1959 - Looking For You / Groceries, Sir (Flip 343)
1959 - Leap Year Cha Cha / I Love You (Flip 345)
Biography :
Bobby Nunn was a welterweight boxing champion in the U.S. Air Force.
After his discharge in 1947 he moved to Watts, California. He became a
member of the A-Sharp Trio with Billy Richards, Roy Richards, and Ty
Terrell, and they eventually became The Robins. In 1955, Bobby Nunn and
Carl Gardner split from The Robins to become The Coasters with Leon
Hughes and Billy Guy.
Bobby Nunn & Leon Hughes
Bobby
Nunn and Leon Hughes stayed in California when the Coasters moved to
New York, and recorded with Billy Brown, Andre Goodwin and Burrell
Carpenter as The Dukes on Flip in 1959. Goodwin and Carpenter had been
members of the West Coast Turbans/Sharptones. Two singles were released
"Looking For You" b/w "Groceries, Sir" (Flip #343), and "I Love You" b/w
"Leap Year Cha Cha" (Flip #344).
Patricia Van Dross, Johnny Maestro, Harold Torres, Talmadge Gough & J.T. Carter
The Crests (Manhattan, New York)
Personnel :
Johnny Maestro（Lead）
Talmadge Gough（Tenor）
Patricia Van Dross（Tenor）
Harold Torres（Baritone）
J.T. Carter（Baritone/Bass）
Discography :
The Crests
Singles :
1957 - Sweetest One / My Juanita（Joyce 103）
1957 - No One To Love / Wish She Was Mine（Joyce 105）
1958 - Pretty Little Angel / I Thank The Moon（Coed 501）
1958 - Sixteen Candles / Beside You（Coed 506）
1959 - Six Nights A Week / I Do（Coed 509）
1959 - Flower Of Love / Molly Mae（Coed 511）
1959 - The Angels Listened In / I Thank The Moon（Coed 515）
1959 - A Year Ago Tonight / Paper Crown（Coed 521）
1960 - Step By Step / Gee（Coed 525）
1960 - Trouble In Paradise / Always You（Coed 531）
1960 - Journey Of Love / If My Heart Could Write A Letter（Coed 535)
1960 - Isn't It Amazing / Molly Mae（Coed 537）
1960 - Good Golly Miss Molly / I Remember（Coed 543）
1961 - Little Miracles / Baby I Gotta Know（Coed 561)
1962 - Fifty Million Heartbeats / Before I Loved Her (United Artists 474)
1962 - Guilty / Number I With Me（Selma 311）
1962 - The Actor / Three Tears In A Bucket（Trans Atlas 696）
1963 - Did I Remember / Tears Will Fall（Selma 4000）
1964 - A Love To Last A Lifetime / You Blew Out The Candles（Coral 62403）
1964 - Baby / I love you so（Times Square 5/6-97）
1965 - Phone Booth On The Highway / She's All Mine Alone (Apt 25075)
Unreleased :
1958 - Let Me Be The One (Coed)
1958 - Strange Love (Coed)
1959 - Young Love (Coed)
1959 - Journey Of Love (Coed)
1960 - Keep Away From Carol (Coed)
1960 - Let True Love Begin (Coed)
1960 - Learning About Love (Coed)
1960 - You Took The Joy Of Spring (Coed)
1960 - Dream Maker (Coed)
1960 - Out In The Cold Again (Coed)
Ep :
1960 - The Crests - The Angels Listened In (Coed 101)
Sixteen Candles / The Angels Listened In / Flower of Love / Six Nights A Week
Lps :
1960 - The Crests Sing All Biggies (Coed LP 901)
Earth
Angel / Good Golly Miss Molly / My Special Angel / Six Nights a Week /
Butterfly /16 Candles / The Angels Listened In / A Rose and a Baby Ruth
/I Remember (In the Still of the Night) / Party Doll / Silhouettes /
Tweedlee Dee
1960 - Best of the Crests (Coed LP 904)
16
Candles / A Year Ago Tonight / Six Nights A Week / Angels Listened In /
Gee (But I'd Give The World) / Step By Step / I Thank The Moon / Pretty
Little Angel / Journey Of Love / Trouble In Paradise / Earth Angel /
Flower Of Love / Always You / If My Heart Could Write A Letter / Molly
Mae / Isn't It Amazing
Johnny Maestro & The Crests
1965 - I'm Stepping Out Of The Picture / Afraid Of Love (Scepter 12112)
1966 - Heartburn / Try Me（Parkway 987）
1966 - Come See Me / I Care About You（Parkway 999）
1966 - My Time / Is It You（Parkway 118)
Johnny Masters
