The Students (1) (Philadelphia)
Personnel :
Emerson "Rocky" Brown (First Tenor)
Colly Williams (Second Tenor)
Janice Brown
Jim Dickerson (Bariton)
Clarence Smith (Bass)
Discography :
Biography :
When Doc Bagby, Irv Nahan and Marvin “Red Top” Schwartz got together to form Red Top records during the last spring of 1957, Philadelphia was well on it's way to becoming the most important city of the record business. Operating out of a small office in Downtown Centre City, Red Top was instituted showcase local Philadelphia Talent. Doc Bagby, Irv Nahan and Marvin Schwartz could get enough initial airplay locally to test any release, if there was sufficient action in Philly, they'd turn the master over to a larger label for national distribution. With that in mind, Doc Bagby cut Red Top's first session with a young (mid-teens) Philadelphia group called the Students (Not the Checker/Note group of "I"m So Yong" fame) on July 8, 1957. The Students consisted of Emerson "Rocky" Brown, Colly Williams, Janice Brown, Jim Dickerson and Clarence Smith. Four Songs were recorded that afternoon -"Bye Bye Truly ", "Mary", "My Heart Is An Open Door" and "Mommy And Daddy", the latter making up Red Top's first single with sold about 25,000 in Philadelphia alone (It was not released in any other area). The group performs locally before splitting up. Colly Williams will return a few years later with two singles on Ry An and Poplar.