The Monitors
Personnel :
Robert Kidd (Lead Tenor)
Vontell Lane (Tenor)
Adolph Smith (Tenor)
Clarence Phoenix (Contralto)
Billy Tircuit (Bass / Baritone)
Discography :
Biography :
This New Orleans vocal group First got together in New Orleans in
1952, They were friends in their early twenties and calling themselves
the Mellow-Drops, playing bars and clubs in the New Orleans vicinity.
Finally they were discovered by Imperial's Dave Bartholomew. Bartholomew
got them a session on November 15, 1954. "The Crazy Song" and "When I
Grow Too Old to Dream" by the Mellow Drops later that year. For some
forgotten reason, the group decided to change their name to the
Monitors. They met and backed up Shirley and Lee one day. The producer
that day was Eddie Mesner of Aladdin Records. That session eventually
led to a session for the Monitors with Aladdin. Kidd was the usual lead,
but he was unable to make the Monitors session with Aladdin and Vontell
Lane filled in. Four tunes were recorded at the one session they had
with Aladdin — only two were used.
Eddie Mesner Billy Tircuit
The Aladdin disc did well locally but received little support from the label, and they next called on Specialty Records in 1956. While this group had been the Mellow Drops on Imperial and was renamed the Monitors and the Senors, it's curious that despite their Louisiana origin, they recorded for the Sue label in New York and for California's Imperial, Aladdin, and Speciality labels. The Monitors' first session for Specialty was held in December 1956 and their first release on that label occurred in January 1957. It did well locally in New Orleans, but Speciality’s Art Rupe failed to support it. Similarly, their two other Specialty releases had good local support but no push. Differences between group members began to surface and they split up in 1958. Later that year,Vontell Lane and Billy Tircuit got together with Johnny Meyers, Simon Washington, and Elaine Edwards to form the Moonbeems .
