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

The Incas

Posted on March 13 2008 by dion1

The Incas

The Incas (Washington, D.C.)

Personnel :

Bob E. Lee (Lead)

Eddie Belton (First Tenor)

Jose williams (Second Tenor)

Clayton Roberts (Bass)

Maurice Watkins (Baritone)

Discography :

1976 - Cottage By The Sea (1956) / Your Love Is Just Plain Good (1956) (Monogram 125)
1976 - The Time For Love (1956) / A Wink And A Grin (1956) (Monogram 126)
1976 - Sweet Lucy (1956) / You're Gone (1956) (Monogram 127)

Biography :

The Incas from Washington D.C. were organised in late 1956 and stayed together until 1959. The group was lead by Bob E. Lee, with Eddie Belton singing first tenor, Jose williams second tenor and two members of the original Ontarios, Clayton Roberts and Maurice Watkins singing Bass & Baritone , respectively. Before the Incas, Jose Willams from Washington recorded several titles with the Aztecs from Cincinnati, Ohio, under the name of Jose & The Aztecs who have one release in 1956, "Tonight" b/w "Rose" on the now defunct Echo label out of Cincinnati, Ohio. The Incas patterned themselves after the Dells and strove for a beautifully polished sound with can be evidenced on their recordings. The Incas will unfortunately not have a disc released before 1976 by the label Monogram.

Songs :


     Cottage By The Sea                   Your Love Is Just Plain Good


Wink And A Grin                                       You're Gone

...

See comments

The Caravelles (2)

Posted on March 13 2008 by dion1

The Caravelles (2) (Pittsburgh, Pa)

Personnel :

Chuck Townsed

Jim Marshall

Bill Chippich

John Kinkle (Guitar)

Joe Palmiere

Fran “Jay” Sinkovich

Discography :

Singles :
1962 - One Little Kiss / Twistin’ Marie (Joey 6208)
1963 - Fallin For You / Shake Baby (Joey 6208)

Unreleased :
1962 - Chapel In The Moonlight (Joey)

Biography :

Group formed in the late 50’s by Chuck Townsed, Jim Marshall and Bill Chippich from the Garfield and Bloomfield sections of Pittsburgh. Singing in various social halls and soon add three new members John Kinkle as guitarist,Joe Palmiere and Fran “Jay” Sinkovich. In 1961 the group signed Dick Romano as their manager who send the group to Joe Tomino owner of Joey Records, he signed the group and this have a recording session at Gateway Recording studio in Pittsburgh where recorded five songs.

L to R Joe Palmiere, Jim Marshall, Chuck Townsed, Frankie Jay, John Kimkle - front :Bill Chippich.

In October of 1962 the Joey’s label released "One Little Kiss" and the original side "Twistin’ Marie". The record was very popular locally and the group have many life perfomances in Pittsburgh and out in the suburban area. In May 1963 Joey’s released_Fallin For You/Shake Baby. Two original tunes but without any success. Around 1964 The Caravelles broke up and Jim Marshall,Bill Chippich and Fran “Jay” form in 1965 the Soul Survivors(Decca Records).

Songs :

One Little Kiss Twistin’ Marie

...

See comments

The Royal Galaxies aka The Galaxies (2)

Posted on March 11 2008 by dion1

The Royal Galaxies (Los Angeles, California)
aka The Galaxies (2)

Personnel :

Hal Hazan

Pat

Judy

Discography :

The Galaxies (2)
1960 - The big triangle / Until the next time (Capitol 4427)

The Royal Galaxies
1960 - Trouble on a Double Date / Over and Done With (Capitol 4488)
1960 - Zoom Golly Golly (Capitol) (Unreleased)
1960 - Cinderella Blue (Capitol) (Unreleased)

Biography :

Just months after returning from military duty, Capitol Records contacted Al Hazan to see if he knew any group that might be worth recording. Al said he did - that he had such a group already, along with some material.

Actually, Al had no group ready - he literally ran across the street where two female friends lived. He asked if they wanted to record some of his songs and the girls were all for it. Al wrote "The Big Triangle" and made a demonstration record with the girls.

