Doo Wop - Rhythm & Blues

The Vines (2)

Posted on October 20 2018 by dion1

The Vines (2) (Trenton, NJ)

Personnel :

Major McBride (lead)

Carl Bronner (First Tenor)

James Winder (Second Tenor)

Dave Mudd (Baritone)

Moses Key (Bass)

Discography :

1961 - I Must See You Again / Love So Sweet (Cee-Jay 582)

Biography :

Vocal group from Trenton, NJ. The Vines consisted of Major McBride (lead), Carl Bronner (First Tenor), James Winder (Second Tenor), Dave Mudd (Baritone) and Moses Key (Bass). In 1961, The Vines recorded two songs "I Must See You Again" and "Love So Sweet" released by Cee-Jay Records, a label owned by a Clarence Johnson, Affiliated with Danny Robinson's Everlast. "I Must See You Again" was originally done by The Rivals and written by Alfred Gaitwood .

Songs :

I Must See You Again Love So Sweet

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The El Capris

Posted on October 18 2018 by dion1

The El Capris (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Personnel :

Eddie Jackson (Tenor)

James Scott (First Tenor)

Theodore McCrary (Second Tenor)

Leon Gray (Baritone)

Larry Hill (Bass)

William Germany (Baritone/Conga Drums)

James Ward (Bass / Bongos)

Discography :

1956 - (Shimmy Shimmy) Ko Ko Wop / Oh But She Did (Bullseye 102)
1957 - Your Star / Dance All Night (Fee Bee 216)
1958 - Ivy League Clean / They're Always Laughin' At Me (Paris 525)
1965 - Safari (Part 2) / Quit Pulling My Woman (Ring-O 308)
1972 - Your Star / To Live Again (Fee Bee 216)

Biography :

Pittsburgh R&B septet the El Capris formed in the city's Hill District in 1954 -- according to Marv Goldberg's profile on his website, founders Eddie Jackson (lead tenor), James Scott (first tenor), Theodore McCrary (second tenor), Leon Gray (baritone), William Germany (baritone and conga drums), Larry Hill (bass), and James Ward (bass and bongos) were all between the ages of 13 and 14 years old at the time of the group's creation.

The El Capris

Top : Theodore McCrary, Leon Gray, Eddie Jackson, Larry Hill & James Scott
Bottom : William Germany & James Ward

Dubbing themselves the El Capris -- reportedly a badly misguided attempt to add Spanish flair to their original choice, the Bluebirds -- the group won a local talent contest on Independence Day 1955, earning an audition with Bullseye Records owner Woody Henderling. Sufficiently impressed to offer the El Capris a contract on the spot, Henderling returned to Pittsburgh at year's end to cut their debut single, "(Shimmy Shimmy) Ko Ko Wop." Issued in the spring of 1956, the record quickly went nowhere, and the group signed to the local Fee Bee imprint to cut the follow-up, 1957's "Your Star."

The El Capris

Though promoted via live appearances at venues including Harlem's landmark Apollo Theatre, the record met the same fate as its predecessor and after a third single, "Safari" (issued on Fee Bee's sister label Ring-O), the El Capris began to splinter. By 1958 only McCrary, Gray, and Germany remained from the original lineup, but they forged on, recruiting first tenor Percy Wharton and bass Sam Askue to cut "Ivy League Clean" for the Paris label. Although the El Capris did not reenter the studio, the group continued touring the East Coast nightclub circuit until 1970 -- a quarter century later, co-founders Germany and Jackson played a series of revival showcases in a reconstituted lineup featuring second tenor Shane Plummer and bass Doc Battle.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/ElCapris/elcapris.html

Songs :


(Shimmy Shimmy) Ko Ko Wop           Oh But She Did          Your Star / Dance All Night


Ivy League Clean / They're Always Laughin' At Me


To Live Again            Quit Pulling My Woman           Safari (Part 2)

Videos :

(1994) Oh But She Did

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The Supremes (1)

Posted on October 17 2018 by dion1

The Supremes (1)

The Supremes (1) (Columbus, Ohio)

Personnel :

Jay Robinson (Second Tenor, Bass & Lead)

Bobby Isbell (Second Tenor)

James Johnson (Baritone & Second Tenor)

Eddie Dumas (Baritone)

Benny Collier (Bass)

Discography :

Singles :
1957 - Just For You And I / Don't Leave Me Here To Cry (Ace 534)
1977 - Glow / You And Me (Grog SH 500)

Unreleased :
1957 - Honey Honey (Ace)

Biography :

The original Supremes, who are often referred to for convenience's sake as the Columbus Supremes to distinguish them from the much better-known Motown girl trio, are remembered only by serious R&B scholars and doo wop enthusiasts. In 1954, Bobby Isbell (bass) and Eddie Dumas (second tenor) joined with Forest Porter (lead), Jay Robinson (baritone), and Eddie Jackson (first tenor), all students at Columbus, OH's East High School, and formed a quintet that took the name of the Supremes .

