DOO-WOP

FIVE DISCS - BOYFRIENDS (3)

Top : Andrew Jackson, Mario DeAndrade & Paul Albano. Bottom : Joe Barselona & Tony Basile

The Five Discs (Brooklyn, New York)

aka The Boyfriends (3)

Personnel :

Mario DeAndrade（Lead）

Paul Albano（First Tenor）

Tony Basile（Second Tenor）

Joe Barselona（Baritone）

Andrew Jackson（Bass）  

Discography :

The Five Discs

Singles :

1958 - I Remember / The World Is A Beautifull Place（Emge 1004/Vik 0327/Rust 5027）

1959 - Roses / My Chinese Girl（Dwain 803/6072）

1961 - I Don't Know / Come On Baby（Yale-243） 

1961 - Adios / My Baby Loves Me（Calo 202） 

1962 - Never Let You Go / That Was The Time (Cheer 1000)

Unreleased :

1959 - No more fooling Around

1961 - It's Christmas Time

1961 - You Belong To Me

1962 - Unchained Melody

1963 - This Love Of Ours

1963 - To The Fair

Adrienne Allen & The Five Discs

1961 - When love Comes Knocking / Go-Go (Yale 240)

The Boyfriends (3)

1964 - Let's Fall In Love / Oh Lana (Kapp 569)

Biography :

The Five Discs were one of several doo-wop groups (Carollons, Chips, etc.) to trace their origins to the Bedford-Stuyvesant district of Brooklyn, New York, USA. They were formed in 1954 by Joe Brocco (lead), Joe Barsalona (baritone), Paul Albano (first tenor) and Tony Basile (second tenor). Composed of Italian-descended young men and originally titled the Flames, they subsequently shuffled the pack by adding black singers Mario deAndrade and Andrew Jackson from the Love Notes.

Andrew Jackson, Joe Barselona, Mario DeAndrade, Tony Basile & Paul Albano

This produced a new line-up of DeAndrade (lead), Jackson (bass), Albano (first tenor), Basile (second tenor) and Barsalona (baritone), though membership remained fluid over ensuing years. After recording demos at Bell Sound studios in New York the group started to offer these to interested parties. There were no takers until songwriter Billy Martin introduced them to the proprietors of the Emge Records label. They were still titled the Flames when they recorded deAndrade’s song ‘I Remember’, but when it was released they had chosen a new name, the Five Discs.

Andrew Jackson, Joe Barselona, Mario DeAndrade, Tony Basile & Paul Albano

Despite achieving strong popularity in the local New York and Boston markets, the group felt dissatisfied with the label’s promotion of the single, and looked elsewhere. ‘My Chinese Girl’, released on Dwain Records in 1959, failed to improve their standing. Jackson and DeAndrade then left, and were replaced by Lenny Hutter of the Chalets on lead and John Russell on bass. ‘Come On Baby’ emerged to little fanfare in 1961, and Hutter left immediately, to be replaced by John Carbone. Calo Records took over the promotion of Carbone’s debut on ‘Adios’, an old deAndrade song.

However, the band moved on again, this time to Cher Records, with Russell replaced by Charlie DiBella. ‘Never Let You Go’ was the last single to feature Carbone, as Eddie Parducci of the Delvons took his place. It was their most successful project for some time, but still failed to breach the national charts.

Russell Johnson, Paul Albano, Tony Basile, Joe Barselona & Johnny Carbone (Calo & Cheer records)

As a result the group changed tack to become the Boyfriends, releasing a solitary single on Kapp Records titled ‘Let’s Fall In Love’. Numerous line-up changes ensued before the group became Dawn in 1968 (not of ‘Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree’ fame), their sole release under this guise being a cover version of Sam Cooke’s ‘Bring It On Home To Me’. Ironically, the last Five Discs record would see them return to the Schwarz brothers and Laurie Records for 1972’s ‘Rock & Roll Revival’, though throughout the 70s several archive singles were also released as interest in 50s doo-wop escalated. A typically ad hoc line-up reunited in 1991 for the Doo-wop Society Show.