1960 - The Great Physician / Say It Isn’t So (Coed 527)
Johnny Maestro
1961 - Model Girl / We’ve Got To Tell Them (Coed 545)
1961 - What A Surprise / The Warning Voice (Coed 549)
1961 - My Happiness / Test Of Love (Coed 552)
1961 - I. O. U. / The Way You Look Tonight (Coed 557)
1961 - Besame Baby / It Must Be Love (Coed 562)
1962 - Before I Loved Her / 50 Million Heartbeats (United Artists 474)
1963 - I’ll Be True / Over The Weekend (Cameo 256)
1964 - Lean On Me / Make Up My Mind ( Cameo 305)
1965 - Phone Booth On The Highway / She’s Mine Alone ( APT 25075)
Biography :
0ne
of the most popular of the late '50s groups, the Crests were often
thought to bean all black aggregation. In fact, they were about as
integrated as a group could get, with four men (two blacks, a Puerto
Rican, and an Italian), and one black female. Talmadge (Tommy) Gough
(first tenor), Harold Torres (second tenor), and Patricia Van Dross
(tenor) were all from the Alfred E. Smith housing projects in Chinatown
on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. In 1955, while students at P. S.
160 Junior High, they teamed up with Jay (J. T.) Carter (bass) of
Delancey Street to forma singing group.
Top : J.T. Carter Middle : Harold Torres, Patricia Van Dross & Talmadge Gough Bottom : Johnny Maestro
With influences ranging from THE MILLS BROTHERS to THE AMES
BROTHERS(with THE HARP-TONES, THE CLOVERS, THE 5 ROYALES, THE FIVE KEYS,
THE PENGUINS, and THE ORIOLES thrown in for good measure) the unnamed
quartet started performing at hospitals and charity functions for
experience while learning the craft of harmonizing from an old singer
known only as Mr. Morrow.
Harold Torres, Patricia Van Dross, Talmadge Gough , J.T. Carter & Johnny Maestro
In 1956, Mulberry Street resident John Mastrangelo met the group at
the Henry Street Settlement House. John's previous group had also been
integrated, and reportedly included a young Tony Orlando. Mastrangelo's
strong voice and natural feel for R&B made him an instant asset to
the group and they joined forces. J. T. Carter came up with the name the
Crests (a good many years before the toothpaste). The group found the
New York subway system to be an excellent place to polish their sound.
On one occasion they boarded the Lexington IRT at the Brooklyn Bridge
and took the opportunity to practice.
To
their astonishment, as the train pulled into the next stop, a woman got
up, walked over, handed them a business card, and left the train
without even mentioning her name. The card read "Al Browne and
Orchestra," Mr. Browne being the well-known arranger who backed up THE
HEARTBEATS and other acts. The group scrambled to call him, set up an
audition, and by June 1957 were recording two original Mastrangelo
compositions. The mysterious lady on the train turned out to be Mrs. Al
Browne.
Harold Torres, Johnny Maestro, Talmadge Gough & J.T. Carter
The songs "Sweetest One" and "My Juanita" were tremendous first
efforts for a new group, especially considering the medieval production
work and studio sound. "My Juanita" was an up-tempo rocker with a slow
double-chime prelude, a smooth lead from Mastrangelo (now calling
himself Johnny Maestro), and a tight background by the Crests. "Sweetest
One" was an understated ballad. Its simplicity was classic, but most in
the know would have put their money on "Juanita." On July 15, 1957, the
tiny Joyce Records (run out of the back room of a Brooklyn record
store) bet on "Sweetest One," putting all two minutes and four seconds
on the national Top 100 chart peaking at number 86. "My Juanita7
subsequently became a standard rehearsal tune for every street-corner
group.
