(L-R) Sam Scott, Alfonso Wallace, Stan Bracely and Carl Jones.
The Teardrops (1) (Detroit)
Personnel :
Carl Jones (Lead)
Alfonso Wallace (Tenor)
Sam Scott (Baritone)
Stan Bracely (Bass)
Discography :
1953 - Come Back To Me / Sweet Lovin' Daddy-O (Sampson 634)
Biography :
This group was formed by teenage friends from the "Black Bottom"
section of Detroit in the early 1950s. Bracely was visiting his parents
and met Maurice Martin, who was living in the same apartment house. When
Bracely told Martin of the Teardrops, Bracely, a pianist, took an
interest and began showing up at their rehearsal sessions. They would
sing and practice wherever they could find an echo: bathrooms, hallways,
and so on. hey began performing at amateur shows and church functions.
The Love-Tones (L-R) Stan Bracely, Carl Jones, Mickey Stevenson
and Joe Miles
They came in second in a 1953 amateur show
across the river from Detroit in Windsor, Ontario. The winner was
"Little" Willie John. The group was soon contacted by promoter Homer
Jones, who asked them to get in touch with Sampson Records (whom he had
spoken to) regarding the Teardrops. They recorded for a studio that was
located in the rear of Sam's Record Shop. They heard their tune on
Detroit radio for several weeks, but then it disappeared. As is usually
the case, group members never received a cent, nor did they ever hear
from Sampson Records again. Stan Bracely & Carl Jones would later
evolve into Motown's Love-Tones. Carl Jones was killed in a barroom fight in the early 1960s.
