Blue Jays

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The Los Angeles-based vocal quartet -- Leon Peels (b. 1936, Newport, AR), Van Richardson, Alex Manigo, and Leonard Davidson (aka "Len" and "Tree Tall Len") -- came together in the suburb of Venice, CA, in 1961. Following an appearance at an amateur show at the Fox Theater in Venice, the group were put in touch with country singer Werly Fairburn, who signed them to his Milestone label. Milestone's roster consisted mostly of rockabilly bands and had already achieved some success with the Paradons ("Diamonds and Pearls").

Bobbettes

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The Bobbettes, five young girls from Harlem, became the first all-girl doo-wop group to have a #1 R&B hit and a Top Ten pop hit with their first single, "Mr. Lee," in 1957. Lead singer Reather Dixon (born in 1945), second lead Emma Pought (1944), her soprano sister Jannie Pought (1945), tenor Laura Webb (1943) and alto Helen Gathers (1944) began singing together, along with a couple of other girls, at Public School #109 under the name The Harlem Queens. When local promoter James Daily saw them at an Apollo Theater talent night in late 1956, he took over their management, changed their name to The Bobbettes because he felt the name The Harlem Queens was too raunchy for underage girls (Reather was only eleven at the time), and landed them a contract with Atlantic Records.
L-R: Helen Gathers, Reather Dixon, Emma Pought, Laura Webb and Jannie Pought.

Chords

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The Chords-- Carl and Claude Feaster (lead and baritone), Jimmy Keyes (first tenor), Floyd "Buddy" McRae (second tenor), and Ricky Edwards (bass) --- formed in 1951 in the Bronx, but weren't discovered until three years later, when they were spotted singing in a subway station, a performance that ultimately landed them a recording contract with Atlantic Records. Jerry Wexler, Atlantic's top talent A&R man, had the Chords cover a Patti Page hit, "Cross Over the Bridge" (it was also covered by the Flamingos for Chance), but it was the B-side, "Sh-Boom," a swinging R&B vocal tune with a catchy intro made up of seemingly nonsensical syllables ("shh-boom, shh-boom, yadda da da yadda da da da da da") that caused considerably more commotion.

Deep River Boys

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The story begins in 1936, when all of the Boys -- Harry Douglas (baritone), Vernon Gardner (first tenor), George Lawson (second tenor), Jimmy Lundy, and Edward Ware (bass) -- were still students at Hampton Institute in Virginia in the mid-'30s, singing in the school choir. They began appearing on radio and in 1937, landed a job on the CBS network replacing the Oleanders (whose lead singer, Billy Williams, had left to form the Charioteers). The Deep River Boys signed with Bluebird Records in 1940 and began recording material, including "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" (which featured Fats Waller on piano). When Harry Douglas went into the Army, he was replaced by Leroy Wayman, who in turn was replaced by Rhett Butler. Douglas returned to the group in 1946 and The Deep River Boys began enjoying their biggest success, appearing on Milton Berle's and Kate Smith's shows and touring with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.

Diablos

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The group formed in Detroit around 1950 and originally consisted of Strong (lead tenor), Juan Guieterriez (tenor), Willie Hunter (baritone), Quentin Eubanks (bass), and Bob "Chico" Edwards (guitar). The Diablos name is said to have come from a book, El Nino Diablo (The Little Devil), that Strong was reading for a high-school book report. In 1954, the Diablos went in to Detroit's Fortune Record Studios to cut some demo sides, with the hopes of furthering their career. Their hopes were realized even more quickly than they expected. Those demos obviously impressed Jack and Devora Brown, owners of Fortune, who immediately signed the group to record for their label. Their first recording for Fortune was the Devora Brown-penned "Adios My Desert Love," a cha cha-flavored tune.

