Doo Wop - Rhythm & Blues - jcpiazza26@gmail.com

The Royal Robins (1)

Posted on January 22 2017 by dion1

The Royal Robins (1)
1961 - Top L to R: George, Ellery & Halsey Payton - Bottom L to R: Charles Hudgins, Gene Evans, George Britt

The Royal Robins (1) (Tidewater, VA)

Personnel :

George Payton (Lead)

Halsey (Jose) Payton (Baritone / Lead)

Ellery Payton (Lead / First Tenor)

George Britt (Second Tenor / Lead))

John (Pete) Wiggins (Bass)

Eugene Evans (Guitar)

Discography :

The Royal Robins (1)
1963 - Turn Me Loose / The Country Fool (ABC Paramount 10504)
1964 - How High The Moon / Something You've Got, Baby (ABC Paramount 10542)
1966 - Something About You Sends Me / Roller Coaster (Tru-Glo-Town 506)

The Soul City
1966 - Everybody Dance Now / Who Knows (Goodtime 801)
1967 - Cold Hearted Blues / Who Do You Think You Are (Goodtime 802)
1967 - I Will Take Care Of You / I Shot For The Moon (Mercury 72735)

Biography :

From Doo Wop to Soul. The Royal Robins became an official group in 1955. Original members were George Payton, Halsey (Jose) Payton, Ellery Payton, Barry Fonville, Charles Hudgins and Eugene Evans. In 1957 they won the Booker T. Washington High School Talent Show in Norfolk, VA. Before their first recordings in 1963, there will be some personnel changes, in 1959, George Britt replaced Barry Fonville. In 1960 Charles Hudgins left the group and in 1962 Jose was drafted in the Army and John (Pete) Wiggins replaced him. After several years of practices they obtain a recording contract with ABC Paramount where they recorded two singles in 1963 & 1964. A third single will be released in 1966 on the Tru-Glo-Town label from Englewood, NJ.

The Royal Robins (1)

From 1957 to 1967, the Royal robins shared the stage with The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Flamingos, Mr. Jerry Butler, Little Anthony and The Imperials, Gladys Knight and The Pips, Martha and The Vandellas, Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions, Fats Domino, Dionne Warwick, The Showmen, Gary U.S. Bond…. They Worked with Musical Arrangers such as Bert Keyes, Hal David, Count Basey or Burt Bacharach.

The Royal Robins (1)
1964 picture of George Payton , Ellery Payton, Halsey (Jose) Payton, and George Britt

The group appeared in the Mike Douglas Show in Ohio, The Apollo Theater in Harlem, The Chitterlin Circuit, The Norfolk Arena, The Seaview Beach in Va. Beach, Sunset Lake Park, The Fox Theater in NY, The Howard Theater in D.C., The Twenty Grand in Detroit, Eureka Lodge in Norfolk, The Petite Ballroom in Portsmouth, Palms Garden Night Club in Hampton, Fort Story NCO Club, Fort Belvoir NCO Club, Norfolk State Auditorium, The Virginia Beach Dome. In 1965 the Royal Robins changed their name as Soul City , the group continues a few years and recorded three singles. The Viet Nam War interrupted and eventually ended the group's continued success because Jose and Ellery were drafted.

Songs :

The Royal Robins (1)

Turn Me Loose                         How High The Moon


Something You've Got, Baby       Something About You Sends Me


Roller Coaster                             The Country Fool

The Soul City

Everybody Dance Now               Who Knows                          Cold Hearted Blues


Who Do You Think You Are      I Will Take Care Of You    I Shot For The Moon

...