They took the demo to the people at Capitol, who loved the idea and signed Al and the girls to a recording contract, naming the group "The Galaxies." "The Big Triangle" did well enough on the charts to warrant a follow-up record.

Al and the girls returned in November, 1960 to Capitol Records' with Tom Morgan, Al's producer, to record four more songs (three of them written by Hazan), although only two were released. "Zoom Golly Golly," and the song "Cinderella Blue" were not released.

Because of a conflict with another singing group, Capitol changed the name of the group from "The Galaxies" to "The Royal Galaxies, featuring Al Hazan." The group continued appearing in various cities around the U.S., doing TV interviews and special concert appearances to promote their two records.
http://alhazan.com/galaxies.html

Songs :

The Galaxies (2)

The Big Triangle Until The Next Time

The Royal Galaxies

Over and Done With Trouble on a Double Date

...

See comments

The Revels aka The Re-Vels Quartette aka The Re-Vels

Posted on March 11 2008 by dion1

The Re-Vels aka The Re-Vels Quartette aka The Revels aka The Re-Vells

The Re-Vels (Philadelphia)
aka The Re-Vels Quartette aka The Revels

Personnel :

John Kelly (Lead)

Henry Colclough (Tenor)

John grant

Bill Jackson

Jon Jones (Bass)

Discography :

The Re-Vels Quartette
1954 - My Lost Love / Love My Baby (Atlas 1035)

The Re-Vels
1956 - Later, Later Baby / You Lied To Me (Sound 129)
1956 - Cha Cha Toni / Dream My Darling, Dream (Sound 135)
1956 - So In Love / It Happened To Me (Teen 122)
1958 - False Alarm / When You Come Back To Me (Chess 1708)

The Revels
1959 - Dead man Stroll / Talking To My Heart (Norgolde 103)
1959 - Midnight Stroll / Talking To My Heart (Norgolde 103)
1959 - Foo Man Choo / Tweedlee Dee (Norgolde 104)
1959 - Money Is All I Need / Injun Joe (Norgolde 106)
1960 - The Greatness Of Love / Gates Of Heaven (Norgolde 218)
1960 - Please / Two Little Monkeys (Andie 5077)
1961 - Oh How I Love You / I Met My Lost Love (Palette 5074)
1964 - Down Town / Dollar Sign (Kapp 621)

Biography :

In 1954, West Philadelphia High School students John Kelly (lead vocalist), John Grant, John Jones, Henry Colclugh and Bill Jackson formed the vocal group, originally performing under the moniker the Re-Vels Quartette. Their live appearances made the combo a well-attended attraction in Northern Philadelphia, which enticed Atlas Records in 1955 and Sound Records in the following year to record singles with the group.[1] Credited to the shortened name the Re-Vels, the singles released in the two years included "So in Love", "You Lied to Me", and "Cha-Cha Toni", the latter of which was a big regional hit in Philadelphia and some other eastern cities but never charted nationally.

The Re-Vels aka The Re-Vels Quartette aka The Revels aka The Re-Vells

In 1958, the Re-Vels signed with Chess Records and released "False Alarm", perhaps their most accomplished record thus far. However, success still alluded the group, prompting Chess Records, which was still in the midst of a prosperous string of releases from Chuck Berry and the Moonglows, to cut the Re-Vels from their roster.A small record label established by Harold Nussbaum (also known as Hal Norton) and William Goldstein called Norgolde Records signed the group, now without a hyphen in their moniker. Jackson's self-penned novelty song "Dead Man's Stroll", paired with "Talking to My Heart", was selected to be recorded and distributed for the Halloween market in 1959.

The Re-Vels aka The Re-Vels Quartette aka The Revels aka The Re-Vells

Author Richard Aquilla described the single as a teen favorite with "a spooky sound, replete with midnight tolls and wailing ghosts".Released in September 1959, "Dead Man's Stroll" began being played across the United States leading to an appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand at the end of the month. Clark, however, objected to the song's title, forcing the Revels to alter it to "Midnight Stroll" to avoid losing the much-needed television exposure. The song peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early November and remained on the charts until December 1959.

