans, Chris & Anderson, etc).

Songs :


You I Adore                                It's Over Now


By The Candleglow                                     Patricia


Come On Baby                                       Oh Tell Me


      Can I Come Over                      Gonna Get Together Again

I Do

…

See comments

The Robbins (3) aka The Two-Notes (1) aka The Classics (7) aka The Robins (2)

Posted on September 27 2016 by dion1

The Robbins (3) aka The Two-Notes (1) aka The Classics (7) aka The Robins (2)
Redda Robbins

The Robbins (3) (Cleveland, OH.)
aka The Two-Notes (1)
aka The Classics (7)
aka The Robins (2)

Personnel :

Redda Robbins "Shubert"

Jeanette Robbins "Harris"

Discography :

The Robbins (3)
1959 - And Everytime / Tweedy-Dee (Redda Robbins) (Redhead 100)
1959 - I Want To Sing Again / Standing At The Bandstand (Cashmere 1000)

The Two-Notes (1)
1959 - Sandy, Sandy / My Secret Lover (Coral 62153)

The Classics (7)
1960 - You're Everything / Burning Love (Top Rank 2061)

The Robins (2)
1961 - Baby Love / We Loved (Gone 5101)

Biography :

In February 1959, Redda and Jeanette Robbins South Euclid’s young singing composers, have etched two of their songs for Cashmere Records Studio, which they own. "I Want to Sing Again" "and "Standing At The Bandstand" are their lilting tunes for which they recruited Dick Lurie's all-Cleveland orchestra. Billed as The Robbins, the sister team makes its home at 3852 Grosvenor Road. A few months later The Robbins released a new single on the Redhead label with the B-side by Redda Robbins.

The Robbins (3) aka The Two-Notes (1) aka The Classics (7) aka The Robins (2)
1964 - Redda Robbins 1968 - Redda Robbins

In November 1959, as the Two-Notes They write and recorded "Sandy, Sandy" and "My Secret Lover" for Coral. They recorded in 1960 as by The Classics on Top Rank the following year with "You're Everything" and "Burning Love" and in 1961 "Baby Love" "We Loved" as The Robins. (Redda Robbins also used the name Redda Shubert and Jeanette Robbins the Name of Jeanette Harris). in 1963, Redda Robbins heard the Secrets at one of the gigs, and offered to take the girls under her wing. In 1964, Redda Robbins started and owned the Redda label and she was the manager of the Motions, The Bobbi Pins, the Parakeets, the Wispers, Barry Lee, Terry Hall and of course Bocky and the Visions.

Songs :

The Robbins (3)

I Want To Sing Again

The Two-Notes (1)

My Secret Lover

...

See comments

The Dell-O's aka The Sensational Dellos

Posted on September 25 2016 by dion1

The Dell-O's (Bahamas)
aka The Sensational Dellos

Personnel :

?

Discography :

John Shaw & Dell-O's
1958 - Why Did You Leave Me / Why Does It Have To Be Her (no group) (U-C 5002)

Donel Austin & The Sensational Dellos
1959 - So Shy / That's Why I'm Dreamin' (Donel Austin & Impallas) (Mida 106)

The Sensational Dellos
1959 - Lost Love / So Don't Go (Mida 109)

Biography :

Vocal group from the Bahamas originally (at least their first record was recorded in Nassau, Bahamas) They backed John Shaw on " Why Did You Leave Me " .

The Dell-O's aka The Sensational Dellos

The group moved to Henry Stone label Mida Records , which also was based in Miami where they backed Donel Austin on "So Shy" as he Sensational Dellos. The group finally recorded his own record on Mida with "Lost Love" b/w "So Don't Go".
Thanks to Marv Goldberg

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

John Shaw & Dell-O's

Why Did You Leave Me

Donel Austin & The Sensational Dellos

So Shy

The Sensational Dellos

Lost Love So Don't Go

...