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Jess Du Boy & The Hitch-Hikers

Posted on January 21 2017 by dion1

Jess Du Boy & The Hitch-Hikers

Jess Du Boy & The Hitch-Hikers (Richmond, Virginia)

Personnel :

Jess Du Boy (Lead)

John Kelly

Kay Sanderson

Dick McCray

Discography :

Jess Du Boy & The Hitch-Hikers
1957 - Beautiful Love / Angels Don't Live On Earth (ABC 9848)

Jess DuBoy
1959 - Echos / Puppy Love (Colonial 7002)
1960 - Achin' Breakin' Heart / The Only One I Love (Brooke 121)
1964 - Silhouettes / That's When Your Heartaches Begin (Brunswick 55270)

Jess Du Boy & The Hitch-Hikers

Biography :

In 1957, Jess Du Boy called up WRVA announcer Stutz, a successful songwriter who had scored a No. 1 pop hit with “Little Things Mean a Lot” by Kitty Kallen, and boldly asked if he would listen to his doo-wop vocal group, Jess Du Boy and the Hitch-Hikers. Stutz ended up hiring Duboy's band to make demos of his new song copyrights. One of these, “Beautiful Love,” eventually was released on the national ABC-Paramount label in 1957 and scored as a big regional hit. Jess and the Hitch-Hikers embarked on an unusual tour to support the disc, thumbing to gigs across America.

Jess Du Boy & The Hitch-Hikers

In 1959 he was the lead singer of in the the Rock-A-Teens, a Richmond, Virginia band. They had a couple of hits, and one of them, “Woo Hoo,” has been covered countless times over the years, appearing in numerous films and advertisements. Though it’s considered an instrumental, the song features vocals (“woo hoo, woo hoo hoo…”) by Jess Du Boy. He and the Rock-A-Teens recorded the song in Don McGraw’s studio, in Roanoke County. The song was put out in 1959 (first on McGraw’s label, Doran, but later by Roulette). The song peaked at #16 on the Billboard pop charts.

Jess Du Boy & The Hitch-Hikers

Jess recorded some single on Colonial, Brooke and Brunswick. He served as a DJ on WEZL while in college. He then went to WEET, where he developed what is thought by broadcasters to be the first or among the first station identification jingles in the country. Mr. Duboy was program manager and the afternoon DJ at WLEE when he approached J. Sargeant Reynolds, who owned some media, to purchase a radio station for Mr. Duboy to run.
http://www.richmond.com/news/local/article_0d1c4f91-2935-555d-bd25-05d51a3a027a.html

Songs :

Jess Du Boy & The Hitch-Hikers


       Beautiful Love                            Angels Don't Live On Earth

Jess DuBoy


Puppy Love                             Silhouettes

When Your Heartaches Begin

...

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The Blends (2)

Posted on January 21 2017 by dion1

Marsha Raskin

The Blends (2) (Los Angeles, CA.)

Personnel:

Leonard Lebovitz "Lenny Lee" (Lead)

Marsha Raskin (High Tenor)

Barry Fisher (Tenor)

Stan Fisher (Tenor)

Larry Coleman (Bass)

Discography :

The Blends (2)
1960 - Tell Me / The Way I Want You (Skylark 108/Talent 110)

Johnny Sablan bb The Blends (2)
1961 - Will She Agree To Go Steady / Big Fat Lie (Not Them) (Skylark 105)

Biography :

Vocal group from Los Angeles . Marsha Raskin (High Tenor), Barry Fisher (Tenor) and Leonard Lebovitz "Lenny Lee" (Lead), present Student, and two Alumni Larry Coleman (Bass) and Stan Fisher (Tenor) comprise the group. In 1960, The Blends met promotion manager for Talent and Skylark records, Sy Mitchell. The group auditioned and recorded "Tell Me" b/w "The Way I Want You" released By Talent in November 1960.

Johnny Sablan

The single was re-released in 1961 on Skylark where the Blends have backed 13-year-old Johnny Sablan on "Will She Agree To Go Steady". Johnny Sablan from the Mariana's island of Guam and moved to southern California, along with his three eldest sons when his father took a job in the City. The Sablans lived right off of Wilshire and Western Avenues in Los Angeles, and watched the era of rock and roll unfold with Ricky Nelson and Elvis Presley singing on the popular American Bandstand TV show. Teen-age guitarist and vocalist, he wrote "Will She Agree To Go Steady" Which will be his first disc.

