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The Faces

Posted on by dion1

The Faces 

The Faces (Brooklyn, New York)


Personnel :

Philip Vitale

Johnny Vitale

Nicky Vitale

Joseph R. De Biaso (aka Joe Edan)


Discography :

1963 - Christmas / New Year's Resolution (Iguana 601)
1965 - Skier Jones / What Is This Dream (I Have) (Regina 1326)
1965 - I'll Walk Alone / I Didn't Want Her (Regina 1328)


Biography :

Vocal group from Downtown Brooklyn with Philip, Johnny and Nicky Vitale along with their cousin Joseph R. De Biaso (aka Joe Edan). They all live in the Gowanus Projects at 175 Hoyt St.. They were a talented Italian American vocal group group. Carol Blades who sang with the Harptones lived in same building and practiced harmony with them. Their Iguana Record "Christmas" b/w "New Year's Resolution" is little known for their two great sides. They recorded two other singles for Regina Records.



Songs :

  
   I'll Walk Alone                               New Year's Resolution

  
   Christmas                                       I Didn't Want Her


What Is This Dream I Have



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The Co-Hearts

Posted on by dion1

The Co-Hearts
The Co-Hearts (Philadelphia)
 

Personnel :

Doris Williamson

Dorothy Williamson

Earl Forman

Jerry ?

 

Discography :

1958 - My Love / Cry Baby (Vee Jay 289)


Biography :

Vocal group from north Philadelphia. "My love" b/w "Cry Baby" is the only 45 this group made. The singers were twin sisters Doris and Dorothy Williamson, also Earl Forman, and Jerry last name unknown. They all are from north Philadelphia. The song was released in 1958.

The Co-Hearts    The Co-Hearts
Doris Williamson                                                                                                                                    

The Co-hearts were produced by Harold Nussbaum (also known as Hal Norton) and William Goldstein (owners of Norgolde Records in Philly) , the same two gents who produced the Buccaneers on Southern and the Re-Vels on Chess.  The Co-hearts appeared many times in the late 50's on the same card as the Guytones.

Songs :

  
My Love                                          Cry Baby

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The Vilons

Posted on by dion1

The Vilons

 The Vilons (Brooklyn, New York)


Personnel :

Bobby Alvarez (lead)

John Pagar (Tenor)

Santos Torres (Second Tenor)

Louis Torres (Baritone)

Cesare Pagan (Bass)



Discography :

First Group
1962 - What Kind Of Fool Am I? / Let Me In Your Life (Lake 713)
1963 - Mother Nature / Lone Stranger (Aljon 1259 / 1260)

Second Group
1972 - Angel Darling / Wish She Was Wine (Bim Bam Boom 104)
1973 - Tears On My Pillow / Sweetest One (Vintage 1011)



Biography :

It all started in the Farragut housing projects in Brooklyn. Five Young Men - Bobby Alvarez (lead), John Pagar (Tenor), Santos Torres (Second Tenor), Louis Torres (Baritone) and Cesare Pagan (Bass) - began to harmonize on rooftops and in hallways. Being convinced theta they were ready to go professional and record, they went looking for help. John, leader of the group, found an address of a record company on a Aljon disc and since it wasn't far away from their homes they decided to check it out. At Aljon they found Al Browne. Together with Al's Musical accompaniment they cut several sides.



The group personnel remained intact during their brief recording career accept with Carlos Infante of the Zircons filling in on bass several times. The group broke up in the mid '60s. Of this masters, two records were originally released: "What Kind Of Fool Am I ?" b/w "Let Me In Your Life" on Lake (Which Al Browne ran with Partner Ernest Kelley) in 1962 and "Mother Nature" b/w "Lone Stranger" on Aljon in 1963. The Original version of "Mother Nature", as the original of "Lone Stranger", was first recorded by the Del Counts on Al Browne's Rose label. Relic re-issued "Mother Nature" in 1964 and it remained in print for over twenty years.


Al Browne (Piano) with his band

Here's the complete story on the 2nd Vilons group (by Tony D'Ambrosio). In 1971, Al Browne reformed the Vilons; the only remaining original member was Lead Singer Bobby Alvarez. The rest of the group consisted of Donny Myles, Sonny Benton, Sal Mondrone and Luther Van Dross. Luther Van Dross was Al's nephew and younger brother of original Crests' member Patricia Van Dross. These were some of the earliest recordings that Luther Vandross appeared on. He became a "super-star" whose highly successful career endured until his death in 2005.