See comments

Deviny James & The Videls (3)

Posted on September 24 2016 by dion1

Deviny James & The Videls (3)
The Videls : (L to R) Carol Mc Donald, Mary Jean Mc Donald, Bill Hoppe & Deviny James

Deviny James & The Videls (3) (St Paul, Minesota)

Personnel :

Jim Pewter "Deviny James" (Lead)

Carol Mc Donald

Mary Jean Mc Donald

Bill Hoppe

Discography :

Deviny James & The Videls (3)
Unreleased :
1958 - All Mine
1958 - Now She's Gone

Deviny James & The Fergusons Singer
1959 - Blue Denims / Little Girl (Beta 1003)
1959 - Blue, Blue Denims / Little Girl (Beta 1006)

Biography :

Jim Pewter, Guitarist, singer and songwriter debuted while still a student in St. Paul, Minnesota. He formed his first vocal group in 1958 named "Deviny James & The Videls" with Carol Mc Donald, his sister Mary Jean and Bill Hoppe . The Group recorded two songs "All Mine" and "Now She's Gone" which will unfortunately unreleased. In the same time, Jim started his career as a teenage deejay in St. Paul, Minnesota. In January 1959, the youngster had interviewed Buddy Holly and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson when they were in St. Paul for a concert at the Promenade Ballroom. A week later, the music stars were dead.

Deviny James & The Videls (3)
Deviny James

Determined to become a professional, he sent a tape to the legendary Bumps Blackwell, Producer Speciality among which highlighted Little Richard, Larry Williams and Sam Cooke. Blackwell is very interested and brought Jim to Hollywood. Pewter landed in Hollywood and a session was held in August 1959. By October his first single was released. ' Little Girl,' with Bumps Blackwell [under the name Deviny James, Beta 45-1006] .Jim Pewter became better known by his given name as a DJ on KMET-LA and later Armed Forces Radio.

Songs :

(updated by Hans-Joachim)

Deviny James & The Videls (3)

???

Deviny James & The Ferguson Singer

Little Girl Blue Denims / Blue, Blue Denims

…

See comments

The Honeybees

Posted on September 22 2016 by dion1

Rodman "La La" Beckham

The Honeybees (Reading, Pa)

Personnel :

Rodman "La La" Beckham (Lead)

Vic Johnson Jr.

Skip Johnson

Barry Boswell (Second Tenor)

Benji "Chuckles" Williams (Bass)

Discography :

The Honeybees
Single :
1957 - Give Your Love To Me / Kiss Me My Love (Bee 1101)
Unreleased :
1958 - Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Bee)
1958 - My Knees Are Knocking (Bee)

Hermy Herman & The Honeybees
Unreleased :
1958 - Laddie Daddy (Bee)
1958 - Bowlegged Sadie (Bee)

Biography :

Rodman Beckham, and his cousin Vic Johnson Jr., graduated from Reading High School in the class of 1950. They later served together in the Korean War, where Beckham lost a leg in an encounter with a land mine. Upon their return to civil life, they began harmonizing with Vic’s Brother Skip Johnson, another cousin, Barry Boswell, and Benji "Chuckles" Williams, a friend of the family. Vic Johnson Sr. who was a well-established musician in Reading’ Club scene, Knew Grover Barbour, who founded Bee Records, and arranged an audition. Barbour and Russ Golding, a young aspiring song writer, were so impressed by the group’s talent that they wanted to record them sa soon as possible. Barbour gave the group their name, and arranged a recording session in Juranis’ living room, at 5th and Buttonwood Streets.

The Honeybees
Grover Barbour

This session produced the first sides for their own label, Bee Records, released on August 1, 1957. Soon, the record was on every jukebox in Berks County and getting heavy play locally on WEEU Radio. Beckham, who was nicknamed "La La" early in life, as the result of a younger brother being unable to pronounce his real name, sang lead on both sides of the recording. The group was booked several nights a week for the rest of the year, becoming regulars at Reading’s Melody and mademoiselle Bars, the Circle Bar in Pottsville, as well as Pushniks and Chick Maples in Lebanon. This exposure drew offers from some major labels, most notably Atlantic, to purchase the masters and sign the group. Barbour turned down the offer, convinced that he could promote the record himself.

