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

The Echoes (1) aka Vinny and Kenny aka The Lonely Boys aka Vito & Vittorio

Posted on June 27 2014 by dion1

The Echoes (1) aka Vinny and Kenny aka The Lonely Boys aka Vito & Vittorio...
Vincent Catalano

The Echoes (1) (Bronx, New York)
aka Vinny and Kenny aka The Lonely Boys aka Vito & Vittorio aka the Trickles/The Trickels

Personnel:

Kenny Kuluga

Vincent Catalano

Discography :

The Echoes (1)
1957 - Ding Dong / My Heart Beats For You (Gee 1028)

The Lonely Boys
1959 - A Spoken Letter / My Girl (Nu-Way 55)

Vinny & Kenny
1959 - School Time / Who (Is The Girl) (Fire 1005)

Vito & Vittorio
1961 - Sleepy Eyes / Twilight (Goldisc 3022)

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

The Trickles
1958 - With Each Step "A Tear" / When I Fall In Love (Power 250)

The Trickels
1958 - With Each Step "A Tear" / Outside Chapel Door (Gone 5078)

Biography :

Vincent Catalano was born in New London, Connecticut. His first recording effort was as a member of the Echoes who did "Ding Dong" on Gee Records in 1956, a cover of the Packards' original on the Pla-Bac label. Kenny Kuluga was the lead singer of the Echoes. Having recorded for Gee, Catalano was able to develop a relationship with label owner George Goldner and subsequently placed a number of his songs with him. Vincent Catalano & Kenny Kuluga wrote many songs and recorded them under many pseudonyms like Vinny and Kenny, The Lonely Boys, Vito And Vittorio and and it would appear that Vincent and Kenny are part of the Trickles/The Trickels.

The Echoes (1) aka Vinny and Kenny aka The Lonely Boys aka Vito & Vittorio...

Catalano served as an A&R (Artist & Repertoire) director at 20th Century Fox and its Studio subsidiary where he also placed some of his acts. He co-owned C&A Records with Pete Alonzo. He was the A&R man at Cheer Records. He then started Wilshire Records. Catalano also worked with groups on the Whale and Mermaid labels. Catalano was registered with BMI and SESAC and wrote under a number of different names, including his mothers’. Despite Catalano's extensive experience writing and working with various acts he only had one song that approached being a national hit and that was "Coney Island Baby" recorded by the Excellents. It was issued in April of 1962 on Blast Records and reached No. 51 on "Billboard." The song did much better in regional markets such as New York City where it was played extensively and sold well to the point where there were several pressings issued. His last label would be Hammer Record.

Songs:

The Echoes (1)

Ding Dong My Heart Beats For You

The Lonely Boys


A Spoken Letter                                         My Girl

Vinny & Kenny

School Time Who (Is The Girl)

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

The Trickles / Trickels

With Each Step "A Tear" When I Fall In Love Outside Chapel Door

...

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The Earthquakes

Posted on June 25 2014 by dion1

The Earthquakes (Detroit)

Personnel :

Armond Abney "Armando King" (First Tenor/Lead/Guitar)

Butler Abney (Second Tenor/Lead)

Cliff Lance (Second Tenor/Lead)

Butler Abney Sr. (Bass)

Discography :

Singles :
The Earthquakes
1959 - Darling, Be Mine / Bashful Guy (Fortune 534)
1960 - This Is Really Real / Crazy Bop (Fortune 538)

Tino Cairo & The Earthquakes
1961 - Love In Portofino / Wow Baby Sitter (Hi-Q 5020)

Armando King & The Earthquakes
1962 - Baby Only You / Look What You've Done (Fortune 549)

Unreleased :
N/A - Come Back
N/A - Mirror, Mirror
N/A - Hard Times
N/A - Uncle Jingle Bob

Biography :

