DEBONAIRS (1) - DENONAIRES (2) - JADES (4)

 

The Debonairs (1) (Long Beach, CA)

aka The Debonaires (2) aka The Jades (4)

 

Personnel :

Arthur Holly (Lead)

David Kelly

Joe Sprewell (Tenor , Piano)

Willie "Hootie" Melvin

Bobby Miles (Bass)

 

Discography :

The Debonairs (1)

Singles :

1957 - Why Can't We Be As Other Lovers Are / The Bill Collector (Combo 129)

1957 - Cause Of A Bad Romance / For The Woman I Love (Combo 149)

Unreleased :

1957 - In My Memories (Combo)

1957 - Christmas Time (Combo)

1957 - Crazy Santa Claus (Combo)

1957 - Nita (Combo)

The Debonaires (2)

Singles :

1959 - Every Once In A While / Mama Don't Care (Dore 526)

1961 - Every Once In A While / Gert's Skirt (Dore 592/702/795)

1962 - Hold Back The Dawn / Mama Don't Care (Dore 654)

1964 - Everybody's Movin' / Mama Don't Care (Dore 712)

Unreleased :

1959 - Dorothy (Dowley)

1959 - Laura (Dowley)

1959 - Fare Thee Well (Dowley)

The Jades (4)

1963 - Hold Back The Dawn / Mama Don't Care (Dore 687)

Biography :

The Debonairs from Long Beach, California, evolved through numerous line-up changes into an accomplished amateur vocal group in the early 50s. They recorded some material for Johnny Otis' Dig label in 1956 and for Dootsie Williams in 1957 but this was shelved. Jake Porter was one of the select group of independent record company owners who gave us the best of West Coast R&B and doo-wop music. Starting in the early 50s and persevering until the early 70s, Jake recorded numerous groups, duos and R&B outfits for his Los Angeles-based Combo label. Jake Porter recorded the Debonairs and released "Why Can't We Be As Other Lovers Are" b/w "The Bill Collector" and "Cause Of A Bad Romance" b/w "For The Woman I Love". When these failed to sell, they split up.

Reforming in 1959 with different personnel, the Debonaires laid down some tunes for the Downey label, run from a record store in the LA suburb of that name but, yet none of this was issued. Their next stop, a session for Dore on 17 June 1959, 'Every In A While', an outstanding ballad featuring Joe Sprewell on lead. It became such a favourite of Bedell's that he issued it four times between 1959 and 1967. In an attempt to update the arrangement, some extraneous overdubs including strings were added to the 1967 pressing .

Songs : 

 The Debonairs (1)

  

Cause Of A Bad Romance                   The Bill Collector       

   
Why Can't We Be As Other Lovers Are          For The Woman I Love         

  

Crazy Santa Claus                              Christmas Time     

   

    Nita                                             In My Memories

 The Debonaires (2)

  

              Doroyhy                         Every Once In A While / Gert's Skirt

  

 Hold Back The Dawn                            Mama Don't Care        

Everybody's Movin'

MASQUERADES - MASQUARADES - FIVE MASQUERADERS

Top : Buddy Scott, Ike HickMan and Howard (Seaphus) Scott

Botom :Tommy Scott, Walter Scott & Charles Scott

The Masquerades (Chicago)

aka The Masquarades

aka The Five Masqueraders

Personnel :

Howard (Seaphus) Scott

Charles Scott

Tommy Scott

Ike HickMan

Jimmy Thompson

Discography :

Seaphus Scott & The Five Masqueraders

1958 - Summer Sunrise / Nature's Beauty (Joyce 303)

The Masquarades

1960 - The Whip / Fanessa (Boyd 1027)

The Masquerades

1960 - These Red Roses / Mister Man The Guitar Man (Formal 1012)

Unreleased :

N/A - Portia

N/A - These Foolish Things

N/A - Good Golly Miss Molly

N/A - That's When Your Heartaches Begin

Biography :

The Masquerades were formed in 1957 as the Elpeccios and originally consisted of Howard, Charles, and Robert Scott, and cousin Jesse "Chico"Golden. Golden and Robert Scott soon dropped out, and in early 1958 the group reorganized as the Masquerades, consisting of Howard, Charles, and Tommie Scott, Jimmy Thompson, and Ike Hickman. Robert Scott entered the professional boxing ranks as a welterweight, fighting in the same stable as world junior welterweight champion Eddie Perkins. The group went down to St. Louis to record two sides for Ike Turner on the Joyce label, "Summer Sunrise" backed with "Nature's Beauty." But nothing happened for the group.