Songs :

            The Blends (2)                  Johnny Sablan bb The Blends (2)


                Tell Me                              Will She Agree To Go Steady

...

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George Goodman & The Headliners (2)

Posted on January 14 2017 by dion1

L to R : Melvin Peters, George Goodman and Rodney Williams.

George Goodman & The Headliners (2) (Pittsburgh, PA.)

Personnel :

Rodney Williams (Lead)

George Goodman (Baritone)

Melvin Peters (Tenor)

Discography :

George Goodman And His Headliners (2)
1964 - Let Me Love You / Let Me Love You (Inst.) (Val 1/WB 5632)
1964 - Starlight And Moonbeams / I'm So Tired (Val 3)

George Goodman's Headliners (2)
1964 - I'll Cherish Your Love / Secret Love (Val 5)

George Goodman & The Headliners (2)
1966 - Need You / Starlight And Moonbeams (Val 6)

The Headliners (2)
1966 - Let Me Love You /I'm So Tired (Val 1000)

Biography :

From Doo Wop To Soul. Vocal group from Pittsburgh composed by George Goodman (baritone), Rodney Williams (lead) and Melvin Peters (tenor). In 1964, they recorded "Let Me Love You", a wonderful ballad who sold over 100,000 copies and a Number 1 record in Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The record was first released in 1964 on Sharpsburg's Val label (#1), credited to George Goodman & His Headliners, and reissued a couple of times. (Val Records was local label operated by florist Augie Bernardi.) It was released again on Warner Brothers in 1965 (#5632), and pressed again by A&M (#1011) in 1968 under The Headliners. It became a huge regional hit but never charted nationally.

George Goodman & The Headliners (2)

In fact, the group had a little cottage industry going on with the label for a brief spell and was Val's big act. Goodman was also heavily into the industry side, producing, distributing, and promoting records. George Goodman, from the Hill District, got his start in the mid 60's working for Herbie Cohen's Fenway Distributors on Fifth Avenue, Uptown. He was very involved in distributing and promoting R & B records for them and helped break Charlie and Inez Foxx's "Mockingbird" on Sue Records. Melvin Peters started his career with The Five Mellows, and also worked with the Del Vikings and Marcels. In the early 1960's, he joined Chuck Jackson and the Motown group The Originals. Then it was back home as a Headliner. He spent the seventies working with Solid Gold, Flashback, and the Katch.
http://oldmonmusic.blogspot.fr/2009/07/george-goodman-and-headliners.html

Songs :


    Let Me Love You                           Starlight And Moonbeams


    I'm So Tired                                 I'll Cherish Your Love


Secret Love Need You

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The Canjoes

Posted on January 13 2017 by dion1

The Canjoes
Paste-up photo

The Canjoes (New York)

Personnel :

Joe Louis Johnson (Lou Johnson)

Theresa Cleveland

Ann Gissendanner

Discography :

1961 - Speaking Of Love / Dance The Boomerang (Featuring Joe Louis Johnson) (Dapt 208)

Biography :

Lou Johnson (born 1941 in Brooklyn, New York City) is an American soul singer and pianist who was active as a recording artist in the 1960s and early 1970s. Coming from a musical family, he started singing in gospel choirs in his teens, before studying music at Brooklyn College. He learned keyboards and percussion, forming a gospel group, the Zionettes, who recorded for Simpson Records and achieved some local success. Johnson then formed a secular vocal group, the Canjoes, with Tresia Cleveland and Ann Gissendammer. They signed to the New York, Amy/Bell/Mala affiliated DAPT label. The partnership saw the release of one single 'Dance the Boomerang' b/w 'Speaking of Love (Dapt 208) before Johnson struck out in pursuit of a solo career. . The single was also released on Dapt D-208 with the spelling The Coanjos featuring Joe Louis Johnson b/w he Coanjos.