Talmadge Gough, Harold Torres, J.T. Carter & Johnny Maestro
The Crest's next single was "No One to Love," a beautiful ballad with
an "Earth Angel" intro followed by wondrous harmony and an original
arrangement. Lightning didn't strike twice, but Maestro recalls that
each member received a $17.50 royalty for the tune. It probably went to
buy the checkered sport jackets and thin black ties they wore at their
local gigs (with Pat in her gown, the performers looked like four Bo
Diddleys and a prom queen).
After almost a year of shows, the Crests got a break in the form of
an introduction by songwriter Billy Dawn Smith to music publisher George
Paxton, a veteran of the Brill building. Paxton formed Coed Records and
signed the group just as they became a quartet. Pat was forced to leave
when her mother refused to let her tour with the older guys (in 1958
the members were 18 to 19 years old). Had Patricia's younger brother
been old enough to do more than hang out to hear the group sing, he
would have been an interesting vocal addition to the Crests. His name
was Luther Van Dross.
Johnny Maestro, Talmadge Gough, Harold Torres & J.T. Carter
The Crests' first Coed single was "Pretty Little Angel" b/w "I Thank
the Moon," the former written by Maestro, arranger Bert Keyes, and
Luther Dixon (writer of several SHIRELLE's hits), and the latter by
Billy Dawn Smith. "Pretty" did well in New York (for example one
Rochester station, WRVM's survey had it at number 25 and moving up on
March 31st) but soon fizzled out. The next release was "Beside You," a
pretty ballad with loads of harmony and a mid250s sound. When deejay
Alan Freed and TV's Dick Clark received their copies they both flipped
it over and took a liking to a sentimental birthday song called "16
Candles." The record entered the Billboard pop charts on November 24,
1958, and the R&B charts almost two months later.
J.T. Carter, Harold Torres , Talmadge Gough & Johnny Maestro
The group then played the first of many shows for Alan Freed's
Christmas party at the Loew's State Theatre along with three giants of
rock who would all be dead within six weeks: Buddy Holly, Ritchie
Valens, and the Big Bopper. In the week of January 26, 1959, "16
Candles" was number four nationally and Vileness' "Donna' was number
three. J. T. Taylor had a friendly bet with Valens that week as to whose
record would hit number one first. On February 3, 1959, Valens, Holly,
and the Big Bopper J. P. Richardson) died in a plane crash while the
Billboards chart of February 9 had "16 Candles" at number two and
"Donna" at number three. Ironically, neither recording ever made it to
number one. The record that kept both from that position was Lloyd
Price's "Stagger Lee."
Johnny Maestro with Al Contrera, , Ralph Lizano, Santo Farina, Johnny Farina and George Galfo (The Mystics)
At
its peak, "16 Candles" was selling 25,000 records a day and well on its
way to becoming one of the most popular birthday songs since "Happy
Birthday." "16 Candles" actually started out as "21 Candles" written by
Luther Dixon and Allyson Kent, but since the average age of targeted
record buyers was much younger, the number of candles was brought down a
few notches.The Crests were now playing all the major venues from the
Apollo to the Paramount along with the prime-time Saturday night radio
version of "American Bandstand." (Dick Clark may remember his first
encounter with the Crests at the Little Theatre on 47th Street in New
York City.
Talmadge Gough, Harold Torres , J.T. Carter, Johnny Maestro with a fan
The Crests were cavorting in the dressing room when Clark peeked in
to say hello. When one of the boys fell against the door Clark got a
black eye for his trouble.) The boys appeared on what in those days were
called all-star shows-and they really were. On a given night the Crests
would appear with the likes of Jackie Wilson, THE MOONGLOWS, Chuck
Berry, the Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley, THE FLAMINGOS, DION AND THE
BELMONTS, Frankie Avalon, and more saxophone-led orchestras than you
could shake a stick at, including those of Sam "the Man Taylor, King
Curtis, Big Al Sears, Red Prysock, Earl Warren, and more. From 1958 to
1960 the group was almost always on the road.