The Re-Vels aka The Re-Vels Quartette aka The Revels aka The Re-Vells

The Revels followed-up "Midnight Stroll" with "Foo Man Choo" in 1960, which also attempted to inflict more chills on its listeners. However, the release could not reach the height of popularity as its predecessor and failed to chart. The group released other singles in the 1960s before disbanding in 1962. Jackson, having composed the majority of the Revels' original material, continued in the music industry as a songwriter. He joined Cameo-Parkway Records in 1963 and had a hand in penning the Tymes' hit song "So Much in Love". In addition, Jackson co-wrote "Here She Comes", "The Magic of Our Summer Love", and "You Little Trustmaker", and produced the group's recordings in 1963 and 1964.
https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Stroll/product-reviews/B002EPKFO0
http://www.waybackattack.com/revels.html

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

The Re-Vels Quartette

My Lost Love Love My Baby

The Re-Vels


Later, Later Baby                  You Lied To Me                        Cha Cha Toni


Dream My Darling, Dream               So In Love                        It Happened To Me


     False Alarm                  When You Come Back To Me

The Revels


Dead man Stroll                  Talking To My Heart                   Midnight Stroll


Talking To My Heart                 Foo Man Choo                     Money Is All I Need


     Tweedley Dee                        Please                           Two Little Monkeys


Oh How I Love You            I Met My Lost Love                        Injun Joe


Gates Of Heaven                    Dollar Sign                         The Greatness Of Love

Downtown

…

See comments

The Four Intruders

Posted on March 10 2008 by dion1

The Four Intruders (Philadelphia)
aka The Intruders
(Early Years)

Personnel :

Sam "Little Sonny" Brown

Eugene "Bird" Daughtry

Phillip "Phil" Terry

Robert "Big Sonny" Edwards

Discography :

The Intruders
Singles :
1961 - Come Home Soon / I'm Sold (On You) (Gowen 1401/Lost Nite 195)
Unreleased :
1961 - Let's Try It Again (Gowen)
1961 - I'm Calling (Gowen)

The Four Intruders
1961 - My Baby / This Is My Song (Gowen 1404)
1979 - Goodnight / Sweet Girl (King Tut 179)

Biography :

The Intruders were the first group to score hits with the songwriting/production team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and they played a major role in the rise of Philadelphia soul. The guys were originally formed as a doo wop group in 1960, and sang around Philadelphia for several years.

The original line-up of The Intruders was formed in 1960 by Sam "Little Sonny" Brown, Eugene "Bird" Daughtry, Phillip "Phil" Terry and Robert "Big Sonny" Edwards. The quartet began performing in a style that owed equally to doo-wop and gospel. In 1961 they released "Coming Home Soon" b/w "I'm Sold on You" on Gowen. The following year, as "The Four Intruders," they released "This Is My Son" b/w "My Baby." In the late 1970' an old acetate of the Intruders doing "Goodnight" & "Sweet Girl" was found and released on the King Tut label.
http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/intruders.htm
http://www.soulcellar.co.uk/intruders/IntrudersDiscography.html

Songs :

The Intruders


Come Home Soon               I'm Sold (On You)                Let's Try It Again

The Four Intruders


Sweet Girl                          This Is My Song                     Goodnight

My Baby I'm Calling

….