  

Donny Myles and Sonny Benton were former members of many groups including the Billy Dawn Quartet, the Heralds, and the Four Dukes. Sal Mondrone was a DJ on NYC radio stations WHBI-FM (early 1970s) and WFUV-FM (1980s). He was also the Baritone Lead Singer of the legendary Sparrows Quartette. In 1971, the reformed Vilons recorded 4 sides for Al, at C & S Studios on Linden Blvd in Brooklyn (NY). Two were sold to Bim Bam Boom (for $50) and released on that label in 1972. The other 2 were sold to Record Exchanger (for $50) and were released on their Vintage label in 1973.




Songs :

      
What Kind Of Fool Am I?          Mother Nature                    Lone Stranger

   
Let Me In Your Life                 Tears On My Pillow

      
Angel Darling                         Sweetest One                 Wish She Was Mine






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The Martels (1)

Posted on by dion1

The Martels

 The Martels (1)  (Nashville, TN)
(Thanks to Chuck Bowersock)

 

Personnel :

Doug McDonald

Lucien Anderson

Luther Weathers

Bob Bowersock

 

Discography :

1959 - Where Did My Woman Go / Teacher Don't Keep Me In (Nasco 6026)
 


Biography :

The Grads were a young male quartet who were chosen in August 1958 as the "Discovery of the Years" of the Nashville Tennessean's 1958. Chosen by three expert judges in competition among 16 other top musicians and musical groups, The Grads will be the feature of the final concert of the season.

The Martels
1958 - The Grads (Front ) Bob Bowersock, and Bruce Carillon (accompanist) (Rear) Luther Weathers, Lucien Anderson and Doug McDonald 

The Grads smothered their opposition under an avalanche of musical notes with their performance of "Silhouettes" in the initial audition and in the finals, "Teacher, Don't" composed by one of their own number, Lucien Anderson. The group is made up of Lucien Anderson, 21, of Hendersonville; Luther Weathers, 25, of 311 Thuss ave.in Nashville; Bob Bowersock, 22 of 1111 Grandview ave.in Nashville; and Doug McDonald, 26, of 519 Southgate ave. in Nashville.


Bob Bowersock, Lucien Anderson, Luther Weathers, Doug McDonald

The Boys met while still in school. Weathers, Bowersock and Anderson attended David Lipscomb college and McDonald was at middle Tennessee State College and Vanderbilt University. They sang with different groups while in school. They went to New York to appears on the "Ted Mack and The Original Amateur Hour" November 2,1958. The quartet sang "Old Man River" and have changed their name to the Martels. Doug Taylor replaced Bob Bowersock who returned to Atlanta.

The Martels
The Martels :  Lucien Anderson, Doug  Taylor,  Bruce Carillon (accompanist)  Luther Weathers and  Doug McDonald. 

The Martels cut their first single with "Where Did My Woman Go" and "Teacher Don't Keep Me In" released by Nasco in April 1959. The Nasco label was formed in 1957, a subsidiary of Nashboro Records founded in 1951 by Nashville-based record store owner Ernie Young as an outlet for rhythm and blues and rock and roll.

     The Martels



 


Videos :


  Old Man River (Ted Mack and The Original Amateur Hour)
 
 

Songs :

   
Teacher Don't Keep Me In                 Where Did My Woman Go

 

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"J" & the Sabers (2) aka The Classmen (2)

Posted on by dion1


Recording Session with Allen, Goode & Zaphirio 

"J" & the Sabers (2) (Chicago, Il.)
aka The Classmen (2)

 

Personnel :

Harry "Jay" Allen (Lead)

Bob Goode

Pete Zaphirio

 

Discography :

"J" & the Sabers (2)
Single:
1962 - Little One / Twist Mary Sue (VavRay 1003)
Unreleased:
1962 - Take Me Back (Vavray)
1962 - Everything (Vavray)

The Classmen (2)
1963 - Love Is Gone / My Special Angel (Limelight 3012)
1964 - All Time Fool / Do You Wanna Dance (Limelight 3016)

 

Biography :

"J" & the Sabers were a vocal trio from Chicago consisted of Harry "Jay" Allen, Bob Goode, Pete Zaphirio. In 1962, the group did four tunes during Record session at CBS studios: "Little One", "Twist Mary Sue", "Take Me Back" and "Everything".

   
(L to R) Bob Goode, Harry "Jay" Allen and Pete Zaphirio with Vavray promotion manager Bob O'Halloran

The Songs "Little One" / "Twist Mary Sue" are released for VavRay in Chicago. "J" & the Sabers made many appearances at the local area clubs .