http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/The-Five-Discs.html

The Five Discs

I Remember / The World Is A Beautifull Place Roses / My Chinese Girl

I Don't Know / Come On Baby Adios / My Baby Loves Me

Never Let You Go / That Was The Time

Unchained Melody It's Christmas Time You Belong To Me

This Love Of Ours No More Fooling Around To The Fair

Adrienne Allen & The Five Discs

When love Comes Knocking Go-Go

The Boyfriends (3)

Let's Fall In Love / Oh Lana

HOLLYWOOD ARGYLES

The Hollywood Argyles (Los Angeles)

Personnel :

Gary Paxton (Lead)

Bobby Rey

Ted Marsh

Gary Webb

Dear Weaver

Ted Winters

Discography :

Singles :

The Hollywood Argyles

1960 - Alley Oop / Sho' Know A Lot About Love (Lute 5905)

1960 - Gun Totin' Critter Named Jack / Bug-Eye (Lute 5908)

1960 - Hully Gully / So Fine (Lute 6002)

1960 - Unemployment / same (Paxton 200)

1961 - See You In The Morning / The Morning After (Finer Arts 1002)

1963 - (My Real Boss) Bossy-Nover / Find Another Way (Felsted 8674)

1965 - Long Hair, Unsquare Dude Called Jack / Ole' (Chatahoochie 691)

The New Hollywood Argyles

1966 - Alley Oop í66 / Do the Funky-Foot (Kammy 105)

Gary Paxton (Hollywood Argyles Inst.)

1961 - You've Been Torturing Me / The Grubble (Paxley 752)

Lp:

1961 - The Hollywood Argyles (Lute 101)

Alley Oop / Hully Gully / Honky Tonk / Yakety Yak / Sho' Know A Lot About Love / The Bug Eyed Man / So Fine / You're Ruinin' My Gladness / The Way I See It / You'll Always Be My Darling / Gun Totiní Critter Named Jack / The Lost Ranger

Biography :

The Hollywood Argyles was a group assembled after a record, ‘Alley-Oop’, had already been released under that name. The song was written by Dallas Frazier and recorded by vocalist Gary S. Paxton and producer Bobby Rey while Paxton was a member of the Arizona-based duo Skip And Flip.

Skip And Flip

Because that duo was contracted to Brent Records, and ‘Alley-Oop’ was issued on Lute Records, the name Hollywood Argyles was created for the occasion, named after the intersection where the recording studio was located, Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Street.

The recording was made with Gaynel Hodge -piano,Ronnie Caleco-Drums,Harper Crosby on bass. Sandy Nelson was also in the studio and as they already had a drummer he bashed garbage cans and screamed a lot. Background vocals were Dallas Frazier,Buddy Mize,Scotty Turner and some girl called Diane.

When this became a hit, Paxton put together a Hollywood Argyles group. They were a six man group of Hollywood writer, producers and studio musicians comprising Gary Paxton, Bobby Rey, Ted Marsh, Gary Webb, Dear Weaver and Ted Winters. This ended up being their only hit.

(1965-The touring group ) Ted Marsh, Deary Weaver, Marshall Leib, Gary “Spider” Webb, Bobby Rey and/or Ted Winters

Further singles by the Hollywood Argyles, on such labels as Paxley (co-owned by Paxton and producer Kim Fowley), Chattahoochie, Felsted and Kammy failed to reach the charts. Paxton later started the Garpax label, which released the number 1 ‘Monster Mash’ by Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett.

http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/hollywood_argyles.htm

http://garyspaxton.net

Videos :

Alley Oop

CHASE & GENE

Chase & Gene (Port Arthur, Texas)

Personnel :

Chase Canfil (Vocal & Guitar)

Gene Paul (Vocal & Piano)

Discography :

Chase Canfil (& Gene Paul)

1959 - Woke Up This Morning / I Had A Dream Last Night (Dart 110)

