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

The Taylor Tones (1)

Posted on December 5 2020 by dion1

The Taylor Tones (1) (
Jacqueline Broughton

The Taylor Tones (1) (Detroit, Michigan)

Personnel :

Jacqueline Broughton (Lead)

Pearl Robinson

Faye Carter

Betty

Discography :

1961 - My Heart Went Zing / Too Young To Love (C & T 0001)

Biography :

The Taylor Tones were a girl group from Detroit, Michigan composed by Jacqueline Broughton (Lead), Pearl Robinson , Faye Carter and Betty (?).. They were in High School when they formed The Taylor Tones . Jacqueline Broughton co write and sang the two songs that were released by C & T Records in Detroit Owned by Bill Campbell and Jack Thomas.

Songs :

My Heart Went Zing Too Young To Love

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The Continentals (2)

Posted on December 5 2020 by dion1

Bill Davis

The Continentals (2) (Bronx, New York)

Personnel :

James Gooden (Lead)

Bill Davis (Tenor)

Sidney Gray

Demetrius Clease

Tommy ... (Baritone)

Discography :

1956 - Giddy Up And Ding Dong / You Are An Angel (Rama 190)

Biography :

After nine records to their credit and only one chart hit, the Crows decided to call it a day in early 1955. Bill Davis went to sing with the Continentals (also on Rama) for one and only single, "You're an Angel" b/w "Giddy Up And Ding Dong" released in January 1956. The others in the Continentals were lead James Gooden, Demetrius Clare, Sidney Gray, and a baritone named Tommy. In 1963 Bill Davis missed a chance to join the Flamingos; instead he chose to stay with a group called the Honeycoles, whose sides for Columbia were never released.

Songs :

You Are An Angel Giddy Up And Ding Dong

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The Esquires (1) aka The Four Esquires

Posted on December 3 2020 by dion1

The Four Esquires aka The Esquires (1)

The Esquires (1) (Boston, Massachusetts)
aka The Four Esquires

Personnel :

Bill Courtney

Frank Mahoney

Wally Gold

Bob Golden

Discography :

1954 - If You Only Knew What A Three Cent Stamp Could Do / Now, Now, Now (Epic 9024)

Biography :

Bill Courtney (lead singer) and backing vocalists Walter Gold, Robert Golden and Frank Mahoney were students at the University of Boston, Massachusetts, USA, in the early 50s who harmonized for their own amusement to whatever instrumental accompaniment they could muster. They first performed locally under the name of The Esquires. It is under this name that they record their first singles "If You Only Knew What A Three Cent Stamp Could Do" b/w "Now, Now, Now "for Epic Records. They will add "four" in front of Esquires and will continue with this title throughout their career.

Songs :

(updated by Hans-Joachim)

If You Only Knew What A Three Cent Stamp Could Do / Now, Now, Now

....

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The Dots (1)

Posted on November 29 2020 by dion1

The Dots (1) The Dots (1956) : Mel Braxton, Pete Smith, Jeanette Baker , DJ Huggy Boy and Bill Gore

The Dots (1) (Los Angeles, CA)

Personnel :

Jeanette Baker (Lead)

Johnny Flamingo

Pete Smith

Ed

Ray Brewster

Discography :

Singles :
1956 - I Confess / I Wish (I Could Meet Her) (Caddy 101)
1956 - I Lost You / Johnny (Caddy 107)
1956 - Heartsick And Lonely / Good Luck To You (Best Wishes Too) (Caddy 111)

EP:
1956 - I Confess (The Dots) / All Nite Long (Joe Houston) / So Long (Johnny Flamingo) / Eternally (The Twilighters) (Caddy 115)

Biography :

Jeanette Baker was born June 7th, 1938 in Denver, Colorado. After moving to Los Angeles on a permanent basis in 1956, she was forming a group called the Dots. One of the members was from husband-to-be Johnny Flamingo who passed the audition. Others chose from the pack were tenor Pete Smith plus a fellow named Ed. They came to 'Huggy Boy'(A Los Angeles DJ) with a tune called "I Confess," a romantic ballad lead with verve and gusto by Jeanette herself. Then Huggy Boy decided to start a record label, Caddy, and made their debut song, "I Confess" b/w "I Wish".

