The 5 Satins Sing (Ember ELP 100)

Side One:
01) I'll Remember (In The Still Of The Night)
02) Our Anniversary
03) Wish I Had My Baby
04) Wonderful Girl
05) Sugar
06) I'll Get Along
07) Again

Side Two:
01) To The Aisle
02) Pretty Baby
03) Our Love Is Forever
04) Oh Happy Day
05) Jones Girl
06) Weeping Willow
07) Moonlight & I

The 5 Satins Sing (Mega)

The 5 Satins Sing (Zippy)

Here's another contribution from Marv -the first ever LP released by Ember (a co-label of Herald) in December 1957, and not surprisingly it's a collection of their best selling vocal group of the time, The Five Satins, whose "I'll Remember (In The Still Of The Night)" was not only a big R&B hit but also a pop hit in the late summer / early autumn of 1956. A year later the group had another major R&B / pop hit with "To The Aisle."

The LP contains both sides of the first five singles by The Five Satins on Ember plus four additional sides to give what was then a whopping 14 tracks. Plenty of bang for your buck! Some of the tracks have a very professional production while others have what may be called a rather more primitive sound. I prefer the el primitivo approach!

There's no Unca Marvy link for the background on this particular vocal group but here's a couple of links for you to peruse -

https://www.rocky-52.net/chanteursf/five_sat.htm

http://doo-wop.blogg.org/five-satins-c26502778

Original Single Issues:

In The Still Of The Nite / The Jones Girl - Standord XEP-200 - April 1956. The disc was leased to Ember / Herald for national distribution and issued in June 1956 as "I'll Remember (In The Still Of The Nite)" / "The Jones Girl" (Ember E-1005). Subsequent Ember repressings reverted to the Standord title "In The Still Of The Nite."

Wonderful Girl / Weeping Willow - Ember E-1008 - October 1956

Oh Happy Day / Our Love Is Forever - Ember E-1014 - March 1957

To The Aisle / Wish I Had My Baby - Ember E-1019 - June 1957

Our Anniversary / Pretty Baby (That's Why I Sing) - Ember E-1025 - October 1957

Sugar; I'll Get Along; Again; Moonlight & I - first released on this LP, December 1957.

Thanks again, Marv.

Rockin' n' Reelin' With The Cadets (Crown CLP 5015)

Side 1:
01) Stranded In The Jungle
02) I Want You
03) So Will I
04) I'll Be Spinning
05) Fools Rush In
06) Annie Met Henry

Side 2:
01) Heartbreak Hotel
02) Dancin' Dan
03) Church Bells May Ring
04) I Got Loaded
05) Rollin' Stone
06) Smack Dab In The Middle

Rockin' 'n Reelin' With The Cadets (Mega)

Rockin' 'n Reelin' With The Cadets (Zippy)

Thanks to Marv for another Crown LP reconstruction. "Rockin' n' Reelin' With The Cadets" was issued in 1957 and may have been a reissue of Modern 1215 although there is uncertainty over whether the Modern release actually made it to the record shops.

This is one of the earlier Crown LPs and the presentation is classier than that of the Marvin & Johnny LP which was featured a few posts ago. The back cover doesn't consist of a generic paper list of other Crown releases carelessly glued on to the cardboard sleeve, and the front cover has a rather good photo of  The Cadets. Heck, there are even sleeve notes! So perhaps this particular platter won't be lurking in the bargain basement as it looks good enough to make it to the Vocal Groups browser in the main part of the virtual Be Bop Wino record shop.

As for The Cadets themselves, well they recorded for RPM as The Jacks, as well as being The Cadets on Modern. There's only one Jacks track on this compilation, the absolutely glorious "Smack Dab In The Middle" which features a lead vocal by one of the great R&B group bass singers, Will "Dub" Jones who later became a member of The Coasters.

