Top : O.Drummond, B.Davis, M.Robinson & R. Grant - Bottom : R.Foreman, A.Turner & L. Thomas
The Cardinals (4) (Philadelphia, PA)
aka The Modern Ink Spots aka The Equadors
Personnel :
Al Turner (Lead)
Oscar Drummond (First Tenor)
Rilly Foreman (Second Tenor)
Lynn Thomas (Baritone)
Reginald Grant (Bass)
Mitchell Robinson (Guitar)
Billy Davis (Drums)
Discography :
The Equadors
Single:
1958 - Sputnik Dance / A Vision (RCA EPA 4286)
Ep :
1958 - Sputnik Dance / I'll Be The One / A Vision / Stay A Little Longer (RCA EPA 4286)
The Modern Ink Spots
1962 - Spotlight Dance / Together (In Your Arms) (Rust 5052)
The Cardinals (4)
1963 - Why Don't You Write Me / Sh-Boom (Rose 835)
Biography :
Philadelphia
R&B group the Equadors formed in 1955. According to Marv Goldberg's
profile in the February 1999 issue of Discoveries, lead Al Turner,
first tenor Oscar Drummond, second tenor Rilly Foreman, baritone Lynn
Thomas, and bass Reginald Grant were all high-school friends born and
raised in the same North Philly neighborhood. Originally dubbed the
Chants, the quartet typically performed alongside accompanists Mitchell
Robinson on guitar and Billy Davis on drums, eventually making them
full-time members of the roster. Local real estate salesman Larry Kerrin
soon agreed to manage the Chants, landing them a plum gig in New Jersey
opening for Ray Charles and Pigmeat Markham. The exposure nevertheless
failed to launch the group to the next level, and in mid-1956 they began
appearing as the Equadors, replacing Kerrin with WHAT DJ Lloyd "Fatman"
Smith. Upon signing with the Jolly Joyce Booking Agency, the group
landed a record deal with RCA Victor, and in early 1958 traveled to New
York City to record a four-song session issued in full a month later.
King Curtis
The EP format actually hampered the Equadors' chances at radio, where
the conventional single reigned supreme, and although the lead track,
"Sputnik Dance" (featuring the great King Curtis on saxophone), was
subsequently reissued with flip side "A Vision," the damage was done.
The Equadors nevertheless performed the single on American Bandstand,
and toured the East Coast on a bill with Frankie Lymon and Paul Anka. In
early 1960 Jolly Joyce execs rechristened the Equadors the Modern Ink
Spots in a scheme to position the group for the supper-club circuit. The
ploy was a success, with gigs at upper-crust nightspots like the famed
Peppermint Lounge soon to follow. Although their repertoire now
consisted of the usual ballads and standards, the Modern Ink Spots
gradually worked some of their old R&B material back into their
sets.
Baritone/tenor Gary Evans joined the lineup in 1962, around the same
time drummer Davis left the group. His replacement, Claude Higgs, signed
on in time to cut the lone Modern Ink Spots single, the Rust release
"Spotlight Dance." Prior to a 1963 booking in Quebec, the Modern Ink
Spots learned of a rival group with the same name already touring Canada
-- after another quick change, they traveled north as the Cardinals,
and under that moniker recorded "Why Don't You Write Me" for the Rose
imprint. In the final months of their career they again performed as the
Modern Ink Spots, but split in 1965 when Turner signed on with the
Philadelphia Police Department.