The Dots (1)
Jeanette Baker

The chart chosen for the flip, "I wish" (I could meet her), was a rocking and stopin' jumper with unknown male lead Johnny Flamingo that tends the supporting ''Handsome Jim Balcom Band In full throttle, with shrieking sax and pounding piano "I confess'' made a little noise in the L.A. area but did not pick up too much notice until it was introduced by Ernie Freeman to the fourteen-year-old Paul Anka at Modern Records in September 1956.

The Dots (1)
Johnny Flamingo Jeanette Baker

When Jeanette and Johnny met It was love at first sight but they had to wait a while to get married as Johnny was already hitched to his first wife. Ray Brewster joined the Dots in Johnny Flamingo's place In 1957 and the quartet enjoyed two releases. The first was the sweetly sung, mid tempo ballad "Johnny" backed by "I lost you" (Caddy 107). "Johnny" made a fair bit of noise around Southern California but did not dent any charts. The Dots' third and final single release was "Good luck to you" coupled with "Heartsick & lonely" (Caddy 111). "Good luck to you" is yet another sulky, heartfelt ballad sung prettily to basic rhythm accompaniment. By now, the original Dots had gone their separate ways and had been replaced by singers with a good deal more professional experience.

Songs :


             I Confess                          I Wish (I Could Meet Her)


     Johnny / I Lost You       Good Luck To You... /Heartsick And Lonely

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Mac Boswell & The Outcasts (1)

Posted on November 22 2020 by dion1

Mac Boswell & The Outcasts (1)

Mac Boswell & The Outcasts (1) (Lavonia, GA)

Personnel:

James Malcolm "Mac" Boswell (Lead)

John Clark

Fiske Minton

Harry Williams

Brown Ellis

Discography :

1959 - I Thought You Knew / Rang Dang Do Lally (Wonder 117)

Biography :

Vocal and instrumental group from Nashville Tennessee, fronted by James Malcolm "Mac" Boswell and composed by John Clark, Fiske Minton, Harry Williams and Brown Ellis. At 19 Mac Boswell and the Outcasts have made several tours of the south and the Southeast appearing with stars like Ferlin Husky and Jerry Lee Lewis. The group began in 1957 while the boys were attending West End High School at Nashville Tennessee. After working together for months, they entered several talent contests - Winning Many.

Mac Boswell & The Outcasts (1)
John Clark, Harry Williams, Fiske Minton, ???, Mac Boswell and Brown Ellis

This encouraged them on bigger things. Searching for new material they went to Jacksonville, Florida to see Mae Axton who co-authored "Heartbreak Hotel". Mae took a liking to the boys and worked with them improving their style. The boys really dug ib and worked hard for another ten months, playing as many tours and dates as they could. On May 20, 1959 Bill Lowery of National Recording Corporation i, Atlanta cut their first record which was released in July 1959.

Mac Boswell & The Outcasts (1)
Mac Boswell

Everywhere Mac and the boys have played, they have the audience in the palm of their hand and fan mail has been terrific. After playing three songs on a morning TV show, in one city, they received over 500 letters which is evidence of the tremendous acclamation they have enjoying.

Songs :

I Thought You Knew

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The Quintones (1)

Posted on November 21 2020 by dion1

The Quintones (1)

The Quintones (1) (Chicago)

Personnel :

Donald Burrows (Lead)

Clifford Sutherland (First Tenor)

Freddie Williams (Second Tenor)

Ralph Fulham (Baritone)

Bill McDonald (Bass)

Discography :

1957 - South Sea Island / More Than A Notion (Park 57 111)

Biography :

The Quintones releasing one record "South Sea Island" backed with "More Than A Notion." The lead singer was Donald Burrows, and he was supported by first tenor Clifford Sutherland, second tenor Freddie Williams, baritone Ralph Fulham, and bass Bill McDonald. Another vocalist in the area, Willie Crowley, was often recalled as a as a member of the Quintones, but he wasn't on the record but occasionally sang with the group. The Quintones were featured in two big shows. One was the Herb Kent-promoted show in the Children's Building with Lee Andrews and the Hearts, the Pastels, and other Altgeld Gardens groups. The other show was out in Harvey, some school out there, Herb Kent promoted it. The Dells were on the show and the fellows who did 'Cherry Pie,' Marvin and Johnny. Those acts got top billing and everything. The Quintones were not together very long. They were still attending Carver High when they made the record, and six months after recording it they had disbanded.
(Doowop: The Chicago Scene)

Songs :

More Than A Notion South Sea Island

...