Hermy Herman

However, when a scheduled date on Dick Clark’s "American Bandstand" fell through in October, 1957, the group started pulling away from the label, turning to Charlie Booker to land them bigger gigs in New York City. The Following year, they played at Club Harlem, Albright College, and at Shorty Long’s Santa Fe Ranch, where they opened for Bill Haley and the Comets. Especially popular was their rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow ». Sadly this arrangement, and the song slated to be their second 45, entitled "My Knees Are Knocking" were never recorded. The Honeybees did some session work for Bee as backup singers for Hermy Herman, and Disbanded toward the end of 1958.

Songs :

The Honeybees

Kiss Me My Love / Give Your Love To Me
…

See comments

The Montereys (1)

Posted on September 21 2016 by dion1

The Montereys (1)
Donald Radford, Jim Haden, David Barber, and Tommy Padgham

The Montereys (1) (Stillwater, OK)

Personnel :

Tommy Padgham (Lead)

Dave Barber (Tenor)

Jim Hadden (Baritone)

Don Radford (Bass)

Discography :

1957 - Ape Shape / You're The Girl For Me (Rose 109)

Biography :

The Montereys have been singing together since they were in the eight grade. They started it as a Joke, impersonating another vocal group, but they stuck together. They began to polish their harmony as freshmen in high-school with public appearances at assemblies and civic club.

The Montereys (1)
Tommy Padgham

The Montereys really slipped into high gear with appearances at Teen Town during the Oklahoma Semi-Centennial Exposition and at local theater Rock and Roll shows. Their repertoire includes about 80 numbers, including at least two Padgham originals : "Ape Shape" and "You're The Girl For Me"

The Montereys (1)

They have appeared on variety shows all over the state and in 1957 they signing a recording contract with Bill Burden owner or Rose Records in Stillwater. The Montereys recorded the two Padgham songs "Ape Shape" and "You're The Girl For Me". The single does not have the expected success and By the end of 1958, the Montereys had split up.

Songs :

You're The Girl For Me / Ape Shape

...

See comments

Dicky Dell & The Bing Bongs aka The Troys

Posted on September 18 2016 by dion1

The Troys aka Dicky Dell & The Bing Bongs

Dicky Dell & The Bing Bongs (Brooklyn, New York)
aka The Troys

Personnel :

Richard Owens "Dicky Dell" (Lead of The Bing Bongs)

Lou DeMarco (Lead of The Troys)

Michael John Rampino (Baritone)

Discography :

Dicky Dell & The Bing Bongs
1958 - Ding-A-Ling-Ding-Dong / Cling (The Bing Bongs) (Dragon 10205)

The Troys
1959 - Cling / Ding-A-Ling-Ding-Dong (Okeh 7120)

--------------?????---------------

Lou Demarco
1956 - Careless Love / My Lady Fair (Ferris 903)
1957 - Your Kind Of Love / You Tell Me Your Dream (Ferris 909)

The Four Chimes
19?? - It Grows, It Grows, It Grows / Chitarra, Bring Her Back To Me (Primos 1003)

Biography :

In 1958 Lou Demarco, Michael John Rampino and two neighbourhood friends formed a singing group named The Troys. Their name derived from The street corner they first started to sing on in Brooklyn NY. The corner of Troy ave. and Schenectady boulevard. The Troys recorded two songs "Ding-A-Ling-Ding-Dong" and "Cling". Dragon Records likes "Ding-A-Ling-Ding-Dong" but would prefer another vocal lead. Dragon Records forced them to take a singer named Richard Owens to record and forced them to change their name as The Bing Bongs and renames Richard Owens "Dicky Dell". The single of Dicky Dell & The Bing Bongs is released at the end of 1959. Manager of the group sold the demos of the two songs originally recorded by The Troys to the Okeh label who released the Single in the summer of 1959. The Lead Singer of the Troys, Lou DeMarco is probably the same artist who recorded two singles in 1956 and 1957 on The Ferris Label and with The Four Chimes on "It Grows, It Grows, It Grows."