Their first single after "Candles" was a swaying, dreamy
stroll-styled ballad called "Six Nights a Week" (#28 Pop, #16 R&B).
As was the case with many acts, the charts were a relatively accurate
barometer of the quality of the Crests records from this point on.
"Flower of Love" was bland in comparison to other Crest cuts and only
attained a six-week run up to number 79. But the charting proved that
the Crests were out in front with deejays and the public; far superior
records of the time (such as "Millionaire Hobo ' by the Fantastics, "MY
Heart7' by THE CAROLLONS, and "Lovers Never Say Goodbye" by the
Flamingos) had less activity.
Their next single, however, was a catchy love song called "The Angels
Listened In" (#22 Pop, #14 R&B). It was the last Crests single to
chart R&B. Their fall 1959 release, "A Year Ago Tonight," was an
up-tempo take on "16 Candles," and it probably overachieved by reaching
number 42. 1960 kicked off with two catchy and danceable tunes, "Step By
Step"(#14) and "Trouble In Paradise" (#20) (The latter title was
significant, for by now the group was starting to feel growing pressure
from Coed for Johnny to go solo.) The last two singles of 1960, "Journey
of Love" and "Isn't it Amazing," barely charted (numbers 81 and 100,
respectively). Different members made up the group from 1960 include
Eddie Wright, Chuck Foote, and Leonard Alexander.
A
long overlooked Crests single titled "I Remember" was actually the old
FIVE SATINS standard "In the Still of the Night"; done competently by
Maestro and company, it was their last Coed single together. Little
Miracles" was their next single; it showcased new lead James Ancrum and
became the first Crests single in 10 tries that didn't make the top 100
(#102). Gough then quit, moving to Detroit to work for auto giant
General Motors. Gary Lewis (not Jerry's son) replaced him. Johnny went
solo as long predicted, but what was not predicted was that his records
would gain absolutely no acceptance.
He tried a few one-shots with other groups (THE TYMES' "Over the
Weekend" b/w "I'll Be True" in 1963 and "Try Me" b/w "Heartburn" with a
studio group calling themselves the Crests in 1966), but they also
failed. The Crests, meanwhile, were caught up in a court dispute with
Coed over ownership of the name. The group finally won and signed with
Morty Craft's Selma Records (Craft owned more labels than the Crests had
singles), recording "Guilty" in January 1962 and charting only at
number 123. The group went back to touring when their 1963 Selma side
"Did I Remember" flopped.
(Left to Right) Chuck Foote, Leonard Alexander (From top) Eddie Wright,Chuck Foote Johnny Maestro & Eddie Wright Johnny Maestro and Leonard Alexander
A
1964 sequel to "16 Candles" leased by Craft to Coral suffered a similar
fate; its prescient title was "You Blew Out the Candles." Kenneth Head
filled in for Ancrum on one single for Trans Atlas in 1962, but the
songs weren't as good as the ones the Coed Records staff had provided. (
George Paxton was a good publisher, with a knack for finding hits for
his acts.)Through the '60s, the Crests toured on their name and signed
no further record deals. Maestro went on to form THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE in
1968.
American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today by Jay Warner
1963 - False Love / Girl In The White Convertible (Not them) (Chancellor 1138)
Unreleased :
1963 - I Will Wait For You
Biography :
Vocal
group from South Philly, 15th & Ritner. In 1958, Richie Grasso a
12–year-old singing pre-teen, with friends Frankie & Nickie
Pescatore went "looking for an echo", and found it within the voices of
Leon "Texas" Barrett, and Johnny Reds. Dubbing themselves The Concepts,
they were soon off trekking to the big apple with songwriters John
McGilvery and Frank D‘Amore, who ushered them into Fine Brothers
recording studio. The group recorded "Turnaround" written by the Mc
Gilvery/D‘Amore team, but the song remained unreleased after being
shopped to a few record labels. Apparently, Mc Gilvery & D‘Amore
became more interested in the voice of Frankie Pescatore, whisking him
into a solo deal.
