EAST COAST GROUPS 3 (PAGE 5)

THE EAST COAST GROUPS

This page contains biographical information on the Valentines, Channels, Teenagers, Teenchords, Schoolboys, Crests, Jesters, Paragons, Chantels, Eternals, Five Discs and Fascinators . A link at the bottom of the page will take you to Midwest Groups.

Richard Barrett and The Valentines

A group that never had a national chart record yet is widely known among lovers of '50s rhythm and blues, the Valentines created some fondly remembered 45s while serving as a launching pad for a few important careers.

The group began in 1952 across from the Polo Grounds (at the Colonial Projects on 8th Avenue) in New York City, home of the National League pen-nant winners, the New York Giants.

The original members Raymond "Pop" Briggs (tenor), Carl Hogan (second tenor), Mickey Francis (first tenor and lead), and Ronnie Bright (bass) would practice on the playground on 128th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Harlem and on a num-ber of street corners from 130th to 161st Street in the Sugarhill section of town (also known as Washington Heights). Though none had any musical training (though Carl's grandfather Broadus Hogan wrote the gospel classic "Amed'), they managed an enthusiastic street blend.

The quartet originally called themselves the Dreamers and began performing at house parties. At one Of these, according to one source, they met a young writer/singer up from his hometown of Philadelphia named Richard Barrett who sang with a Philly street group called the Angels (no recordings). Phil Groia, in They All Sang on the Corner. states the group actually met Barrett in a Riverside Drive park while he was serenading park lovers with his ukulele. Whatever the meeting place, he made his way into the group because they wanted his song "Summer Love," and Richard's lead vocals came with the song. (The distinctive tone of that voice gave the Valentines a colorful recorded sound that would still be appreciated years later.) With Barrett aboard, the Dreamers opted for a new name and came up with the Valentines, courtesy of Mickey's fondness for the song "My Funny Valentine."

Their friend Raoul Cita of THE HARPTONES brought them to Monte Bruce of Bruce Records where they did a "Summer Love" demo, and though the tape was played on local radio, Bruce never issued it or recorded the group again.

In 1954 the group turned professional the day they made their first dollar, which was all each member received for performing at Bowmads on 155th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. (Considering that only two of the 12 people there applauded, they were lucky to be paid at all.) Influenced both musically and in showmanship by THE CADILLACS, THE SOLITAIRES, and THE FLAMINGOS, the Valentines did a variety of "battle of the groups" shows: there was the night they took on the Harptones at the Englewood Jewish Center, and another time they fought for bragging rights against the Cadillacs and the Opals at the Rockland Palace. Then there was the date at an Apollo Theater amateur night contest when they lost out to a belly dancer with a snake. Even their rendition of THE DRIFTERS' "Money Honey" couldnt sway the audience from the snake charmer.

Donald Razor (the Velvets, Red Robin) came in to replace Hogan. The group went to see Hy Weiss, who ran Old Town Records out of the cloak room of the Triboro Theatre on 125th Street and 3rd Avenue in Harlem. Weiss signed the Valentines and issued "Summer Love," along with the beautiful Barrett-penned love song "Tonight Kathleen," in December 1954, but Old Town had no distribution and the record went unnoticed.

Eddie Edgehill was in at second tenor when the group moved to George Goldner's Rama label and issued the chime harmonied "Lily Maebelle" in September 1955. Some say the street tune was written by Barrett and Briggs about Raymond's sister Lil, though others remember it as a long-standing neighborhood tune that Donald Razor came up with. Either way it became an East Coast favorite, allowing the hoofing Valentines to work Alan Freed shows at the Academy of Music and Brooklyn Paramount along with stints at the Apollo (minus the snake dancing competition), Howard, and Royal Theatres, and dates with disc jockeys Hal Jackson and Jocko.

A beautiful and haunting holiday ballad was next with the November release of "Christmas Prayer." Appearing on stage in white jackets with red valentines on the pockets, red shirts, black shoes, and pink bowties, the debonair dancers were a top performance attraction though their in-person harmonies were not always sharp.

In April 1956 the group blanketed the East Coast with "Woo Woo Train," (an Alan Freed favorite). The group would open its shows coming on-stage in a chugging conga line to its driving beat.

David Clowney (the Pearls, Onyx) replaced Raymond Briggs in 1956. Carl Hogan, who had been singing with the Miracles (the original group on Fury a year before Smokey Robinsods group re-corded), rejoined for a last session which produced the Hogan-Barrett ballad "Don't Say Goodbye." In between, the Valentines sang with the Wrens on their Rama rarity "C'est la Vie" and did a radio promotional song for Boston disc jockey Joe Smith, who later went on to become head of Warner Bros. Records.

The group broke up in 1958 after one more Apollo appearance out of frustration brought on by a lack of hits. David Clowney became Dave "Baby" Cortez, arranger for many groups like THE PARA-GONS and THE JESTERS and performer of his own instrumental monster hit ("Happy Organ," #1, 1959). Carl Hogan then became a writer, often cowriting with Barrett on sides like "So Much" (the Imperials), "Whafs My Chances" (Alvin Robinson), and "Be Sure My Love" (THE DUBS). Bass Ronnie Bright joined the Cadillacs and in 1963 had a hit (#16) with Johnny Cymbal as the immortal "Mr. Bass Man." He then joined THE DEEP RIVER BOYS and later Carl Gardner's COASTERS. Richard Barrett became the legendary A&R Director for Goldner's End and Gone labels and recorded acts like LITTLE ANTHONY AND THE IMPERIALS, THE CHANTELS, and later the Three Degrees.

"For more in-depth information on this and other great vocal groups see the "Da Capo book of: "American Singing Groups (A History 1940-1990)" by Jay Warner available at all major book stores or on-line at Amazon .com."

Web Authors Note

Richard Barrett is alive and well and lives outside of Philly. He is still producing music.

Earl Lewis and The Channels

0n the east Coast in the 1950s there were certain vocal groups that managed to become immensely popular without having national record sales success. The two groups that best fit into that category were the immortal HARPTONES and the incomparable Channels.

Late 1955 New York City was the setting for the latter's formation. Larry Hampden (first tenor), Billy Morris (second tenor), and Edward Doulphin (baritone) started a quintet they called the Channels, from 115th Street and 116th Street, along with two other long since forgotten part-timers. When 'the shorttermers made their final exit, the remaining Channels went looking for a lead and bass. It so happened that a talent show was being held in February 1956 at the community center at 101st Street between Columbus and Amsterdam in Harlem, and appearing along with new recording sensation FRANKIE LYMON AND THE TEENAGERS was a group dubbed the Lotharios.

By the time of the next talent show, the Channels had absorbed Lotharios' lead and bass, Earl Michael Lewis and Clifton Wright. With only a few days of rehearsal the Channels won that show at P.S. 113 singing THE FLAMINGOS' ballad "I'll Be Home." A week later, they graced the stage of the famed Apollo Theatre and won second place in an amateur night contest with THE PLATTERS' recent hit "The Magic Touch."

In spring 1956, one of three scenarios took place, depending on which bit of folklore you ac-cept: (1) the group was heard by Bobby Robinson (owner of Red Robin Records and his own record store) at their Apollo performance and were asked to audition; (2) the Channels were in a studio doing demos and Robinson heard them, offering the quintet a contract on the spot; or (3) they walked into his store, played him several demos, and set up an audition. Whichever is the case, they did sign a two-year contract with his new Whirling Disc company. On their first session for Robinson (June 29, 1956) it took them only two run-throughs to produce the beautiful ballad "The Closer You Are," written by the 15-year-old Earl Lewis.

Up to that time, all vocal group arrangements had certain similarities. The lead singer would solo on the verses opening the song, with the remaining members "oohing" or "aahing" in the background. The chorus or bridge might continue that approach or feature the group together in four or five part harmony, but for the most part harmony remained separate and in the background. The Channels created a different sound by opening with the verse sung in full five-part harmony, often with the first tenor, second tenor, and baritone slightly louder than the bass and falsetto lead. Then Lewis would take over traditional lead in the bridge. This distinct type of arrangement made the Channels instantly recognizable from the very first notes of their recordings.

"The Closer You Are" became an instant suc-cess on the nation's air-waves in August, but since it was Whirling Disc's debut disc, its disjointed airplay and sales never gelled enough to land it on the national charts. It did have wide appeal up and down the East Coast and even in the far West, though it was very much a New York street-corner record.

Their next single was "The Gleam in Your Eye" (October 1956), a ballad written by Earl Lewis when he was 10 years old. The harmony laden love song gave new indication of Earl's exceptional vocal ability. The record boosted the group's popularity and they began a career of live performances that would take them through such venues as the Howard Theatre in Washington, the Royal in Baltimore, and of course the Apollo for over 35 years.

It was late spring of 1957 when the Channels' fourth (and last) Whirling Disc single was re-leased. "Flames in My Heart" was another first-rate Earl Lewis ballad that could have been performed better if they had more than 20 minutes in which to record it. It saw less activity than any of the others, so it came as no surprise when Robinson told the group he was closing down the label.

More than four months passed before the Channels, armed with new originals by Earl, auditioned for George Goldner's recently formed Gone Records. He liked the group but asked for different material. Their next audition produced several newer songs including "The Girl Next Door' and "All Alone." Still not convinced they had a hit, Goldner recorded them doing bandleader Sammy Kaye's 1947 number two hit "That's My Desire." (One-and-a-half years later, DION AND THE BELMONTS would lift the Channels' beautiful arrangement for their own B side of the number three hit "Where or When.") "Thats My Desire" was the Channels' first recording since the unreleased demo song "Gloria" that Lewis didn't write and arrange, though Earl reportedly felt it was the group's best recording.

Their first single on Gone (both sides arranged by former Valentine and Goldner house A&R man, Richard Barrett) was issued in late summer 1957 and brought the group back into the spotlight with air and jukebox play all over the country. "Altar of Love" was their next single, but its lack of audience response hastened the quintets departure from Gone. Clifton Wright had already left,after "Thaf s My Desire" and only the remaining four were heard on "Altar."

