SPARKELS - SABLES

The Sparkels (New York)

aka The Sables

Personnel :

Barbara Peterkin

Jo Annis Harding

Lucille Jackson

Patricia Villiers

Discography :

The Sparkels

1964 - Try Love (One More Time) / That Boy Of Mine  (Old Town 1160)

The Sables

1965 - I'm On Fire / Darling (RCA 47-8521)

Biography :

The Sparkels consisted of Four High School Girls who performed together from 1962 to 1966.  Barbara Peterkin, Jo Annis Harding, Lucille Jackson and Patricia Villiers released "Try Love One More Time" and "That Boy Of Mine" on Old Town Records in 1964 (1160)

  

The Old Town record label was formed in 1953 by Hyman Weiss in New York City. Hy Weiss Old Town was originally a rhythm and blues record company, and was run almost entirely by "The Weiss Guys," Hy and his brother Sam.  He got his experience in rhythm and blues records working as a salesman for many of the legendary R & B labels such as Exclusive, Modern, Jubilee and Apollo.

July 12,1964 New York State World's Fair- New York State Pavilion - L to R :  B.Peterkin, L. Jackson & J. Harding

In 1965, They released "I'm On Fire" and "Darling" as The Sables on RCA Records (47-8521).

http://thesparkels.blogspot.fr

Songs :

The Sparkels

  

   

Try Love (One More Time)                           That Boy Of Mine    

DARTS (4) - CONSORTS (2) - CHUCKLES (3) - FOUR CLEFS

 

The Chuckles (3) (Bronx, New York)

aka The Consorts (2) aka The Four Clefs aka The Darts (4)

 

Personnel :

Bruce Laurent

Sal Donnarumma

Billy Abbate

Eddie Jacobucci 

 

Discography :

The Darts (4)

1961 - Barbara Ann (Demo)

1961 - A Fool in love (Demo)

1961 - Runaround (Demo)

1961 - A mother's Love (Demo)

The Consorts (2)

Singles :

1961 - Please be mine / Time after time (Cousins 104/ Apt 25066)

1978 - Star Above / Carrie (Crystal Ball 111)

Unreleased:

1961 - No One Knows

The Chuckles (3)

1964 - On the Street where you live / I'll Wait (West Side 1019)

The Four Clefs

1966 - Please Be Mine (acapella) / Time After Time (acapella) (B-J 1000)

 

Biography :

Most stories about vocal groups are usually very similar. Only names, places and how they got their lucky break change. It was no different for four guys from the Bronx - Sal Donnarumma, Billy Abbate, Eddie Jacobucci and Bruce Laurent. They were seniors at Theodore Roosevelt High School and in 1960 they formed their first group, The Majestics. They Cut two demo's at Associated Studios in Manhattan. Johnny Falbo played Guitar and over dubbed the drums. He is bet known as Dion's guitar player who traveled with him on the road and played on some Columbia recordings. The Majestics brought the songs, both covers, to Lou Chiccetti, owner of Cousins Record Shop and the now famous Cousins Record Label.

  

Lou Like the group but was interested in only original material. At this point which is still not very clear, two things happened. The Majestics were friends with Ernie Maresca who would give them 4 songs which they would record as the Darts. Also Eddie Jacobucci was the young brother Of Dan Jacobucci, an original member of the Regents. In 1958, The Regents recorded 3 songs at associated Studios, the last being an original they use to warm up with "Barbara Ann".

The group had broken up and eddie saw no problem in taking the song for the Majestics/Darts. This was the song Lou Chiccetti decided he would record. Only problem was the song writer, Fred Fasscett, whose brother Chuck was also an original Regent, only wanted The Regents to record it. The Regents regrouped and the rest is History. To compensate the Majestics he would change their name to the Consorts and record two originals written by group members Sal & Billy.

  

Just before releasing the 45 on his cousins label, Lou placed the discs with Apt Records.

