Willie Davis & Lloyd McCraw
The Thor-Ables (Los Angeles)
Personnel :
Willie Davis (Lead Tenor)
Bobby Baker (Second Tenor)
James Lanier (Baritone)
Lloyd McCraw (Baritone/Bass)
Discography :
1962 - Our Love Song / Get That Bread (Titanic 1001)
1962 - My Reckless Heart / Batman And Robin (Titanic 1001)
Biography :
Willie
Davis has been Lead & first Tenor for the Jacks and The Cadets, In
1958 he joined the Flairs (soon to become the Flares). In June 1961, The
Flares were in Europe and Davis who had not gone on tour was working in
a car wash. That's where he met Bobby Baker in 1962, who, along with
his partner James Lanier, was an aspiring songwriter. Bobby interested
Willie in some of his songs and the three of them decided to record.
Calling themselves the "Thor-Ables" (after the space satellite launching
rocket), they approached Lloyd McCraw (the original baritone of the
Jacks/Cadets), who was setting up the Titanic label.
Willie Davis
The
Thor-Ables recorded four songs. Two of them ("Our Love Song" and "My
Reckless Heart") have the trio of Willie Davis (lead tenor), Bobby Baker
(second tenor), and James Lanier (baritone). (Note that "My Reckless
Heart" was a remake of a song Willie had done with the
Rocketeers/Rockets/Planets on McCraw's M.J.C. label in 1958.) On the
other two tunes ("Get That Bread" and "Batman And Robin"), the trio is
joined by baritone/bass Lloyd McCraw, who was also the group's manager.
All four sides were released in late 1962. While James Lanier remembers
the songs being pushed for a short while by Rudy Harvey on KGFJ, the
Thor-Ables only had a few appearances (including one in Willow Brook,
California and some with Big Jay McNeely) and soon broke up.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Flairs/flairs.html
Songs :
Our Love Song Get That Bread
Batman And Robin My Reckless Heart