1959 - Show Me The Way / When Are You Coming Home (Dart 130)

Chase & Gene

1960 - Good Loving / Bye Bye (Dart 146)

1963 - I Ran / I'm Through Foolin' (Hall-Way 1911)

1964 - I Need Love / You're Everything To Me (Sugar 1001)

Biography:

(By Gene Paul)

Chase Canfil and Gene Paul met up in a honky-tonk on the highway out of Port Arthur Texas (also home of Janis Joplin, who became an intimate friend of Gene Paul when she was still in high school). Gene Paul was really a jazz pianist, recently discharged from the USAF, who wound up in the area when an $8 bus ticket got him to Texas. Chase Canfil and Gene Paul started talking At Stewart’s Club, they started hanging out, visiting all the joints in the area, picked out 4 black musicians from other bands, and started our own group: Chase & Gene.

photo of the group, 1958

Chase (Charles, Chas. Chase) was a barber, always ‘calculating’ – later, they cut our first record in an empty store front, and it was really sloppy. The main side was a song Chase had written, “I Had a Dream” and they got it on tape, amd then realized every record had two sides, so they made up one on the spot. Gene started with a piano riff that he ‘borrowed’ from a Stan Kenton album, and Chase made up words, and this is the side most people like, “Woke Up This Morning”.

They then got a manager, Bill Hall, who also managed The Big Bopper, and later Johnny Preston, both friends of Gene and Chase. They cut their Dart's record in Memphis, they were supposed to do it at Jerry Lee Lewis’ brand new studio, but they couldn’t get the sound and they went across town late at night and made the record at The Hole In The Wall studio, which was owed by Cowboy Jack Clement, who later produced “Ring of Fire” with Johnny Cash.

Chase & Gene

Chase and Gene had to drop the black mixed band after a year… got too difficult, with a mixed race band… cops gave us a bad time… they could not work across the state line in Lousiana, where one of the biggest and best-paying honky-tonks was – it was against state law for mixed races to appear on the same stage at the same time. They went through maybe 5 or 7 bands, eventually cooling down to a quartet playing a private dinner club up until the end in ’64.

Songs :

You're Everything To Me I Ran

Good Loving

FOUR BUDDIES (2)

The Four Buddies (2) (Chicago)

Personnel :

Ularsee Manor（Lead）

Nathaniel "Sam" Hawkins（Tenor）

Jimmy Hawkins（Tenor）

Dickie Umbra（Baritone）

Willie Bryant（Bass）

Discography :

Rudy Greene & The Four Buddies (2)

1955 - You Mean Everything To Me / [Rudy Greene - Highway No. 1] (Club 51 103)

Bobbie James The Four Buddies (2)

1955 - I Need You So / [Bobbie James - Baby I'm Tired] (Club 51 104)

The Four Buddies (2)

1955 - Delores / Look Out (Club 51 105)

Biography :

This group was formed in 1952, most of the members attending the same two high schools (Tilden or Phillips High School). They rehearsed and practiced for two years and played many local clubs and church functions during that prerecording period. Jimmy and Sam Hawkins were cousins and despite the name Four Buddies, the group appeared as a quintet.

1956 - Willie Bryant, Irving Hunter, Jimmy Hawkins, Dickie Umbra & Ularsee Manor

Only when they started to record was the name Four Buddies used more frequently. It is believed that Club 51 did this to capitalize on the name Four Buddies (Savoy). It also explains why their photo shows five members and calls them the Four Buddies

They had tenor Donald Ventors replacing Sam Hawkins. Soon after this, Ventors was replaced by Irving Hunter. In 1956, they finally recorded their total output for Club 51 ; however, most of their work was as backup for single artists Rudy Greene ("You Mean So Much to Me") and Bobbie James ("I Need You So"). Lack of success led to disillusionment, disinterest, and eventual breakup.

