The Clientelles formed in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, in 1960. Group Members changed frequently. Once they were in place, the members shown above became dedicated and practiced religiously for three years at the home of their manager, who eventually took them to a club in North Philadelphia where they were quite sucessful. the Club, however had different intentions.
Without their manager present, group members and their parents met with one of the owners of this club who asked that each member contribute 100$ to help launch their musical career. The group's manager was never aware of this and soon brought them to a studio to cut some demos. He paids $500 for their time and an additional $500 to a record pressing plant for the discs.
The Only thing he receveid was some 500 to 1,000 records pressed on the mysterious M.B.S records label. Although several other records are know to exist on the M.B.S. label, the situation with the Clientelles remains cloudy. The Clientelles did many local shows to support their disc, but nothing positive was ever realized; there was no promotion, support, or airplay. By 1962, the Clientelles' entertainment career was finished.
1961 - Hello Schoolteacher! / I Gotta have somebody (Lonely boy) (All Time 9076)
Biography :
After the Lamplighters/tenderfoots, Frazier, Carl White and Sonny Harris were joined by Turner "Rocky" Wilson Jr. to form the Four After Fives. The Name came from the "After Five" uniforms they wore on stage. There was only one release by this group. Frazier does not recall the release "Lonesome" by the Ebbtides, but claims that they did that song as the Four After Fives.
A name change to the Sharps preceded the groups' successful reunion with Thurston Harris. Lester Sills of Screen Gems chose the new name. The Same four Vocalists changed their name to the Crenshaws and their releases for Warner Brothers saw the brief return of Matthew Nelson on "Off Shore" and "Moonlight in Vermont". The next and final name change proved to be a Lucky one. Producers Adam Ross and Jack Levy named the group The Rivingtons after a street on the lower east side of New York.
The Four Motions : left to right Felix Barreto , Googie Page, David Barreto, sitting Phil Agtuca
The Four Motions (Long Island, New York)
Personnel
Phil Agtuca
Felix Barreto
Googie Page
David Barreto
Discography :
1964 - My Hero (Demo)
Biography :
By 1963 the Imaginations had broken up. Bloom, Phil Agtuca and LeCausi were then joined by John Governale (first tenor) and Pete Lanzetta (baritone) in the Expressions. The Expressions released a debut single in 1963, "On The Corner"However, it flopped, and the group broke up once again. In 1964, Phil Agtuca recorded with The Four Motions, they have a demo song "My Hero".
Lee Andrews & The Hearts (3) 1954 - Maybe tou'll be there / Baby come back（Rainbow 252/Riviera 965） 1954 - White cliffs of Dover / Much too much（Rainbow 256） 1954 - The fairest / Bells of st. Mary's（Rainbow 259） 1955 - Bluebird of happiness / Show me the merengue（Gotham 7318） 1956 - Lonely room / Leona（Gotham 7320） 1956 - Just suppose / It's me（Gotham 7321） 1957 - Long lonely nights / The clock（Mainline 102/Chess-1665/Grand 157） 1957 - Teardrops / The girl around the corner（Argo 1000/Chess-1675/Grand 156） 1958 - Try the impossible / Nobody's home（UA 123/Casino 452） 1958 - Why do I ? / Glad to be here（UA 136） 1958 - Maybe you'll be there / All I ask is love（UA 151） 1962 - Together Again / My Lonely Room (Gowen 1403) 1962 - I'm sorry Pillow / Gee but I'm lonesome (Parkway 860) 1966 - You're Taking A Long Time Coming Back / Quiet As It's Kept (RCA 47 8929) 1967 - Island Of Love / Oh My Love (Crimson 1002) 1967 - Cold Gray Dawn / All You Can Do (Crimson 1005) 1967 - Never The Less / Never The Less (Crimson 1009) 1967 - Island Of Love / Never The Less (Crimson 1009) 1968 - I've Had It / Little Bird (Crimson 1015) 1968 - Cold Gray Dawn / All You Can Do (Lost nite 1001) 1968 - Oh My Love / Can't Do Without You (Lost nite 1004) 1968 - Quiet As It's Kept / Island Of Love (Lost nite 1005) 1981 - Sipping A Cup Of Coffee / Just Suppose (alt. take) (Gotham 323) 1981 - Window Eyes / Long Lonely Nights (alt. take) (Gotham 324) 1981 - I Miss My Baby / Boom (alt. take) (Gotham 325)
Lee Andrews With The Hearts (3) 1959 - Just suppose / Boom（UA 162） 1959 - I wonder / Baby Come Back (Casino 110) 1961 - I've got a right to cry / I miss you so (Swan 4065) 1961 - A night like tonight / You Gave me (Swan 4076) 1961 - P.S I love you / I Cried (Swan 4087) 1965 - You You You / Hug-a-bee (V.I.P 1601)
The Hearts (3) 1960 - It's Unbelievable / On My Honor (Chancellor 1057)
The Five Hearts (3) 1959 - Unbelievable / Aunt Jenny (Arcade 107)
The Famous Hearts 1962 - Aisle of love / Momma (Guyden 2073)
Congress Alley 1972 - God Bless the children / Congress Alley (Avco 4610) 1973 - God Save America (Avco 4616)
Arthur Lee Andrew Thompson (guess where the “Lee Andrews” came from) was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina to a musical family. His father, Beechie Thompson, had been with the Dixie Hummingbirds gospel group. When Lee was two (around 1940), his family moved to the Woodland Avenue and 49th Street section of Southwest Philadelphia, where Lee grew up. He attended Bertram High School, where, in 1952, he helped to form a vocal group called the Dreamers. This group, which would go on to become the Hearts, was comprised of: Lee (lead), Royalston “Roy” Calhoun (first tenor), Thomas “Butch” Curry (second tenor), Jimmy McCalister (baritone), John Young (bass), and Kenny Lowe (piano).