Songs :

Dicky Dell & The Bing Bongs

Cling Ding-A-Ling-Ding-Dong

The Troys

Cling Ding-A-Ling-Ding-Dong

Lou Demarco

Careless Love My Lady Fair

...

See comments

Rick & The Rockers (3) aka aka Rick & The Randells

Posted on September 15 2016 by dion1

Rick & The Randells aka Rick & The Rockers (3)
Rick & The Rockers (3) (L to R) Bobby Brown, Pete Shultz and Rick Randell.

Rick & The Rockers (3) (Newark, NJ)
aka Rick & The Randells

Personnel :

Rocco Gaeta "Rick Randell" (Lead)

Pete Shultz

Bobby Brown

Matty Ferrara

Discography :

Rick & The Rockers (3)
1959 - That Day / I'm Hurt (Arc 4445)

Rick Randle & The Rockers (3)
1959 - That Day / I'm Hurt (Arc 4445)

Rick & The Randells
1960 - Let It Be You / Honey Doll (ABC 10055)

Biography :

Rick Randell's real name is Rocco Gaeta and he was born and raised in Newark, NJ, in the Ironbound neighborhood. Still a thriving, vibrant area of Newark. The radio in their home was always on. His mother loved Country/Western music. He loved the sound of the steel guitars. His parents bought him a guitar when he was 9 years old. In the 8th grade his family moved to the suburb of Bloomfield, NJ where he attended Jr. High and High School.

Rick & The Randells aka Rick & The Rockers (3)
Rick Randell

In Jr. High He started a band called “The Rockers”. This group lasted into High School where they would play for the HS dances. They also did Rock n Roll Sock Hops at Daley’s Meadowbrook, Cedar Grove, NJ every Saturday for 2000 attending teens. The owners of ARC Records (Ed Danback/Joe DiMaggio) heard ,liked and signed The Group. They recorded “That Day” b/w “I’m Hurt” in 1959. They managed to be on the “Alan Freed” radio show, THE Rock n Roll number one show at that time. This is when “The Rockers’ became known as “Rick and the Rockers”.

Rick & The Randells aka Rick & The Rockers (3)

People from ABC Paramount were interested from this first recording with ARC. So ARC let them out of the contract and wished them well as they signed with ABC Paramount. They recorded “Honey Doll” in 1959. That same year They recorded “Let It Be You” for ABC. Since they were still in HS, permission from Parents and school district had to be obtained for Rick and the Rockers to go on a 2 month leave in order to tour the US and Canada.

Rick & The Randells aka Rick & The Rockers (3)
Rick & The Randells (L to R) Matty Ferrara, Pete Shultz, Bobby Brown and Rick Randell.

At this time they did an appearance on Dennis James’ Cerebral Palsy Telethon in NYC with such headliners as Connie Francis, Dwayne Eddie, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell etc… they were supposed to do 1-2 songs but the phones began to ring off the hook. They were the only performers to stay on live TV and continue playing for 45 minutes! The Rockers were Pete Schultz and Bobby Brown. They added Matty Ferrara and the four became “Rick and the Randells”. In 1960, ABC Paramount dropped the group, kept Rick Randell (Rocco Gaeta was too ethnic a name for the times) where He recorded for APT Records, a subsidiary of ABC Paramount. Rick Randell recorded for several other major labels: Decca, United Artists, Reprise.

Songs :

Rick & The Rockers (3)


That Day                             I'm Hurt

Rick & The Randells


Let It Be You                         Honey Doll

Rick Randell


Dining And Dancing               More Of The Same

...