Sal would eventually work for Lou at Cousins Record shop where he met many song writers and artists. He lent his vocal talent on many Eenie Maresca demo's (ex-Unbelievable) and sang on a Few Frankie Lyndon 45's before Frank became a member of the Belmonts.  During this time song writer Tommy Bogdany had the group record 3 songs including the original version of "Carrie".  The tunes would eventually be released in the 80s on Crystal Ball records. The Consorts had changed personnel and their new lead singer, Dennis Mesciano was the former lead singer of the Visuals.

 

The Consorts had gone into the Studio and recorded a version of "On the Street Where You Live" they also did a fast version of "No one Knows" which seems to be lost and "I'll Wait" which was "Now That Summer's Thru" with different words. Once again they brought the material to Lou Chiccetti and once again he changed their name, This Time to The Chuckles and released the songs on his newly formed West Side Record Label.Sal would sell the Acappella masters to the Apt sessions and they would soon surface under the name The Four Clefs.

Ed Engel 

Songs :

(updated by Hans-Joachim)

The Consorts (2)

   

   

Please Be Mine               Time after time

   

Star Above                             Carrie

    

          No One Knows           Time After Time (unrel. alt. take)

 

The Chuckles (3)

  

On The Street Where You Live              I'll Wait          

The Darts

   

Barbara Ann                        A Fool In Love

  

A Mother's Love                  Runaround

  The Four Clefs

   

Please Be Mine (acapella)      Time After Time (acapella)

DEANS (2) - FOUR DEANS - FOUR PLAYBOYS

  

The Deans (2) (Brooklyn, New York)

aka The Four Playboys / The Four Deans 


Personnel :


Joe Macaluso (Tenor)


Tom Cori (Baritone)


Fred Khoury (Bass)

 



Discography :



The Deans (2) 

Singles :

1960 - My Heart Is Low / I'll Love You Forever (Mohawk 114)

1960 - Humpty Dumpty / Le Chiam (Goodluck) (Mohawk 119)

1961 - It's You / I Don't Want To Wait (Just For Saturday Night) (Mohawk 126)

1961 - Little White Gardenia / I Don't Want To Wait (Just For Saturday Night) (Laurie 3114)

1963 - I'm Gonna Love You / Don't Let Her Cry Tonight (Tin Pan Alley 316)

1963 - Pretty Nola / Ricky Rocky Poo-Poo-Poo (Honeywell Jackson) (Tin Pan Alley 319)

 Unreleased :

1960 - Walk With Me (Mohawk)

1960 - Carol (Mohawk)

1960 - Little Girl (Mohawk)

1960 - Come On  (Mohawk)


The Four Deans (The Four Playboys)

1992 (Recorded 58) - So Very Wrong / Mr Echo (Park Ave.7)

 


Biography :

The Deans formed in 1956-1957 and went on to record for Mohawk records. Originally, calling themselves The Four Playboys : Ralph Maffei (Lead) , Tom Cori (Baritone),  Fred Khoury (Bass)and Joe Macaluso (Tenor)  and eventualy lead on all recordings, when Ralph Maffei  left the group to get married. The 3-man group liked Dean Martin and for awhile called themselves the Dino’s, eventually settling on the Deans. They auditioned live in 1960 for Irv Spice.

The Four Playboys

Irv Spice owner of Mohawk Records, was a musician who engulfed most of his productions with strings and full orchestration. He is probably best known releasing Dion & The Belmonts and The Dimensions’ first discs, two groups who went on to national fame. Mohawk Records and it’s subsidiaries Wizz, Abel, dragon, Dee and Hawk have been involved in many recordings both released and unreleased.

The Deans

Irv Spice quickly signed them to a contract, their outstanding "Blend and Sound" made them sound like a 5-man group. The group started recording at Dick Charles Studios, and cut three singles from 1960 to 1961 before joining Laurie records for one single: "Little White Gardenia" b/w "I Don't Want To Wait (Just For Saturday Night)". Despite two other records on the Tin Pan Alley Labels in 1963, they never achieved great success.