See comments

Rudy & The Tradewinds (2) aka Jimmy & The Slanders

Posted on March 9 2008 by dion1

Rudy & The Tradewinds (2) aka Jimmy & The Slanders
L/R: Richie Soriano, Sammy Marotta, Adolfo Altreche, Tommy Pellechia and Rudy Jackson kneeling

Rudy & The Tradewinds (2) (Brooklyn, New York)
aka Jimmy & The Slanders

Personnel :

Rudy Jackson (Lead)

Tommy Pellechia (Baritone/Second Tenor)

Sammy Marotta (Bass/Baritone)

Richie Soriano (First & Second Tenor)

Adolfo Altreche (Bass)

Discography :

Rudy & The Tradewinds (2)
1962 - Unemployed / Careless Love (Angletone 543)

Jimmy & The Slanders
1962 - Rock'in Santa / Respectable (by The Chants) (U.W.R.4243)

Biography :

Rudy From The Tradewinds was Rudy Jackson & was Jimmy Soul's brother in law (If You Wanna Be Happy for the Rest of Your Life) and so before Jimmy went to Motown, he was a member of The group. They were called Little Sugar and the Slanders. Rudy and Jimmy lived on St John's Place, between 5th and 6th Ave, in Brooklyn. At this time the group was composed by jimmy Soul, Rudy Jackson , Tommy Pellechia, Sammy Marotta & Adolfo Altreche. Richie Soriano was not part of the group then. They did local gigs for the area's gangsters. Jimmy Soul was the main lead. After one meager paying gig, Jimmy Soul ran off with the money; the next thing they knew he was in Detroit.

Rudy & The Tradewinds (2) aka Jimmy & The Slanders
Rudy & The Tradewinds Jimmy Soul

In 1959/60, They changed their name then to Rudy and the Tradewinds, Richie Soriano joined the group, and Rudy took lead singer. The members: one black, three Italians, one Puerto Rican, in the order below. Rudy Jackson (Lead), Thomas Pellechia (Baritone/Second Tenor), Sammy Marotta (Bass/Baritone), Richie Soriano (First & Second Tenor) and Adolfo Altreche (Bass). In 1959, Sammy, Richie, Adolpho, and Tommy grew up on Sackett Street, between 4th and 5th Ave, in Brooklyn. In 1962, Sammy Marotta worked in downtown Manhattan with two guys who sang in a group called the Del Satins. From there, they were invited to audition for Jim Gribble in 1650 Broadway. He referred the group to Angeltone Records. They recorded "Careless Love" & "Unemployed". Both sides were done in one long afternoon session. They sang at the Apollo, Palisade Park with Cousin Bruce, the Savoy, and Lenox Hill.The group broke up about 1964. They weren't going anywhere. Surprisingly in 1962, U.W.R. (United Wolrd Records) in New York released "Rock'in Santa" by Jimmy & The Slanders (A Soul Production) b/w « Respectable" by The Chants. Tt's probably a recording of the Slanders before jimmy leaves it.

Songs:

Rudy & The Tradewinds (2)

Unemployed Careless Love

…

See comments

Carl Hogan & The Miracles (1)

Posted on March 9 2008 by dion1

Carl Hogan & The Miracles (1)

Carl Hogan & The Miracles (1) (New York)

Personnel :

Carl Hogan (Lead)

John Brisbane (Tenor)

Jerry Moore (Tenor)

Leon Briggs (Baritone)

Irvin Lee Gail (Bass)

Discography :

1957 - I Love You So / Your Love (Fury 1003)

Biography :

In 1952, Carl Hogan joined several friends in Harlem to form the doo-wop group, The Valentines. Originally called The Dreamers, the quartet was expanded with the addition of lead tenor Richard Barrett. Hogan would leave the group in late 1954 before a session at Old Town Records, after a fight with the rest of the group. Carl Hogan during his absence from the Valentines (Before returning in 1956) had recorded with Charles Sampson (from the Velvets) as "Charles And Carl" for Red Robin, for The Velvets on Fury and went on to sing with The Miracles on Fury.

Carl Hogan & The Miracles (1)
1952 - Carl Hogan (left) with The Freamers (Pre Valentines)

The Miracles were led by Carl. The other members of this New York group were John Brisbane (Tenor), Jerry Moore (Tenor), Leon Briggs (brother of Raymond Briggs from The Valentines) who sang for The Velvets on Fury and Irvin Lee Gail (Bass). The single "I Love You So" / "Your Love (Is All I Need)" came out around 1957 and will be the only single from the group.

