1956 - I Get That Feeling / Prettiest Girl In The World (Imperial 5398)
Biography :
Harold Edward "Hal" Davis (February 8, 1933 — November 18, 1998) was an American songwriter and record producer. He is best remembered as the key figure in the latter part of the Motown career of The Jackson 5. Davis was the co-writer and producer of Jackson 5 hits such as "I'll Be There" and "Dancing Machine," and Eddie Kendricks' "Can I". Davis also produced for Bette Midler (her Motown record of 1975, produced by Davis, was never released), Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers, The Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Brenda Holloway, Thelma Houston, Joy Holden, Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Little Stevie Wonder, Four Tops, Junior Walker, and The Miracles.
Marc Gordon, Marvin Gaye & Hal Davis in Motown's studios
Back in the mid 50’, At the end of 1955, Hal Davis joined some neighborhood friends, Willis Miller, Clyde Giles and Sedrick Cox. The three fellows were part of Luther Bond & the Emeraldsand have recorded three singles for the Savoy Label. With the addition of Charles Godfrey, they named themselves the Victorials after the car (Ford Crown Victoria). DJ: Charles "Bugs" Scruggs of WCIN managed the group for about eight months and recorded some demos at the station.
Charles "Bugs" Scruggs Charles Godfrey, Willis Miller, Harold Davis,Sedrick Cox & Clyde Giles
Scruggs sent the demos to Imperial Records. Imperial responded by sending pianist Ernie Freeman to Cincinnati to hire some pick-up musicians and oversee a recording session. The Victorials cut "I Get That Feeling" and "The Prettiest Girl In The World" written by Scruggs & Davis. The record released in July went nowhere and the Victorials decided to call it a day, breaking up after about a year in existence.
The Daps Single : 1956 - When You're Alone / Down and Out (Marterry 5249) Unreleased : 1956 - Love Your Lovin' Ways (Chess)
Charles Clark 1958 - Row Your Boat / Hidden Charms (Artistic 1500) 1959 - Another Chance / Hope For A Miracle (Argo 5332)
Biography :
The Marterry label will be Chess &
Checker pop subsidiary to cover their R&B hits. The plan was to name
the new brand after Leonard Chess's son Marshall and Phil's son Terry.
So after just two Marterry singles from the original batch, the name was
changed to Argo. The first release on Marterry was by a doo-wop group
called The Daps. The Daps were formed at Kalamazoo Central High School
and consisting of Charles Clark, Jim Pierson, Earl Jones, Willie Walker,
Floyd Smith and Henry Dungey, signed with Chicago's Chess Records
In December 1955, The Daps recorded
"When You're Alone", "Down and Out" released in January 1956. Marterry
5249 was released in February 1956. Leonard Chess was talking it up in
Cash Box for February 26 and taking out a full-page ad for it in the
same issue. Another ad ran on March 3. On March 17, Cash Box noted that
the Daps had appeared on Howard Miller's TV show. In April 1956 the
Daps appeared in a package show at the Madison Rink (2560 West Madison)
put on by DJ Sam Evans; Ray Charles and the Diablos were the headliners.
Charles Clark
The group did not record again. A third
track from the same session "Love Your Lovin' Ways," surfaced in 1994
on the Chess Rhythm & Roll box set. in 1958, Charles Clark made a
single for Artistic Records with "Row Your Boat" and "Hidden Charms "
and another single in 1959 with "Another Chance" and "Hope For A
Miracle" For Argo.
1960- Answer To My Prayers / Don't Tell A Lie (Rose Int'l 100)
Unreleased :
1960 - I'm In The Mood For Love (Eldo)
Biography :
The
group was started in the 50s at Fremont High School in Los Angeles. The
song was written by Bobby Rose. On the recording was Don Julian from
the Medowlarks helping in background, and the famous Johnny Otis on
drums.
Recorded in 1960 at Eldo Studios in Hollywood. Released on Rose International Label.
1958 - Tango Of Love / Nervous About Love (Dore 505)
1959 - Just To Be With You / Oh Melancholy Me (Audicon 102)
1960 - I Only Want You / This Is My Love (Audicon 105)
1960 - Gloria / Jungle Drums (Audicon 106)
1960 - Beautiful Dreamer / One Look At You Is All It Look (Audicon 108)
1960 - Made For Lovers / You Don't Love Me Anymore (Audicon 112)
1961 - I Gotta Know / Aphrodite (Octavia 8005)
1962 - Lonely Road / One Look At You Is All It Look (Jubilee 5406)
1963 - The Bully / Empty Seat (ABC 10436)
1963 - Sixteen Candles / The Third Floor (instrumental) (Diamond 146)
Biography :
One of the best of Brooklyn's white doo wop groups, the Passions
helped to further the careers of two top writer/artists. The group
members were among those vocalists whose harmony haven was the alley of
Loew's Oriental Theatre in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. The
nearby Kelly's pool room served as an occasional rehearsal hall.
1958 - The Sinceres
When five of the bunch formed the Overons (who later became the
Mystics), the remaining members became the Sinceres. They included Tony
Armato, Albee Galione, Vinny Acierno, Nicky Lombardi and John Pangi.The
quintet recorded a few demos in 1958, at which time Tony, Albee and
Vinny began looking for replacements who were more career-minded.
Another group in Bensonhurst had what they needed; when the three
Sinceres heard Runarounds lead singer Jimmy Gallagher, they knew he was
the one for them (Jimmy’s previous group, the Palladiyms, included Joe
DiBenedetto, who later formed "The Four-evers".)