    

In the early 1990, Park Avenue released  "So Very Much" and "Mr. Echo" recorded in 1958 by the original group, the Four Playboys, with Ralph Maffei on lead. The single was released under the name of The Four Deans .

 

Songs :

The Deans (2)

      

    My Heart Is Low                  I'll Love You Forever                       Humpty Dumpty

   

   

 It's You                              I Don't Want To Wait

     

    Little White Gardenia              I'm Gonna Love You         Don't Let Her Cry Tonight

         

Walk With Me                          Carol                           Little Girl


The Four Deans / The Four Playboys


  

 So Very Wrong                          Mr Echo       

DELROYS - DEL-ROYS

 

Reggie Walker, John Blount, Robert Coleman & Ronald Coleman

The Delroys (Queens, New-York) 

aka The Del-Roys

 

Personnel :

Reggie Walker (Bass, Lead)

John Blount (First Tenor)

Ronald Coleman (Second Tenor)

Robert Coleman ( Baritone)

 

Discography :

The Delroys

Singles:

1957 - Bermuda Shorts / Time (Milton Sparks) (Apollo 514)

1959 - Wise Old Owl / Strange Land (Sparkell 102)

The Del-Roys

Singles :

1961 - Love Me Tenderly / Pleasing You (Carol 4113)

Unreleased:

1961 - Happy Life (Carol)

1961 - Mexico (Carol)

Lps :

1964 - Al Browne Presents Dyno Sounds (MOON AB 1)

Alimony

 

Biography :

Long Island, NY-based doo wop quartet the Delroys formed in the city's Queensbridge Projects in 1956 -- according to Marv Goldberg's profile in the July 1989 issue of Record Collectors' Monthly, brothers Ronald (first tenor) and Robert Coleman (baritone) lured away bass Reggie Walker from a rival group, and with the subsequent addition of lead John Blount, the lineup was complete. Named in honor of the acrobatic troupe the Five Flying Delroys, the teens were soon introduced to manager Ernest Kelly, who in early 1957 secured a deal with Apollo Records that also included another of his clients, soloist Milton Sparks. Thus, the Delroys' debut single, "Bermuda Shorts," featured Sparks' "Time" on the flip side -- when the Walker-penned tune began earning interest at radio, Apollo vice president Charlie Merenstein partnered with stations across the U.S. to launch contests promising winners copies of the record as well as gift certificates for their own "Bermuda shorts."

  

                                                                Reggie Walker, John Blount, Ronald Coleman & Robert Coleman

Although the Delroys scored a major hit in markets including Baltimore, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and New York City, spotty distribution hampered the momentum of "Bermuda Shorts" and the single failed to crack the national pop charts; moreover, when Apollo withheld payment from the group, their parents balked at future recording sessions, bringing their tenure with the label to an abrupt halt. The Delroys continued touring, however, at each date performing in Bermuda shorts of their own -- a frustrated Blount resigned from duty in 1958, prompting the additions of two new members, lead Bobby Taylor and second tenor Junior Talbot. When Kelly and Sparks co-founded their own Sparkell label in 1959, the Delroys entered the studio to cut their second single, "Wise Owl" -- when it failed to generate the interest of "Bermuda Shorts," the lineup began to splinter, with several members called for military duty.

  

In 1961, Ronald Coleman assembled a new Delroys lineup featuring lead Ray Paine, second tenor Norman Baquie, and baritone Cliff Davis, cutting "Love Me Tenderly" for the Carol label and scoring a minor hit in the New York market. A second Carol single remained on the shelf, however, and the new group dissolved as well. However, in 1964 Coleman reunited with Reggie Walker to form yet another iteration of the Delroys, this one with second tenor Walter Pope. Their lone recording, "Alimony," appeared on the compilation LP Al Browne Presents Dyno Sounds. The Coleman brothers joined forces with Walker again in 1970, adopting the name the First Three for their lone Deep label effort, "Don't Get Caught Faking." After more than a decade of inactivity, the trio re-formed as the Delroys in 1982, becoming a staple of the oldies revue and corporate events circuits.