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The Cellos

Posted on November 19 2020 by dion1

The Cellos

The Cellos (Manhattan, New York)

Personnel :

Alton Campbell（Lead）

Billy Montgomery（Tenor）

Cliff Williams（Tenor）

Bobby Thomas（Baritone）

Alvin Williams（Bass）

Discography :

Singles :
1957 - Rang Tang Ding Dong / You Took My Love（Apollo 510）
1957 - Under Your Spell / The Juicy Crocodile（Apollo 515）
1957 - The Be Bop Mouse / Girlie That I Love（Apollo 516）
1958 - I Beg For Your Love / What's The Matter For You（Apollo 524）

Unreleased :
1958 - Doo Doo Wah （Apollo)
1958 - Buffalo Bill （Apollo)
1958 - Love That Girl Of Mine （Apollo)
1958 - Don't Wait (with Dolly Lyon) （Apollo)

Biography :

The Cellos' singing was as smooth as the sound of their instrumental namesake. Formed at Charles Evans Hughes High School on West 18th Street in Manhattan, the Cellos were Alvin Williams , Billy Montgomery, Alton Campbell , Bobby Thomas, and Cliff Williams, their inspirations were the Heartbeats, the Cleftones, the Harptones, and the Coasters.Alvin Williams wrote their original material, including a number called "Rang Tang Ding Dong (I'm the Japanese Sandman)" that so impressed the engineer on their first demo session, Lewis Merenstein (who later produced Thelonious Monk, Art Farmer, and Van Morrison), that he brought it to Apollo Records, which was owned by his uncle.

The group got a contract from that demo, and had their first session in January of 1957. "Rang Tang Ding Dong" b/w "You Took My Love" reached number 62 on the Billboard national chart during a ten-week run, a promising beginning; the song was covered by the likes of Chuck Miller ("House of Blue Lights") and Ray Stevens. This was a feat the group was never able to repeat. The Cellos were extremely versatile, capable of delivering soaring, dreamily ethereal harmony numbers ("You Took My Love") or scorching, funny novelty songs ("Juicy Crocodile") with equal aplomb.

The Cellos

Few groups had their range, and even fewer an in-house songwriter of Williams' caliber; between them, they made some gorgeous and memorably funny doo wop and R&B records. But they never managed to connect nationally, despite their receiving the blessing of tastemaker Alan Freed and a featured spot at one of his Brooklyn Paramount shows.

The Cellos

Undaunted, their management got them booked onto national tours, and some of their records got decent airplay. The sales didn't follow suit, however, and by the end of 1958 the group had called it quits, although Alvin Williams remained in the business for a few more years.

Songs :


Rang Tang Ding Dong           You Took My Love                   Under Your Spell


The Juicy Crocodile         The Be Bop Mouse               Girlie That I Love


I Beg For Your Love         What's The Matter For You         Love That Girl Of Mine

Doo Doo Wah (Unreleased)
Don't Wait (with Dolly Lyon)
Buffalo Bill (Unreleased)
What's The Matter For You (Outtake)

...

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Shari Drake & The Vernonaires

Posted on November 17 2020 by dion1

Shari Drake

Shari Drake & The Vernonaires (Zanesville, Ohio)

Personnel :

Shari Drake (Lead)

Benny Cinquina

Tommy Schofield

Glen Home

Discography :

1962 - Why Did You Do This / Please Be Mine (Hilltop 1877)

Biography :

The Vernonaires were a group from Mount Vernon, They started as a three member vocal group composed by Benny Cinquina (lead), Tommy Schofield and Glen Home. The group performs locally and regularly appears at Vernon Manor's "400" in Cincinnati. In February 1962 the group recorded their first 45 as a backing group for Shari Drake. Shari Drake of Howard, singing commercially for about four months, take singing lessons in school and also play the piano. Shari wrote the two songs "Why Did You Do This" and "Please Be Mine" released by Hilltop. Hilltop Records were owned by Quentin 'Reed' Weltywho produced a lot of material from many artists between 1958 and 1962 for different labels including his own which were 'Hilltop Records', 'Z Records', 'Prism Records' and 'B-W Records'.

