The Rhythm Heirs & Art Wheeler
The Rhythm Heirs (El Paso, Texas)
Featuring Evelyn & Virgie / Art Wheeler (Mello-Tones)
Personnel :
Eugene Anchondo (Guitarist)
Beto Velez (Tenor Sax)
Fernando "Ferny" Pena (Sax)
Adolfo H. Molinar, Sr (Drummer)
Discography :
1959 - Strange World / Cradle Rock (Yucca 105)
Biography :
By
1960 there was Little Joe and the Latinaires up north in Temple, Los
Dinos in Corpus Christi, Junior & The Starlites in Waco, The
Playboys in Seguin, Freddy Frender in San Benito, and the The Rhythmairs
in El Paso. The Rhythmairs who along the way changed to the Rhythm
Heirs. The band was started five years ago when a South El Paso boy
suggested to the Rev. Harold J. Rahin that the Center director organize a
group of musicians.
Virgie and Evelyn Galleges
The
band consisted of two saxophones, two guitars, a trumpet, pianist and
drums. The musicians doubled up for vocals and for a short while Virgie
and Evelyn Galleges, two cute girls from El Paso High added a new
dimension to the group with a flair for dress and good harmony. The
Mello-tones, a quartet of the band led by Art Wheeler also participate
in the show backed by the Band. Competition kept the band practicing to
excel as the Blue Kings, Night Dreamers, Kingsmen and others .
After numerous concerts and performance and growing popularity, the Band signed a recording contract with Calvin Boles, owner of the label Yucca Records of Alamogordo (New Mexico). Virgie and Evelyn Galleges with The Rhythm Heirs sang "Cradle Rock", The other side of the record is "Strange-World", by Art Wheeler and the Mello-Tones (uncredited) backing by the The Rhythm Heirs.
The Rhythm Heirs & The Mello-Tones
Ruben Molina places Evelyn and Virgie in El Paso in his book Chicano Soul, even referring to "Cradle Rock" as one of the very first doo wop-styled recordings to come out of the border town. And yet this February 1959 release sounds earlier.
The vocal group sound hit El Paso a bit late, but just as it was in
cities like Los Angeles and San Antonio the Chicanos hung on to the
'oldies' sound loooooong after it had fallen out of favor on radio. The
most interesting thing about "Cradle Rock" is that it was remade by
brothers Benny and Joe Rodriguez who, as members of L.A.'s
Heartbreakers, re-recorded the song for Bob Keane's Donna Records in
1964.
http://lonestarstomp.blogspot.fr/2010/04/rock-bye-baby.html
Songs :
Evelyn & Virgie bb The Rhythm Heirs
Cradle Rock