The Canjoes
Lou Johnson

Cleveland and Giessendanner continued their partnership, reappearing as The Soul Sisters. A one-shot single on Guyden was followed by a move to Sue Records. In 1962, Johnson signed as a solo singer with Bigtop Records, run by the Hill & Range music publishing company in the Brill Building. There, he met the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, who wrote Johnson's first single, "If I Never Get to Love You". Neither that song nor his second record, "You Better Let Him Go", were hits, but his third single, "Reach Out for Me", also written by Bacharach and David and this time produced by Bacharach, reached # 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1963.

Songs :

Dance The Boomerang Speaking Of Love

…

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The Velvetones (7)

Posted on January 12 2017 by dion1

Roger Gerbino, Ray Forte, Shorty Johnson & Fred Morabito

The Velvetones (7) (New York)

Personnel :

Ray Forte

Roger Gerbino

Shorty Johnson

Fred Morabito

Discography :

Unreleased :
1963 - Tell Me
1963 - Pretty Girl

Songs :

Tell Me Pretty Girl

...

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The Note-Ables

Posted on January 12 2017 by dion1

The Note-Ables (Toronto, Canada)

Personnel :

Keith Nowell

Rich

Don

Barth

Have they recorded ???

...

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The Belvederes (4)

Posted on January 11 2017 by dion1

The Belvederes (4) (Joliet, ILL.)

Personnel:

Wilbert Woods

Al Dawson

Evell Kelly

James Kelly

Discography

1959 – Walkin’ In The Garden (ft Jim Kelly) / Buona Sera (ft Dick Dawson)(Jopz 1771)

Biography :

Vocal group from Joliet, Illinois, The Belvereres consisted of Wilbert Woods, Al Dawson, Evell Kelly and James Kelly

The Belvederes Cut "Walking In The Garden" b/w "Buona Sera" in 1959 released by Jopz Records based 407 South Ottawa Street in Joliet.

Songs :


Walkin’ In The Garden                            Buona Sera

…

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The Uniques (4) aka The Four Kings (6)

Posted on January 8 2017 by dion1

The Four Kings (6) aka The Uniques (4)

The Uniques - Top : Raymond Creapeau & Richard Soldo - Bottom : Sam Stray & Wayne Tevlin

The Uniques (4) (Linden, New Jersey)
aka The Four Kings (6)

Personnel :

Wayne Tevlin (Lead)

Sam Stray (Second Tenor)

Raymond Creapeau (First Tenor)

Richard (Luigi) Soldo (Bass)

Discography :

The Uniques (4)
Singles:
1960 - I'm So Unhappy / It's Got To Come From Your Heart (Pride 1018)
1961 - I'm So Unhappy / I’m Confessin (That I Love You) (Gone 5113/ Bliss 1004)
Unreleased :
1960 - How Was I To Know? (Pride)

The Four Kings (6)
1963 - Lonely Lovers / One Night (Canadian American 173)

Biography :

Sam Stray has been writing songs since 1953, his very first song was called "She’s My Baby (Yes She Is)" his first group was formed in Linden Junior High. The members were Sammy, Ronald and Aonald West (Twins)(Baritone,Bass), and their cousin Robert Cunningham (First Tenor, they were the first vocal group to use the name THE CUFF-LINKS. They split up when they got to Linden High.

The Four Kings (6) aka The Uniques (4)
The Four Kings

That is where Sam Stary met Wayne Tevlin, a great singer and fabulous guitarist. They inducted a classmate Richard (Luigi) Soldo (Mr. Bassman) and first tenor Raymond Creapeau (Pitched for the Detroit Tigers) they called themselves The Uniques. Sammy Stray wrote a song called "I’m So Unhappy", a promoter named Dick Pride heard it, liked it, changed the bridge and send the group to New York City where they recorded four songs.

