DOO-WOP : COLLEGIATES (1) (DICKEY LEE & THE)

COLLEGIATES (1) (DICKEY LEE & THE)

(L to R) Dickey Lee, Allen Reynolds, Sam Cole, and David Glenn.

Dickey Lee & The Collegiates (1) (Whitehaven, Tennessee)

Personnel :

Dickey Lee (Dickie Lipscomb) (Lead Vocal / Guitar)

J.L. Jerden (Vocal / Bass)

David Glenn (Vocal)

Allen Reynolds (Tenor / Guitar)

Bill Talmadge (Vocal)

Selby Barrach (Drums)

Eddie Well (Vocal / Guitar)

Discography :

Dickey Lee & The Collegiates (1)
1957 - Stay True Baby / Dream Boy (Tampa 131)
1957 - Good Lovin' / Memories Never Grow Old (Sun 280)

Dickey Lee bb The Collegiates (1)
1958 - Fool, Fool, Fool / Dreamy Nights (Sun 297)

Biography :

Royden Dickey Lee was born on September 21, 1936, in Memphis, Tennessee. He grew up on his family's farm, where their two major crops were cotton and corn. Besides playing baseball, Lee started singing, playing the guitar, and songwriting. He participated in local talent contests and even auditioned for the Ted Mack Amateur Hour, to no avail. In the fall of 1957, he entered Memphis State University on a boxing scholarship.

Incidentally, he was a Golden Gloves' champion. In college, he formed the Collegiates, which included J.L. Jerden, David Glenn, Allen Reynolds, Bill Talmadge, Selby Barrach and Eddie Well . Dickey made his recording debut in 1957 with "Dream boy," a song he'd written, on the tiny Tampa label He was discovered by Memphis deejay Dewey Phillips in 1957, which led to his first record. Dewey Phillips introduced young Dickey to Sam Phillips (no relation), who signed Lee to Sun. Two singles came out in 1957-58, first "Good Lovin'"/ "Memories Never Grow Old" (Sun 280). "Good Lovin'" was a cover of the Clovers hit from 1953.

The A-side of the second Sun single, "Fool, Fool, Fool" (Sun 297), could create the impression that this was another Clovers cover, but that was not the case. Though credited to Dickey Lee only (his previous two records were credited to Dickey Lee and the Collegiates), "Fool, Fool, Fool"/ "Dreamy Nights" was very much a vocal group record, reminiscent of Dion and the Belmonts. Both Sun singles were commercial flops and his contract was not renewed. While at Sun, Lee had forged a friendship with Jack Clement. When Clement moved to Beaumont, Texas in 1960, Dickey and his friend Allen Reynolds followed him.

In Beaumont they became part of a recording studio crew set up by Clement and his partner Bill Hall. In 1962 Dickey had his first taste of real success when George Jones took his song "She Thinks I Still Care" to the top of the country charts. (When Anne Murray revived the song in 1974 as "He Thinks I Still Care", it was a # 1 all over again.) In the autumn of 1962, Lee had his own hit with "Patches" (produced by Clement and Hall), which went to # 6 on the pop charts, on the Smash label. Written by Barry Mann and Larry Kolber, it was a maudlin song about teenage suicide. The follow-up to this million seller, "I Saw Linda Yesterday" was a much better record and peaked at # 14. Clearly inspired by Dion's "Runaround Sue", it was co-penned by Dickey and Allen Reynolds.

http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/dickey_lee.htm

Songs:

Dickey Lee & The Collegiates (1)