The choice, so Isbell explained, came from a bottle of Bourbon Supreme that provided some escape from the cold one bitter night in the winter of 1954. They kept very busy singing in Ohio across more than three years, through 1957, and were one of the most highly regarded R&B vocal ensembles in the region.

They broke out that year with an engagement in Florida, their first chance to perform outside of the upper Midwest, and recorded for Ace Records in the spring of 1957. What was to be their big breakthrough proved a non-event, as the single "Just for You and I" failed to sell. The group was gone by 1959, and the name was still available for the picking when the Motown-based Primettes, as they were known, were searching for a new name. The original group has been mostly forgotten since, although they did reunite and perform on occasion into the 1970s.
Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Ev1tiger/origsupremes.html
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Supremes/supremes.html

Songs :

Just For You And I                      Don't Leave Me Here To Cry


Honey Honey                                               Glow

You And Me

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The Debonairs (2)

Posted on October 14 2018 by dion1

The Debonairs (2) (Philadelphia)

Personnel :

Bill Clancy

Eddie D'Angelius

Joe Angelucci

Danny Dilonzo

Discography :

1960 - To Be Without You / Crazy Kind Of Love (Winter 502)

Biography :

This Debonairs were from Philadelphia composed by Bill Clancy, Eddie D'Angelius, Joe Angelucci and Danny Dilonzo. This group recorded two songs "To Be Without You" and "Crazy Kind Of Love" released by Winter records in 1960.

Songs :

Crazy Kind Of Love To Be Without You
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The Chesterfields (2)

Posted on October 14 2018 by dion1

The Chesterfields (2) (Bronx, NY.)

Personnel :

Al Reno "Al DiPaola" (Lead)

Carl DiPrima

John Colisante (First Tenor)

Larry Stovell

Discography :

1958 - I Got Fired / Meet Me At The Candy Store (Cub 9008)

Biography :

Vocal group from the Bronx composed by Al Reno (real name Al DiPaola) backed by Carl DiPrima, John Colisante and Larry Stovell. Lou Cicchetti owned Cousins record store in the Bronx which was frequented by many local neighborhood groups. These groups wanted Lou to record the songs they were singing on the street corner and help propel them to stardom.

The Chesterfields (2)

Lou's faith in the material he was producing was so strong that almost every time he was ready to release a master, if he had difficulty placing it with a record label, he would release it on Cousins and soon a major label would eventually lease the product based on its local sales and strong teenager appeal.The Chesterfields recorded "I Got Fired" and "Meet Me At The Candy Store" and the record eventually sold to ”MGM Records” released by subsidiary Cub Records.

Songs :

Meet Me At The Candy Store I Got Fired

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The Unknowns (1)

Posted on October 14 2018 by dion1

The Unknowns (1)

The Unknowns (1) (Manhattan, New York)

Personnel :

Fred Brunner (Lead)

Anthony Primola (Bass)

Edward Williams (Tenor)

John Alicea (Tenor)

Discography :

1957 - You and Me / One More Chance (X-Tra 102 / Shield 7101)

Biography :

This integrated group formed in 1956 while group members were attending George Washington High School in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. Later in 1956, The Unknowns visited every recording organisation on Broadway's Tin Pan Alley. They finally met up with Ben Smith of X-Tra Records. He had them records very Quickly, and "You and Me" b/w "One More Chance" was the product of that session. Smith played baritone sax on the recording. The Unknowns wore masks when they appeared at High School dances and other events. They reflected the racial mix of their neighborhood.

Songs :

One More Chance You and Me

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The Voltaires

Posted on October 12 2018 by dion1

The Voltaires (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Personnel :

Louis Bates (Lead)

George Russell (First Tenor)

Joe Golden (Second Tenor)

Jimmy Wright (Baritone)

Donald Tillman (Bass)

Discography :

?

1955 (L to R) : Donald Tillman, Jimmy Wright, Louis Bates, George Russell and Joe Golden

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Ronnie Vare & The Inspirators (2) aka The Inspirations (2)

Posted on October 9 2018 by dion1

Ronnie Vare & The Inspirators (2) aka The Inspirations (2)

Ronnie Vare & The Inspirators (2) (Springfield, MA)
aka The Inspirations (2)

Personnel :

Ronnie "Vare" Oliviero

Chuck Bentley

Dave Petronino

Ed Bentley

Harry Gagne

Discography :

Ronnie Vare & The Inspirators (2)
1957 - Let Me Be Your Love / Don't Ask Me (Glo 5201)

Ronnie Vare & The Inspirations (2)
1959 - Let's Rock Little Girl / Love Just For Two (Dell 5023)

Biography :

Vocal and Instrumental group from Springfield, MA. consisted of Ronnie "Vare" Oliviero, Chuck Bentley, Dave Petronino, Ed Bentley and Harry Gagne.