The Earthquakes, a Detroit vocal group began recording in the 50's on Fortune Records. Their first release in 1959 was "Darling Be Mine" b/w "Bashful Guy" on Fortune 534 . The quartet consisted of three brothers and a father. Lead vocals and guitar were handled by First Tenor lead, Armond Abney, Second Tenor Lead, Butler Abney, Bass Butler Abney Sr. and Cliff Lance, Second Tenor Lead. Originally the group was the Orbits, that contained the present group with brother Melvin Gatewood, singing bass. When Melvin joined the Armed Forces, his duties were taken over by their father, Butler Abney Sr. The Earthquakes were Devora Brown's replacement to her group of Nolan Strong and the Diablos. Armond's first tenor lead is reminiscent of Nolan's tenor styling. The Earthquakes second recording was "This is Really Real" b/w "Crazy Bop", followed by "Look What You've Done" b/w "Baby Only".

Songs :

The Earthquakes


Darling, Be Mine                      Bashful Guy


This Is Really Real                                 Crazy Bop

Armando King & The Earthquakes


Look What You've Done                       Baby Only You

...

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The Sparkels aka The Sables

Posted on June 23 2014 by dion1

The Sparkels (New York)
aka The Sables

Personnel :

Barbara Peterkin

Jo Annis Harding

Lucille Jackson

Patricia Villiers

Discography :

The Sparkels
1964 - Try Love (One More Time) / That Boy Of Mine (Old Town 1160)

The Sables
1965 - I'm On Fire / Darling (RCA 47-8521)

Biography :

The Sparkels consisted of Four High School Girls who performed together from 1962 to 1966. Barbara Peterkin, Jo Annis Harding, Lucille Jackson and Patricia Villiers released "Try Love One More Time" and "That Boy Of Mine" on Old Town Records in 1964 (1160)

The Old Town record label was formed in 1953 by Hyman Weiss in New York City. Hy Weiss Old Town was originally a rhythm and blues record company, and was run almost entirely by "The Weiss Guys," Hy and his brother Sam. He got his experience in rhythm and blues records working as a salesman for many of the legendary R & B labels such as Exclusive, Modern, Jubilee and Apollo.

July 12,1964 New York State World's Fair- New York State Pavilion - L to R : B.Peterkin, L. Jackson & J. Harding

In 1965, They released "I'm On Fire" and "Darling" as The Sables on RCA Records (47-8521).
http://thesparkels.blogspot.fr

Songs :

The Sparkels

Try Love (One More Time) That Boy Of Mine

The Sables

I'm On Fire

...

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Herman Jones & The Kilts (1)

Posted on June 21 2014 by dion1

Herman Jones & The Kilts (1) (Los Angeles, Ca)

Personnel :

Tony Lamar "Herman Jones" (Lead)

Discography :

1958 - I'll Be True / Mashed Potatoes (Gaynote 105)

Biography :

Herman Jones, professionally known as Tony Lamar, is an american singer-songwriter, arranger and producer. Tony's love of music became apparent at an early age growing up in Tyler, Texas where, encouraged by his music teacher, he began singing in music competitions. Tony moved to Southern California at the age of nineteen where he was introduced to the singing group, the Platters who liked his voice and asked him to fill in for one of the members of their group.

Tony Lamar (Herman Jones)

Shortly thereafter, Tony began singing backup with various vocal groups in the Los Angeles area. As Tony's love for music grew, he established himself as an r&b artist and started his first doo wop vocal group, Herman Jones & The Kilts. He later changed his stage name to Tony Lamar and started another group known as Tony Lamar & The Band of Bachelors.

Songs :

I'll Be True Mashed Potatoes

...