Dominoes

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The Dominoes had one of the finest musical pedigrees of any RB vocal group of the 1940s, at least based on its founder's training and experience. A lot of RB acts came out of a gospel background, and Bo Diddley even studied violin as a boy, but rare is the RB vocal group whose founder was trained at Juilliard. Billy Ward (born September 19, 1921, Los Angeles) had a minister father and a musician mother, and was a musical prodigy as a child, schooled in classical music theory and composition as well as performance. Before he was in his teens, Ward was good enough on the organ to play at his father's services and he won a composition award at age 14 from Walter Damrosch, the celebrated New York music educator, composer, and administrator. Following his military service during World War II, Ward studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, where he later became a voice coach; he also began working on Broadway during the late '40s. It was from the ranks of his ex-students that he recruited the original members of the Dominoes: Clyde McPhatter as lead singer, Charlie White (tenor), Joe Lamont (baritone), and Bill Brown (bass). The Dominoes won a series of talent contests, including a competition on the television show Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, which got them a lot of engagements and an audition with Ralph Bass, the head of the newly established Federal Records label, part of Syd Nathan's King Records, during the final months of 1950. The Dominoes, with McPhatter's high tenor lead, had a startlingly fresh sound and enjoyed a number six RB hit in early 1951 with one song from their first session, "Do Something for Me." It was in May of that year that the group broke through to the top of the RB charts with "Sixty Minute Man," which also established them as one of the leading crossover acts between gospel and blues.
Lead singers: Clyde McPhatter (1950-53), Jackie "Sonnie" Wilson (1953-57) and Eugene Mumford

Drifters

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When Atlantic rejected McPhatter's initial singers (The Mt. Lebanon Gospel Singers), he recruited versatile gospel singers BILL PINKNEY from the Southern Knights, and brothers GEARHARDT and ANDREW THRASHER from The Thrasher Wonders to join forces with him. They signed with the company in 1953, thereby establishing the foundation upon which a music legacy was subsequently built.
In 1958 however, via contract disputes the group lost the name Drifters. They became the Harmony Grits then later renamed themselves The Original Drifters.

El Dorados

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One of the leading R&B vocal groups on Vee Jay, the El Dorados had a relatively short career with their first lineup, during which they scored a massive crossover hit, 1955's "At My Front Door" (number 17 on the pop charts and number one R&B, where it remained for 18 weeks). They managed only one other charting record � 1956's "I'll Be Forever Loving You" � before their initial breakup in 1959. Subsequent lineups and name changes (and alterations) brought no further success, but they continued performing well into the '80s. The original group featured five members � Pirkle Lee Moses Jr. (lead), Louis Bradley (tenor), Jewel Jones (second tenor and baritone), James Maddox (baritone and bass), and Robert Glasper (bass) � when they formed in the Englewood section of Chicago's south side in 1952 while still attending Englewood High School (the same school that the Moroccos attended). They were calling themselves the Five Stars. Johnny Moore, their high school custodian, liked the group so much and thought they showed so much promise, that he became their manager.

