1957 - Walking Sad / Come On Baby (Fascination 101/Skylor 101)
The Four Imperials (1)
1958 - Lazy Bonnie / Let's Make A Scene (Lorelei 4444/Dot 15737)
1958 - My Girl / Teen Age Fool (Chant 10067)
1959 - Valley Of Tears / Time Out (Dial 101)
1959 - Santa's Got A Coupe DeVille / Seven Lonely Days (Twirl 2005)
Pee Wee Crayton with Esther & The Four Imperials (1)
1958 - Give Me One More Chance / Look Up & Live (not them) (Fox 102)
Biography :
Four guys from Higland Park in Detroit started harmonizing on the
street corners in the mid 50's they were Lynn Best (Lead), Frank Amodeo
(Bass), Bob Manzagol (Baritone) and Leroy Casey (Tenor), they were all
graduates of Highland Park High School in Michigan. They called
themselves The Pharaohs and recorded for Fascination Records in 1957 :
"Walking Sad" b/w "Come On Baby."
The Pharaohs (3) around 1958
In 1958 Leroy left the group and the rest adde Jim Hartrick and
changed their name to The Four Imperials and recorded in the Detroit
label Lorelei "Lazy Bonnie" b/w "Let's Make A Scene." The record became
popular and the group make many appearances throughout the midwest
including one with Ricky Nelson at the Michigan State Fair.
The Pharaohs (3)
They Make a personal appearance at the Mount Clemens Bandstand
teen-agers dance at the VFW Hall.The group soon snapped up by Fox
Records manager George Braxton and the Four Imperials backed Pee Wee
Crayton on "Give Me One More"
After Fox records, Braxton started several subsidiaries : Brax, Dial,
Chant, and Teen Life. The Four Imperials recorded for Braxton's Chant
Records "My Girl" b/w "Teenage Fool" and "Valley Of Tears" b/w "Time
Out" on Dial. The last recording of the group were for Twirl Records in
1959 "Seven lonely Nights" b/w "Santa's Got A Coupe DeVille" .
Lynn Best (left) Bob Manzagol (top center) , Frank Amodeo (right) Jim Hartrick(bottom center)
After that they broke up. Ed Wingate took Lynn Best into the studio
to do a single for Golden World that was never issued. This was probably
around '64 because one of the tunes, "I Want Your Love to Be Mine" is
one of the best Beatles knock-offs. Frank Amodeo joined up with Byron
Taylor and recorded as The Two-Tones.
Songs :
The Pharaohs (3)
Walking Sad / Come On Baby
The Four Imperials (1)
Lazy Bonnie / Let's Make A Scene Valley Of Tears / Time Out
Lynn Best (left) Bob Manzagol (top center) , Frank Amodeo (right) Jim Hartrick(bottom center)