Dean Randolph
The group reformed as The 5 Classics, with Richie, his cousin Vince
Sorge, Nickie Pescatore, Jimmy Sofia, and the addition of Sal Amerello
(aka Sal Dupree). In 1960, The new lineup was heard by producers named
Dimuro & Lombardi, and resulted in the group recording Sal‘s song
"Magic Star", and the standard "Old Cape Cod". Released on Bill
Cunningham‘s Rode Records (#101), the group was ecstatic, as it received
some radio airplay, they sold 10,000 copies in the Philly area, then
the record fell off the air. By 1962, while Richie and The 5 Classics
members were working on their career strategies, old singing partner
Frankie Pescatore was now busy, being groomed by Bob Marcucci at
Chancellor Records.
Dean Randolph
As the next "Frankie Avalon", Marcucci gave him a new name "Dean
Randolph", and teamed him up with a songwriter / producer named Joe
Matt. This collaboration resulted as in their first release "How About
That" (Chancellor 1122). For the second Randolph release on Chancellor
"The Girl In The White Convertible" (Chancellor 1138), The 5 Classics
would contribute back up vocals to the b side,"False Love". Randolph
then switched labels, moving to Serene, MGM, then Apt in 65‘, where he
waxed the Richie Grasso penned "Dance Everybody Dance" (Apt 25091).
Richie would also lend his friend a hand, in singing along on the
record‘s "Del-Satins" styled background. Dean Randolph‘s final recording
was "Lonely Eyes" for ABC in 1968.
1962 - The Combination / Look At Her Eyes (Darrow 71)
1963 - Feel Like A Million / On Saturday Night (Darrow 5-20)
Unreleased :
1962 - Crossfire
1962 - That’s Right
1962 - All That’s Good
1962 - Dream
1962 - No Greater Love
1962 - Just One Of Those Things
The Mystery Men
1963 - Feel Like A Million / On Saturday Night (Pow 1001/1002)
Marc Tanno bb Tyrone & Nu-Ports
1962 - Too Many Times Before / Someday (President 718)
Al Belmont bb Tyrone & Nu-Ports
1963 - I Just Gotta have You / Baby I Wanna Know (Darrow ??)
Slip & Dell bb Tyrone & Nu-Ports
1964 - Don’t Take A Chance / Gotta Get Away (Modern Artists 100)
Dante bb Tyrone & Nu-Ports
1960 - Baby, Baby / How Much I Care (Darrow 515)
Biography :
Around
1956, Tyrone Johnson entered Lower Camden County’s Overbrook High
School in Pine Hill, NJ. It was in high school that Tyrone met four
other students who shared his love of singing and they soon formed a
vocal group. Initially the group was called the Deltones and they
consisted of Tyrone Johnson (lead), Alex Lancaster (first tenor), Calvin
McDonald (bass), Ronald Turner (second tenor) and a fifth fellow
singing baritone. By the time they entered high school, all the group
members were living around the Berlin, NJ, area.
Tyronne & the Nu-Ports at Holiday Hop with The Emotions, Billy & The Essentials, Off Keys …
By 1959 the group was finishing high school and the fifth member had
left the group. The Deltones were looking for a new baritone. That’s
when Calvin Henderson entered the picture. With the new baritone came a
new name : The Nu-Ports . Before recording , the group also made
appearances in Pennsylvania. The Nu-Ports used to sing at all the local
record hops in South Jersey. They played the Ice House in Cherry Hill
and the Inferno in Hammonton among other venues.