Five Crowns

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Although the Five Crowns under their own name never made any impression on the national charts, they regularly charted locally in New York and were stars in Harlem. Their later 1950s incarnation, featuring original member Doc Green, James Clark, Elsbeary Hobbs, Benjamin Nelson (aka Ben E. King), and Charles Thomas, became the post-1958 Drifters, responsible for "There Goes My Baby" and the core of the group that later recorded "Up On the Roof," "Under the Boardwalk," and "On Broadway." The Five Crowns were founded in the early 1950s on 115th Street in Harlem, and originally consisted of Wilbur "Younkie" Paul, Dock Green, and James "Poppa" Clark, John "Sonny Boy" Clark, and Claudie "Nicky" Clark. James Clark and Wilbur Paul alternated as lead singer, while Dock Green sang the baritone and bass parts. Their manager, Lover Patterson, also handled the Cadillacs, another New York-based vocal group that would make a considerable national splash of their own. The group was signed to a contract with Rainbow Records in the summer of 1952, and released their first single, "A Star"/"You're My Inspiration," in September of 1952 -- "You're My Inspiration" rose to number nine locally on the ~Cashbox charts, and lingered there right into December of that year. Their second single, "Who Can Be True"/"19.50 Bus," vanished without leaving much of a trace late in 1952, and their third, "Keep It a Secret"/"Why Don't You Believe Me?," issued in early 1953, didn't do much better, although "Why Don't You Believe Me?" became one of their most fondly remembered songs. Those two were intrinsically rare records, even in Harlem, the former released only on 78 rpm and the latter on a red vinyl 45, and are highly prized by collectors. Their next single, "Alone Again"/"I Don't Have to Hunt No More," also failed to sell in any serious quantity. That record marked the end of their contract with Rainbow Records, and the group next turned up on the New York-based Old Town label, where they debuted with "You Could Be My Love"/"Good Luck Darling," followed by "Lullaby of the Bells." By this time, the group had lost cohesion, and Paul and Green worked with the Duvals on the side (two of their songs, "You Came to Me" and "Ooh Wee Baby," were issued as a Five Crowns record in early 1955). In 1955, Dock Green revived the Five Crowns with a new lineup and a new contract with Gee Records, where they released one single. They ceased working after one more single for the Transworld label. The group was next heard from under the name the Crowns, with the lineup of Green, Clark, Hobbs, Nelson (aka Ben E. King), and Thomas. Fortune finally smiled on the Crowns in late 1958 at an appearance at the ~Apollo Theater in Harlem, where they were spotted by manager George Treadwell, who had a serious problem at the time. Treadwell was the manager of the legendary RB group the Drifters who, since 1954, had amassed an enviable record of national hits and a major name for themselves. the Drifters in late 1958 had included Bobby Hendricks (who, according to some sources, passed through one version of the Five Crowns), Gerhart Thrasher, Charlie Hughes, and Bill Pinkney. This lineup had collapsed amid infighting between each other and Treadwell. Treadwell had a major contractual obligation coming up, an appearance by the Drifters at the ~Apollo Theater. He heard the Crowns and offered them the chance, then and there, to become the new Drifters. They reported to Atlantic Records the following day to see how things worked in a real studio, and the following day the Five Crowns-turned-Drifters recorded "There Goes My Baby," which became the number one single in the country. The Five Crowns' history is scattered among the Rainbow, Old Town, Riviera, and Transworld labels, and only the Rainbow material (including the Younkie Paul/Dock Green Duvals "You Came to Me"/"Ooh Wee Baby") has been reissued in a comprehensive way.

Four Deuces

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The members of the Four Deuces were Luther "Lord Luther" McDaniel (lead), Jim Dunbar (1st tenor), Orvis Lee Turner (baritone), and Henry Shufford (bass). The year was 1954 when the members, except McDaniel, were stationed at Fort Ord, California. They met a local club where they started singing. A friend suggested that they go to Ray Dobard's Music City recording studio where they recorded "W-P-L-J". The title comes from a popular drink at the time, white port and lemon juice. Like many Black groups of the 40's and 50's they never received a single royalty for the song or the commercial they did for "Italian Swiss Colony Wine".

Gladiolas

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A group fromed from Barr Street High School in Lancaster, South Carolina by piano player/lead singer/songwriter Maurice Williams. The were originally called the Royal Charms. The original members were Maurice Williams, Willie Jones, Earl Gainey, William Massey and Norman Wade. After winning a talent contest in Lancaster they began to perform at various locations along the eastern seaboard. They changed their name to The Gladiolas and recorded a song in Nashville Tn on Excello label that Maurice Williams had written called "Little Darlin'" and it made the top 50. Soon thereafter a white Canadian group called The Diamonds recorded a cover version and it shot to number two on the charts in early 1957. The gladiolas then changed their name to The Excellos. Little Darlin' is perhaps one of the best R&B, Doo-wop songs of all time and still gets lots of airplay to this day. They changed their name again in 1959 to the Zodiacs. A year later the group reformed and the new lineup included Maurice Williams, Wiley Bennet, Charlies Thomas, Little Willie Morrow, Albert Hill and Henry Gaston. They then became Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs and and recored a song that Williams had written titled "Stay". It climbed to number one in late 1960 and claiming the title as the shortest recording ever to go to the top

Harptones

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Despite not landing on the RB or pop charts during their entire careers, the Harptones were a superb doo wop ensemble. They initially emerged from a 1953 union of members of the Harps and Skylarks. Willie Winfield and his brothers Jimmy and Clyde first teamed with Bill Galloway and Johnny Bronson as the Harps. When Galloway sought a pianist for the Harps, he found Raoul Cita in the Skylarks. Eventually a new group with Winfield and Galloway plus former Skylarks Cita, Curtis Cherebin, and Bill Dempsey became the new Harps.