The Masquerades were discovered by Entrepreneur Don Talty in 1958 singing in a North Side nightclub. At the time, the group consisted of Howard, Walter, Charles, and Tommie Scott, plus Ike Hickman and guitarist Howard Taylor. Jimmy Thompson had left the group to take up guitar, and years later would emerge as a well-respected Chicago blues performer  Jimmy Johnson. Thompson changed his name to "Johnson" after his brother Syl had achieved fame as a soul singer under the name "Syl Johnson." The following year Buddy Scott replaced Taylor on guitar and the group came out with "The Whip" backed with "Fanessa"  on the Boyd label. "The Whip" was intended to promote a dance and was considered the A side. Talty even had artwork done to show the dance steps, but nothing came of the record.

    

Howard (Seaphus) Scott                                                                                                            

The Masquerades released "Mister Man" backed with "These Red Roses" in 1960 on the Formal label. No more records by the Masquerades were released for Talty. They continued on, and guitarists who worked for them in the following years included their old vocal mate, Jimmy Johnson, and his brother, Syl Johnson. Around 1963-64, the Masquerades called it quits as a vocal group, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes re-emerged as the Scott Brothers Band. Seaphus Howard Scott started a label called Al-Tog in Chicago working with several artists in the 1960s publishing several songs through his music publishing company (Scot-Tees Publishing Co.) and releasing them with record labels such as Numero One and Okeh!.

Songs :

The Masquarades

   

Fanessa                                           The Whip

The Masquerades

  

These Red Roses                     Mister Man The Guitar Man

Seaphus Scott & The Five Masqueraders

     

Summer Sunrise                          Nature's Beauty

FOUR EKKOS

The Four Ekkos in Honolulu, Cassotta, Grock, Scarlata & Mazzeo

The Four Ekkos (Rochester, NY)

 

Personnel :

Carl Scarlata

Pat Cassotta

Leo Grock

Joe Mazzeo

Discography :

Jerry Engler & The Four Ekkos

1957 - Sputnik (Satellite Girl) / Unfaithful One (Brunswick 55037)

Bernie Campbell & The Four Ekkos

1957 - Baby, You Belong To Me / Will I Ever Find My Baby? (Fine 26571-2)

The Four Ekkos

1958 - Toodaloo Kangaroo / My Love I Give (RIP 12558)

1959 - Hand In Hand / Think Twice (Label 2022) 

Biography :

Vocal group from Rochester, composed by Carl Scarlata, Pat Cassotta, Leo Grock and Joe Mazzeo. The Four Ekkos first hit a recording studio when they backed Rochester Rockabilly vocalist Jerry Engler on his 1957 Space Age-themed “Sputnik (Satellite Girl)”, receiving a label credit along the way – ‘Jerry Engler & The Four Ekkos’.

    

Jerry Engler                                                                         

This was cut at Rochester’s Fine Recordings and picked up and issued by Brunswick Records. On the same label (Fine) one month later, the group backed young Bernie Campbell (age 14) on  "Baby, You Belong To Me" b/w "Will I Ever Find My Baby?".

  

In 1958 , the group were under contract with Rip records arrived in Hollywood for a month’s stay. The group under the personal management of Dick Pucio, 23 year old head of Rip, will make several appearances plugging it’s recording of ”Toodaloo Kangaroo”. In 1959 the Four Ekkos cut "Hand in Hand" b/w "Think Twice" released on Buffalo’s Label Records.

Songs :

(updated by Hans-Joachim)   

Jerry Engler & The Four Ekkos

  

Sputnik (Satellite Girl)                       Unfaithful One

 

Bernie Campbell & The Four Ekkos

  

Baby, You Belong To Me                       Will I Ever Find My Baby? 

The Four Ekkos

  

Toodaloo Kangaroo                                 My Love I Give     

   

Hand In Hand                                          Think Twice