The group wrote a lot of their own material and putting together the
harmony was always a group effort. By 1962, Calvin Henderson was in his
senior year at high school and the Nu-Ports were ready to start a
recording career. The group was managed by Moon Rasso from Hammonton,
NJ, who introduced them to Joe Ricci. They had already written numerous
songs; “The Combination,” “Feel Like A Million,” “Look At Her Eyes,” and
so forth. They first went and cut “The Combination” to the Reco Arts
Studio. Joe Ricci released “The Combination” on his Darrow label with
“Look At Her Eyes” on the flip side. Tyrone Johnson was lead on “The Combination” while Calvin Henderson
led “Look At Her Eyes”. “The Combination” was released and got airplay
from Oaky Miller on WEEZ, Jerry Blavat on WCAM and a few other
stations. With “The Combination” attracting a lot of attention locally,
Joe Ricci looked toward the Nu-Ports’ next release, a catchy up-tempo
number called “Feel Like A Million.” It was backed with “On Saturday
Night.”
Marc Tanno Dante
“Fell Like A Million” was a big record for the group. It never made
Billboard’s national charts, but then the “Hot R&B Singles” charts
in 1962 only listed the top 30 songs. The Nu-Ports said they were told
by their management that the record sold 50,000 to 75,000 copies, mostly
locally. Throughout the Fall of 1962 and all of 1963, the Nu-Ports
played numerous shows with other Philadelphia artists. Tyrone & the
Nu-Ports also began working on enough songs for an album. The group
recorded at least fifteen sides. The album was just never released.
While waiting in vain for their album to come out, Tyrone & the
Nu-Ports began doing backup studio work: Marc Tanno, Al Belmont, Dante,
Slip & Dell . An automobile accident involving four members of the
group stopped their projects. Still working with Ray Eskridge (the “Del”
from Slip & Del), Ricci took the Nu-Ports’ background track to
“Feel Like A Million” and had Eskridge record a new lead track to the
song. His intent was to issue the new version of the song on his Pow
label as by the “Mystery Men”.
1959 - Vacation Days Are Over / It Takes Time (Brent 7004)
Biography :
The Argyles' only single "Vacation Days Are Over" was released on
Shad's Brent subsidiary. Brought a self-penned, end of summer,
Happy-go-lucky tale, tale of woe Bobby Shad entitled "Vacation Days Are
Over". He liked what he heard and arranged for a session at Bell Sound
on 30 July 1959. From there it was rushed to the pressing plant and
issued as Brent 7004 on 17 August 1959.
Bob Shad Offers Advice to John Williams
This doo-wop novelty garnered
airplay right away and managed to make the "Bubbling under" Section of
the charts during September and October of 1959. Everyone remembers his
or her high school class clowns (The Charlie Brown Types).This
back-to-school record was aimed at the teenager who appreciated that
style of humor and, at the same time, shared the horrific experience of
knowing that " Vacation Days Are Over"
The Group was from Long Island, New York, members are; William
Ambrisi, Pat Demasco, Michele Casamassima and Peter Pettas . Despite the
fact that both were on the Brent label, they are sometimes confused
with The Hollywood Argyles, who had the 1960s hit "Alley Oop". Michael
Casamassima wrote and sang the lead on "Vacation Days Are Over".
1955 - John Wilson , Lillian Leach , Harold Johnson & Norman Brown
The Mellows (1) (Bronx, New-York)
Personnel :
Lillian Leach (Lead)
John “Tiny” Wilson (First Tenor)
Harold Johnson (Second Tenor & Guitar)
Norman “Polecat” Brown (Bass)
Discography:
The Mellows (1)
Singles:
1954 - How Sentimental Can I Be / Nothin' To Do (Jay Dee 793)
1955 - Smoke From Your Cigarette / Pretty Baby, What's Your Name (Jay Dee 797)
1955 - I Was A Fool To Let You Go / I Still Care (Jay Dee 801)
1955 - Yesterday's Memories / Lovable Lily (Jay Dee 807)
1956 - Lucky Guy / My Darling (Celeste 3002)
1956 - I'm Yours / Sweet Lorraine (Celeste 3004)
Unreleased :
1958 - So Strange (Apollo)
1958 - Be Mine (Apollo)
Demos A cappella :
1956 - I Call To You (Celeste)
1956 - Sweet Lorraine (Celeste)
1956 - Lucky Guy (Celeste)
1956 - My Darling (Celeste)
1956 - I'm Yours (Celeste)
1956 - You're Gone (Celeste)
1956 - Ain't She Got Nerve (Celeste)
1956 - When The Lights Go On Again (Celeste)
1956 - I'm Gonna Pick Your Teeth With An Ice Pick (Celeste)
Lillian Lee & The Mellows (1)
1956 - You've Gone / Moon Of Silver (Candlelight 1011)
Carl Spencer & The Mellows (1)
1957 - Farewell, Farewell, Farewell / No More Loneliness (Candlelight 1012)
Biography :
The
original members of this 50s vocal harmony group from the Bronx, New
York, USA, were female lead Lillian Leach, first tenor Johnny ‘Tiny’
Wilson, second tenor Harold Johnson and bass Norman ‘Polecat’ Brown. The
Mellows never had a national R&B hit, but enjoyed a number of
regional hits on the east coast on the strength of the lead voice of
Leach, who possessed one of the warmest and most sensual voices in the
history of doo-wop. The three boys had met as teenagers at the Morris High School in the Bronx, New York, USA. They encountered Leach at a party in 1954 when she joined their harmonizing.