Songs :

The Delroys

   

          Bermuda Shorts                           Time                    

    

           Wise Old Owl                         Strange Land            

The Del-Roys

  

   

Love Me Tenderly / Pleasing You

  

CHIMES (3) - CHAMPS (1) (TONY ALLEN & THE) - WONDERS (4) - WANDERERS (3)

 

The Chimes (3) (Los Angeles)

aka The Champs (1)

ref: The Wonders (4) aka The Wanderers (3)

 

Personnel :

Horace "Pookie" Wooten (Tenor)

David Cobb (Second Tenor)

Charles Jackson (Tenor)

Booker Jones (Baritone)

Talbert Walton (Bass)

Discography :

The Chimes (3)

Singles :

1955 - Zindy Lou / Tears On My Pillow (Specialty 555)

1956 - Chop Chop / Pretty Little Girl (Specialty 574)

Unreleased :

1956 - The Chimes Ring Out (Specialty)

Tony Allen & The Chimes (3)

1956 - Especially / Check Yourself, Baby (Specialty 570)

Tony Allen & The Champs  (1)

1955 - Nite Owl / I (Specialty 560)

The Wonders (4)

1958 - Be My Love Be My Love / Tell Me    (Forward 601)

Tony Allen & The Wonders (4)

1958 - Be My Love, Be My Love / Tell Me  (Tampa 157)

1959 - Loving You / Lookin' For My Baby (Jamie 1119)

Bobby Starr (Tony Allen & The Wonders (4))

1959 - Sweet Man / Please Give Me A Chance (Radio 120)

Tony Allen & The Wanderers (3)

1961 - Everybody's Somebody's Fool / If Love Was Money (Kent 356)

Biography :

In August 1955, The Chimes from South Central, Los Angeles, under band leader Horace "Pookie" Whooten signed a contract with Specialty Records. The group consists of Horace "Pookie" Wooten (Tenor), David Cobb (Second Tenor), Charles Jackson (Tenor), Booker Jones (Baritone) and Talbert Walton (Bass) . In September, they released "Zindy Lou" and "Tears on My Pillow" their first single, the A-side with influences of African rhythm and a hypnotic singing in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, the local charts reached, but without nationwide reactions.

  

                                                                                                                                                     Tony Allen

Robert Alexander "Bumps" Blackwell songwriter and arranger at Specialty Records make session With Tony Allen, held at Master recorders in Hollywood on 12 August 1955 with The Chimes singing behind him even though they were billed on the Record as The Champs.  The Chimes backed everybody on Specialty.  They were properly named on Allen's sequel Single Especially. The back of Especially was improvised in the studio based on an idea by Charles Jackson "Check Yourself, Baby". The collaboration as a session musician with Allen was abruptly terminated by its breach with Specialty. Then the band released again in April 1956 under their own name "Pretty Little Girl" and "Chop Chop".

  

David Cobb & Horace "Pookie" Wooten                                                                                                         

The record career of the Chimes was already finished in 1956, but the connection to Tony Allen was maintained: So supported him  Horace "Pookie" Wooten, Charles Jackson & David Cobb as "The Wonders" and "The Wanderers" repeatedly in various publications. Horace "Pookie" Wooten, Charles Jackson & David Cobb would go on to form The Lions in 1960, and later reformed as The Resonics.