Songs :

I Love You So Your Love

…

See comments

The Tiffanys (1) aka The Deckers aka Teddy & The Twilights (4) aka The Buddies (7)

Posted on March 8 2008 by dion1

The Buddies (7) aka Teddy & The Twilights (4) aka The Tiffanys (1)
Teddy & The Twilights (1962) Top: Fred Cohen. Bottom (L to R): Larry Williams, John Odoms, Ben Hart

The Buddies (7) (Philadelphia)
aka The Deckers
aka The Tiffanys (1)
aka Teddy & The Twilights (4)

Personnel :

Fred Cohen (Lead)

John "Odoms" Williams (First Tenor)

Larry Williams (Baritone)

Ben Hart (Bass)

Discography :

Lynn Christie & The Decker's
1957 - Oh, Where Did You Go / What Did I Do (Nar 225)

The Deckers
Singles :
1958 - Sincerely With All My Heart / Come Back Baby (Yeadon 101)
1958 - Sincerely With All My Heart / The Thing (Yeadon 1041)
Unreleased :
1958 - Love What Have You Done (Yeadon)

Freddie Cannon bb The Buddies (7)
1961 - Buzz Buzz A Diddle-It (Swan 4071)

The Buddies (7)
1961 - Spooky Spider / Lebone Delada (Swan 4073)

The Tiffanys (1)
1962 - The Pleasure Of Love / Atlanta (Swan 4104)

Teddy & The Twilights (4)
Single :
1962 - Woman Is A Man’s Best Friend / Goodbye To Love (Swan 4102)
1962 - Running Around Town / You Gotta Be Alone To Cry (Swan 4115)
1962 - Bimini Bimbo / I’m Just Your Clown (Swan 4126)
Unreleased :
1962 - Whispers In The Dark (Swan)

Brenda Johnson bb Teddy & The Twilights (4)
1962 - Ben Casey/ If I Give My Love To You (Swan 4108)

Esau Isaac bb Teddy & The Twilights (4)
1962 - Poison Pen / Every Woman’s Just Alike (Swan 4110)

Mark Valentino bb Teddy & The Twilights (4)
1962 - The Push And Kick / Walking Alone (Swan 4121)

Rochelle Johnson bb Teddy & The Twilights (4)
1962 - Playing The Field / Gypsy Ways (Swan 4124)

Biography :

The Deckers began in Philadelphia in 1954. In 1957, the Deckers consisted of Sam Connors, John Odoms, Larry Williams, Curtis Barnes and Ben Hart. The Deckers appeared on Ted Mack's Amateur Hour TV Show, in 1957. The Deckers' first recording came about in 1957 when the group was asked to back up a young white singer, Lynn Christie, on the NAR label. "Oh Where Did You Go" b/w "What Did I Do" (NAR 225) came out in the summer of 1957 . Shortly after the NAR recording, Curtis Barnes left The Deckers to join a spiritual group.

The Buddies (7) aka Teddy & The Twilights (4) aka The Tiffanys (1)

Through Sam Connors, the group met Jack Green. Jack formed the Yeadon label and "Sincerely With All My Heart" became its first release. Four sides were recorded, including "Sincerely With All My Heart," "Come Back Baby," "The Thing" and "Love What Have You Done". "Sincerely With All My Heart" and "Come Back Baby" were released on Yeadon 101. "Sincerely With All My Heart" was re-released a short time later with a novelty flip "The Thing".

The Buddies (7) aka Teddy & The Twilights (4) aka The Tiffanys (1)

In the early 1960's, The Deckers changed their name to the Buddies and signed with Doc Bagby (Red Top and Value labels). The first thing the Buddies did on Swan was back up Freddy Cannon on "Buzz Buzz A Diddle It" (Swan 4071). The record debuted on the Pop Charts in May 1961, reaching #51. During this time, Swan was looking for material for The Buddies to record. The first recordings the Buddies did on their own were "The Spooky Spider" backed with "Lebone Delada". After this single, Sam Connors left the group. Fred Cohen, a friend of the group who formerly sang with Larry and John’s brother’s group, The Mohawks, joining the Buddies as lead. The group now consisted of Fred Cohen, John Williams, Larry Williams and Ben Hart.

