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

The Cupids (7)

Posted on March 19 2019 by dion1

Cortez "Winky" Greer, Ed Johnson and Bobby Bender

The Cupids (7) (Chattanooga, TN.)

Personnel :

Cortez "Winky" Greer (Lead)

Bobby Bender (Tenor)

Ed Johnson (Bass)

Discography :

Single :
1962 - Troubles Not At End / I Don't Know (Chan 107)
Unreleased:
1962 - Wanda (Chan)
1962 - Mardi Gras (Chan)

Biography :

Cortez Greer grew up in Chattanooga and was a 1962 graduate of Howard High School. He was discovered as a result of his performance on the Ted Mack Original Talent Show and since then, he traveled the world and performed for the likes of James Brown and toured with Bill Cosby. Cortez completed one album "Live At Scarlett O'Hara's" and another was slated for release in February 1977.

The Cupids (7)
The Squires

In 1961, Cortez Greer made his debut professional singer in a Doo-Wop group called The Cupids with Ed Johnson and Bobby Bender. Both The Squires and The Cupids were from Chattanooga and they were signed by Chan Records at the same time and traveled to Fernwood studios in Memphis, TN to record their first records. The Squires backed The Cupids on Three songs, "Troubles Not At End", "Wanda" and "Mardi Gras". The Squires was composed by Ted Ledford (Guitar), Larry Blanks (Guitar), Allen Lutes (Bass), Don Jackson (Sax), Jimmy Harris (Piano) and Butch Thomas (Drums). "Troubles Not At End" and "I Don't Know" with a different instrumental group and a girls group will be released by Chan Records. Their two other recordings were never released. The Squires will record two singles for Chan Records in 1962.

Songs :


Wanda                                              I Don't Know


Troubles Not At End                              Mardi Gras

…

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The Squires (2)

Posted on March 10 2019 by dion1

Delmer Wilburn

The Squires (2) (Los Angeles)

Personnel :

Delmer Wilburn (Lead)

Otis White (First Tenor)

Jimmy Richardson (Second Tenor)

James Myles (Baritone)

Maurice Giles (Bass)

Discography :

Singles :
1953 - Let's Give Love A Try / Whop (Combo 35)
1954 - Oh Darling / My Little Girl (Combo 42)

Unreleased :
1954 - Where Are You Tonight (Combo)
1954 - I Want A Girl (Combo)
1954 - Am I A Fool (Combo)

Biography :

The Squires consisted of Delmer Wilburn (lead), Otis White (first tenor), Jimmy Richardson (second tenor), James Myles (baritone), and Maudice Giles (bass). They first got together in the Greenmeadows Playground in L.A. In the fall of 1953, Jess Willard, who owned a record shop, heard them practice and brought them to the attention of Vernon "Jake" Porter, owner of Combo Records. In late 1953, they recorded at least seven songs for Combo. Two of these, "Let's Give Love A Try"/"Whop," came out that year. Two others, "Oh Darling"/"My Little Girl," were issued in early 1954.

The Squires (2)
Maurice Giles Vernon "Jake" Porter

There are three known unreleased tracks: "Where Are You Tonight," "I Want A Girl," and "Am I A Fool." When they drifted apart, Delmer Wilburn eventually ended up in the Turks with Gaynel and Alex Hodge. Later on, he was part of Eli Price & the Manhattans on Dooto, and then the Mandels, who recorded for Lilly in 1961 [Alice Smith, Ann Cain, Pearline Bradford, and Emily Mayweather]. Maurice Giles became a member of the Hollywood Saxons.  
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Squires/squires.html

Songs :


Let's Give Love A Try / Whop                      Oh Darling


My Little Girl                             Where Are You Tonight


I Want A Girl                               Am I A Fool

...

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The Pyramids (1) aka The Tempo-Mentals

Posted on March 9 2019 by dion1

The Pyramids (1) aka The Tempo-Mentals

The Pyramids (1) (Los Angeles, CA.)
aka The Tempo-Mentals

Personnel :

Sidney Correia (Lead)

Joe Dandy

Lionel Cobbs

Melvin White

Kenneth Perdue

Tom Williams

Discography :

The Pyramids (1)
1955 - Deep in My Heart for You / And I Need You (Federal 12233)

The Tempo-Mentals
1957 - Dearest / Burning Desire (Ebb 112)

Biography :

The group was formed under the leadership of Sidney Correia. The rest of the group includes Joe Dandy, Lionel Cobbs, Melvin White, Kenneth Perdue and Tom Williams. It didn't take Federal A&R man Ralph Bass long to decide that he had a great potential recording act when he first heard the Pyramids sing in a Los Angeles night club. He got the group together in between shows and signed them to a recording contract and immediately made plans for their first recording session. The two sides of the session were "Deep in My Heart for You" and "And I Need You". With this disc the band will perform all over the region. in 1957, with almost the same members, the group changed its name and became The Tempo-Mentals. The group signs a recording contract with Ebb records and recorded two song /"Deep in My Heart for You" was reworked into "Burning Desire" and "Dearest". In, 1959 Melvin White join The Cyclones on Forward Records.