The Sinceres weren’t sure how to approach Jimmy, so they followed him
home one night and knocked on his door. After convincing his mother
that they only wanted to sing with her son, not mug him, the foursome
went to a nearby park and ended up harmonizing for hours. They were now a
quartet, with Jimmy on lead, Tony on first tenor, Albee on second
tenor, and Vinnie on baritone. In 1959, while the Mystics were recording
"Hushabye" at their first session, their friend Tony Armato was there
cheering them on promoting his own group to their manager, Jim Gribble.
Gribble soon signed the Sinceres and renamed them the Passions. He gave
them a demo by a duo of studio singers who called themselves the
Cousins. The song was "Just to Be with You" written by Mary Kalfin. The
Cousines were Paul Simon and Carole King.
Released in August 1959 on Sol Winkler’s Audicon label, the Passions’
impeccable harmonies and Gallagher’s impassioned lead put "Just to Be
with You" on radios across America. It was a top 20 hit in many eastern
cities and it charted nationally, rising to number 69. The follow-up out
of Audicon’s 1674 Broadway digs was twice as good. Both sides—the
harmony filled "I Only Want You" and the beautiful Billy Dawn Smith
ballad "This Is My Love" –vied for radio play and sales throughout the
states.
A reviewer in the in the January 11, 1960, issue of Billboard
commented, "The group could score again via either of these
rock-a-ballads. On both, the lead comes through with fine readings and
he gets good group assists. Both remind of their previous hit, "Just to
be with you.’" "I Only Want You" eventually took the lead, but the split
play killed any hopes of one single becoming a national hit. "I Only
Want You" stopped at number 113 in March 1960. The
group attracted a great deal of attention from these singles and toured
with some of the industry’s top talent, including Chubby Checker, Dion
& the Belmonts, The Skyliners The Isley Brothers, and of course
their Kelly’s pool room pals the Mystics. They also appeared on Dick
Clark’s Tver, Alan Freed’s "Big Beat" TV show, and Clay Cole’s show
while performing at the Brooklyn Fox with Alan Freed.
By
the time the group recorded "Gloria" Vinny had left and been replaced
by Gallagher’s friend Lou Rotondo. Also in 1960 Lou Rotondo and Albie
Galione, along with Albie Contrera of the Mystics, sang behind Clay Cole
on "Here, There, Everywhere" (Roulette), single that became popular in
the New York area. Audicon Records lost the group’s next release, the
harmony rocker "Made for Lovers."
The group recorded a few more sides for Audicon which were leased to
Jubilee and Octavia.By 1962, Gallagher had joined the navy and Gribble
had died. The group signed with producer Teddy Vann, ABC Records and
drafted Joey O’Neal for the lead. Before Joey could sing, however, Jimmy
returned on leave and joined with the Passions to record "The Bully"
(ABC, 1963) and an up-tempo version THE CRESTS’ "Sixteen Candles"
(Diamond, 1963).
When both went out unpromoted, Gallagher returned to the navy. Graham
Lee True (the Hitones, Fonsca) took over the lead, but they only
recorded unreleased demos. The group broke up in 1963.
(L to R) Donna Henderson, Sarah Sparks & Sue Kinder
The T-Tones (Tazewell, Virginia)
Personnel :
Sue Kinder
Donna Henderson
Sarah Sparks
Discography :
Lanie Walker & The T-Tones
1959 - Jumpin The Gun / Tonite I Walk Alone (Blue Hen 235)
Jimmy Kinder & The T-Tones
1959 - Hangover / Alone (Blue Hen 501)
Biography :
Vocal group from Tazewell High School in Virginia consisted of Donna
Henderson, Sarah Sparks & Sue Kinder. The T-Tones signed in 1959
with Blue Hen Records as back up group for the label. Blue Hen Records
was run by Sam Short in Harrington, DE. ably assisted by A&R man
Hugh Lee Stevenson. He owned a grocery store and ran the label out of a
part of the store.
Lanie Walker Jimmy Kinder
Best known for his two rural rockabilly songs "No Use Knocking On My
Door" and "Ennie Meenie Miney Mo" recorded in 1958, Rockabilly singer
Lanie Walker recorded "Jumpin The Gun" b/w "Tonite I Walk Alone" with
the T-Tones in mid’ 1959. The Same year, the group back up Sue’s brother
Jimmy Kinder, 17-year-old Tazewell High school student on "Hangover"
b/w "Alone". Jimmy had never planned on making singing a career until a
recording talent scout heard of his vocal ability and signed him.
immediately. The teenage group have made several personnel appearences
to promote their disc.
Songs :
Lanie Walker & The T-Tones Jimmy Kinder & The T-Tones
(L to R) Charles Carrington, Michael Jones, Lovie, Frog and Braxton Hunter
The Satisfactions (2) (Baltimore, Maryland)
Personnel :
Charles Carrington (Lead)
Braxton Hunter (Lead)
Michael Jones
Lovie
Frog
Discography :
1962 - We Will Walk Together / Oh Why (Do I Love You So)? (Chesapeake 610)
Biography :
The
Satisfactions were a Baltimore-based singing group and band, circa 1960
- 1963. They were managed by James Dupree and featured Braxton Hunter,
Charles Carrington, Michael Jones, Lovie & Frog. They recorded in 1962 for the Baltimore based label Chesapeake
Records the sides "We Will Walk Together" / "Oh Why (Do I Love You
So)?". "Oh Why (Do I Love You So)?" was their only local hit.