By early 1959 the Channels, with only two fifths of the original cast, were back with Robinson on his new Fury label. The group had had a falling out about realigning with Robinson and his robber baron ethics, but Lewis and Wright wanted to keep the act active so they joined forces with three replacements, John Felix, Alton Thomas, and Billy Montgomery (recently of the CELLOS on Apollo). They then recorded two terrific Lewis compositions, "My Love Will Never Die" and "Bye Bye Baby." This time Lewis didn't have to worry about writer credit since Robinson outdid himself by not crediting anyone. "My Love Will Never Die," however, turned out to be one of their more successful records. (It might have done even better had Fury not focused all its efforts on pushing the Wilbert Harrison record, "Kansas City.") Two of the origi-nal Channels who had foregone the Fury sessions, Larry Hampden and Billy Morris, relented and rejoined Lewis, Alton Campbell (also of the Cellos), and Billy Montgomery in the fall of 1959 to record two songs that George Goldner had passed on two years earlier, "The Girl Next Door" and "My Heart Is Sad." The group shifted to Fury's Fire subsidiary.

The three replacements on the Fury sessions joined forces with lead singer Jackie Rue and became the Starlites, who in 1960 recorded "Valerie," one of the great lead singer "crying" songs of all time. (Singers would literally cry while talk-singing a bridge or verse.) Another fine Lewis and company recording, "The Girl Next Door," was notable as the first Channels release that read Earl Lewis and the Channels.

By late 1959 the group had disbanded. Two years later, the Jubilee Records Port subsidiary started releasing the Whirling Disc sides in the same order as originally released, just as if they were new records. By 1961 the East Coast was ablaze with '50s vocal group mania, and the Channels became highly revered. In January 1963 Hit Records issued the first new Channels record in over three years. Although first tenor Larry Hampden was the only original group member, the sound was vintage Channels (spelled Channells on the label). The other members, Tony Williams (lead-not the Platters vocalist), Gene Williams (second tenor), and Revo Hodge (bass), got into the spirit of things with a striking ballad performance of the group written effort "You Hurt Me." Hampden's group reverted to the original spelling for a Channels group's one and only backup performance.

Earl himself kept a low profile until the rock revival days of the late '60s when he formed the Earl Jades. In 1971 after an Academy of Music show as the Channels, the new group (first tenor Henry Fernandez, second tenor Jack Brown, bass Felix, and Earl) signed with another George Goldner associated label, Rarebird Records, and released a single of the Neil Sedaka Oldie "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do."

Having had enough of other people's labels, Earl started Channel Records later in 1971, and along with Billy Vera's band began recording new songs and favorites (like "Gloria," "We Belong Together," and "A Thousand Miles Away") as singles for his fans. They recorded six singles and an LP between 1971 and 1974. By the mid'70s the Channels were actually Earl Lewis and four members of Dino and the Heartspinners (minus Dino): Joe Odom, Cecil Wiley, Butch Phillips, and Bernard Jones. By the '80s, Jones had joined THE DRIFTERS and Phillips THE DEL-VIKINGS. Wes Neil came aboard in Phillips's place, and that lineup stayed in place into the '90s while the Channels continued to delight East Coast audiences just as Earl had done more than 35 years before. In 1987 Earl Lewis and Channel's came full circle as they recorded "The Closer You Are" in a contemporary vein for Soul Jam Records. This song had been their first recording.

Though never as well-known as the Moonglows, the Teenagers, the Flamingos, or some other great R&B groups of the '50s, the Channels are considered among the period's 10 to 15 most revered groups.

Web Authors Note

Earl Lewis is still performing and his trademark falsetto hasn't lost a decibel.

Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers were true trendsetters, in the early days of rock and roll. They were the yardstick by which hundreds of "kiddie" vocal groups gauged their capabilities in order to bring themselves to the publics attention. Groups like the Students (Checker), THE CHANTERS (Deluxe), RONNIE AND THE HI-LITES (Joy), Nicky and the Nobles (Gone), THE KODAKS (Fury), THE DESIRES (Hull), Tiny Tim and the Hits (Roulette), and even Frankie's brother's group LOUIS LYMON AND THE TEEN CHORDS, are just some of the many who tried for the brass ring in the footsteps of Frankie and company. Some of those fans that made it big include Diana Ross, Millie Jackson, Ronnie Spector, and Tim Hauser (THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER).

Their story began in the Washington Heights section of New York City in 1954 as Jimmy Merchant (second tenor) and Sherman Garnes (bass), both ninth graders at Edward W. Stitt Junior High School, formed a group called the Earth Angels (named after THE PENGUINS' hit). That group was shortlived, but the two black teens were not discouraged and they were soon talking with two neighborhood Puerto Ricans, Herman Santiago (first tenor) and Joe Negroni (baritone), whom Sherman had met.

A fateful meeting on 164th Street (where Sherman lived) led to the foursome calling themselves the Coupe De Villes. Across the street lived a family with four brothers, Howie, Timmy, Louis, and Frankie Lymon, all of whom would sing with groups in the future. The four Coupe De Villes became the Premiers and alternated their practices between Joe's hallway on 153rd Street, Sherman's on 165th and Edgecombe Avenue, and Jimmy's on 156th, depending on how long they lasted without being chased away by complaining neighbors. Their practices led to performances at neighborhood talent shows, and one was scheduled for the school auditorium. The Premiers decided to get in some extra practice after a dress rehearsal and entered one of the classrooms. A young teen who was also scheduled to perform with his brother's mambo band came in and asked to sing a few songs with the group. It was Herman's neighbor from across 164th Street, 12year-old Frankie Lymon. They sang "Why Don't You Write Me" (THE JACKS), "Painted Pictures (THE SPANIELS), and "Lily Maebelle" (THE VALENTINES), and had such a good time they agreed to do it again, but no one formally asked young Frankie to join.

After the talent show (where Frankie played bongos and his brother Howie played congas with their Latin group), Frankie just started hanging out with the older guys and became first tenor to Herman Santiago7s lead. Frankie came from a gospel background. His father Howard sang with the Harlemaires and Frankie, Louie, and Howie sang with the Harlemaires Juniors. This seemed to have little impact on his early occupation as a 10-year-old hustler of prostitutes in Harlem. His father was a truck driver and mother a domestic, and it wasn't easy to feed a family of seven. Frankie also worked in a grocery on his corner as a delivery boy, so pimping was not necessarily his preferred source of income.

By 1955 the quintet was calling themselves the Ermines when they weren't lapsing back to the Premiers. On one fateful evening the hallway kids (as they were designated by neighbors) were practicing in Shermads hall when they were confronted by a man named Robert, who often stopped and listened to them before entering his apartment. According to author Phil Groia, he said, "My old lady [her name was Delores] sends me letters in the form of poems. Being that you're always singing the same old songs, why don't you get some original material of your own? I'm giving you some of these poems; see what you can do with them." The Premiers/Ermines sorted through them and started working on one in particular called "Why Do Birds Sing So Gay." Frankie worked on a melody line and the others formulated a harmony while tenor Jimmy Merchant came up with a vocal bass intro. It started out as a ballad but soon evolved into an uptempo rocker.

Many evenings later they were rehearsing their repertoire at Stitt's Night Community Center when in walked the revered Valentines, who also practiced there. Lead singer Richard Barrett had heard there was a hot neighborhood group doing his song and was very impressed by the Premiers' interpretation. Barrett's version of his meeting with the group is slightly different: he claims they camped under his 161st Street window and sang until he came down and agreed to hear them audition at Stitt's the following Monday.

There are also three versions of how they went from Barrett to George Goldner's Gee Records. The Barrett version states that on the day of the audition for Goldner, Herman Santiago caught a cold and the only one who knew the words was Frankie. Barrett knew Goldner was preoccupied with recording a new group called the Millionaires, so he threatened that he would not rehearse the group if George didn't sign his new find, the Premiers. Supposedly, the Gee exec agreed and let the Premiers record two songs during the Millionaires' dinner break. (The Millionaires were actually Ben E. King and several of THE FIVE CROWNS, who later went on to become THE DRIFTERS.).

Another version is attributed to Hy Weiss, a legendary figure of the golden days of rock and owner of the Old Town label. He claimed that Barrett brought the Premiers to him, but Hy had too many acts so he recommended the group go see his friend George Goldner.

The final (and most probable) version was that Barrett took the group to Goldner, auditioned right after THE CLEFTONEs had done so, and were told they had a deal. Herman sang lead on "Why Do Birds Sing So Gay," "Thafs What Yodre Doin'to Me" (THE DOMINOES), and one of his originals, "I Want You to Be My Girl." He also sang a duet with Frankie. Then Lymon sang a song he'd done with brother Howie's group. Goldner then suggested Frankie sing "Why Do Birds," changed the title to "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," moved Herman to first tenor, and told the teens they had a deal.

In the spring of 1955 the Premiers began recording at Bell Sound Studios with Gee musical director and sax man Jimmy Wright. He decided they needed a more imaginative name, so he suggested they become the Teenagers.

By the fall of 1955 all but Frankie were attending George Washington High School and their record had still not come out. They went downtown to find Goldner busy with other projects. By Christmas their school friends doubted they had ever recorded at all. Then in January 1956 Jimmy Merchant strolled through the school corridor when he heard a girt singing a very familiar refrain. He asked where she heard that and she replied, "On the radio last night." The record had been released on January 10, 1956, and the floodgates had opened. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" sold a hundred thousand copies in three weeks. Billboard wrote, "Here's a hot new disc, which has already sparked a couple of covers in the pop market. The appealing ditty has a frantic arrangement, a solid beat and a sock lead vocal by 13-year-old Frankie Lymon. Jockeys and jukes should hand it plenty of spins and it could easily break Pop."

The original first pressing read "The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon," with Frankie's name printed at twice the size of his vocal mates. The song credit listed "Lymon-Santiago-Goldner," but George took care of that quickly: the second pressing read only "Lymon-Goldner."

In February 1956 the Teenagers played their first paying gig at the State Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut, alongside the Valentines, Bo Diddley, THE BONNIE SISTERS, THE HARPTONES, THE TURBANS, Fats Domino, and their idols, THE CADILLACS. In fact it was Earl Wade of that group who took them aside between shows to give them a few pointers on dance steps and instructed them to seek out Cholly Atkins, who had taught the Caddies their dance routines.

Within months the record and group were international hits: "Fools" reached number one in En-gland, the first R&B/rock and roll record by an American vocal group to do so. Not bad for three 16-year-olds (Jimmy, Joe, and Sherman), one 15-year-old (Herman), and one 13-year-old (Frankie).

In April their second 45, "1 Want You to Be My Girl," hit the airwaves. Once again the first printing read "The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon," but the second was changed to read "Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers." Herman Santiago wrote "Girl"; given the typical practices of the day, its not surprising that the writer's credit was given to Goldner-Barrett. "I Want You to Be My Girl" skyrocketed like its predecessor, reaching number 13 (#3 R&B).