The Buddies (7) aka Teddy & The Twilights (4) aka The Tiffanys (1)

In March of 1962, The Buddies went into the studio and cut four songs. Bernard Bennick and Tony Mammarella, the owners of Swan, decided The Buddies should have a new name to go along with their new lead and style. They gave the group two different names and issued a record under each at approximately the same time. "Woman Is A Man’s Best Friend" backed with "Goodbye To Love" was released as Teddy and The Twilights. Swan issued "Atlanta" backed with "Pleasure Of Love" as The Tiffanies. The group became known as Teddy and The Twilights. In the spring of 1962, Teddy and The Twilights appeared on American Bandstand. Swan often utilized Teddy & The Twilights to vocally back their soloists. In addition, Fred Cohen often wrote or co- wrote songs for other Swan artists (Brenda Johnson, Esau Isaac, Mark Valentino & Rochelle Johnson) .

The Buddies (7) aka Teddy & The Twilights (4) aka The Tiffanys (1)
Teddy & The Twilights (1962) Top (L to R) : Larry Williams & Fred Cohen. Bottom (L to R): Ben Hart & John Odoms,

The next release under their own name was "Running Around Town" backed with "You Gotta Be Alone To Cry". Swan gave this release no promotion and it went nowhere. Teddy & The Twilights' third release under their own name was "Bimini Bimbo" backed with "I’m Just Your Clown". The record did not catch on elsewhere. The Twilights were disappointed that their records didn't go bigger than they did and blamed Swan for lack of promotion. Swan was busy promoting their big artists like Freddy Cannon and had little time for The Twilights. After 14 years of harmonizing together, the group called it quits. Their last show was at Towne Hall on May 25, 1963.

Songs :

(updated by Hans-Joachim)

Lynn Christie & The Decker's

Oh, Where Did You Go

The Deckers

Sincerely With All My Heart The Thing Love What Have You Done

The Buddies (7)

Spooky Spider Lebone Delada

Teddy & The Twilights (4)


Woman Is A Man’s Best Friend        Goodbye To Love      You Gotta Be Alone To Cry


   Bimini Bimbo                    I’m Just Your Clown

Esau Isaac bb Teddy & The Twilights (4)

Poison Pen

Mark Valentino bb Teddy & The Twilights (4)


The Push And Kick                                Walking Alone

Rochelle Johnson bb Teddy & The Twilights (4)


Playing The Field                                 Gypsy Ways

...

See comments

The Del Shays aka The Teen Rockers (2)

Posted on March 7 2008 by dion1

The Del Shays aka The Teen Rockers (2)
Barry VanFosson, Walter Andrade and Bill Hughes

The Del Shays (South Gate, California)
aka The Teen Rockers (2)

Personnel :

Walter Andrade (Lead & Piano)

Rick Holt (Vocal & Bass) replaced by Charlie Flecher

Bill Hughes (Vocal & Guitar)

Barry Van Fossan (Vocal & Drums)

Discography :

The Del Shays
1964 - Fake It / (Love You) Forever (Charger 102)
1965 - A Long Long Time / Remember What I Said (Celestial 1006)

The Teen Rockers (2)
1961 - Scat Cat / Rattlesnake (Eldo 116)

Biography :

Vocal & Instrumental group, The Teen Rockers consisted of Walter Andrade, Rick Holt, Bill Hughes and Barry Van Fossan. They began back at South Gate Junior High, played at high school dances, Rock and Roll Sox Hops, and shows around the LA area. In 1959, the group was chosen a winner on the Betty Yeakel show, “Rocket to Stardom,” broadcast on TV. In 1961 they recorded two songs for ELDO Records, "Scat Cat" and "Rattlesnake."

The Del Shays aka The Teen Rockers (2)
Rick Holt, Barry VanFosson, Walter Andrade and Bill Hughes

After high school, Charlie Flecher replaced Rick Holt and the band went on to become the Del Shays and had the honor of working with Bob Eubanks, as the “back-up” band on many concerts with the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, the Temptations and many others and played at the Cinnamon Cinder.