Songs :

The Pyramids (1)


Deep in My Heart for You                            And I Need You

The Tempo-Mentals


Burning Desire                                 Dearest

...

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The Hi-Fidelities

Posted on March 9 2019 by dion1

(L to R) Huey Davis, Sylvester Potts, Juanita Davis and Tony York

The Hi-Fidelities (Detroit, Mi.)

Personnel :

Huey Davis

Sylvester Potts

Juanita Davis

Tony York

Discography :

The Hi-Fidelities
1957 - Street Of Loneliness / Help, Murder, Police (Hi-Q 5000 )

Gino Parks & The Hi-Fidelities
1957- Last Night I Cried / Just Go (Gino Parks) (Fortune 528)

Biography :

Sylvester Potts was a singer and composer as well as an off and on member of The Contours and a one time member of The Four Sonics. Songs that he has either composed or co-composed have been recorded by The Contours, Mamie Galore, Jimmy Ruffin and The Temptations.Sylvester Potts was on January 22, 1938 and attended North Eastern High, the same school where Martha Reeves, Mary Wilson, and Bobby Rogers were educated at. Due to his love of the music and the excitement he got from it once said he wanted to die on stage.

Gino Parks

In the late 1950s, Sylvester Potts was a member of a group called The Hi-Fidelities who's line up consisted of Huey Davis, Potts, Juanita Davis and Tony York. They released two singles, "Street Of Loneliness" b/w Pott's own composition, "Help Murder Police" on Hi-Q 5000 in 1957 and backed Gino Parks "Last Night I Cried" on Fortune 528 in 1958. In 1959 late 1950s, Billy Gordon, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea, Potts and Hubert Johnson formed The Blenders in 1959. They would later rename themselves as The Contours.

Songs :

The Hi-Fidelities

Street Of Loneliness Help, Murder, Police

Gino Parks & The Hi-Fidelities

Last Night I Cried

...

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The Selections

Posted on March 2 2019 by dion1

The Selections

The Selections (Brooklyn, NY.)

Personnel :

Al Reno "Di Paola" (Lead)

Joe Rivera (Tenor)

Gerald Bart Emptage (Baritone)

Tony Gravagna (Bass)

John Tari (Tenor)

Discography :

The Selections
1958 - Guardian Angel / Soft and Sweet (Mona-Lee 129/Antone 101)

Al Reno bb The Dials (2)
1961 - Cheryl / Congratulations (Kapp 432)

Biography :

Lou Cicchetti was proprietor of the “Cousins” record label and the owner of the “Cousins Music Shop” in Fordham Road (The Bronx) which was frequented by many local neighborhood groups (Dion/Belmonts, Earls, Consorts). These groups wanted Lou to record the songs they were singing on the street corner and help propell them to stardom. It was in this fashion that Cicchetti first encountered Al Reno, an important influence in the sense that this association led him into the business of producing records as well as selling them. Reno (whose subsequently co-wrote Dions's hit recording of "Lonely Teenager" under his real name, Al Di Paola) had recorded "Guardian Angel" b/w "Soft and Sweet" on the Antone Label with the Selections and had given Cicchetti the record to carry in the store.

The Selections
Al Reno Lou Cicchetti

Cicchetti was impressed not only by the sound of the record but by the relative ease which such a record seemingly could be made. The Selections were a Brooklyn-based group composed by Al Reno, Joe Rivera, Gerald Bart Emptage, Tony Gravagna (Later with the regents) and John Tari. "Guardian Angel" b/w "Soft and Sweet" was reissued by Specialty Records owner Art Rupe's former wife, Lee, on her Mona Lee label in late 1958 and revived a few years later by the Imaginations from the borough of Queens. Al reno will participate in many recordings on Lou Cicchetti's Cousins Records. In 1959 Al Reno recorded a solo single as Mike Prisco on Zp Records and on Kapp Records as Al Reno backed by The Dials.