 

Songs :

The Chimes (3)

     

Zindy Lou                      Tears On My Pillow                        Chop Chop

  

  Pretty Little Girl                   The Chimes Ring Out

Tony Allen & The Chimes (3)

  

       Especially                      Check Yourself, Baby

Tony Allen & The Champs (1)

  

Nite Owl                                             I       

The Wonders (4)

  

Be My Love Be My Love                   Tell Me                   

Tony Allen & The Wonders (4)

  

       Loving You                      Lookin' For My Baby

Bobby Starr (Tony Allen & The Wonders (4))

  

      Sweet Man                     Please Give Me A Chance

Tony Allen & The Wanderers (3)

Everybody's Somebody's Fool / If Love Was Money

…

ZE-MAJESTICS - ZE MAJESTIKS - TRENDS (5)

 

The Trends (From left to right) Eddie Dunn, Ralph O'Neil, Jerrone Johnson, Emmett Gardner

Ze Majestiks (Chicago, IL.)

aka Ze-Majestics

 

Personnel :

Eddie Dunn (Lead)

Jeronne "Jerry" Johnson

Ralph O'Neill

Emmett Garner Jr

 

Discography :

Ze-Majestics

1959 - Garlens Mambo / Bobbi Ann (Fox 5014)

Ze Majestiks

1962 - Sapphire (Part 1) / Sapphire (Part 2) (ABC 10318/Sign 84533)

 

Biography :

The Trends were one of the Chicago soul vocal groups signed to ABC-Paramount through arranger/producer Johnny Pate. Pate produced hits for the label on Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions. Hailing from the city's west side, its members were Emmett Gardner Jr., Jerome Johnson, Eddie Dunn, and Ralph O' Neal. Before recording for Smash in 1964 as the Trends, they recorded "Garlens Mambo" b/w "Bobbi Ann" for Fox Records under the name Ze-Majestics in 1959.  Three years later, the Group, now renamed Ze Majestiks, recorded "Sapphire" b/w "Part 2" release on Sign prior to be picked up by ABC Paramount.  After the two singles for Smash in 1964 as the Trends, a Mercury Records imprint, Pate signed the Trends and they put out seven singles including "Big Parade" b/w "Soul Clap," "Don't Drop Out of School," "Never Too Young to Cry," and "Check My Tears." They never had any nationally charting singles.

Songs :

Ze-Majestics

  

Bobbi Ann                        Garlens Mambo

Ze Majestiks

Sapphire

 

PLAYMATES (2) - THREE PLAYMATES

   

The Playmates (2) (Newark, NJ.)

aka The Three Playmates

 

Personnel :

Gwen Brooks

Lucille Beatty

Alma Beatty

 

Discography :

The Playmates (2)

1957 - It Must Be Love / Giddy-Up-A-Ding-Dong ‎(Savoy 1523)   

The Three Playmates

1957 - Sugah Wooga / Lovey Dovey Pair (Savoy 1528)

1958 - Give Your Love To Me / (Do-oo, Do-oo) I Dreamed (Savoy 1537)

 

Biography :

The 3 girls from Newark, New Jersey (sisters Lucille and Alma Beatty and Gwen Brooks) only ever had 3 singles released in the late 1950s for Savoy Records, a label launched in Newark in 1942 by Herman Lubinsky, and had just one of them make any of the national charts. Their first release was the summer 1957 Giddy-Up-A-Ding-Dong (not the same song as one released with that title in 1956 by Freddie Bell & The Bell Boys for Mercury's Wing subsidiary) b/w It Must Be Love on Savoy 1523 billed as The Playmates (Alma, Gwen, Lucille). It failed to chart, although Savoy arranger Ernie Wilkins certainly provided them with quality backing, using tenor saxophonists Jerome Richardson and George Barrow, baritone saxophonist Budd Johnson, guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Sam Price, bassist Joe Benjamin and drummer Bobb Donaldson. They appeared on Savoy at the same time Roulette's guys put out their first single.