Their first big tour started on a dubious note: the Teenagers and co-billed acts THE FLAMINGOS, THE PLATTERS, THE CLOVERS, THE FLAIRS, and Carl Perkins all stood around the Hotel Theresa in New York ready to hit the road except for one small detail. Frankie Lymon was nowhere to be found. Sherman Garnes then marched the group up to the High School of Music and Art to recruit their friend Jimmy Castor (of the Juniors, Wing), who had a style similar to Frankie's. Jimmy left school that same day and the tour got underway. Frankie showed up later on with little in the way of explanation. A similar incident happened on another tour when Richard Barrett stepped in as lead in Detroit.

In the summer of 1956, Gee cajoled the group into doing Jimmy Castor and the Juniors' "I Promise to Remember." It reached only number 56 (#10 R&B) and its solid rocker flip "Who Can Explain" made R&B number seven. The "ABCs of Love" was another strong jump tune that Frankie and the group put over solidly, and it reached number eight R&B but only number 77 Pop. The flip side "Share" showcased the Teenagers' polished harmonies and Sherman's bass. (Almost 30 years later the U. G. H. A. organization did a massive East Coast vote-in for the 500 most popular oldies among devotees of group harmony, and "Share" was voted number one.)

The group appeared in Alan Freed's classic teen film Rock, Rock, Rock, which was filmed in the Bronx at the Bedford Park Studios and the nearby botanical gardens. They sang "I'm Not a juvenile Delinquent" (written by Bobby Spencer of the Cad-illacs and the Valentines, though the label credit read "Goldner") and "Baby Baby," which became their next single.

The group also did a British tour in 1956 that included a performance at the world-famous London Palladium and a command performance in the Queen's chambers for Princess Margaret. The outstanding ballad "Out in the Cold Again' became their last R&B chart record, reaching number 10. While still on the six-week European tour, Goldner started tampering with the chemistry that made the quintet so successful. Frankie began recording solo; the results were languid and desperately in need of the Teenagers' enthusiastic backing. Though the label of the 1957 single "Goody Goody" read "Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers," the Harlem teens were nowhere to be found on the released recording. It reportedly had the pasteurized harmony of the Ray Charles Singers accompanying Frankie. It reached number 20 Pop and number 24 in England but never made the R&B chart.

The quintet continued to tour through mid-1957 and Gee then moved Frankie to Roulette Records for a series of lackluster singles like "So Goes My Love," "Little Girl," "Footsteps," and Elvis's "Jailhouse Rock." In 1960 Frankie charted for four weeks with a remake of Thurston Harris's "Little Bitty Pretty One" (#58).

Meanwhile, the Teenagers were mismatched with Billy Lobrano, a white-sounding cross between Frankie Avalon and an imitation Elvis, for two singles, "Flip Flop" (which it did) and "Mama Wanna Rock" (which didn't wanna rock). In 1960 they recorded a credible cover of THE SHIRELLES' "Tonight's the Night" with Kenny Bobo, formerly of the Juniors, on lead and a second single (both for End), "A Little Wiser Now" with Johnny Houston upfront sounding like Jackie Wilson leading the Flamingos. The Teenagers certainly had diversity, but it didn't help them sell records.

The Teenagers and Frankie reunited in 1965 for a brief period but no recordings resulted. The four Teenagers performed one last time in 1973 with Pearl McKinnon of the Kodaks on lead (whose vocal likeness to Frankie was startling). Sherman Garnes passed on after a heart attack in 1977, and Joe Negroni died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1978.

In 1981, the 25th anniversary of their first hit, the Teenagers were re-formed at the suggestion of Herbie Cox and Charlie James (the Cleftones) ' Ronnie Italiano (U. G. H. A. founder), and Joel Warshaw. The members were Jimmy Merchant, Herman Santiago, Eric Ward (of the soul group Second Verse), and Pearl McKinnon. The group, managed by Warshaw and helped by Ronnie L, began performing to overwhelming adulation. By 1983 Ward had been replaced by Derek Ventura, and in 1984 Phil Garrito took over for Derek. Roz Morehead replaced Pearl, and Marilyn Byers moved into Roz's lead spot.

In the early '80s , they opened for Manhattan Transfer, thanks to Tim Hauser, who tracked them down and arranged the gig. The group did a PBS documentary as a tribute to their music and to Frankie, who died of a drug overdose in his grandmother's apartment at the age of 26. The show was aired on August 14, 1983.

In 1983 Pearl McKinnon discovered that Frankie was buried in an unmarked grave at St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx. In September 1985, thanks to Ronnie Italiano, a benefit was held to raise money and a headstone was bought. It now sits in the window of Ronnie's Clifton Music at 1135 Main Avenue in Clifton, New Jersey, while three so-called widows of Lymor;s, Emira Eagle, Zola Taylor (formerly of the Platters), and Elizabeth Waters, fight over Frankie's half a million dollars in royalties.

Web Authors Notes

A movie entitled "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" was released in 1998. The movie focused on the legal battles waged between the three woman but did little justice to the legacy of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. It has been reported that one of the wives finally did place a tombstone on Frankie's gravesite. The "real" tombstone bought by contributions from Frankie's admirers still sits in the window of Ronnie Italiano's Clifton Records in Clifton New Jersey. Herman Santiago still performs with a Teenager's group fronted by Jimmy Castor (author of "I Promise To Remember".). Jimmy Merchant still performs with a NYC group.

Louis Lymon and The Teenchords

Louis Lymon, brother of legendary Teenagers lead FRANKIE LYMON, was 12 years old when he and some neighborhood friends took a cue from the big guys and started singing in 1956. The members of the Harlem quintet included Louis (lead), Rossilio Rocca (19, second tenor), Lyndon Harold (15, baritone), and David Little (17, bass). They came up with the name the Teenchords in keeping with Louis's famous brother's group.

One day in the fall of 1956 the four were hanging out at the back of the Apollo Theatre where Frankie was performing. In need of a first tenor, the Teenchords were about to audition 15-year-old Ralph Vaughan when Charles Sampson of the Velvets (Red Robin) passed by. Charles told his friend Ralph that his manager Bobby Robinson of Red Robin Records was looking for talent and asked if that was his group. Wanting to record, the Teenchords told Sampson that Ralph was their first tenor, and all involved went around the corner to Robinsods record shop on 125th Street near 8th Avenue to audition. Singing "Who Can Explain," a Teenagers recording, the Teenchords appealed to Robinson, and he liked Louis's vocal similarity to his brother. Soon he was rehearsing them on a song he wrote expressly for the Teenchords called "I'm So Happy," which captured the high-energy exuberance of the group. Louis wrote a lyric about a girl in his building, Lydia Perez, which Robinson finished as the B side.

In November 1956 he launched his new Fury label with the Teenchords' "I'm So Happy" b/w "Lydia." Radio response was immediate, and an ad for Fury in the trade papers stated that over 40,000 singles were sold in the New York, Philadelphia, and Boston areas in the first 10 days. "I'm So Happy" later became a New York doo wop street-corner classic that was sung as a warmup by hundreds of groups. The song also became Phil Spector's first New York doo wop production (see THE DUCANES).

On Friday January 3, 1957, Louis Lymon and the Teenchords performed on the Apollo stage with THE CHANNELS, Jerry Butler and THE IMPRESSIONS, THE HEARTBEATS, Jesse Belvin, Clarence "Frog-man" Henry, Micky and Sylvia, all emceed by WOV's Jocko Henderson. Because they were natu-rally energetic performers who actively wooed the tough Apollo audiences, they wound up playing the historic venue many times over the next year and a half They also did shows with WLIB's Hal Jack-son, WWRL:s Dr. Jive, and others.

In February 1957 their second single, "Honey, Honey," received a strong response on East Coast radio but did not do as well as their first. Their last single for Fury was "I'm Not Too Young to Fall in Love" recorded on July 22nd and issued soon after. In July they performed at Alan Freed's Summer Festival at the New York Paramount along with Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, THE DUBS, the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Screaming Jay Hawkins, and Jodie Sands. They were billed above the Everly Brothers but below Jodie Sands. Their stage outfits were black pants with red sweaters (imprinted with the word "Teenchords") along with white shirts, black bow ties, and white bucks.

During the summer, David and underaged Lyndon were caught sitting in a stolen car and David was hauled in. The group quickly enlisted Jimmy Merchant to sing bass for a four-week tour of Jamaica in the West Indies, and when they returned, according to a trade paper announcement of September 14, 1957, George Goldner had signed Louis et al to End Records. But Louis never actually signed; his mother refused to let him do anything if David was associated with the group. David was then eliminated from the lineup, but Lymons' mother never got around to signing for Louis (though she did let him record). The first single on End, "Your Last Chance" b/w "Too Young," had actually been recorded earlier by Robinson, indicating that he and Goldner must have struck a deal.

The group's high point was a performance in the Warner Bros. rock and roll film "Jamboree" with Jerry Lee Lewis, THE FOUR COINS, Fats Domino, Connie Francis, Frankie Avalon, Slim Whitman, Charlie Gracie, and more disc jockeys in the film than recording artists (18), including Dick Clark, Joe Smith (WVDA-Boston, later a honcho at Warner Bros. Records), Barry Kaye (WJNS-Pittsburgh), Jocko Henderson (WOV-New York), Robin Seymour (WKMK-Detroit), and Dick Whittinghill (KMPC-Hollywood). The group sang "Your Last Chance."

In November 1957 the Teenchords did an answer record to the Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" called "I Found Out Why," but it wasn't a real contender. Another song that was a contender came out in 1958. The Les Cooper penned "Dance Girl" was the original version of this song, not released until after THE CHARTS' classic recording. In less than two years the group broke up.

In 1961 Louis recorded with the Townsmen ("I Can't Go," P.J. Records). In 1962 he appeared at the Apollo singing duets with Frankie, but the collaboration lasted only one day; he and his brother never got along due to the older Lymon's adult attitude in a young teen body.

In 1971 Louis formed a new Teenchords for Rock magazine's "Collectors' Show" with Ralph Ramos (first tenor), Louis Vasquez (second tenor), Velmont Miller (baritone), and Frank San Pietro (lead). Louis sang baritone and occasional lead.

In 1973 the reformed Teenagers did a show in Philadelphia with Louis singing lead on "I'm So Happy," but it never developed into a regular thing as Pearl McKinnon took over Frankie's old spot. Over the years, Louis worked as a typist, a mail clerk, and a messenger and in the early '80s was a waiter. He re-formed the Teenchords in 1983 and in 1984 recorded a sparkling a cappella treatment of the Teenagers' "I Want You to Be My Girl" for Starlight Records.

