DOO-WOP : GAY TUNES

The Gay Tunes aka The Gaytunes

The Gay Tunes (Brooklyn, New york)

aka The Gaytunes

Personnel :

Earl "Chubby" Kirton (Lead)

Waymon "Butterman" Carey

Harry Pinchback (Baritone)

Fred Davis

Harry Hutchinson (Guitar)

Discography :

The Gay Tunes

Singles :

1953 - Why-y-y Leave Me This Wa-ay-ay / Thrill Of Romance (Timely 1002)

1958 - Got You On My Mind / Don't Go (Dome 502)

Unreleased :

1953 - I'll Always Love You (Acappella) (Timely)

1953 - I Want You To Love Me Too (Acappella) (Timely)

The Gaytunes

Singles :

1957 - I Love You / You Left Me (Joyce 101)

1958 - Plea In The Moonlight / Pen Pal (Joyce 106)

Unreleased :

1957 - Heaven Sent You (Joyce)

1957 - Tell Me You Love Me (Joyce)

1957 - Sad Am I (Joyce)

1957 - Pen Pal (Different) (Joyce)

Biography :

The Gay Tunes were organized in 1949 when the fad of vocal group for vocal groups had reached a peak. It seemed that in 1952 the Gay tunes were fading, but this was not so, for most of the boys in the group were being called for military duty. With their duty to their country lover, the Gaytunes were reunited with greater aspect than ever. the group was composed by Earl "Chubby" Kirton, Waymon "Butterman" Carey, Harry Pinchback, Fred Davis, and Harry Hutchinson on guitar. The Group started out singing on Street corners adjacent to P.S. 41 and P.S. 83 then move on to Alexander Hamilton and Boys High in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Herman "Hy" "Siegal announcing the start of a new label called Timely Records. Siegal was one of the original founders of Apollo in 1943. The Gay Tunes first encountered Siegal after an apollo thither amateur show in the summer of 1953. They auditioned for Timely with a few songs, still miraculously preserved on an apollo audition tape they recently located in a Chicago warehouse. The Gay Tunes only Timely Single "Why-y-y Leave Me This Wa-ay-ay" b/w "Thrill Of Romance" was probably cut on August 22, 1953 and released a month later.

Al Browne The Gaytunes on Joyce

The group had been completely revamped from their Timely days. The photo is the Gay Tunes in their Joyce days, maybe Freddy in the photo is Fred Davis, but the only other member who carried over to Joyce is Earl Kirton. Kirton's warm, expressive lead voice comes through strong on the Gaytunes 1957 ballad "I Love You" (Written for his daunter) released on Brooklyn-based Joyce Records. They worked closely with pianist-arranger Al Browne, and appeared at shows and dj hops in Boston, Baltimore and West Virginia and cut a second single for Joyce. The Gaytunes' last single was "Got You On My Mind" d/w "Don't Go" for Julie Rifkind's Dome label in 1958. It would seem that the group with many more changes recorded under the name of the Verdicts in 1961.

Songs :

(updated by Hans-Joachim)

The Gay Tunes