Joe Davis 1956 - Harold Johnson, John Wilson, Gary Morrison, Arthur Crier & Lillian Leach with manager' David Levitt
The revised blend was an instant hit, and the
sound it produced gave the quartet their name (having learned that
their original choice, the Mello-Tones, had already been employed
elsewhere). They signed a contract with veteran Joe Davis on his Jay Dee
label, releasing the Johnson penned ‘How Sentimental Can I Be?’. They
made their biggest impact with their second release, the exquisitely
romantic ‘Smoke From A Cigarette’, from early 1955. It achieved substantial local success, and during the neo-doo-wop renaissance of the early 60s became one of the most requested oldies. The next release, another remarkable ballad, ‘I Still Care’ (1955), received modest airplay. Its b-side featured another wonderful ballad, ‘I Was A Fool To Care’. The last release for Jay Dee was ‘Yesterday’s Memories’, another under appreciated masterpiece of its time.
1956 - Arthur Crier, John Wilson, Harold Johnson , Gary Morrison & Lillian Leach
In 1956, the Mellows moved to the Celeste label, and at this point
Norman Brown left and vocal group veterans Arthur Crier and Gary
Morrison were added. Commercial success at Celeste was not forthcoming,
even for the outstanding ‘My Darling’. The group left the company in
1957, and completed one more recording session for Apollo in 1958 (which
was left in the can) before disbanding. Johnson and Crier went on to
form the Halos, who backed Curtis Lee on ‘Pretty Little Angel Eyes’ and
enjoyed a hit under their own steam with ‘Nag’.
1955 - John Wilson , Lillian Leach , Alan Freed, Harold Johnson & Norman Brown
Lillian Leach And The Mellows probably attained greater fame after
the record collecting community rediscovered the group’s recordings
during the 60s and lionized them. A reunion of the Mellows took place in
1984 with three of the original members, and the group have continued
to peddle sweet R&B pop on the nostalgia circuit ever since.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Mellows/mellows.html
Songs :
The Mellows (1)
How Sentimental Can I Be Nothin' To Do Smoke From Your Cigarette
I Was A Fool To Let You Go / I Still Care Yesterday's Memories / Lovable Lily
1957 - Tomorrow Night / Lucky Penny (No group) (Jupiter 2A/B)
Biography :
Before
recording for labels such as RCA, Hanover or Roulette, Lucien Farrar
was backed by students vocal group named The Lifesavers on two singles
for the Tiny label Jupiter. The two records received only limited
regional exposure, then his mother encouraged him to begin his solo
career.
Lucien Farrar began singing for RCA in 1958 and cut three other
singles from 1958 to 1961 on Hanover and Roulette Records. Farrar cut a
jazz album around 1958 with The Clarence Williams Trio (Good Morning
Heartache For People In And Out Of Love). He sang in club throughout the
United state and Canada.
