The Four Larks were a short-lived Pittsburgh area group who hailed
from the communities of Leetsdale and Swickley formed in 1953 by Jim
Drake. The Foursome - ranging in age from 18 to 23 - consisted of
Charles "Bud" Polizotto, First Tenor, Alvin "Chuck" Ludovici, Second
Tenor, Jim Drake, Baritone/Trombone and Don Baron, Bass.
Barry Kaye, His Wife & the Four Larks
Having solidified their four part harmony, the fledging group of
chanters approached radio personality Barry Kaye (WJAS…Pittsburgh, PA),
at one of his record hops, with a request to vocalize. their impromptu
acappella harmonizing impressed Kaye. Soon the Four Larks was being
viewed as Kaye's show attraction at his dances. Laking a Mentor, the
group enlisted Kaye as their manager. Kaye promptly secured a recording
contract with Philadelphia based Guyden Records during the late fall of
1954. In November 1954, the Four Larks' record was issued as Guyden
#707.
Polizotto, Ludovici, Drake & Baron
"Go Baby Go" attained a moderate degree of popularity in Pittsburgh
through the spins given to Kaye at WJAS. Even though their venture into
the entertainment fed was primarily very successful, other undertakings
brought about an early demise of the group in 1955. A Pittsburgh Variety
group calling themselves the Hi-Lites were using Jim Drake as a
rehearsal pianist and arranger. Realizing Drake's vocalizing and
arranging abilities, the Hi-Lites invited him to join the group as their
Baritone. A name change to the Tempos occurred in 1957 when signed to
Kapp Records
1958 - After School Rock / Sentimental Baby (Dore 501)
Biography :
"After School Rock" c/w "Sentimental Baby", a master acquired in May
1958 from a New York song publisher named Joe "Happy" Goday. If 'After
School Rock' sounded like middle-aged vision of rock 'n' roll, that's
because it was conceived by men with ties to the past struggling to keep
pace with the fast moving trends of the late 1950s.
Penned
by Lawrence "88" Keys, a jazzy pianist/singer who'd made his first
recordings in the early 1940s, 'After School Rock' almost certainly
featured black session vocalists drawn from a pool of New York regulars
collectively known as the Cues. The crude, indistinct recording quality
suggests the songs may have been publisher's song demos issued as
masters. (The Dore Story)
1956 - Our Love Will Never End / I'm Sending S.O.S.(Hull 717)
1957 - Baby / Bonnie (Hull 722)
1957 - You Are So Close To Me / Gonna Catch You Nappin' (Hull 726)
1958 - What Will I Do / Please Come Back To Me (Hull 728)
1959 - What Love Can Do / On The Island (Hull 731)
1961 - Whisper (Softly) / If I Just (Had My Way) (Hull 744)
1962 - The Grass Is Greener On The Other Side / A Girl To Call My Own (Hull 754)
Lps :
1962 - The Avons (Hull LP 1000)
What
Love Can Do / Baby / What Will I Do / Someone For Everyone / Bonnie / A
Girl To Call My Own / On The Island / Once Upon A Time / You Are So
Close To Me / Our Love Will Never End / Fairy Tales / Gonna Catch You
Nappin'
Biography :
Formed in high school in Englewood, New Jersey, the group consisted
of Bob Lea (lead), his brothers Bill (baritone) and Wendel (second
tenor), Curtis Norris (bass) and Ervin Watson (first tenor). When they
first got together in 1954, they called themselves the Robins. But once
they learned of the West Coast group by that name, they started looking
for a different name for the group.
While
Bill was doing his homework on Shakespeare one day, he read about the
river Avon in England and the name "clicked." In 1955 they went to New
York City to see Blanche "Bea" Kaslin, owner of Hull Records, and they
auditioned right in her office. Liking what she heard, she signed the
Avons to her label. Before their second rel ease (Baby, 1957), bass
Curtis Norris joined the army and was replaced by Franklin Cole.
Cole
enlisted after their third release (You Are So Close to Me, 1958) to be
replaced by bass George Coleman, who went into the army two records
later.By 1962, baritone Bill Lea went to Uncle Sam and was replaced by
Sunny Harley for the Avons' last record, A Girl to Call My Own. Soon
after this song's release, the group brokeup.
Songs :
I'm Sending S.O.S / Our Love Will Never End Baby / Bonnie
You Are So Close To Me / Gonna Catch You Nappin' What Will I Do / Please Come Back To Me
What Love Can Do On The Island
Whisper (Softly) / If I Just (Had My Way) A Girl To Call My Own / The Grass Is Greener On The Other Side