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The Big Five aka The Fabulous Five Flames aka The Fabulous Five aka The Fabulous Flames (1)

Posted on June 19 2014 by dion1

The Fabulous Flames (1) aka The Fabulous Five Flames

The Big Five (Cleveland, Ohio)
aka The Fabulous Five Flames aka The Fabulous Five aka The Fabulous Flames (1)

Personnel :

Otis Carter

Harvey Hall

David McPhatter

Richard Fisher

Ernest Smith

Discography:

The Big Five
1958 - Wob-Ding-A-Ling / Baby, I Need You So (Junior 5000)
1960 - Blue Eyes / Stardust In Her Eyes (Shad 5019)

The Fabulous Flames (1)
1958 - Josephine / My Joan (Rex 3000)

The Fabulous Five
1960 - Janie Made A Monster / Gettin' Old (King 45-5220)

The Fabulous Five Flames
1960 - Lonely Lover / No More Tears (Time 1023)

Biography :

This Vocal group from Cleveland was known locally as The Fabulous Flames. The group included J. C. Tatum, Otis Carter, David McFadden, Ernest Smith, and Harvey Hall. The group started while some of the members were students at East Technical High School. The group performed at local clubs, and in Detroit. Their first single "Wop Ding A Ling" (also Known as "Wab Ding A Ling") plus the flip "Baby, I Need You So" was issued on the Shad predecessor Junior label (Junior 5000) on 29 October 1958. Bobby Shad renamed The Fabulous Flames by The Big Five. Their second single "Josephine" b/w "My Joan " released as their original name (The Fabulous Flames) was a local production, done for the short lived Rex label. Bill Jacocks, a local entrepreneur, wrote the songs and helped get the record released. Jacocks later became known as Cleveland's first African-American TV news anchor, along with producting some records in the mid 1970s.

The Big Five aka The Fabulous Five Flames aka The Fabulous Five aka The Fabulous Flames (1)
Bobby Shad

The group was known as the Fabulous Flames, but changed for The Fabulous Five for their third record for the King label to prevent confusion with other groups with that name. The song "Janie Made A Monster" is a classic R&B Halloween record. Richard Fisher replaced J. C. Tatum. Four sides were recorded at Capitol Studios in New York on 4 December 1959, "Lonely Lover", "No More Tears", "Blue Eyes" and "Stardust In Her Eyes". The first two will be released on the Time (/Shad) Label on April 1960 as The Fabulous Five Flames, and the next two were released on 10 June 1960 on Shad 5019 as The Big Five. Richard Fisher was the brother of Jesse Fisher. He wasn't with the group for long as he left for New York where he ended up joining the Jive Five. Art Blakey replaced him, not long before the group disbanded. Harvey Hall - later known as Harvey Nickerson-Hall - went on to lead Harvey and the Phenomenals. https://www.buckeyebeat.com/

Songs :

The Big Five


Wob-Ding-A-Ling                               Baby, I Need You So


      Blue Eyes                                     Stardust In Her Eyes

The Fabulous Flames (1)

Josephine My Joan

The Fabulous Five

Janie Made A Monster Gettin' Old

The Fabulous Five Flames

Lonely Lover No More Tears

...

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The Pharaos aka The Pharaohs (1)

Posted on June 13 2014 by dion1

The Pharaos (Los Angeles)
aka The Pharaohs (1) (Richard Berry)

Personnel :

Godoy Colbert (First Tenor)

Robert Harris (Second Tenor)

Noel Collins (Baritone)

Discography :

1960 - Heads Up, High Hopes Over You / The Tender Touch (Donna 1327)

Biography :

The Pharaohs were formed out of the Jefferson High School in Los Angeles, in 1954 by Godoy Colbert and two friends, Robert Harris, and Noel Collins. They are probably best known as the backing band of singer Richard Berry, with whom they recorded the 1957 hit single, "Louie Louie." The single first became a minor regional hit for the group, and then a more major hit for them when the Kingsmen recorded a more raucous version of the song in 1963.

Richard Berry
Colbert's very distinctive voice opens the song with the famous "duh duh duh duh-duh" sounds. After the success of "Louie Louie" the Pharaohs toured for sometime and Richard Berry eventually left the group to pursue other options. After the departure of Berry from the group, Colbert and the Pharaohs cut one singles for the Donna (A DelFi Subsidiary) Record Label under the name of The Pharaos, and more performing. It was soon after this that Colbert and the Pharaohs themselves decided to call it quits and disband.