The Vibraharps (1) (Buffalo, NY) aka Lenny O’Henry & The Short Stories
Personnel :
Donnie Elbert
Danny Cannon [aka Lenny O'Henry] (Lead)
Charles Hargrove [Charles Hargro] (Bass)
Donald "Duck" Simmons
Douglas Gibson
Discography :
The Vibraharps (1)
1958 - Walk Beside Me / Cosy With Rosy (Beech 713)
1959 - It Must Be Magic / Nosey Neighbours (Atco 6134)
Charles Hargro The Vibraharps (1)
1959 - Baby Oh Baby / Over And Over (Dab 101)
Lenny O’Henry & The Short Stories
1961 - Cheated Heart / Billy The Continental Kid (ABC 10222)
Biography :
Donnie Elbert and Danny Cannon co-founded the group in 1955, joined
by Donald ‘Duck’ Simmons, Douglas Gibson, and Charles Hargro. Donnie was
still in the group when they made their first record (written by
Buffalonians Bobby Fonville & Ralph Hernandez) for NYC’s Beech
Records. In fact Donnie was in the studio but due to a group squabble he
didn’t sing on it!So it’s not surprising that he was the first to
leave, beginning his solo career on Deluxe Records in 1957. He continued
to stay in touch and remained friendly with the group though. As he was
hitting the charts the Vibraharps were breaking up – for the first
time. During this down time Charles Hargro went to work as his driver.
Donnie Elbert
They reunited, broke up again, reunited again. At one point Danny
Cannon and Duck Simmons took off to Toronto to perform as a duet, “Danny
& Donnie”, singing Everly Brothers covers! During one of their
reunions the Vibraharps brought in Thomas ‘Cookie’ Hardy Jr who had a
bonus talent – he could write R&B / R&R songs. He wrote both
sides of their 1959 single on Atco Records. Later in 1959 they recorded a
single for a local label which saw them working with Bobby Fonville
& Ralph Hernandez once again. It featured Hargro and credited only
him on the label. Unfortunately not much in the way of financial or
chart success resulted from either of these 1959 efforts.
L-R Donnie Elbert, Danny Cannon ("Lenny O'Henry"), Donald "Duck" Simmons, Charles Hargrove ("Charles Hargro")
They were drifting in and out of “active” status
when local DJ Lucky Pierre took them under his wing. He hooked them up
with new local management, a pair of hustlers with all kinds of
connections. With the promise of work and good pay the group came
solidly together and started performing in and out of town. Somehow the
came to the attention of Berry Gordy (maybe through Donnie Elbert, who
was also courted by the Gordy empire). They auditioned for Motown
Records in Detroit, resulting in a contract offer. Unfortunately they
had to turn this offer down. Their managers virtually simultaneously
signed them to a deal with business contacts in New York City.
Danny Cannon and Donald "Duck" Simmons in their "Danny & Donnie"
In 1961 the Vibraharps went off
to NYC to record their first single, for music business powerhouse
ABC-Paramount. At this time Danny met the man who would become a friend
and guide his career for the next few years: Bob Crewe. The record was
“Cheated Heart”. When it came out it was billed to Lenny O’Henry &
The Short Stories. Danny was told he was going to be the front man, he
would be called Lenny O’Henry, and he was asked to sign a contract a
separate contract from the whole group. Danny – not wanting to go behind
their backs – disclosed this to the group and asked them what to do.
Though they encouraged him to move forward with his career and appeared
to accept secondary status as ‘his’ group, it was really the end of the
Vibraharps. They never recorded together again, and Danny – though
achieving some solo success – never was able to find the same feeling in
the music business as he did when he was one of the boys. “Cheated
Heart” was written by Danny. Bob Crewe wrote the flip side, a rocking
number titled “Billy The Continental Kid”, a tale of hip cat Billy from
Philly. Danny didn’t really care for this one that much. In general, he
liked to sing ballads or anything in a Sam Cooke direction. Yet
producers and his band mates often pushed him to do uptempos and
rockers. So – “Cheated Heart” / “Billy The Continental Kid” is the last
actual Vibraharps group record and also the first Danny Cannon solo
record, though it’s credited to Lenny O’Henry & The Short Stories.