"J" & the Sabers (2) aka The Classmen (2)
The Classmen

In 1963, The group added Ray Karnatz and recorded two singles for Limelight records. "Love Is Gone" b/w "My Special Angel and "All Time Fool" b/w "Do You Wanna Dance" the next year


Songs :

"J" & the Sabers (2)

  
  Little One                                      Twist Mary Sue

The Classmen (2)

  
Love Is Gone                                 My Special Angel


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The Vel-Tones (2) aka The Firesiders aka The Impacts (3)

Posted on by dion1

The Firesiders aka The Vel-Tones (2) aka The Impacts (3)

 The Firesiders (Niagara Falls, NY)
aka The Vel-Tones (2)
aka The Impacts (3)

 

Personnel :

Calvin 'Cal' Briggs

Neal Davis

Ernie Vendetti

Emilio Giondomenico


Discography :

The Vel-Tones (2)
1958 - Playboy / Cal's Tune (Coy 101)
1959 - Playboy / Cal's Tune (different take) (Kapp 268)

The Firesiders
1961 - (I'll Remember) One And All / No Ones Cares For Me (Swan 4074)

The Impacts (3)
1964 - Take My Love / Where Are You Going (PEH 7345/7346)   


 

Biography :

In 1958, the thought that there could one day be a "Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame" couldn't be anything but a teenage joke. Except for Elvis Presley and a handful of others, R&R was played by kids, for kids, and no one expected it to be more than that. Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry were great but existed in another world - on the radio or TV. The way youngsters experienced R&R was through the local teen combo. Every town or high school or parish had its band. Some were better than others, some could be local stars for awhile after they'd performed at a dance or hop - but for the most part they were just kids from the neighborhood, whose celebrity quickly faded.

If you lived in Niagara Falls in the late 1950s the Vel-Tones were that group. Though their story is a little different. They may not be well-remembered now but they were able to have records released on two national labels and have a career that carried them through the glory days of R&R. Another thing that was unusual was their interracial makeup which is reflected in their eclectic mix of R&R, R&B, DooWop and Rockabilly sounds. Calvin 'Cal' Briggs, Ernie Vendetti, Neal Davis and Emilio Giondomenico recorded two sides in 1958 that were released on the Coy label. Coy was a label in name only - actually put out by Fine Records of Rochester, a legendary name itself to many collectors. Playboy is a greasy teen ballad that is exactly the type of lowrider doowop that Frank Zappa loved to parody, while Cal's Tune is a rocker.


(L to R) Emilio Giondomenico, Ernie Vendetti, Calvin Briggs & Neal Davis

 In 1959 these were leased to Kapp Records but the versions released by Kapp are completely different - Cal's Tune had its guitar and piano solos replaced with an sax solo, and both are more tame. The original version of Cal's Tune is highly-regarded by Rockabilly fanatics, to the point that it's recently been reproduced on vinyl. Following this they returned in 1961 as The Firesiders on Swan Records with two genre-bending sides that widen their palette to include influences of country pop and even pre-soul! The rest of their story is mostly unknown, except that they managed to change styles again and issue one more record. Under another name, of course. As The Impacts (on PEH Records) they achieve a typical mid-Sixties garage sound. They will never be in the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame but if you were there a the right time in the right place, they may have been your Rock 'N' Roll.
https://www.facebook.com/wnyfm

 

Songs :

The Vel-Tones (2)

    
Playboy                            Playboy (Kapp)                Cal's Tunes


The Firesiders

 
(I'll Remember) One And All    No Ones Cares For Me

The Impacts (3)


Where Are You Going


...

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The Legends (1) Ref : The Kartunes

Posted on by dion1

The Legends (1) Ref : The Kartunes

 The Legends (1) (Manhattan, New York)
Ref : The Kartunes



Personnel :

Marshall Samples (Tenor vocals)

Ron Warwell (Baritone vocals)

Bobby Weinstein (Tenor vocals)

Dominick Fleres (Piano)

Richard "Chico" Brunson (Tenor)

Sampson Reese (Bass)


Discography :

The Legends (1)
1956 - The Eyes Of An Angel / I'll Never Fall In Love Again (Melba 109)
1957 - The Legend Of Love / Now I'm Telling You (Hull 727)

The Kartunes
Singles :
1957 - Raindrops / Will You Marry Me? (When We Graduate) (M-G-M 12598)
1958 - Willie The Weeper / Dedicated To Love (M-G-M 12680)
Unreleased :
1958 - Ringalivo (M-G-M)
1958 - Victim  (M-G-M)

 

Biography :

Bobby Weinstein grew up in New York City, and attended the School of Industrial Art in Manhattan. While there, he formed a vocal group, The Legends, with fellow students Marshall Samples, Ron Warwell, Richard "Chico" Brunson, Sampson Reese and Dominick Fleres. The group won a talent contest at the Apollo Theater in 1955.

The Legends (1) Ref : The Kartunes    The Legends (1) Ref : The Kartunes
Morty Craft                                                                                                                                         

Around June of 1956, the guys decided the time was right for getting the Legends sound down on wax, They just walked in to Morty Craft's Melba label (at 1674 Broadway) and auditioned for him, Craft was impressed and set up a session. Melba released "The Eyes Of An Angel" b/w "I'll Never Fall In Love"  around September 1956.

