The Belairs (5) (Georgetown, D.C.)
aka The Four Bel-Aires (1)
Personnel :
Alfred "Nookie" Robinson (First Tenor)
Warren Ricks (Second Tenor)
Robert "Slick" Russell (Bariton)
Vernon Ricks (Bass)
Discography :
The Four Bel-Aires (1)
1958 - Where Are You / Tell Me Why (X-tra 113)
The Belairs (5)
1963 - Where Are You / Tell Me Why (Time SQ 23)
Biography :
The
start of the 4 Bel-Aires was at the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church,
in Georgetown, D.C. There, in 1955, bass Vernon Ricks and baritone
Robert "Slick" Russell started harmonizing on R&B songs when they
worked in the kitchen on Sunday mornings. They were eventually joined by
first tenor Alfred "Nookie" Robinson (whose name is usually shown,
incorrectly, as "Albert"). Finally, when they sounded like they had a
shot at fame and fortune, Vernon brought in his cousin, second tenor
Warren Ricks, and the 4 Bel-Aires were born. Although there were only
four singers, a fifth member was guitarist Mike Jackson. The guys ranged
in age from 13 (Warren) to 21 (Alfred). There was a local Saturday evening radio program in D.C. called
Teenarama (on WOOK, 1340 AM; this was before it moved to TV in 1963). A
couple of teenagers (Calvin Hackett and Marjorie Bowman) acted as DJs,
spinning hit records and inviting local groups to perform. Sometime
around late 1957, the invitation was extended to the 4 Bel-Aires (who
sang their arrangement of the Mello-Moods' "Where Are You"). Their
singing impressed the "adult" member of Teenarama, Al "Big Boy"
Jefferson, a DJ who had a nightly WOOK show, broadcast from the front
window of Waxie Maxie Silverman's Quality Music store (located around
the corner from the Howard Theater). In 1962, Ben Smith sold all his
X-Tra masters to Slim Rose of Times Square Records. That's the reason
that "Where Are You" and "Tell Me Why" appeared on Times Square in
November 1963 (although the group was listed as the "Belairs").
http://www.uncamarvy.com/4BelAires/4belaires.html
Songs :
Where Are You Tell Me Why