Songs :

Why Did You Do This Please Be Mine

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The Fayatons

Posted on November 17 2020 by dion1

1962 - (L to R ): I.V. Simpson , Walter Garrett, Sonny Holley J.r & Melvin Blackmore

The Fayatons (Battle Creek, Michigan)

Personnel :

I.V. Simpson (First Tenor)

Walter Garrett (Second Tenor)

Melvin Blackmore (Baritone)

Sonny Holley J.r. (High Tenor)

Discography :

Unreleased:
1962 - Let This Girl / Quiet (Tri-Phi)

Biography :

The Fayatons were a four piece vocal group from Battle Creek in 1962. They comprised - I.V. Simpson (First Tenor), Walter Garrett (Second Tenor), Melvin Blackmore (Baritone) & Sonny Holley J.r. (High Tenor) (Sonny played in Jr Walker's All Stars at one time). They went to Tri-Phi Records in 1962 and recorded "Let This Girl" b/w "Quiet". Unfortunately the disc was never released.

...

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The Satellites (5)

Posted on November 14 2020 by dion1

The Satellites (5) (Pease AFB, NH)

Personnel :

Tommy Childers

Nick Brazell

Sandy McPherson

Albert "Duff" Duffy

Discography :

The Satellites (5)
1959 - Linda Jean / Rockateen (Cupid 5004 / ABC 10038)

Nick Brazell & The Satellites (5) / Sandy McPherson & The Satellites (5)
1960 - Betty Joe / Blue Denim Angel (Sparr 328)

Biography :

Vocal Group oriented Rock and Roll, the Satellites were Nick Brazell aged 16, Sandy McPherson aged 17 and Albert "Duff" Duffy aged 18. Brazell (Born in California, but raised in Texas and Oklahoma and McPherson (Who'd moved from California to New Mexico to New Hampshire) were Air Force brats whose fathers were stationed at Pease AFB in New Hampshire. Nick Brazell, Sandy McPherson and a guy named Rick Arnold went to the General and asked if they could have a building to start a teen club. He said Yes, and they hired a local dee-jay, Art Wood for the opening sock hop. Art was going to the restroom and heard the three boys singing along with a record. He said, 'Have you guys ever thought of singing professionally?'

The Satellites (5)

Wood put them with a local singer, Tommy Childers, whom he later canned. They recorded Rockateen at a local studio, and it first appeared on Sam Lembo's Cupid Records in Marblehead, Massachusetts. ABC Records Acquired The Satellites' Cupid Masters and send the guys on the road with a group called the Launchers. "Linda Jean" was a song Nick Brazzel had written about his girlfriend at the time, Linde Lou Winberly. It was originally titled Linda Lou, but Ray Sharpe's "Linda Lu" began showing up, So Brazell changed the title (renaming the song after both his girlfriend and her mother). They played sock hops, television. Deejay Art Wood was their manager. First, he canned Rick Arnold, replacing him with a local boy, Tommy Childers, and then he canned Childers , replacing him with another local boy, Albert "Duff" Duffy.

The Satellites (5)
Tommy Childers

The Satellites had a brief lifespan: basically, the summer of 1959. Brazell's Father was moved to Saudi Arabia, and Nick's mother took him back to Texas. Art Wood brought him up to Boston for some shows during the summer, but there was another argument and Brazell left. The others stayed together another year or so. Wood had a comanager who owned a clothing store, so the group was usually promoting their's comanager's clothes and their own records. At the end of 1959 the guys recorded another single with a very nice Doo Wop "Blue Denim Angel".

Songs :

The Satellites (5)

Rockateen Linda Jean

Sandy McPherson & The Satellites (5)

Blue Denim Angel

Nick Brazell & The Satellites (5)

Betty Joe

...

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