The Legends (1) Ref : The Kartunes  The Legends (1) Ref : The Kartunes  The Legends (1) Ref : The Kartunes  The Legends (1) Ref : The Kartunes
       Bobby Weinstein                      Dominick Fleres                        Ron Warwell                   Richard "Chico" Brunson

In late 1957, they had another go at recording. This time, they went down the block from Melba, to Hull Records, at 1595 Broadway. Again they walked in cold, and auditioned for Bea Caslon (owner of Hull, along with Billy Dawn Smith and William Henry Miller). Bea signed them on the spot. At Hull, the Legends recorded  two songs: "The Legend Of Love" and "Now I'm Telling You" .  The record sold moderately well but some internal problems triggered the separation of the group. Bobby Weinstein  and  Dominick Fleres joined the Kartunes  with Vincent Cassaro , Paul Rubenstein and Bill Barbaris. The Kartunes recorded two singles released by MGM.

The Legends (1) Ref : The Kartunes  The Legends (1) Ref : The Kartunes
Bill Barbaris (The Kartunes), Don Costa & Bob Weinstein  (The Legends & The Kartunes)                                                      

 In 1957, Bobby Weinstein began writing songs with Teddy Randazzo, who had sung in another vocal group, The Three Chuckles.  Their first major hit as co-writers was "Pretty Blue Eyes," recorded by Steve Lawrence and produced by Don Costa, which reached no. 9 on the pop charts at the start of 1960.

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Legends/legends.html





Songs :

The Legends (1)

  
The Eyes Of An Angel                     I'll Never Fall In Love Again

  
The Legend Of Love                       Now I'm Telling You


The Kartunes

  
   Raindrops                                      Will You Marry Me?

  
Dedicated To Love                       Willie The Weeper

 

 



...

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The Monarchs (2)

Posted on by dion1

The Monarchs (2)
The Monarchs (2) (Manhattan, New York)


Personnel :

Arthur Allen

Arthur Kemp

Fred Wells

Robert Galloway

Robert White


Discography :

1956 - Pretty Little Girl / In My Younger Days (Melba 101/Neil 101)
1956 - Always Be Faithful / How Are You (Neil 103)
 

 

Biography :

The Monarchs, from Manhattan, made their debut (with "Pretty Little Girl") on Neil Records, owned by Morty Craft and Jack Angel (who also owned Melba Records).

The Monarchs (2)

The Monarchs had a regional with "Pretty Little Girl." It had exceptional play in the Boston area, and was a great uptempo recording. The group consisted of Arthur Allen, Arthur Kemp, Fred Wells, Robert Galloway and Robert White.

The Monarchs (2)

They pour their hearts out on the flip side "In My Younger Days ". The group recorded that same year "Always Be Faithful " and "How Are You? ".


Songs :

  
Pretty Little Girl                            In My Younger Days

  
Always Be Faithful                                   How Are You 

  
 



...

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The Martiniques aka The Martineques

Posted on by dion1

The Martiniques  

The Martiniques (Detroit)
aka The Martineques


Personnel :

Bobby Martin

Hershel Hunter

Andy Alonzo

Robert Walker

Buford (Fab) Glanton


Discography :

The Martiniques
1962 - Tonight Is Just Another Night / Unknown Love (Danceland 777 / Roulette 4423)
1962 - Broken Hearted Me / Evertything Will Be Allright (Danceland 779)

The Martineques
1965 - If You Want To Call Me / My Baby She Can't Dance (Me-O 1002)


Biography :

The Martiniques were Bobby Martin, Hershel Hunter, Robert Walker and Buford (Fab) Glanton. Andy Alonzo joined the group in 1960 when Bobby got into a bad auto accident and couldn't perform and the record was about to be released so Andy Alonzo replaced him.

The Martiniques aka The Martineques

For their first single, Danceland recordings  were made at United Sound and The Martiniques have a hit record on the charts with "Tonight Is Just Another Night". Danceland was a long-time Detroit label, starting with 78s in 1949.

  

Thurman Hollis was The Martiniques' manager. Robert Walker also left the group and was replaced by Flecher Sawyer. When Bobby got better he got back in and Buford left so The Martiniques became a trio. "Broken hearted me" b/w "Evertything Will Be Alright" and "If You Want To Call Me" b/w "My Baby She Can't Dance"  on Me-o  were recorded at Specialty studio in Detroit . Me-O was located in Toledo, Ohio.

 

Songs :
(Thanks to Hans-Joachim)

      
Tonight Is Just Another Night                     Unknown Love             

  
    Broken Hearted Me                          If You Want To Call Me

  
Everything Will Be Allright                My Baby She Can't Dance

 

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