Songs :

The Tender Touch Heads Up, High Hopes Over You

...

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Earl Nelson & The Pelicans (2)

Posted on June 10 2014 by dion1

(paste-up picture) Bobby Day & The Satellites with Curtis Williams on Top

Earl Nelson & The Pelicans (2) (Watts, Los Angeles)
aka The Hollywood Flames

Personnel :

Earl Nelson (Lead)

Bobby Bird (Bass)

David Ford (Tenor)

Curlee Dinkins (Baritone)

Curtis Williams (Baritone)

Discography :

1957 - I Bow To You / Oh Gee, Oh Golly (Class 209)

Biography :

By 1957, the Flames had hooked up with Leon René's Class Records. The group was now David Ford, Bobby Byrd, Curlee Dinkins, and Earl Nelson. However, Leon René decided to break Bobby Byrd off from the Flames and make a soloist out of him. The Flames (now known as the "Satellites") continued to back up Bobby Byrd (now known as "Bobby Day") on Class, and he kept singing with them (as the Hollywood Flames) on Ebb. The following month, the group recorded as "Earl Nelson & The Pelicans" for Class: "I Bow To You" (led by Earl) and "Oh Gee, Oh Golly" (the duet lead of Earl and the returning Curtis Williams).
http://www.uncamarvy.com/HollywoodFlames/hollywoodflames.html

Songs :

I Bow To You Oh Gee, Oh Golly

...

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The Majestics (5)

Posted on June 8 2014 by dion1

The Majestics (5) (Trenton, New Jersey)

Personnel :

Larry Steele

Bob Cooper

Jimmy Hannah

Bobby Marks

Bobby Hartnagle

George Faulkner

Discography :

1959 - Searching For A New Love / Angel Of Love (Jordan 123/Pixie 6901/Nu-Tone123)

Biography :

The Majestics from Trenton started with a repertoire that included "Church Bells May Ring" by the Willows, "Come Go With Me" by The Dell Vikings, "Little Darlin" by the Diamonds, "Sunday Kind Of Love" and "Life Is But A Dream" by the Harptones and "False Love" by the Superiors. They started to get Gigs included the Chatter Box and the Casino Ballroom in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The Majestics played with the Plurals from Bergen and appeared with Danny & The Juniors as well as Lee Andrex & The Hearts & the Turbans, Lenny Coco & The Chimes & Jimmy Gallagher & the Passions.

The Majestics

The Group appeared several times in a popular record hops at a skating Rink in Lambertville, New Jersey. The Owner of The Skating Rink was friends with the Owner of Jordan Records. The Majestics had prepared a demo tape of the songs Larry Steele Written, and they used the demo for auditions at clubs and other venues. the Owner of Jordan Records liked the demo's songs and the group signing a recording Contract.

The Belmonts

They recorded "Searching For A New Love" bw "Angel Of Love" in New York City. They appeared at record hops in Pennsylvania as well as New Jersey. The record did generate record sales. During 1960, Larry Steele was approached by the Manager of the Belmonts and asked if he wanted to sell the copyright to "Searching For A New Love". Despite his refusal to sell, they decided to record the song anyway. It appears on Sabrina 501.

Songs :

Searching For A New Love Angel Of Love

...