In 1985 they did an a cappella 45 of their original "Dance Girl." The members then were Louis (lead), John O'Keefe (first tenor), Mike Nicoletti (second tenor), Thomas Camuti (baritone), and Andre Games (bass and brother of Teenagers bass Sherman Games). Louis later left to co-author a book (unpublished as of 1991), and Beverly Warren took over lead.

Web Authors Note

Louis Lymon is alive and well and just released a new CD with newly recorded Teenchords material.

The Schoolboys

The most famous group to come out of the Cooper talent shows, The Schoolboys, also met the most tragedy. Outside of The Cubs on Savoy, the originators of the teen-aged high tenor leads were not The Teenagers or The Teenchords but The Schoolboys. Harold Atley (lead), James (Holland) Edwards (first tenor), Roger Hayes (second tenor), James "Charlie" McKay (baritone) and Renaldo Gamble (bass) began at a talent show in Cooper. Leslie Martin replaced Atley before the group, known then as The Scobians, won first prize on a Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour. Tommy "Dr. Jive" Smalls renamed them The Schoolboys and in the fall of 1955, they went on to create the first nationally successful adolescent tenor record, "Please Say You Want Me" (Okeh). They were managed by James Dailey, who also managed The Desires, Bobbettes, and The Demens (Teenage). Gene Redd of the Fi-Tones also managed them for a short time. As the usual attrition began to set in, some of the members of The Cadillacs allegedly backed Leslie Martin on The Schoolboys' last recording, "Pearl." Somehow The Schoolboys just could not maintain their early success and totally disintegrated by 1957. Renaldo Gamble went on to join Pearl McKinnon and The Kodoks ("Teenagers Dream," "Oh Gee, Oh Gosh"Fury). Roger Hayes joined The Collegians ("Zoom Zoom Zoom" - Winley). James McKay's brother, Lenny Mckay, was the lead singer of the Jesters.

Johnny Maestro and The Crests

0ne of the most popular of the late '50s groups, the Crests were often thought to be an 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 form a singing group. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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." 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. 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).

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 "Heartbeat" 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. 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. By then, Harold Torres had left for upstate New York and become a jeweler. The Crests turned into a lounge act with J.T, Ancrum, and Lewis. In 1978 J.T. joined Charley Thomas's DRIFTERS for a year, then moved to Plainfield, New Jersey, to teach voice and set up his own recording studio. In 1980, J.T. formed a new Crests from over 200 singers he screened at his studio. The final group became Bill Damon (a Maestro sound-alike), Greg Sereck, Dennis Ray, and J.T., and they toured with a fivepiece backup that included J. T.'s wife Leona on the keys. In June 1987, Johnny, J.T., Harold, and Tommy, the original Crests, appeared together at a show in Peekskill, New York.

Lenny McKay and The The Jesters

The Jesters exemplified the New York City vocal group sound of the mid-'50s. Their strong and vibrant street harmonies were an influence on groups for years to come, primarily early '60s white aggregations like THE EXCELLENTS and THE IMAGINATIONS.

The Jesters were students at Cooper Junior High School in Harlem on 120th Street and started practicing under a nearby elevated railway station in 1956. The members were Leonard "Lenny" McKay (lead), James "Jimmy" Smith (second tenor), Leo Vincent (baritone), and Noel Grant (bass). Mean-while, 17-year-old Adam Jackson was attending Samuel Gompers, High School in the Bronx and was singing in a quintet called the Continentals. Adam managed a TV performance later that year with the Continentals singing THE FLAMINGOS' "I'll Be Home,,, and he knew then and there that he wanted to be a performer. In early 1957 Adam joined up with the Jesters, who had been named by Noel after his favorite movie, Danny Kaye's The Court Jester. The group's singing style was a reflection of the influence groups like the Flamingos had on them. Adam soon became the co-lead and main songwriter. The group performed at the Apollo amateur night contest.

After winning first prize three times, they were spotted and signed by Winley Records owner Paul Winley. Prior to the Apollo appearance, they had auditioned for and been turned down by Columbia. The Jesters' first single was "So Strange," a slow, bluesy doo wop arrangement that became a New York favorite and charted on a variety of East Coast disc jockey lists. On July 15th, it built up enough steam to jump onto the national Pop chart for a single week at number 100. Its flip side, "Love No One But You," was an equally arresting record-ing, a rhythm ballad with an a cappella "bong" harmony intro that showcased the incredibly round, full, and smooth blend of which the Jesters were capable. "Love No One But You," with Lenny McKay on lead and Adam on falsetto, saw as much (if not more) action in the tri-state area as "So Strange" did.

Their next 45 came in October with the release of the classic rhythm ballad "Please Let Me Love You." Once again Lenny took the tenor lead and Adam the falsetto on what is often considered the epitome of mid-'50s New York doo wop. Jesters records were of such high quality that none of the flips sounded like typical B sides. The flip of "Please" was no exception. "I'm Falling in Love" was an exciting Latin-rhythm rocker that earned its own following.

By that time, the Jesters had begun touring the chitlin circuit. They returned to the Apollo as professionals in shows alongside label mates THE PARAGONS as well as Ben E. King, Ruth Brown, Jimmy Jones, THE OLYMPICS, and Dante and the Evergreens.

Their third single was a solid remake of the CHANTELs ballad "The Plea" with Adam on solo lead, and it too stirred national interest-enough to reach number 74 Pop in March 1958. Its flip "Oh Baby" was a rousing jump side that showed no matter how hot the tempo, the Jesters' harmonies could still dominate the track.

The arranger for all those recordings was former Pearls and VALENTINES vocalist David Cortez Clowney. He became more known to the public some 14 months after "The Plea7 under the name Dave "Baby" Cortez with the instrumental hit "Happy Organ" (#1, 1959). In June 1958 the original Jesters had their fourth and final single, another two-sided classic, "Now That Yodre Gone" and the rockin' "I Laughed," patterned after THE SPANIELS' "Every-one's Laughing."

By the summer of 1958 McKay and Grant had left and Vincent had been drafted. To replace them, Adam Jackson and Jimmy Smith brought in baritone Melvin Lewis (the Climbers on AS) along with his brother Donald on bass. In the meantime, Paul Winley noticed his release schedule of label issues seemed to always have a Paragons single followed by a Jesters single. This, along with the increasing popularity of "battle of the groups" shows and streetcorner sing offs, gave him the idea for the classic The Paragons Meet the Jesters LP with its vocal duels and a cover depicting members of a hotshot street gang. Issued around 1959, it was one of the first rock and roll compilation's and sold very well on the East Coast.

By May 1960 the new Jesters quartet had its first single, a revision of THE DIABLOS' classic "The Wind." Though not as magical as the Diablos version and lacking the fifth harmony part that was such an integral part of the earlier Jesters sound, "The Wind" was still excellently done and well received in their tri state stronghold, even reaching number 110 on Billboard's June 20, 1960, national chart.

Their last two singles, though good, were not of the caliber of their earlier 45s and never charted. The group did some backup work for other Winley artists, namely Charlie White of THE CLOVERS ("Nobody's Fault But Mine," 1958) and Ann Fleming, Winley's wife ("Jive Time Baby," 1960). During the early '60s they also backed Ben E. King onstage at the Apollo.

The group, much to its credit, never really broke up, working occasional gigs through the '60s, '70s, and'80s and often performing in a routine based on their LP with the Paragons.

In 1974 they again became a quintet when Adam's brother Ronald (former lead of the Youngtones, Xtra, 1957) joined up.

In 1991 the group was still around, with Adam Jackson on lead, Ronald Jackson on tenor, Melvin Lewis on baritone, Donald Lewis on bass, and Marshall Cherry on second tenor. Marshall was a hairstylist when the group found him to replace Jimmy Smith. When not harmonizing, Ronald Jackson was a metal spinner, Melvin a manager of a photo company, Donald the manager of a D'Agostino's market, Marshall a New York high school custodian, and Adam an inspector for the New York City Environmental Department. The whereabouts of Lenny McKay, Leo Vincent, and Noel Grant are not known.

For three decade the Jesters' recordings have been played whenever a disc jockey wanted to demonstrate the New York sound.

Julius McMichaels and The Paragons

Brother group to the legendary JESTERS, the Paragons were an equally fine tenor led quintet. The members, mostly students at Jefferson High School in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, were Julius McMichael (tenor lead), Ben Frazier (second lead and tenor), Donald Travis (second tenor), Rickey Jackson (baritone), and Al Brown (bass). The group of 17- to 22-year-olds wrote much of their material soon after they formed in 1956.

By 1957 they had met Paul Winley, owner of Winley Records, who already had the Jesters and was trying to get THE DUBS, who were controlled by Hiram Johnson. When Winley failed to get permission to sign the Dubs, he signed the Jesters styled Paragons and had them record the McMichael-Winley ballad "Florence." It became a radio favorite and a classic New York R&B classic, ultimately selling a few hundred thousand.

True to the Winley tradition, the flip was an excellent jump tune, titled "Hey Little Schoolgirl." One of the features of Paragons and Jesters up sides was the groups' penchant for singing "bop bow du bop bop oo oop" and other assorted phrases right through the instrumental sections, keeping the record's high energy at a peak. This was demonstrated on "Schoolgirl." "Lets Start All Over Again," from the summer of 1957, had the same exciting style of "Florence" and has also become a cherished classic. Later that year a solid rhythm ballad called "Two Hearts Are Better Than One" was issued and followed by the New York mini classic, "Twilight."

By now the group was performing in a variety of venues from Philadelphia's White Horse Roller-skating Rink to New York's Apollo Theatre, often with their labelmates the Jesters. Their best and hardest-to-find Winley single was their fifth release, the brilliant ballad "So You Will Know." Its simple two-note piano repetition set the tone for a made-for-radio melody superbly sung by the Paragons with Bill Witt ("Mexico," THE ROCKETONES, Melba) singing lead. Why it failed can be attributed to the age old story of a label that couldn't promote it beyond their own limited borders.

Still, the Paragons were immortalized when Winley issued its Paragons Meet the Jesters LP, the most successful "battle of the groups" compilations of all time, selling hundreds of thousands over the years.

In 1959 the group backed solo act Tommy Collins on "Doll Baby," an ordinary mid-tempo jump tune in comparison to their earlier efforts. By 1960 the group had experienced major changes. Julius left, replaced by the deep tenored Alan Moore, and the group began Cutting standards for Andy Leonetti's Musicraft label. They released "Blue Velvet," which canvassed pop radio in many major cities and charted at number 103. "If'" did better, peaking at number 82. Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine" and the Sammy Cahn-Julie Styne standard "Time After Time" followed. Both were competent versions but neither got out of the New York area.