See comments

The Meridians (1)

Posted on September 14 2016 by dion1

The Meridians (1)
The Meridians : Roger Bruno, Felix DeMasi, Bill Adair & Tommy Brown

The Meridians (1) (Tarrytown, Westchester,NY)
aka The Ideals

Personnel :

Roger Bruno (Lead)

Felix DeMasi

Bill Adair

Tommy Brown

Discography :

The Ideals
Unreleased :
1962 - New Love

The Meridians (1)
1965 - Blue Victory / Have You Forgotten (Parnaso 102)

Biography :

In Tarrytown, in the early nineteen sixties, there lived a young Brazilian musician named Tim Maia, who was destined for greatness, although few who knew him at the time would have guessed it. Tim sang in a vocal-harmony group called the Ideals with Roger Bruno, Felix DeMasi, Paul Mitranga and Bill Adair, and wrote the words to the group's only recorded song, "New Love," whose rhythm reflected Maia's world-music aspirations; somehow, he had persuaded the great Brazilian drummer Milton Banana to play on the demo.

The Meridians (1)
The Ideals : Roger Bruno, Bill Adair, Felix DeMasi, Paul Mitranga & Tim Maia

The song was never released commercially. The Ideals were planning on shopping it around to different labels, but the group's career was derailed when Maia was busted in Daytona Beach, Florida, for smoking pot in a stolen car, and after six months in jail he was deported to Brazil.

The Meridians (1)
The Ideals : Roger Bruno, Felix DeMasi, Tim Maia, Paul Mitranga & Bill Adair

Not long after, Roger Bruno, Felix De Masi & Bill Adair replaced him with Tommy Brown, and the Ideals became the Meridians. The group was mixed - 2 African-Americans (Tommy Brown and Bill Adair) and 2 whites (Roger Bruno and Felix DeMasi) . They recorded a couple of sides, "Blue Victory" b/w "Have You Forgotten", which got them some radio play and a small tour, opening for the Duprees. But by then vocal-harmony groups were giving way to rock bands. Bruno went out to Hollywood, where he and Ellen had some success as songwriters.

The Meridians (1)

Tim Maia contributed to Brazilian music within a wide variety of musical genres, including soul, funk, bossa nova, disco, romantic ballads, pop, rock, jazz, baião and MPB. He introduced the soul style on the Brazilian musical scene. Tim Maia is internationally recognised as one of the biggest icons of the Brazilian music. He recorded numerous albums and toured extensively in a long career.

Songs :

The Meridians (1)


Have You Forgotten                              Blue Victory

…

See comments

The Webtones

Posted on September 11 2016 by dion1

The Webtones with deejay Jack Lacey

The Webtones (Brooklyn, New York)

Personnel :

Louis Williams (Lead)

Terry Wilson (Baritone)

Frankie Clemens (Bass)

Duke Ebron (Second Tenor)

Bruce Cooke (First Tenor)

Discography :

1958 - My Lost Love / Walk, Talk And Kiss (MGM 12724)

Biography :

Like the Danleers, The Webtones were named after their manager and songwriter Danny Webb. The group consisted of Louis Williams (Lead), Terry Wilson (Baritone), Frankie Clemens (Bass), Duke Ebron (Second Tenor) and Bruce Cooke (First Tenor). Their manager wrote the Danleers’s only hit and charting single, “One Summer Night,” which was also the group’s debut single in April 1958.

By late fall, Danny Webb had placed The Webtones, with MGM for one quick unheralded release, "My Lost Love" b/w "Walk, Talk And Kiss". unfortunately, Despite the promising and beautiful "My Lost Love" the single never charted and this will be their only recordings as The Webtoones... After their last single on Mercury, The danleers broke up. Danny Webb put Lead singer' Jimmy Weston together with three members of the Webtones, to form a new Danleers group : Louis Williams, Terry Wilson and Frankie Clemens.

The Webtones
                                                                        Louis Williams, Terry Wilson, Frankie Clemons

Webb then proceeded to get the reorganized Danleers a contract with Columbia's Epic subsidiary. The New Danleers recorded some singles on Epic, Everest Le Mans and Smash. With no hits since 1958, the Danleers were history by the mid-60s.

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Danleers/danleers.html

Songs:


        My Lost Love                                Walk, Talk And Kiss

...

See comments