Songs :

The Selections


Guardian Angel                              Soft and Sweet

Al Reno bb The Dials (2)


     Cheryl                                           Congratulations

...

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The Del-Chords (1)

Posted on March 2 2019 by dion1

The Del-Chords (1)

The Del-Chords (1) (Bunkie, Louisiana)

Personnel :

Frankie Simmons

James Jackson

Arthur Sterling

Marshall Hawkins

Arthur Lee Searcy

Discography :

1960 - Help Me / Say That You Love Me (Jin 126)

Biography :

This group from Bunkie, Louisiana consisted of Frankie Simmons, James Jackson, Arthur Sterling, Marshall Hawkins and Arthur Lee Searcy. When Floyd Soileau (the owner of the Jin Records) first heard The Del-Chords, he had high hopes . So, Floyd took The Del-Chords into the studio. They recorded "Help Me", which became their debut single. It was released on Jin Records in 1960. Floyd also sent copies of "Help me" to the major labels.

The Del-Chords (1)
Floyd Soileau (Owner of the Jin Records)

He thought they would find it hard to resist the combination of a needy vocal and tight harmonies. He was wrong. None of the majors expressed an interest in The Del-Chords. To make matters worse, the single flopped. Even veteran music men get it wrong once in a while. Thus, despite the high-quality harmonies, the group were never called back for a follow up.

Songs :

Help Me Say That You Love Me

...

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David Campanella & The DellChords

Posted on February 28 2019 by dion1

David Campanella & The DellChords
Clockwise from bottom, David Campanella, George Kafcos, Kenny Hamilton and Joey Vertucci.

David Campanella & The DellChords (Brooklyn, NY)

Personnel :

David Campanella (Lead / Second Tenor)

George Kafcos (Lead / Baritone)

Kenny Hamilton (Bass)

Joey Vertucci (First Tenor)

Discography :

1959 - Everything's That Way / Over The Rainbow (Kane 25593)

Biography :

George Kafcos (Kafcopoulos) and best friend Kenny Hamilton from Flushing had a ramshackle group with no name. Kenny Hamilton attended Queens Day School in Sunny Side Queens with David Campanella. George Kafcos attended Bayside H.S. and Kenny brought David around to their neighborhood and introduced george to him.

David Campanella & The DellChords
Early Dellchords : Larry Marshal, George Kafcos, Algie Hough, Georgia Kafcos (Manager), Kenny Hamilton & David Campanella

David Campanella was living in Glen Cove NY at the time, he was son of Roy Campanella, nicknamed "Campy", an American baseball player, primarily as a catcher. Their three part harmony blew away anything they had heard with their group and that at that moment was the beginning of the group. The DellChords were born. They needed more voices and they take in their adventures Algie Hough and Larry Marshall from Queens Day School as well.

David Campanella & The DellChords
Early Dellchords, with Roy Campanella (Larry Marshall, Kenny Hamilton, Algie Hough, George Kafcos and David Campanella)

This group configuration now was three black guys and two white guys (Kenny Hamilton and George Kafcos). Algie and Larry sang with the group very briefly and they will be replaced by Joey Vertucci , a First Tenor from Corona NY. Now, the future recording group was one black guy (David) and three white guys (Kenny, George & Joey).

David Campanella & The DellChords
David Campanella, George Kafcos, Joey Vertucci and Kenny Hamilton

They signing a recording contract with Richard Oats, head of Kane Records in 1959. The Dell Chords cut two songs for Kane, The classic "Over The Rainbow" and "Everything's That Way". George Kafcos wrote the words and music to "Everything's That Way" for his girlfriend at the time, a really cute blond nicknamed "Chickey".

David Campanella & The DellChords
David Campanella, Joey Vertucci, George Kafcos and Kenny Hamilton Auditioning for Alvin Wilks (Bottom)

David Campanella wrote the riff at the fade out end of the song and that is his voice doing the riff. Incidentally, they never received a dime. Long story as to why they didn't pursue them? They were 15 years old. For several years David Campanella  was in trouble with the law. He was a member of the street gang the Chaplains, and he was convicted for disorderly conduct and burglary. He died age 41 drug related dead.

Songs :


Over The Rainbow                       Everything's That Way

..

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The Sirocs

Posted on February 28 2019 by dion1

The Sirocs

The Sirocs (Little Silver, N.J)

Personnel :

... Godfrey

Biography :

In 1959, The Sirocs from Little Silver, N.J. came in 2nd singing at The Apollo Theater

...