In 1961 Winley issued one more Paragons single (reading Mack Starr and the Paragons) on "Just a Memory," which was all that was left of their great releases. Mack Starr was the new norm de plume of Julius McMichael.

By 1964 the group consisted of Alan Moore (lead), Ernest Burnside (first tenor), Glen Mosley (second tenor), and Joseph Pitts (baritone). That group lasted into the '70s when Bill Witt showed up again. By the mid-'80s their tradition was being continued by Ray Neal (lead) of the Exploits (Fargo), John Epps (tenor lead) of THE CHIPS ("Rubber Biscuit," Josie), Robert Honey (second tenor, "Doom Lang," the black Tokens, Gary), and Teddy Olds (baritone of the same Tokens).

They recorded the first new single under the Paragons' name in 21 years when Starlight Records issued "Florence" b/w "Blue Velvee' to the collectors' market.

Julius McMichael went off to California and joined THE OLYMPICS in the late'60s. He was killed in a motorcycle accident in the early '80s.

Arlene Smith and The Chantels

0ne of the first female R&B vocal groups to have nationwide success, the Chantels are also considered by many to have been the best female group of all time. Their choir-like sound and close-knit harmony brought a new dimension to rock and roll and R&B songs.

Arlene Smith (lead), Lois Harris (first tenor), Sonia Goring (second tenor), Jackie Landry (second alto), and Rene Minus (alto/bass) began their musical journey in their preteens while attending choir practice at St. Anthony of Padua school in the Bronx. By 1957 the members, aged 14 through 17, had been singing together more than seven years. A staple of their musical diet had been Gregorian chants taught to such perfection that changing notes and trading parts were second nature.

In contrast to their male counterparts, the girls weren't able to "hang out' on a street corner at all hours practicing; five young Catholic schoolgirls live a more restricted lifestyle. So in 1957 much of their practice took place in the unlikely surroundings of the girls' locker room at St. Anthony's. Being one of the taller girls in school, Arlene Smith became a member of the girl's basketball team and, win or lose, the group would sing after each game. The choir-like quintet began doing talent shows with the Sequins (Red Robin Records) and The Crows (Rama Records) at the PS. 60 Community Center and at St. Augustine's church. That same year their school team went up against the hoop-sters of St. Francis de Chantelle. One of the girls (to this day no one remembers which) suggested they end their long search for a group name by calling themselves the Chantelles. It soon became the Chantels.

The girls had a strength apart from their angelic vocal presence: the writing ability of lead singer Arlene Smith. There weren't many girl groups around in the mid-'50s and even fewer that contrib-uted to the recording process with their own lyrics and melodies (although THE ROBBETTES come to mind, but all five of their members pooled their writing resources). Arlene contributed both words and music, and the combination of her classical

and gospel background with simple yet poignant lyrics would make her more successful than she could possibly imagine at the tender age of 16.

"He's Gone," Arlene's first song, was written with a boyfriend in mind while she was working her way through piano practice. Legend has it that the five classmates were on the second floor of the Broadway Theatre building on Broadway and 53rd Street in Manhattan when several of THE VALENTINES passed by underneath the window. The girls recognized them from an Allen Freed Show performance and scampered down to hunt for autographs. Amid the chatter it came to Valentines member David Clowney's atten-tion that the girls were a singing group. Producer/ writer/arranger and Valentines' lead Richard Bar-rett entered the conversation. Thinking he was putting the girls on the spot he asked them to sing right there under the Broadway Theatre marquee, and sing they did. He was floored at the sound of the girls singing a hymn, and with his leaning toward rhythm and blues, he perhaps wondered how they would sound singing that kind of music. He took their phone number.

The girls were thrilled at Barrett's interest; they knew he was the right-hand man of record entrepreneur George Goldner, owner of Gee and Roulette Records.

Ironically, they had tried to sing for Goldner only weeks before, but he hadn't been in when they showed up for their audition at Gee Records' 42nd Street office. Several weeks passed after the Broadway The-atre meeting without a call from Barrett. Not being timid, Jackie Landry told a friend of hers in THE TEEN CHORDS of their encounter and he gave her Barrett's address. The entire Chantels cast dropped in on Barrett and reminded him of their meeting.

This time the multi-talented producer wasted no time in calling rehearsals, meeting the group's mothers, and arranging the teens' first two songs, the Arlene Smith compositions "The Plea' and "He's Gone.

By the early summer of 1957 the girls were signed to Goldner's End label, which he had just formed after selling off the Roulette/Rama/Gee organization. In fact, the girls' first single was the second release (Malcolm Dodds and the Tunedrops' "It Took a Long Time" was the first) on the label that was to be the future home of such stalwarts as LITTLE ANTHONY AND THE IMPERIALS, THE FLAMINGOS, THE MIRACLES, Little Richard, THE TEENAGERS, the Bobbettes, THE VELOURS, THE DEL-SATINS, and the one and only Wilt "The Stilt' Chamberlain ("By the Riverside," 1960).

The Chantels' first single was "He's Gone," released in August 1957. From the four-part acappella chime harmony intro topped by Arlene's floating falsetto to its duplicate ending, "He's Gone" instantly set a new standard of quality for female group recordings. By September 30, the record was on the Billboard national Top 100 charts but inexplicably stopped at number 71, spending a mere six weeks in competitive company. Still, it was a major breakthrough. This record charted only seven weeks after the Bobbettes hit the top 100 with their first release, the infamous "Mr. Lee." Ironically, these two trend-setting groups of the '50s lived less than a few miles from each other.

The Chantels' first live performance was at a Jocko show at the Apollo Theatre (Jocko was a legendary New York disc jockey at the time) in which the group was not even on the bill. Richard Barrett brought them backstage and waited for an opportune time for Jocko to present them to the world. For Arlene, her classical recitals at Carnegie Hall must have felt like a far cry from this; the Chantels' wowed the enthusiastic audience with "He's Gone."

Their next recording session, on October 16, 1957, was scheduled not at a regular studio but at a refurbished church in midtown Manhattan, apparently for its acoustics. Richard Barrett played the piano along with supportive bass and drums for this Chantels recording of the Arlene Smith composition "Maybe." The single was released in December; by January 20, 1958, it was heading up the pop charts and a week later was climbing the rhythm and blues charts. "Maybe" reached number 15 Pop by late winter and number two R&B. Interestingly (though not uncustomarily for the time) the original record's writer credits read Casey (whoever he was) and Goldner (we know who he was). Later issues and reissues had "Arlene Smith and Goldner." As recently as 1987 a Chantels compilation appeared on a Murray Hill three-LP set with "Maybe" listed as being written by R. Barrett.

Two days after "Maybe" hit the pop charts the group was recording again. Barrett was now heavily devoting his attention to the girls, even dropping his own group the Valentines by summer 1957. On January 22, 1958, the most productive recording session of the Chantels career generated five sides, all eventually released on singles or EPs: "Sure of Love," "I Love You So," "Every Night," "Whoever You Are," and "Memories of Nod' (the old HARPTONES classic). (In the girls' sessions, Barrett would always rehearse the Chantels, to perfection, yet when it came to the musicians, on-the-spot arrangements and one or two rundowns would suffice.)

The Chantels' third single for End was "Every Night (I Pray)," another gem that sounded suspiciously like Arlene's writing style although it showed George Goldner's name on the record. "Every Night" hit the pop charts on March 31, 1958, and reached number 39 (#16 R&B).

That spring the Chantels became the first female rhythm and blues aggregation to release an EP; it included "Sure of Love," "Prayee," "I Love You So," and "How Could You Call It Off." The latter two became their fourth single in April. "I Love You So" was the first non-Arlene Smith composition to be released as an A side. It was written by Watkins and Davis, the latter a member of the Crows (it was featured as the B side of their April

1954 hit "Gee"). A further piece of information in the continuing "whats in a name" game has an early '60s 45 rpm pressing listing G. Goldner and Davis as writers, while a 1972 LP containing "I Love You So" as performed by the Crows lists writing credits of M. Levy (the now deceased presi-dent of Roulette Records, Morris Levy) and D. Norton (Daniel "Sonny" Norton, lead singer of the Crows).

Regardless of who wrote it, "I Love You So" was another perfect Chantels musical confection (#42 Pop, #14 R&B), but it would turn out to be their last hit on End. After "I Love You So," the label released a second group EP, an unprecedented move for an act that had only released four singles. It was an honor usually reserved for acts like THE CLOVERS or COASTERS who had been having hits for years. End seemed to be trying to capitalize on the group's current visibility (rather than planning on a long-term justification for an EP release). The cuts included "Memories of You' from the January 22 session, along with "Congratulations," "I'll Walk Alone," and "C'est Si Bon," all cut on July 24. "Sure of Love" and a reworked gospel song entitled "Prayee" were released in July and became the first Chantels single to fail. Three more singles followed (and failed) through the end of 1958 and early 1959, including a beautiful recording of "Goodbye to Love," immortalized in 1961 in a powerful arrangement by THE MARCELS.

The success of Little Anthony and the Imperials and the Flamingos kept End Records preoccupied in late 1958 and 1959, meaning less promotional support for the Chantels. (End stood to earn more from a touring group of male vocalists than they could from five high school girls still tied to their parents.) Although the Chantels became one of the first female vocal groups of the rock era to have an LP under their own name (We Are the Chantels in September 1958), they were dropped from End by April 1959.

Arlene Smith decided to go it on her own while Lois Harris went on to college. Chantels records were still being issued, except that the lead was one Richard Barrett and the label was Gone, an affiliate of End. In May 1959 "Come Softly to Me" (the former FLEETWOODs hit) came out and quickly failed. In July 1959 a most unusual record hit the marketplace entitled "Summer's Love." The label again read Richard Barrett and the Chantels. Recorded in late 1958, the ballad had all the earmarks of a hit but only went to number 93 Pop (#29 R&B). It has shown up on three different labels over the years, with three distinctly different background vocal arrangements. Each included the Chantels with Richard Barrett on lead, but that's where the similarity ended. The original Gone release had the Chantels holding sustained chords behind Barrett's lead. An End "battle of the groups" EP from the early '60s had a male group doing a call-and-response backup with an occasional "shoo-do" and "shoo-be-do?' (similar to THE FIVE SATINS' "In the Still of the Night") while the Chantels held their sustained harmony. A third version on Crackerjack Records in 1963 had the girls without the male backup vocals, but the 'Chantels were now singing "shoo-do' and "shoo be-do" along with their sustained harmony.