The Del Shays aka The Teen Rockers (2)
Walter Andrade, Barry VanFosson, Rick Holt, and Bill Hughes

In 1964, they recorded the nice Doo-wop “I'll Love You Forever,” which Charlie Flecher & Walter Andrade wrote. With some staff changes, in 1965, the Delshays recorded "A Long Long Time" and "Remember What I Said" both wrote & producer by Bill Hughes. The single will be released by Celestial records out of Los Angeles.

Songs :

The Del Shays

(Love You) Forever Remember what I said

A Long Long Time

...

See comments

The Five Pennies aka ...

Posted on March 7 2008 by dion1

The Five Pennies aka The Four Jokers aka The Four Pennies (2) aka The Chimes (4)

The Five Pennies (Knoxville, Tennessee)
aka The Four Jokers aka The Four Pennies (2) aka The Chimes (4)

Personnel :

Clifford Curry (Lead Tenor)

James Myers (First Tenor)

Herbert Myers (Second Tenor)

John Myers (Baritone)

Charles Holloway (Bass)

John Gibbs (Tenor and Piano)

Discography :

The Five Pennies
Single:
1955 - All Is Well /Try To Understand (Savoy 1181)
1955 - Mr Moon / Let It Rain (Savoy 1182)
1956 - My Heart Trembles / Money (Savoy 1190)
Unreleased:
1956 - The Wedding Bells (Savoy)
1956 - Be Mine For A Lifetime (Savoy)

The Four Jokers
1958 - Written In The Stars / The Run Around (Sue 703)

Freddie Scott & The Chimes (4)
1958 - Please Call / The Letter Came This Morning (Arrow 724)

The Chimes (4)
1958 - Lovin' Baby / A Faded Memory (Arrow 726)

The Four Pennies (2)
1966 - You Have No Time To Lose / You're A Gas With Your Trash (Brunswick 55304)
1967 - Tis The Season / Shake A Hand (Brunswick 55324)

Biography :

The Five Pennies -- Clifford Curry, Benjamin Washington, Charles Holloway, Herbert Myers, and John and James Myers (twins) -- met in high school in Knoxville, TN. Prior to Curry's involvement, they recorded four years earlier as the Echos (unreleased) and backed Faye Adams on her number one smash "Shake a Hand." Things started poppin' after Curry joined, their manager, Fred Logan (a big bootlegger in Knoxville), got them a deal with Savoy Records in Newark, NJ. Savoy's owner Herman Lubinsky renamed them the Five Pennies (though there were actually six members) to avoid confusion with another group.

Out the box they backed Big Al Miller on "All Is Well" b/w "Try to Understand" (1955), credited as Big Al Miller & the Five Pennies. Savoy followed with the first released credited solely to the Five Pennies "Mr. Moon" b/w "Let It Rain" (1955); the A-Side "Mr. Moon," a Curry composition, is quintessential '50s doo wop with a southern flavor. Their final Savoy release, "My Heart Trembles" b/w "Money," made a little noise but not much, a consortium of Curry, Holloway, Washington, and Herbert and James Myers collaborated on both sides.

They cut six tracks for Savoy but only 2 singles surfaced. Herald Records acquired the masters and rights to two tracks ("Wedding Bells" and "Put This Ring on Your Finger") in 1956 but shelved them; they didn't see daylight until King Tut Records exposed them in the '80s.

According to Curry, the group also recorded his "Mine for a Lifetime" (unreleased) for Savoy. The members splintered. John Myers banded with the Chimes for two Arrow Records' singles in 1957, and then the Four Jokers for one Sue single in 1958. In 1964, he revived the Five Pennies as the Four Pennies on Brunswick Records.
Andrew Hamilton, Rovi
http://www.uncamarvy.com/5Pennies/5pennies.html

Songs :


Let It Rain                              Mr. Moon


My Heart Trembles                       Try To Understand

Money

...

See comments