  

For their follow-up Sugah Wooga the label assembled tenor saxophonist Buddy Lucas, organist Bobby Banks, bassist Leonard Gaskin and an unidentified orchestra and this time, to avoid record store/juke box label confusion with the all-male quartet The Playmates, they were billed as The Three Playmates (Lucille, Alma, Gwen) and in March 1958 it peaked at # 89 Billboard Pop Top 100 on Savoy 1528 b/w Lovey Dovey Pair. For some reason, however, it made no impact whatsoever on the R&B charts despite the facts Savoy was designed mainly to appeal to that market and the arrangement was so close to that of the 1957 R&B/Pop smash Little Bitty Pretty One by Thurston Harris. Their only other single, also billed as The Three Playmates (Alma, Lucille, Gwen), was (Do-Oo, Do-Oo) I Dreamed b/w Give Your Love To Me on Savoy 1537 later in 1958 and, with the same backing musicians as their first effort (it was actually recorded in July 1957), it failed to chart.

Songs :

(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

 

The Playmates (2)

  

Giddy-Up-A-Ding-Dong                       It Must Be Love  

The Three Playmates

  

Lovey Dovey Pair                               Sugah Wooga

   

Give Your Love To Me                                  I Dreamed       

     

CLEFS (1) - MASTERS (1) (SCOTTY MANN & THE)

  

 The Clefs : (L to R) Fred Council, Frank Newman, Scotty Mansfield & Pavel Bess (top) Frank Motley (Bot.) Leo Carter

The Clefs (1)  (Arlington, Va)

aka  Scotty Mann & The Masters (1) 

Personnel :

George Henry "Scotty" Mansfield (Lead Tenor)

Frank Newman  (Tenor)

Fred Council (Baritone)

Pavel Bess (Bass)

Discography :

The Clefs (1)

Singles :

1952 - We Three / Ride On (Chess 1521)

1954 - I'll Be Waiting / Please Don't Leave Me (Peacock 1643)

Unreleased :

1952 - Sorry (Chess)

1954 - What Did I Do (Peacock)

1954 - I'm Wondering (Peacock) 


Scotty Mann & The Masters (1)

Singles :

1956 - The Mystery Man / Just A Little Bit Of Loving (Peacock 1665)

Unreleased :

1956 - Your Memory (Peacock)

1956 - Goodness Gracious Baby (Peacock) 


1956 - I'll Be Waiting (Peacock)

Biography :

The Clefs had their beginnings during late 1950 in the greater Washington D. C. area. The members of the original group were Scott Mansfield on lead, tenors Pavel Bess and Frank Newman, baritone Fred Council, and bass Gerald Bullock. They performed at various gigs in and around their home area and put in plenty of time on their harmony and musical presentation. By the spring of 1952 Leroy Flack had replaced Bullock on bass. Soon The Clefs had the opportunity to record a demo record which was heard by Lillian Clairborn, a D. C. music scout and manager.  The demo was shopped to Chess Records in Chicago and soon the group had a session in the studio for the label. By late October Chess Records released two tunes by the group with the Frank Motley combo. The songs were "We Three", and a 'B' side jump tune called "Ride On".

  

 Chess # 1521 got a decent review in the trade press and so The Clefs had their first recorded effort on the street. Radio airplay was limited mostly to the Chicago area, and in their home city of Washington D.C., there wasn't much of a ripple for the group's record. For the next year and a half the group kept at it until in 1954. By then they were a foursome as Leroy Flack had left and Bess became the new bass for the group. Somehow, even though there was some interest from Vee-Jay, they were subsequently hooked up with Don Robey in Houston Texas and his Peacock label. The group had a record on Peacock by the end of the year : "I'll Be Waiting" and "Please Don't Leave Me" released on # 1643. When that single by the group did not do much in sales or airplay, the group changed their name to Scotty Mann & The Masters. With their new identity the group had one release for Peacock on # 1665 : "The Mystery Man" and "Just A Little Bit Of Loving". As with their previous attempts, this one was not successful.

Songs :

The Clefs (1)

     

                We Three / Ride On                         I'll Be Waiting / Please Don't Leave Me

Scotty Mann & The Masters (1)

The Mystery Man / Just A Little Bit Of Loving