In 1960 Barrett started his own label and recorded a new girl group similar to the Chantels which he called the Veneers. Their release of "I" b/w "Believe Me (My Angel)" went unnoticed but it helped him solve his Chantels problem by matching Veneers lead singer Annette Smith (no relation to Arlene) with the three remaining Chantels, Sonia, Jackie, and Rene. In April 1960, still trying to capitalize on the group's name, End released "Whoever You Are," formerly the B side of "Every Night"; it had all the original Chantels magic but still lacked the driving commitment of the label.

In the summer of 1961 George Goldner apparently got wind of Barretts move to take the revamped Chantels to Carlton Records; running low on Chantels tracks in the can, he decided to pass off a bogus group to the public, issuing the Veneers recording "I" under the name of the Chantels. His move didn't work but Barretts did. "Look in My Eyes," the first release on Carlton for Annette and company, went all the way to number 14 on the pop charts (#6 R&B). The ballad was reminiscent of the Chantels' early classics though the arrangement was a more modern string-laden affair. Annette's lead, which was very similar to Arlene's, blended well with the group and only the most discerning ear could tell that a switch had taken place.

The group's fortunes were once again on the rise, and everyone connected tried to get a piece of the action. End Records released an LP of canned tracks that including the Veneers' two cuts (as the Chantels, of course), entitled There's Our Song Again (End LP 312). By 1962 Carlton had released their own more honest LP entitled The Chantels on Tour that contained seven Chantels cuts and songs by Chris Montez, the Imperials, and Gus Backus. Gus Backus was a member of the DEL-VIKINGS, and the Imperials recording was without Little Anthony. The LP included their second Carlton single, an answer to Ray Charles' number one record "Hit the Road Jack" called "Well, I Told You." It was the Chantels' first up-tempo single, and from a creative standpoint would probably have served their reputation better had it never been released. The song had the group confined to unison call-and-response vocals while a Ray Charles imitation sang the lead. Still, it made number 29 Pop by December 1961 and the group wasn't about to argue with success.

They couldn't have known it was to be their last big record. One more single for Carlton, the ethereal jazz-tinged ballad "Summertime," and they were off the recording scene until landing at Luther Dixon's Ludix label.

Meanwhile, Arlene Smith had hooked up with a young hotshot producer named Phil Spector for a Big Top Records one-off of the Clovers hit "Love Love Love" backed by the Paris Sisters song "He Knows I Love Him Too Much."

The Chantels began their Ludix association with the song "Eternally" (#77, March 1963), produced by longtime believer Richard Barrett. It was the third time in six years that their initial release on a label had charted. Still, there were more Chantels records coming out and failing than there were successes. George Goldner released "I'm the Girl" (October 1961) and "Mon Cherie Au Revoir" (February 1963), and Ludix tried again with "Some Tears Fall Dry" (April 1963). Then it was on to 20th Century-Fox, Verve, and finally RCA before the group disbanded in 1970. The charts had become almost oblivious to fine harmonies and melodic ballads, now favoring records with a harder edge.

In 1973 Arlene Smith, who had gone on to the prestigious Juilliard School of Music, reformed the Chantels with newcomers Barbara Murray and Pauline Moore for some oldies revivals shows. By the early '80s Sonia Goring, Lois Harris, Rene Minus, and Jackie Landry were all married and living in the New York area. Arlene went on to become a school teacher in the Bronx and continues to sing as a solo act today.

The Eternals

Formed during the late '50s, in the Freeman Street neighborhood of the Bronx, the quintet started out singing in junior high school as the Gleamers. Their roll call included Charlie Gerona on lead, Fred Hodge on first tenor, Ernie Sierra on second tenor, Arnie Torres on baritone and Alex Miranda on bass. The members attended several high schools, including Morris, Monroe, and Samuel Gompers, while cutting their teeth on THE FLAMINGOS and SPANIELS. Charlie Gerona, meanwhile, was crafting songs more in the tradition of THE COASTERS, THE CADETS, and THE OLYMPICS than in the smooth harmony style the rest of the Gleamers (now calling themselves the Orbits) were emulating. But when the combination came together, it clicked, and a Charlie original titled "Christmas in the Jungle" became the door opener to an introduction with local manager Bill Martin. Martin knew WABC disc jockey Bruce Morrow, who turned them on to Melba Records chief Morty Craft.

The group entered Beltone Studios in late spring of 1959 and Craft, not wanting to wait for Christmas, had "Christmas in the Jungle" revised to "Rockin' in the Jungle." The group, feeling the elation that recording for a label can bring, decided a new name was in order and crowned themselves the Eternals, no doubt hoping for everlasting success. Unlike most small label '50s groups, the members were actually paid $25 a man for their session.

Released in early summer on Craft's new Hollywood Records label, "Rockin" was an immediate New York airplay favorite, eventually rising to number 11 locally. On July 13th it hit Billboards national Pop Charts, rising to number 78.

Complete with jungle sounds and bird calls (mostly done by the group's baritone), "Rockin" had an infectious rhythm, primal screams, chants that made it a crowd pleaser. In fact it was such a crowd pleaser that the boys soon found themselves performing on the Murray the K and Bruce Morrow shows and at Palisades Amusement Park.

Their second release was "Babalus Wedding Day" (fall 1959), another novelty number in a call-and-response mode with Charlie's bouncy Latin lead and a hot sax solo by King Curtis. As the record started to break, the Etemals' manager felt compelled to sue some shady booking agents who were apparently attempting a less-than-ethical move on the group. As a result of the court case, "Babalu's" distribution was stopped and the Eternals were denied their shot at stardom.

In January 1961 their last single, "Today" b/w "Blind Date," was issued through Morty Craft's Warwick Records. "Today" was written by Eternal's member George Villanueva who also sang lead. The song should have been a hit but more legal entanglements kept the record from hit status. George also wrote and sang lead on several other songs that had the makings of hits, "Do You Remember" and "To The Service" Unfortunately, these songs were never released. Meanwhile, "Babalu's Wedding Day" kept the group's image alive for years to come sung by the Eternals as a jingle on WABC disc jockey Bob Lewis's radio show.

The group disbanded in 1962 but by 1972 re-emerged for a show at the Academy of Music; they were Ernie Sierra, George Villanueva, Arnie Torres, Richard Sierra and Hector Garcia.

Web Author's Note

Original lead Carlos "Charlie" Girona left the group in the early 60's and lost contact with them for almost 40 years. In 1999 at a UGHA concert, he was reunited with his Eternals. It was a truly memorable evening and Charlie "Mr. Babalu" Girona sounded better then ever. The Eternal's are still going strong today and sound better than ever. The current group consists of Ernie Sierra, George Villanueva, Herman Velez, Tito Santiago, and Freddie Clavel.

The Five Discs

Like many street corner vocal groups that came from Brooklyn in the 1950s had huge chart success. Likewise, many of Brooklyn's vocal groups remained total obscurities. One such group that had limited chart success in the 1950s and early 1960s was the Five Discs. But in 1969 when the "rock-and-roll revival" took place and area radio stations started playing 1950s vocal groups again, everyone fell in love with the sound of the Five Discs.

Ask each of the Five Discs which neighborhood the group came from and be prepared for several different answers. That's be-cause the street they formed on has, at different times, been considered part of Brooklyn's Bedford Stuyvesant, East New York, or Ocean Hill-Brownsville section. Take your pick. But the Five Discs story begins in 1954 in front of 138 MacDougal Street between Saratoga and Hopkinson. It was here that a six-man vocal group called the Lovenotes would first sing. The lead singer was Mario deAndrade. His parents were black and Portuguese and the rest of the group was black. Up the block were four white guys who were trying to put together a group. They were Joe Barsalona, Paul Albano, Tony Basile, and Joe Brocco. They were pretty inept and oftentimes Joe Barsalona would ask Mario deAndrade if he would come sing with them.

After about six months of singing the Lovenotes broke up. Mario and the Lovenotes' bass, Andy Jackson, walked up the block and started singing with Joe, Paul, and Tony. Mario had to teach all the members their parts as they really didn't know what they were doing. But he saw potential in this group and they decided to call themselves the Flames. Mario was the lead, Paul Albano (firs tenor), Tony Basile (second tenor), Joe Barsalona (baritone), and ( Andy Jackson (bass).

With Mario molding the group's sound, the Flames started singing at local parties. On Valentine's Day 1956 they appeare on their first show at J.H.S. 73 (location: Rockaway and MacDougal). Other groups that came from (or appeared in) the area that were friends with the Flames included the Royaltones and the Paragons. These two groups definitely inspired the Flames. Later the Chimes and the (female) Crystals would come out of this are The Flames were a typical street corner group singing on street subways, rooftops, and in the classrooms of J.H.S. 73.

In 1957 the group cut its first demo, "I Remember" b/w "No More Fooling Around," both written by Mario deAndrade. Joe Barsalona took the demo into Manhattan, going to all the record companies with offices at 1650 and 1674 Broadway. Some of the record labels that turned the Flames down were Hull, Old Town and Gone. But, at 1650 Broadway a songwriter by the name of Billy Martin heard the demo and became immediately interested in the group. He had the Flames cut another demo of "I Remember" and this demo Billy Martin played for Gene Schwartz. IGene became interested and soon went down to J.H.S. 73 to hear the Flames sing. He offered them a contract on the spot for Emge label. (At this time Gene Schwartz had not yet formed Laurie Records, the label he would become famous for.) At the suggestion of Paul Albano's sister, the group soon changed name to the Five Discs.

It was at 8 a.m. in early 1958 that the Five Discs recorded "I Remember"b/w "TheWorld's A Beautiful Place" in what is now the Ed Sullivan building. The record was soon released on Emge Records. On the label, writer credits for "I Remember" are given to Joe Albano. Of course, Mario really wrote the song, but Joe Albano was the group's manager and what did a bunch of teenagers know about writer credits in those days? Joe Albano lived on the same block as the group, and was actually an ambulance driver.

"I Remember" had its radio debut on the Peter Tripp Show (WMGM). It soon reached #28 on the New York charts and #2 in Boston. The group started to make appearances in Boston, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and the rest of New England. As Joe Barcalona tells it, "We were picked up by a limousine to do a show in Providence, RI. I was sure we were on our way to stardom. "But reality soon set in as Gene Schwartz launched his new Laurie label with "I Wonder Why" by Dion/Belmonts. Now Schwartz didn't have enough money to push two records at the same time. "I Remember" started falling by the wayside so Gene Schwartz, at the insistence of the Five Discs, leased the record to Vik, a subsidiary of RCA. But shortly after Vik picked up "I Remember," the label went bankrupt. In 1961 Rust Records (a subsidiary of Laurie) released the record for a third time with little success.