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The Inspirations (3)

Posted on February 28 2019 by dion1

The Inspirations (3)

The Inspirations (3) (Harlem, NY.)

Personnel :

William Perkins

Burnett Lengester

Willie Wiggins

Joe Warren

Felix Hunt

Harry Dixon

Discography :

Single :
1956 - Maggie / Raindrops (The Crying Song) (Apollo 494)

Unreleased :
1956 - Pretty Mama (Apollo)

Biography :

"Raindrops" by the Inspirations is an old favorite of R&B collectors recorded on February 25, 1956 at Beltone studios in New York. "Raindrop","Maggie" and "Pretty Mama" were all recorde one afternoon in a memorable session that also spotlighted the Keynotes and Vocaltones.Apollo usually rejected the teenage street corner vocal group in favor of more polished older singer, but by the winter of 1956, they needed younger local groups to compete with strong NYC labels like Rama and Old Town.

The Inspirations (3)

The Inspirations Crying lead can't quite reach the heights of Jackie & the Starlites later "Valarie", but his pipes got quite a workout that day on "Teardrops" ("The Crying Song") . "Maggie" was the flip, released as apollo #494 to good NY airplay in March 1956. Members of the group were William Perkins, Burnett Lengester, Willie Wiggins, Joe Warren, Felix Hunt and Harry Dixon.

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

Raindrops (The Crying Song) Maggie

Pretty Mama

...

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The Victorians (1) aka The Four Fellows (2)

Posted on February 28 2019 by dion1

The Four Fellows (2) aka The Victorians (1)
The Victorians / Four Fellows - Top : Bobby Thompson, Charlie Moore & Roy Battle - Bottom : Tommy Haynes & Bill Carey

The Victorians (1) (Brooklyn, New-York)
aka The Four Fellows (2)

Personnel :

Donnie Sehested (Lead)

Bobby Thompson (Lead Tenor)

Roy Battle (Baritone)

Bill Carey (Baritone / Bass)

Charlie Moore (Guitar)

Discography :

The Four Fellows (2)
1953 - Stop Crying / Break My Bones (Tri-Boro 101)

The Victorians (1)
1956 - Heartbreaking Moon / I'm Rollin' (Saxony 103)
1956 - Wedding Bells / Please Say You Do (Selma 1002)

Biography :

This Four Fellows formed sometime before 1952 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Originally called the Dreamers, they finally settled on the "4 Fellows." Members were: Charlie Witherspoon (tenor lead), Caswell "Cas" Bridges (tenor), Roy Battle (baritone), Bill Carey (baritone/bass) and Charlie Moore (guitarist). The Four Fellows playing the Baby Grand, the 802 Club, the Gay Hearts Ballroom, Town Hill, and a lot of little clubs with forgettable names in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. There was the New York Amsterdam News Benefit show, held at the Apollo Theater and some appearances on a radio show on WWRL.

The Four Fellows (2) aka The Victorians (1)
The Four Felows

They even did a package tour with the Miller Sisters and the Hearts. After only a couple of months, Charlie Witherspoon left, to be replaced by tenor John Kelly. In the spring of 1953, the 4 Fellows met up with Larry Smith, owner of Tri-Boro Records who issued the four Fellows' "Stop Crying" b/w "Break My Bones." Nothing much happened with the record and the guys went back to their occasional appearances. Then, in late 1953, John Kelly left replaced by tenor Bobby Thompson. In late 1954, Caswell "Cas" Bridges left the group and started The Clefftones who recorded for Old Town . Cas had been replaced by tenor Tommy Haynes. because of the other Four Fellows group, they called themselves the Victorians.

The Four Fellows (2) aka The Victorians (1)
Caswell "Cas" Bridges

Tommy Haynes had left and Donnie Sehested joined full time. The Victorians were now Donnie Sehested, Bobby Thompson, Roy Battle, Bill Carey, and Charlie Moore. In January 1956, the Victorians' "Heartbreaking Moon"/"I'm Rollin'" were released on Saxony. Then they hooked up with Neil Sedaka, who gave them a tune he'd written, "Wedding Bells." On May 15, 1956, they recorded "Wedding Bells" and "Please Say You Do". These were issued on Selma, another of Morty Craft's labels. After that, the 4 Fellows/Victorians fell apart.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/4Fellows/4fellows.html

Songs :

The Victorians (1)


Heartbreaking Moon                             I'm Rollin'


    Wedding Bells                                      Please Say You Do

The Four Fellows (2)


Stop Crying                                    Break My Bones

...

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