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The Shantons

Posted on June 7 2014 by dion1

The Shantons (Jersey City, New Jersey)

Personnel :

Thomas Brown "Skip" (Lead)

Michael Wells

George Flowers

William (Billy) McCoy

Discography :

The Shantons
1959 - Triangle love / Lover’s March (JAY-MAR 164/5) 
1960 - Lucille / To Be In Love With You (JAY-MAR 241/2)

Skip & The Shantons
1960 - The Christmas Song / Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (JAY-MAR 181/2)

Skip Brown & The Shantons / Skip Brown
1959 - Why Don’t You Believe Me / Jenny Lee (Pam 112)

Biography :

Skip Jackson - whose real name was Tommy Brown learned to play piano as a young boy on a discarded instrument in a coal bin where his father worked as the building manager. He become so good that he was a guest performer on a popular New York City TV Show called “The Gary Moore Show,” billed as The Kid From Boys Town. Skip started singing in New Jersey in the doo-wop era with his group the Shantons. The Shantons were all neighborhood friends with Johnny and Dotty Martucci (owner of Jay-Mar label) from Jersey City, New Jersey. They began singing together in the basement of their homes and eventually it led to their singing at parties and local dances.

The original Shantons were Thomas Brown (Skipper), Michael Wells, George Flowers and William (Billy) McCoy. They cut a few discs for John Martucci’s Jay-Mar & one single for Pam Records. Over the years the group had several substitute singers for one reason or another. Guys such as Walter (Mittsy) Mays, Christopher Cole, Sonny Prince and a young man called, Smoothie (Bobby Crawford). They all performed well together and the Shantons appeared on many stages with well known popular superstars.
Thanks to Michael Wells & http://www.sirshambling.com/

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

The Shantons

Triangle love / Lover’s March


            Lucille                         To Be In Love With You

Skip & The Shantons


       The Christmas Song                  Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Skip Brown & The Shantons


Why Don’t You Believe Me                           Jenny Lee

...

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The Teen-Clefs - ref : The Avalons (3), The Clickettes (2) & Shirley & Willie

Posted on June 5 2014 by dion1

The Teen-Clefs (Bronx, New York)
ref : The Avalons (3), The Clickettes (2) & Shirley & Willie

Personnel :

Shirley Bryant-Ford

Tracey Brost

Mickey

Loretta

Jamie

Discography :

The Teen-Clefs
1958 - Hiding My Tears / There Goes Sputnik (Dice 98 / 99)

The Avalons (3)
1958 - Louella / You Broke Our Hearts (Dice 90 / 91)

Shirley & Willie
1958 - Calling You (Dice)

The Clickettes (2) (The Teen-Clefs)
1960 - Tonight And Forever (Unreleased)

Biography :

The Teen-Clefs met around 1957, Tracey Brost, Mickey, Loretta, Janie and Shirley Bryant-Ford all attended the same Burger Jr. High School (PS 139 ) in the Bronx, New York. They were discovered and originally managed by Morris Bailey (former postal worker and actor), he lived in the Bronx and also managed the Fascinations. Bailey than put The Teen-Clefs in touch with Zell Sanders (J&S records) and she later took over group from Mr. Bailey.

Zell Sanders The Clickettes with Shirley Bryant-Ford

The Teen-Clefs performed at dances in Harlem, they made the song Sputnik during that time. The group wrote most of their songs. ZelL Sanders managed The Clickettes from Harlem & Shirley Bryant-Ford was an alternate for the group when an original member was not available to perform. Shirley had to fill in for the Clickettes when they performed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

The Teen-Clefs (L to R) Loretta, Janie, Mickey, Shirley Ford and Tracey Brost

The Clickettes left the Dice label in 1960 but the record company continued to release singles by the Clickettes even when they were sang by other groups. ‘Tonight And Forever’ was credited to the Clickettes but it was likely sung by the Teen Clefs. The The Teen-Clefs broke up around 1960. Shirley Bryant-Ford with sisters Willie Bryant and another girl cut one single as the Avalons. The Two sisters cut another single as Shirley & Willie.
Thanks to Jennifer Noble & Shirley Ford.

Songs :

The Teen-Clefs

Hiding My Tears There Goes Sputnik

The Avalons (3)

Louella You Broke Our Hearts

Shirley & Willie

Calling You

The Clickettes (2) (The Teen-Clefs)

Tonight And Forever

….

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