The Four Kings (6) aka The Uniques (4)

"I’m So Unhappy" and "It's Got To Come From Your Heart" was released in 1960 on Pride Records and later re-released on Bliss and Gone Records with a new B side "I'm Confessin (That I Love You)". "I'm Confessin" was a metropolitan hit and was selected CHAMP record on Murray the K's swinging soiree 1010 WINS radio show, New York City.

   The Four Kings (6) aka The Uniques (4)
              Tom DeCillis      Nicky Massi & Tommy Devito

They tried real hard to make a hit record but Lady Luck was not on their side. Joseph Lipira replaced Raymond Creapeau, the Uniques changed their name to The Four Kings and recorded in 1963 for Can American Records the side "One Night" b/w "Lonely Lovers" both written by they manager Tom DeCillis. "One Night" was written originally for the Four Seasons. Tommy Devito & Nicky Massi played on the tracks and helped arrange it. Then a bomb dropped, the British Invasion hit the USA. The Uniques / Four Kings called it quits.

Songs :

The Uniques (4)


I’m Confessin (That I Love You)                  I'm So Unhappy


    It's Got To Come From Your Heart             How Was I To Know?

The Four Kings (6)


Lonely Lovers                                 One Night

…

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Sonny Bloch's Coralairs

Posted on January 7 2017 by dion1

The Sonny Bloch's Coralairs

Sonny Bloch's Coralairs (Miami, South Florida)
aka Sonny Bloch & The Coralairs

Personnel :

Sonny Bloch (Lead)

Tony Rinaldi

Dave Delsesto

Sal Ronci

Arnie Warren

Discography :

Sonny Bloch's Coralairs
1957 - Baby Blue Eyes / A Lover Is A Fool (Bee H08W-1543/1544)
1958 - Buona Natale (Merry Christmas To You) / One, Two, Three (NRC 016)
1959 - Louie The Elf / Buon Natale (NRC 5009)
1959 - Gimme A Little Kiss (Will Ya Huh) / High On A Mountain Top (NRC 036)

Sonny Bloch & The Coralairs
1959 - Ask Me No Questions / The Hand Of Faith (Regal 7503)

Tony Rinaldi
1957 - Cha Cha Blues / Far Beyond The Clouds (Bart 7-G-16)

Biography :

In 1957, Tony Rinaldi recorded "Cha Cha Blue"s b/w "Far Beyond The Clouds". After this recording for Nick Bartell's Bart label, Tony Rinaldi became in Detroit a member of The Vocal & Instrumental group composed of Miami, Florida students : the Sonny Bloch's Coralairs, named after Coral Gables, Florida, where the University of Miami is located. The Group was composed by Sonny Bloch, Dave Delsesto, Sal Ronci, Arnie Warren.

Tony Rinaldi, Dave DelSesto, Sonny Block, Sal Ronci & Arnie Warren

Tony wrote "Baby Blue Eyes" and sang lead on the First single on the Detroit Bee label (produced in Miami) as by the Sonny Bloch's Coralairs. The group cut four more singles on NRC & Regal. Sonny Bloch and his Coralairs played Miami Beach's Rock'n M.B. Lounge and then toured Cuba in the late 1950s. They had a modest hit with the Christmas song, Buona Natale.

The Sonny Bloch's Coralairs
Tony Rinaldi, Sal Ronc, Sonny Block, Dave DelSesto & Arnie Warren

Later, Irwin H. (Sonny) Bloch dovetailed his career into a fifteen-year career as a financial talk radio host heard on over 170 stations in the U.S including WOR-AM and WMCA-AM in New York City, host best-known for persuading hundreds of listeners to invest in a worthless securities scam bilking them of $21 million and spent time in Federal prison for tax evasion.

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

Sonny Bloch & The Coralairs

Ask Me No Questions

Sonny Bloch's Coralairs


Baby Blue Eyes                             Buon Natale


A Lover Is A Fool                         Louie The Elf

Gimme A Little Kiss (Will Ya Huh) / High On A Mountain Top

Tony Rinaldi

Cha Cha Blues

...

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