(L to R) Cynthia Badie, Wanda Burt, Ernie, George Banks and Odell Alford
The Crescendos (2) (Berkeley, CA.)
aka The Casual Crescendos
aka The Creschendos
Personnel :
Wanda Burt (Lead)
Cynthia Badie (Tenor)
Ernie (Tenor)
George Banks (Tenor/Baritone)
Odell Alford (Bass)
Discography :
The Creschendos
1960 - My Heart's Desire / Take My Heart (Music City 831)
The Crescendos (2)
1960 - My Heart's Desire / Take My Heart (Gone 5100)
1960 - I Don't Mind / Teenage Prayer (Music City 839)
Wanda Burt (bb The Crescendos)
1961 - Scheming / Your True Love Is Standing By (not them) (Music City 840)
The Casual Crescendos
1963 - Wish That You Were Here / Uncle Ben's Concentrated Blueberry Jam (MRC 12001)
Biography :
In 1950, Ray Dobard decided to open a record shop, Berkeley’s Music
City in Adeline Street, San Francisco. Not long after that, Ray founded
his first record label Delcro Records. Three years later, with his
latest business expanding his record store, now called Music City Record
Store moved to new premises. Music City Record Store’s new premises
were at 1815 Alcatraz Avenue. Behind the shop, there was an empty space.
Ray decided to build a small studio. This meant he could record
artists, release their music on his own label and sell them in Music
City Record Store. In 1960, Dobard signed a quintet composed of two
young women and three men. The group had began at Willard Junior High
several years before, with tenor/baritone George Banks and Bass Odell
Alford . At Berkeley high, a tenor named Ernie, beauty queen alto
Cynthia Badie and sweet-voiced lead singer Wanda Burt gravitated to the
group, who now called themselves the Crescendos.
(L to R) George Banks, Cynthia Badie, Odell Alford, Wanda Burt and Ernie
Wanda
Burt, of all Music City Artists should have achieved a measure of
stardom. Born Arkansas in 1942 and raised in Berkeley, she worked at
Dobard’s store on the Weekends. One day she gave Dotard a
Crescendos’demo. Dobard decided he wanted to record this group. Tough
all the members sang lead during their live shows, Wanda became the only
Crescendo voice on Music City-and no wonder. The Crescendos first
release, "My Heart's Desire" in October 1960, in fact inspired Goldner
to lease the record for another one of his labels, Gone. The song made
some noise on the East Coast but never broke out. Impressed with Burt
Potential, Dobard made a concession to the white mass market on the
Crescendos’ next records, "Teenage Prayer" by adding violins. The added
expense must have gnawed on him. One thing is certain : Those strings
did more harm than good to the ballad, which was in the first place not
as interesting as it flipside "I Don't Mind".
Wanda
Burt (1961)
The Crescendos’ third release, "Scheming" must have
disappointed the other members of the group, because their name was
nowhere in sight. Instead Dobard put it out as the B-side "Your True
Love Is Standing By", which Burt had cut with another group. and he
featured Burt as solo on the label. Wanda Burt had also stepped out on
her own as a live performer. In late 1961, she appeared on the bill at a
huge concert at San Fransisco’ Cow Palace with Chubby Checker, Eugene
Church and girl group the Marvelettes. Unfortunately, health and
personal problems sidelined her before she could build any momentum, and
bought her promising career to a premature close. The Crescendos
replaced her with a sound alike, Anna Lois Jones, and recorded as The
Casual Crescendos for the MRC label. Cynthia Badie left the group to go
to College, and nowadays she’s the manager of a successful young pop
group, The New edition.