Heartbreakers

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The Heartbreakers. (LEFT TO RIGHT) James Ross - Lawrence Tate, Guitar - George Davis Jr. - Robert (Bobby) Evans (Lead) - Lawrence Green.

Jesters

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The Jesters formed in 1956, when Lenny McKay (lead), James Smith (aka "Jimmy") (second tenor), Leo Vincent (baritone), and Noel Grant (bass) were still attending Cooper Junior High School in Harlem, located on 120th Street. The group often practiced under a nearby elevated railway station. The group got their name from Grant after his favorite movie, Danny Kaye's The Court Jester.

Jive Bombers

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The Jive Bombers are best known for their Savoy single "Bad Boy" which reached number seven on the RB charts in 1957. The group -- Earl Johnson, Al Tinney, William Tinney (aka "Pee Wee"), and lead vocalist Clarence Palmer -- were formed from the membership of two other vocal acts: Sonny Austin the Jive Bombers and the Palmer Brothers. They were originally known as the Sparrows (these weren't the Sparrows who recorded "Why Did You Leave Me?" for Jay Dee) when they recorded early in their career for Coral in 1949; they later changed names back to the Jive Bombers when they switched over to Citation Records in 1952. The Jive Bombers' "Bad Boy" was written by Avon Long and Lillian Hardin Armstrong, better known perhaps as "Lil Hardin" and wife of Louis Armstrong from 1924-1938.

Marvelows

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The Marvelows were a Chicago soul group who scored just once, with the upbeat "I Do," a pop Top 40 hit in 1965. The group was formed in Chicago Heights, IL, when Melvin Mason met the recently relocated Paden brothers (Frank who sang bass, and Johnny who sang tenor) in the late '50s. Joined by tenor Willie (Sonny) Stephenson and Mason's wife's cousin Jesse Smith, the quintet became The Marvelows. Smith's mother suggested that he look up a former schoolmate of hers, Johnny Pate. Pate, who had just been given the position of Midwest AR for ABC/Paramount, secured a deal with the label and recorded four tunes for the group, the doo-wop ballad "A Friend," "My Heart," the solid mid-tempo "Hey Hey Baby," and "I Do." The latter song was only written as a warm-up song, something to sing to prepare their voices, but it hit number seven RB and number 37 pop in the spring of 1965. Around 1966, Jesse Smith left and was replaced by Andrew Thomas. The Marvelows (now the Mighty Marvelows to avoid confusion with the West Coast group the Marvellos) had their second single (and the only other one to chart) with the ballad "In the Morning" in the spring of 1968. Other Marvelows (or the Mighty Marvelows) singles are "I'm Without a Girl," "Fade Away," "Your Little Sister" "You're Breaking My Heart," and "Wait Be Cool." ABC/Paramount issued The Mighty Marvelows LP in 1968, but the group broke up one year later. A brief reunion in 1974 was their only other time together.