Ronnie Vare & The Inspirators (2) aka The Inspirations (2)

The Insprations started singing in 1957 and recorded "Let Me Be Your Love" b/w "Don't Ask Me" for Glo Records. The single will be released under the name of Ronnie Vare & The Inspirators.

Ronnie Vare & The Inspirators (2) aka The Inspirations (2)

After a change of manager, and style, the group recorded "Let's Rock Little Girl" b/w "Love Just For Two" for Dell records .The two titles are more like a rockabilly band than a Vocal Group. In 1960 the group had broken up.

Songs :

Ronnie Vare & The Inspirators (2)

Don't Ask Me Let Me Be Your Love

Ronnie Vare & The Inspirations (2)

Let's Rock Little Girl

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The Inspirators (1) aka The Five Stars (1)

Posted on October 9 2018 by dion1

The Inspirators (1) aka The Five Stars (1)

The Inspirators (1) (Brooklyn, New York)
aka The Five Stars (1)

Personnel :

Cleo Perry (Lead)

William Massey (First tenor)

Clifton Johnson (Second Tenor)

Barney Fields (Baritone)

Buster Boyce (Bass)

Discography :

The Inspirators (1)
1955 - If Loving You Is Wrong / Three Sixty (Treat 502)
1958 - Starlight Tonight / Oh What A Feeling (Old Town 1053)

The Five Stars (1)
1955 - We Danced In The Moonlight / Let's Fall In Love [as the 5 Stars] (Treat 505)

Biography :

The Inspirators were among the myriad doo wop groups to emerge from Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. According to Marv Goldberg's profile in the March 1997 issue of Discoveries, lead Cleo Perry, first tenor William Massey, second tenor Clifton Johnson, baritone Barney Fields, and bass Buster Boyce were all high-school students when they began their collaboration in 1949. Inspired by local heroes including the Velours and the Strangers, the Inspirators were a regular presence on the Brooklyn club circuit and placed second during their lone appearance at the Apollo Theater's renowned amateur showcase, but their career remained stuck in neutral until the mid-'50s, when they became fixtures of the neighborhood surrounding New York's famed songwriting capital the Brill Building. While harmonizing on the street corner, the quintet captured the attention of Treat Records general manager Larry Newton, who extended a contract offer.

The Inspirators (1) aka The Five Stars (1)

The Inspirators' debut single, "If Loving You Is Wrong," hit retail in April 1955 but attracted little attention. For reasons unknown, Newton credited the follow-up, "Let's Fall in Love," to the Five Stars, but it too failed to catch on at radio. The Inspirators returned to Treat to cut several additional sessions, all of which remain unreleased. Newton finally terminated the group's contract in early 1958, and at mid-year their final single, "Starlight Tonight," appeared on the Old Town label. Its failure essentially spelled the Inspirators' demise, although Perry later toured clubs and the Catskills as a solo act, cutting singles for Dot under the aliases Lee Perry and Perry Lee. ~ Jason Ankeny

Songs :

The Inspirators (1)


If Loving You Is Wrong                                Three Sixty


Starlight Tonight                             Oh What A Feeling

The Five Stars (1)


We Danced In The Moonlight                    Let's Fall In Love

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The Montereys (4)

Posted on October 7 2018 by dion1

The Montereys (4) (Bronx, New York)

Personnel :

Francis Harper

Charles Dever

Louis LoBiondo

Patrick Callahan

Discography :

1958 - The American Teens / I’ll Love You Again (East West 121)

Biography:

Vocal group from The Bronx composed by Francis Harper, Charles Dever, Louis LoBiondo and Patrick Callahan. The Monterey recorded two songs "The American Teens" and "I’ll Love You Again" released by East West Records in New York. The A side "The American Teens" was copyrighted twice. By the members of the Monterys and by Eddie Connor.

The Montereys (4)

The group were unaffiliated with a publisher (or a record label) so went ahead and copyrighted their song as individuals on August 22. Then they shopped it around and Atlantic/East West picked up their recording (or decided to record them).. Part of the deal would have been Progressive taking over the copyright thus ensuring 50% of any royalties would flow back to Atlantic and the other 50% would be split by the members of the group. Atlantic, being really efficient, re-registered copyright in December (at time of record release) via Progressive to ensure their claim on the copyright.
by Klepsie

Songs :

The American Teens I’ll Love You Again

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