The Five Discs appeared on Connecticut Bandstand and did shows with the Aquatones and the Teddybears. Because of the group's racial makeup, many shows and tours were not open to them. They also did some backup vocal work for Emge, supporting Steve Martin (not the comedian) on "Adorable One" b/w "One Time One Time" and Davey Lee on just one side of his release "Need You, Need You, Need You." The group was given label credit.

In 1959 Dwain Records was formed. Its owners were Billy Martin, Jack Astor (a lawyer), and Jack Levinthal (a soda salesman). Levinthal recorded groups on the side and his son lived a few houses down from Joe Barsalona. The Five Discs cut two sides for Dwain that Mario wrote. When Dwain 6072 was released it was discovered (to the group and the record company's horror) that a bad mix on "Roses" and "My Chinese Girl" had been issued. Very quickly the group went back to the studio and did the songs again. The flawed first release (orange label) was immediately pulled back and replaced with Dwain 803 (green label). This accounts for the extreme rarity of the orange Dwain release which today can command as much as $1000 on the collector's market. Unfortunately, neither version of the record was given promotion and it received no airplay.

By 1960 Mario deAndrade had gotten married, and with this change in his life he decided to leave the group. At the same time Andy Jackson also left. Mario was replaced on lead by Lenny Hutter who at one time sang with the Chalets, and Andy was replaced on bass by a neighborhood singer, John Russell. The Five Discs were now a white group. (The Five Discs singles with Mario on lead that were released in 1978 and 1980 on Crystal Ball Records are actually practice tapes.)

Joe Barsalona immediately started pestering Mario about coming back into the group or at least writing some new songs for them. In fact, Joe still seeks Mario's help today. No matter where Mario moved over the past 31 years, Joe has always tracked him down. Never was such respect and friendship more apparent.

In 1960 the Five Discs released "Come On Baby" with Lenny Hutter on lead backed by "I Don't Know What I'll Do" with Paul Albano on lead. Though writer credits on both sides of this Yale release are given to Jim Gribble (who was now the group's manager) and J. Krasner (who owned the label), "Come On Baby" was actually written for the group by Mario deAndrade and "I Don't Know What I'll Do" was penned by a fellow named 'Charlie'who had tried out as lead singer with the group but didn't make it. "Come On Baby" received some airplay and the group did a show in Hartford, CT at the Armory and also a TV show from a barn (no one remembers exactly where this was). While with Yale Records the group also backed up Adrienne Allen on "When Love Comes Knocking" b/w "Go Go." However, theYale releases quickly died.

By 1961 Josie Giardano had replaced Jim Gribble as the group's manager. And Lenny Hutter, who was from the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, was replaced on lead by a friend (also from Bush-wick, John Carbone. Carbone had sung with various street-comer combinations in the area and was considered a great singer. He was also dating Josie Giardano's daughter and would eventu-ally marry her.

In the meantime, Joe Barsalona, a childhood schoolmate and a good friend of the Paragons' Al Brown-was invited to sit in on a Paragons recording session for Andy Leonetti's Tap Records. Soon Andy decided to sign up the Five Discs, and in 1961 released "Adios"b/w "My Baby Loves Me" on the Calo label. "Adios" was brought to the group by John Carbone and "My Baby Loves Me" received some airplay on R&B radio station WNJR in Newark, NJ. However, this release, like the others before it, quickly died.

By 1962, Josie Giardano was replaced as manager by George Pafundi. At this time John Russell also left and was replaced on bass by Charlie DiBella. Charlie originally sang in a group from the East New York section of Brooklyn called the DelVons. The DelVons sang on the streetcorners of Eastern Parkway and Sackman Street and consisted of Charlie DiBella, Eddie Pardoc-chi, Vito Balsamo, Frankie Pizzo, and someone remembered only as "Butchie." With Eddie Pardocchi on lead this group recorded two unreleased sides "Do Your Homework" and "Summer Is Here." [In 1959, prior to being in the DelVons, Eddie Pardocchi sang with the Darcels at J.H.S. 214 (Pitkin Avenue and Elderts Lane). This group consisted of Eddie Pardocchi, Donnie LaRuffa, Frankie Caravella, and Joe Caravella. The Darcels recorded two unreleased sides, "The Wind" and "Wadda Doo Cha Cha." Donnie LaRuffa was a cousin of Frankie Grillo who sang in the Markpls from Bushwick.]

Getting back to the DelVons: Vito Balsamo soon started hang-ing out across town at Church and McDonald Avenue and started singing with a bunch of guys that would go on to form Vito and the Salutations. With this happening, Charlie DiBella joined the Rendezvous from East New York (Brooklyn) who went on to record for the Rust and Reprise labels. One member of the Rendezvous, Ralph Minichino, also sang with the Admirations that recorded "Me Bells of Rosa Rita" for Mercury Records.

In 1962, manager George Pafundi brought the Five Discs two songs, "Never Let You Go" and "That Was The Time" written by Wilmer Walker, another artist he managed. The group was given a demo of "Mat Was The Time" recorded by Wilmer Walker so they could learn the song. The background for "Never Let You Go" was 'discovered' by Joe Barsalona when, while practicing one night at J.H.S. 73, he heard another group doing a song called "Can't You See." Joe soon decided this was the perfect back-ground for "Never Let You Go."

Joe was close friends with this other group. They were first named the Mystics, but when Laurie Records' Mystics came out with the huge hit, "Hushabye," a name change was in order. This was done by band leader and musical arranger Al Browne, who would record them and dub them the Newtones. The Newtones' "Can't You See" would eventually be released on Relic Records. (This group had such a black sound that it's hard to believe they are white.) The flip side of this Relic release is "I Remember The Night 'which is actually another Al Browne group also called the Newtones! (This Newtones group is black!) The white Mystics/ Newtones had another release on Relic called "Come On" and the flip side, "We're Going Steady," is once again by the black Newtones. Obviously when Al Browne sold these four sides to Relic he couldn't remember which Newtones was which, and Relic must have thought that everything was by the same group. (The two sides by the black Newtones were originally released on Baton Records. This is an extremely rare recording.)

In 1962, the Five Discs recorded "Never Let You Go" b/w "That Was The Time" for Cheer Records. Also from this session came "Unchained Melody" which remained in the can until 1978 when Ed Engel released it on his Crystal Ball label. Around the time of the Cheer recording session, John Carbone left the group. Through Charlie DiBella, Eddie Pardocchi, the great lead singer of the Darcels and the DelVons was brought into the Five Discs as Carbones' replacement. "Never Let You Go" instantly won Murray the K's 'Record Of The Night' and 'Record Of The Week' contests on WINS in New York City. By the following week it was #28 on the local charts. But very soon, for unex-plained reasons, the record had all but disappeared. The group was told by a record distributor that they had a freak hit like the Marcels' "Blue Moon," but instead of attracting national atten-tion, the record died.

In 1963, with Herb Kessler as their manager, the Five Discs signed with Kapp Records and recorded "Let's Fall In Love Oh Lana," and "You Make Me Happy." With a name change to the Boyfriends, "Let's Fall In Love" b/w "Oh Lana" was released. Shortly thereafter, the Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion happened, and the Boyfriends single immediately went down the drain.

In 1964, original Five Discs Paul Albano and Tony Basile along with Charlie DiBella called it quits, but Joe Barsalona was determined to continue. With Eddie Pardocchi (lead), Joe Barsa-Iona (baritone), Donnie LaRuffa (from the Darcels as first tenor) and Frank Arrione (second tenor) the group re-formed. This foursome then recorded "This Love Of Ours" and "To The Fair" which remained unreleased until 1981 when they came out on the Crystal Ball label as by the Five Discs.

In 1968 the group signed with Rust Records through Ernie Maresca and released "Bring It On Home" b/w "Baby I Love You," but the record went nowhere. Other Five Discs sides that were recorded for Rust Records such as "Doctor," "Simon Says," "Open Your Eyes," and "Onion Square" would be released in later years on various Laurie vocal- group compilation LPs and on Crystal Ball LPs.

In 1972, the Five Discs re-formed for a fantastic RnR Show at Hunter College. Some of the groups appearing (aside from the Five Discs) were Norman Fox/Robroys, Nino/Ebbtides, Blue Notes, Vito/Salutations, Bopchords, Schoolboys, etc. With Eddie Pardocchi, Joe Barsalona, Frank Arnone, Paul Albano, and Charlie DiBella back together, the audience was knocked out. Right after this show Paul Albano dropped out (again) and Donnie LaRuffa replaced him (again). Soon Charlie DiBella left and was replaced by Mike Strippoli. Mike grew up on the same block as the Five Discs and in the early 1960s wanted to be in the group but the Armed Services took him away.

In 1972, again through Ernie Maresca, the Five Discs signed with Laurie Records. "Rock & Roll Revival" b/w "Gypsy Woman" was released in the summer of 1972. Now the lineup was Eddie Pardocchi, Joe Barsalona, Frankie Anione, Donnie LaRuffa, and Mike Strippoli. This Five Discs made a number of appearances but soon broke up. (In the late 1970s, bootleg acappella cuts from the groups' live appearances were released. These include "My Foolish Heart" on Robin Hood Records and "Let's Fall In Love" b/w "That Was The Time" on Pyramid Records.)

For a time Eddie Pardocchi sang with the Impalas and then rejoined his old DelVons singing partner Vito Balsamo in Vito/ Salutations. Eddie stayed in this group from the 1970s until the fall of 1990. Also, around 1980 the Five Discs came back briefly with Eddie Pardocchi. Joe Barsalona, Paul Albano, Mike Strip-poli, and (from Vito/Salutations) Shelly Buchansky. This group made numerous appearances but broke up in 1982.

In 1990 Eddie Pardocchi came back to his original group for good. Today the Five Discs consist of Eddie Pardocchi (lead), Paul Albano (first tenor), *Joe Barsalona (baritone), Mike Strip-poli (bass), and newcomer Jack Scandura. (second tenor). In the early 1960s Jack Scandura sang with Ricky/Hallmarks on Amy Records and with the Uniques on Roulette Records. In the 1970s and 1980s he sang with two acappella groups, the Blendaires and the Blue Stars.