Orioles

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Upon his return from the military in 1946, Sonny Til (real name is Erlington Tilghman), formed a group in his hometown of Baltimore, MD. Sonny sang lead and was joined by Alexander Sharp (first tenor), George Nelson (baritone), Johnny Reed (bass) and guitarist Tommy Gaither. The name of the group at this time was the Vibranaires (not to be confused with the Vibranaires who later recorded on After Hours records). The group performed locally and came to the attention of another Baltimore native, Deborah Chessler, who was a songwriter. Deborah had written a song entitled "Tell Me So" that had been recorded by Savannah Churchill but the record failed to catch on with the public. Deborah became the manager of the Vibranaires and brought them to New York to appear on the Arthur Godfrey talent show. Although they did not win first place, the New York appearance enabled Deborah to make contacts with people in the recording industry. They signed a recording contract with Jerry Blaine's "It's A Natural" label and changed their name to the Orioles. Their first release in 1948 was a Deborah Chessler penned tune, "It's Too Soon Too Know". The song reached number one on the "race" charts and number thirteen on the pop charts, a feat never accomplished by a black group. Blaine's label became Jubilee in 1948 and sales of "It's Too Soon To Know" would be credited to Jubilee records. The Orioles followed up their first record with many more great ballads, "Forgive and Forget", "A Kiss and A Rose", "What Are You Doing New Years Eve", "I Cover The Waterfront" and "I Miss You So". George Nelson left in 1953, replaced by Gregory Carroll (Four Buddies) and Charlie Harris making the group a quintet. Their next release became their signature song, "Crying In The Chapel". However, by the end of the year, the group disbanded due to stiff competition, ironically spawned by their success. Sonny Til was attending a show at the Apollo Theatre in 1954 and was so impressed with a group named the Regals that he persuaded them to become his new Orioles group. They continued to record for Jubilee until 1956 and then moved to Vee Jay for three singles. Sonny Til's last recording was in 1981 on an album, "Sonny Til and Orioles Visit Manhattan Circa 1950's". Sonny Til died on December 9, 1981 at the age of 51.

Ravens

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The Ravens were among the pioneering post-World War II R&B groups, and also among the earliest R&B groups named for birds. In both their musicality and their nomenclature, they influenced two generations of performers that followed, as well as sold lots of records in the process. The Ravens originated with Jimmy Ricks (born 1924, Jackson, FL; died 1974, New York, NY), who started singing at an early age. In 1945, he was employed as a waiter at the Four Hundred Tavern and later at an establishment known as the L. Bar, both in New York's Harlem. One of his co-workers was a friend, Warren "Birdland" Suttles, and during moments when the work wasn't too frantic, the two began singing together, to tunes by the Ink Spots, the Mills Brothers, the Delta Rhythm Boys, and other harmony groups whose music appeared on the club's jukebox. They decided to try and form an actual group, searching for two more members that would make up the requisite harmony quartet. The two hooked up with Leonard "Zeke" Puzey and Ollie Jones, and worked up their sound around songs such as "Darktown Strutters' Ball." Choosing the name the Ravens, and thus inaugurating the "bird" group trend in black vocal groups, they were booked into the Club Baton in Harlem, and proved themselves sufficiently talented to rate a national tour, also picking up Howard Biggs, who became their arranger and the composer of much of their original repertory. The Ravens' sound was unusual for its time, featuring bass singer Ricks as the lead voice � this would become their trademark and one of their most often emulated attributes over the next decade.

Robins

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This Los Angeles vocal group were the forerunners of the Coasters. They began as the Four Bluebirds in 1947, then became the Robins. Ty Terrell, Billy Richards, Roy Richards, and Bobby Nunn were the original members, with Carl Gardner and Grady Chapman adding in 1954. A year later Gardner and Nunn departed to form the Coasters. The Robins had two R&B Top Ten hits. "If It's So Baby" was done with the Johnny Otis Band in 1950 for Savoy, while their best-known number, "Smokey Joe's Cafe," was recorded for Atco in 1955. This was a prototype of the songs that became the Coasters' forte: humorous vehicles with just a dash of cultural insight.

Vibes (Vibranaires)

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Jimmy Roache, Bobby Thomas (lead), Herb Cole, (BOT) Mike Robinson, Roosevelt McDuffie.
The members started singing together in 1950 as the Cooners in Asbury Park, N.J. Later they became the Vibranaires. There were many personel changes through the years including Joe Major (1955), William Penha (1957), and Lenny Welch. By 1958 the group had broken up. Bobby Thomas later joined the Orioles' and remained until Sonny's death in 1981 (age 51)

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