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Buddies/buddies.html

http://myweb.clemson.edu/~campber/club51.html

Songs :

Bobbie James The Four Buddies (2)

I Need You So / Baby I'm Tired

Rudy Greene & The Four Buddies (2)

You Mean Everything To Me / Highway No. 1

The Four Buddies (2)

Delores / Look out Delores (Demo)

MASTERS (5) (RICK & THE)

Rick & The Masters (5) (Philadelphia)

Personnel :

Tony "Rick" Trombetta (Lead)

Frank 'Tweetie' Condo (First Tenor)

Mike "Teardrops" Silenzio (Second Tenor)

Richie Finzio (Baritone/Bass)

Discography :

Rick & The Masters (5)

1962 - Flame Of Love / Here Comes Nancy (Taba 101/Cameo 226)

1962 - Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered / A Kissin Friend (Haral 778)

1962 - Let It Please Be You / I Don't Want Your Love (Cameo 247)

Billy Lane (bb Rick & the Masters)

1961 - Space Ship Blues / Beginner In Love (Rick & the Masters) (Taba 201)

Billy Lynn (bb Rick & the Masters)

1961 - Only One For Me / Little Pony Tail (Amy 820)

1962 - Barbara / Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone (Cr 1001)

Bobby Young (bb Rick & the Masters)

1963 - Only Girl For Me / To Each His Own (Guyden 2087)

Bobby Rydell (bb Rick & the Masters)

1962 - Remember Then / Up On The Roof (not them) (Cameo 104)

1962 - Butterfly Baby / Love Is Blind (not them) (Cameo 242)

1962 - That's My Desire (Cameo ‎LP-1006)

Lee Andrews (bb Rick & the Masters/The Hearts/The Dreamlovers)

1963 - I'm Sorry Pillow / Gee But I'm Lonesome (Parkway 860)

Johnny Greco (bb Rick & the Masters)

1963 - Rocket Ride / Why Don't You Love Me (Pageant 602)

Johnny Maestro (bb Rick & the Masters)

1963 - Over The Weekend / I'll Be True (not them) (Cameo 256)

Don Covay (bb Rick & the Masters)

1963 - Popeye Waddle / One Little Boy Had Money (not them) (Cameo 239)

Biography :

In the early '60s, Mike "Teardrops" Silenzio needed a lead singer for the doo-wop group he was putting together. Mike attended South Philadelphia High School and he was chums with Fabian Forte, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell and other kids who would go on to stellar singing careers, and he knew what he was looking for. His group, the Masters, consisted of Mike himself as second tenor, baritone Richie Finizio (Richie was a cousin to South Philly Legend Bob Finizio of the 4 J's.), his cousin Frank "Tweetie" Condo as first tenor, and a clutch of others who were semi-members and hangers-on. But he didn't have a true lead singer. It wasn't until after a stint in the Navy that Mike found who he was looking for - Tony "Rick" Trombetta.

Rick originally had a solo act where he used his mother's maiden name "Rigiano", so he called himself Rick Rigiano and decided to stick with Rick. And the Masters became Rick & the Masters. The group had to make a record to further its career, and it was Billy DiMuro who gave it the opportunity when he started Taba Records. Jim Cunningham and Billy DiMuro wrote "Flame Of Love". Billy also recorded with the group doing back-up vocals on several releases under the name Billy Lynn and Billy Lane.

In actuality, Billy's real name was Trombetta, one of the Tony's Brothers. "Flame of Love' emerged from Taba's portals in 1962, and was immediately scooped up by Cameo Records when it showed sales potential. Another release by the group under the name Bobby young, was actually Tony's younger Brother Bobby Tombetta. On " To Each His Own", Bobby shared the lead with older brother Tony. Jack "Rocky" McKnight of the Four Epics arranged this. The group's next effort as Rick and the Masters came out on the Haral Label. Jack "Rocky" McKnight again arranged "Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered ".

The Group's final release under their name came on the Cameo Label. Cameo really liked the Guys using them several times to do back-up for such artists as : Bobby Rydell, Johnny Greco, don covey, Johnny Maestro and Lee Andrews.

Songs :

Rick & The Masters (5)