1990 was a great year for the Five Discs with appearances at Radio City, Westbury Music Fair, and in Miami, FL. And 1991 looks to be just as great with upcoming appearances slated for all over New York and New Jersey, with other appearances slated for Connecticut and California. New record releases should also be out shortly.

The Five Discs were one of Brooklyn's greatest groups with a sound that was pure streetcomer-a rolling bass, moving bari-tone and tenors, and always a fantastic lead. Other groups that came from the East New York, Bedford Stuyvesant, Bushwick, and Ridgewood sections of Brooklyn all recall one thing: Even though the Five Discs didn't have the biggest-selling records, this group had the greatest sound.

* Joe Barsalona is the only Five Discs member to be at every rehearsal, recording session, and show from 1954 to the present. Considering all the member changes over the years, I asked Joe how the group always managed to retain its sound. Joe at first replied jokingly "We were too stupid to change." But then added, "Mario deAndrade molded this group, he taught us our sound. It was a sound we loved, felt and sang with strong emotion ... and it will always be that way."

Joe Barcelona passed away in 1994 shortly after his last appearance onstage at a UGHA concert..

Tony Passalaqua and The Fascinators

The embryonic stage of this group is virtually identical to that of most of the other groups of the 50's. The scene is the street-corners of the Ridgewood-Bedford Stuyvessant section of Brooklyn, where groups were to be found everywhere hitting harmony. As Tony (Passalaqua) put it, "One day the smoke cleared, and there we were!" Five people, all of whom had sung with other street groups, but never recorded, found that they sounded very good together and called themselves The Fascinators.

The original five members were Tony, lead, Angelo La Grecca, baritone, Nick Trivatto, tenor, Ed Wheeler, Tenor and George Cernacek, bass. Interestingly, the bass was not a bass at all but a tenor, and the conversion first came about when the group discovered that they had three tenors and no bass.,George enjoyed his newly found role, although he occasionally had to smoke cigars before appearances or record sessions in order to deepen his voice! Another group from this area was The Clusters, who later hit with the Tee Gee recording of "Darling Can't You Tell".

The Fascinators and The Clusters were quite friendly and wound up doing the neighborhood gigs together, and through these gigs, the Fascinators rapidly developed a reputation as the strongest group in the area. They received offers from several record labels, but it was their manager, Jim Fererri, who directed them to Capitol, since he had connections there. Capitol wanted to sign Tony as a single artist, but he insisted that he would not sign without the group, and, thusly, The Fascinators were signed. Manny Kellem, director of A&R, listened to their original material and decided they had enough for a session, and he proceeded to set,one up.

Tony compares this session to a Hollywood opening, for when the group arrived, they were greeted by label executives, photographers, and a rather heavy complement of musicians. Among those whom Tony can recall are Big Al Sears and King Curtis on sax, Panama Francis (from the Count Basie band) on drums, and the arranger was Sid Bass who had done virtually every side by The Orioles. As we trace Tony's carreer, you will see that he has been present at countless recording sessions with some of the biggest names, but he states that he never again went to a session such as the first one at Capitol.

At any rate, out of this session came four sides, and, on September 20, 1958, the first two were released: "CHAPEL BELLS' / "I WONDER WHO". Although this record was not really a big national hit, it was a monster in several local areas, especially New York. Not unsurprisingly, it got a lot of R&B play, for it is indeed a very black sounding record. This, in addition to the pop play, kept the record selling well for a considerable length of time, and it wasn't until six months later that Capitol released the other two sides done at the initial session, "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE" b/w "COME TO PARADISE".

Again, this was at best a local hit, and Capitol sat it out an even longer period before releasing the third and final record, "OH ROSEMARIE" b/w "FRIED CHICKEN AND MAC-ARONIE". This was the least popular in terms of record sales, but, according to Tony, the most requested at live appearances, and the record is today the hardest of the three to find, selling in excess of $20 per copy. An interesting fact about "FRIED CHICKEN" is that each of the five members of the group sang lead in turn, and Tony filled in for each man in the background while he was doing lead. This was before the days of multiple tracks and over-dubbing, and Tony describes this session as "musical chairs", since each man had to run up to the mike to do lead while the others rotated in the back-ground.

In any event, this marked the end of the Fascinators' Capitol recording career, and, indeed, the end of The Fascinators. The problems were many fold; firstly, one of the members of the group had a personal problems which ultimately led to pressure from label executives. Secondly, as exciting as it was for the group to be with Capitol, for this was certainly one of the world's major labels, it was not the right label for this group. Capitol was a middle-of-the-road label, and with the sole exception of the Five Keys, there were no popular R&R or R&B acts on the roster. Even the sides which the Keys did for them were on the soft side, and the earlier sides by the Cheers, considered by some to be a rock act, were definitely pop. It wasn't until later, when the label hit with Gene Vincent, that the tide was to turn.

The group had become completely disillusioned with the entire scene and had disbanded, and, with the exception of Tony, was never to record again. Tony had changed his name to Tony Richards, and with a group called the Twilights, was now represented by a record entitled "PLEASE BELIEVE IN ME" on the Colpix label. This came about as follows: After the break-up of The Fascinators, Tony was back on the street corners singing, this time with the Clusters, who had also disbanded as a recording group. He was contacted by Kay Twomey, a songwriter of some note, who wanted to handle his career as a solo artist; she had heard him with The Fascinators and felt he had great potential. Kay took Tony to Irwin Schuster at Trinity Music ( a major music publishing company which would later be bought by Bobby Darin; Irwin Schuster is now the head of the professional staff at Screen Gems Music, one of today's leading popular music publishers).

Irwin felt that Tony was not dynamic enough, dynamic in the Jackie Wilson sense. When Tony said that he could sing like Mr. Wilson and then some, he was asked to prove it. He returned as a member of the Twilights, a newly form-ed group consisting of two of the original Clusters and one of their cousins. The Twilights Jackie Wilson-ed Irwin to death, and he took them in to cu t one of Tony's songs, "PLEASE BELIEVE IN ME". Irwin placed it with Colpix, but little did anyone realize that the artists would be billed as the Twilights featuring Tony Richards. Plagued with the ego-trip problem which has destroyed so many of today's groups, The Twilights, along with their first and last record, faded into history. Irwin, not to be out-done, went with Tony as a single artist, and the result was a Colpix release, approximately six months later, entitled "SHOUT MY NAME".

This did absolutely nothing, and the only distinction it has , is that it is the second Jeff Barry song ever recorded ("TELL LAURA I LOVE HER" was the first); Jeff Barry became one of the outstanding writers and producers of the 60's and 70's, and to this day he is virtually never absent from the charts. Everyone was becoming rather disenchanted with Colpix, for everything was being neglected to the exclusion of "BLUE MOON", a then number one record by The Marcels, and it was decided that a change was in order. While they were sitting around deciding what that change would be, the phone rang (at Trinity), and at the other end was a songwriter who had picked the number out of the book while looking for a publisher. Irwin asked him to come up, and the writer played his song "CARAVAN OF LONELY MEN". All concerned agreed that this was a good song, although it needed some fixing, which Irwin and Jeff Barry proceed-ed to do. It was further decided that this would be Tony's next record, and Jeff went on to produce his first record, "CARAVAN OF LONELY MEN" by Tony Richards. This was sold to Carlton, but unfortunately at a time when its owner, Joe Carlton, was contemplating the idea of folding. Although he had several hits with such artists as Jack Scott, The Chantels and Anita Bryant, the label was not doing well and it was with reluctance that they released "CARAVAN".

In spite of good trade reaction and wide spread airplay, the record and the label met a common fate. Tony was free once again, and he was asked by Bernie Lawrence (brother of Steve Lawrence) to record for Canadian American. Lawrence was director of A&R there, and the label was hot with "DON'T BET MONEY HONEY" by Linda Scott and "SLEEPWALK" by Santo and Johnny. Hopes were high, and in the interest of a new image, Tony underwent another name change to Tony Mitchell. The first record for the new label was another Jeff Barry composition, "A MILLION DRUMS", on which Tony was backed by The Angels,and the "B" side was "CANDLE IN THE WIND", on which the background was done by Malcolm Dodds & The Tunedrops.

The latter group had faded into obscurity since their earlier hits and were sustaining themselves by doing studio work; The Angels had cooled off since their hit with "TILL", and it was only one month prior to the release of "MY BOY-FRIEND'S BACK", their biggest hit, that they worked with Tony. "A MILLION DRUMS" was the ABC Pick Hit Of The Week, where it received saturation airplay, but all this accomplished was to generate a cover version by Jimmy Clanton. Neither record did well domestically, but Tony's version was a hit in South America and Brussels! As a result, promoters came to this country to bring Tony back to tour, but, on the way to the air-port, Tony got a flat tire and never made it. (That's show biz!) To add to his problems, he was with another label which was about to dissolve, and two releases later, Tony was shopping once more.

It was not until 1967 that he was to connect again, when Jeff Barry, now 'writing with Ellie Greenwich, was working in conjunction with Lieber and Stoller. This resulted in one record for Atco, which was not successful. Also at this time, Tony was helping out a group called the Dedications. They were plagued with an unreliable lead, who would not show up for appearances more often than he would, and Tony was asked to sit in. So well did this work out that the group took him on permanently, and they re-formed as The Soul Survivors. Tony performed with them for a period, although they never made any recordings, and, as luck would have it, he left the group six months before they were to hit with two huge successive national hits, "EXPRESSWAY TO YOUR HEART" and "EXPLOSION IN MY SOUL", both on the Crimson label.

Following came several years of doing nothing but background work, with which Tony was thoroughly dissatisfied. Once again, he sought out his old friend Jeff Barry, who had hit with one of the all-time phenomena, The Archies. This time, Tony was informed that he wasn't needed, and he lapsed into a period of total disenchantment with the music bus-iness. Now his name was being heard on the nation's radios in a slightly different vein: "Come down and see Anthony Passalacqua and his famous Double A Fuel dragster"! After two years in the racing game, he realized music was still in his blood, and he bit the bullet and gave Jeff Barry another call. By now, Jeff was having trouble with The Archies, which was a studio group, and Tony was invited to join. As a result, he is heard on the group's last major hit, "WHO'S YOUR BABY". After this, The Archies became literally too hot to handle, and in the midst of all the principals in the property fighting for the largest piece of the pie, the group was destroyed. Tony went on to make one last record for Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry's ex-partner gone independent, but to no avail.

Web Author's Note

Tony Passalaqua resides in Florida and continues to perform with the Florida Legends of Doo Wop with Jimmy Gallagher (Passions) and Frank Mancuso (Imaginations)

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