Their influences were the usual: the Orioles, the 5 Keys, the 5 Royales, and the Ravens. Lee's special influences were Nat “King” Cole and Bing Crosby; he loved pop music, and it shows in the recordings, which are not as heavily R&B as those of their contemporaries. They originally sang spirituals, guided by Butch's aunt. But little by little they expanded their repertoire to include Rhythm 'n' Blues In July, they played the Apollo, sharing the stage with Lloyd Price, the Moonglows, the Teenchords, and the Hearts (the Baton group, of “Lonely Nights” fame).
In August, the Hearts appeared on Philadelphia's TV Bandstand. The end of the month saw them as part of the Apollo Theater's Labor Day Week show, on the same bill with the Harptones, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Big Maybelle, the Cookies, Little Joe and the Thrillers and the Reuben Phillips Orchestra. Guess who the MC was (I'll give you a hint: his initials were “Jocko”).
Another Jocko show followed on the 14th of September at the Laurel Gardens in Newark. This time they took the stage with Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Doc Bagby, the Teenagers, the Chantels, the Channels, the Love Notes, the Sentimentals, the Shepherd Sisters, and the Shells.
By the time “Long Lonely Nights” had peaked, it had gone to 45 on the pop charts and 11 on R'n'B. In spite of the fact that the record-buying public favored Clyde's version then (it went to 1 on the R'n'B charts), it's rarely heard today. Regardless of talent, most R&B vocal groups never make the charts. Lee Andrews and the Hearts were there three times.
They weren't major hitmakers, but they did better than most. As with any group, there are a few clinkers in there, but for the most part, they came off as a polished, professional group, that probably should have done even better than they did.
1956 - Throwing Pebbles In The Pond / Hong Kong (Flair X 3000)
Biography :
In 1956, three former vaude luminaries have joined forces to set up Flair -X Records here. The trio consists of former comic and gag writer Lee Tully, president and artist and repertoire head; Sid DeMay, formerly of the team of DeMav, Moore and Martin, executive veepee and sales chief. and former magician and head of. Genie Records, James Jimae, assistant i.&r. chief.
The label has already pacted th'ushes Ginny Scott and Nancy Arno, a group called the Hi Fives and singers Larry Knight, Mark Milano and Wilbur Paul. Extensive single and LP releases are planned.
The Hi Fives cut "Throwing Pebbles In The Pond" b/w "Hong Kong" the same year.
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)
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
The Vonnair Sisters 1961 - Beach Love / Dum Papa Too Tah Tah (Buena Vista 383) 1962 - Goodbye To Toyland / I Don't Wanna Play In Your Ward (Buena Vista 390) 1962 - See For Yourself / Luscious Lucius (Buena Vista 399) 1962 - Watch Out For Don / Golden Rule (Buena Vista 412) 1962 - Pretty Little Girl With The Red Dress On / Blame It On My Mouth (Buena Vista 416) Annette (Funicello) with The Vonnair Sisters 1961 - Strummin’ Song / Dreamin' About You (Buena Vista 388)
Biography :
The Vonnair Sisters were Sonia, Sheila and Renee Von Euer. They recorded for Walt Disney Music Company's Vista Records.
They also backed Annette Funicello up in 'Dreamin' About You / Strummin Song" (1961). They recorded "Beach Love" (1961) "Goodbye To Toyland" (1962) etc. While they may not be as well known as other girl groups, they too deserve recognition.
Annette (Funicello)
They released 5 solo singles and one backing Anette. They were quite talented and should have been big stars of the early sixties vocal groups. The girls deserved a much better fate on the national charts.
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