The Cadets had a smoother, more professional sound than most of their fellow Los Angeles vocal groups which, combined with tight instrumental backing, resulted in some top class R&B discs. One possible problem though - a lot of their output consisted of cover versions of popular R&B and rock 'n' roll tracks, which means that The Cadets were never really famed for their own readily identifiable sound. A listen to the tracks on this LP, however, shows that the covers were very good indeed. Their biggest hit "Stranded In The Jungle" was originally recorded by The Jayhawks on Flash Records, but The Cadets version is for me the better of the two and ended up outselling the original.

As is usual when it comes to group sounds, I'll refer you to Marv Goldberg's site for the lowdown on who sang what and when -

http://www.uncamarvy.com/JacksCadets/jackscadets.html 

Original Single Releases:

All singles released by The Cadets except RPM 428 by The Jacks.

Why Don't You Write Me? / Smack Dab In The Middle - The Jacks - RPM 428 - April 1955

Rollin' Stone / Fine Lookin' Baby - Modern 960 - May 1955

So Will I / Annie Met Henry - Modern 969 - September 1955

Church Bells May Ring / Heartbreak Hotel - Modern 985 - February 1956

Stranded In The Jungle / I Want You - Modern 994 - June 1956

Dancin' Dan / I Got Loaded - Modern 1000 - September 1956

I'll Be Spinning / Fools Rush In - Modern 1006 - November 1956

Recommended Purchase:

The Cadets Meet The Jacks - Stranded In The Jungle (Ace CDCHD 534)

When it comes to West Coast vocal group action, always turn to Ace!

Dub Jones is hereby inducted into the Be Bop Wino Hall Of Fame.

Thanks again to Marv for supplying the blog with great R&B sounds.

The Soul Of The Falcons

Side A:
01) Since You've Been Gone
02) Something Hit Me
03) I Found A Love
04) We Met In A Dream
05) Short & Nappy
06) I Got A Feeling
07) Love The Way You Walk
08) Searching For You Baby

Side B:
01) I Ain't No Cryin' Man
02) Round & Round
03) You've Got A Friend
04) Skinny Girl
05) Love At First Sight
06) Never Find Another Girl Like You
07) Stick By You
08) Swim

The Soul Of The Falcons (Mega)

The Soul Of The Falcons (Zippy)

Thanks to Charlie B for donating this LP to the blog. This Relic collection is the third LP they issued of Falcons material (according to the sleevenotes) and by this stage they were digging deep into hitherto unissued material ...
 

So what you get here is raw (very raw!) vocal group rhythm 'n' blues from the streets of Detroit. Betcha thought that Fortune Records discs were the roughest R&B you could hear from the Motor City ... well hold that thought as you listen to this collection of demos, rehearsals, alternate takes and completely canned tracks recorded by The Falcons for labels such as Lu Pine and Kudo which were owned by their manager Robert West.

It is of course noteworthy that Mr. West was the uncle of THE Eddie Floyd, lead tenor on 5 of these tracks. Joe Stubbs, brother of the Four Top's Levi Stubbs leads on 3 of the tracks, the group backs Little Bee, Earl Martin and Joltin' Joe Howard (a Detroit DJ) on 5 more tracks, and finally there are three tracks on which the Falcons are led by Carlis "Sonny" Monroe, but that is a completely different lineup of the group.

The classic (but not the original) lineup of The Falcons was - Joe Stubbs, Eddie Floyd, Mack Rice, Willie Schofield and Lance Finnie. This was the group which had the R&B and pop hit with "You're So Fine" in the summer of 1959. The disc was originally released on the Robert West owned Flick label but as it started to take off West cut a deal with the United Artists owned Unart label, resulting in  a ten week stay in the Pop Top 40 chart, peaking at number 17.

Wilson Pickett was another alumnus of The Falcons, but he ain't here, as far as I can tell. The demo of "The Swim" on this LP has Joe Stubbs on lead vocal and not The Wicked Pickett as on the 1962 released version, which was the B-Side of The Falcon's big R&B hit "I Found A Love" on which Pickett also sang lead. The version of "I Found A Love" on this LP has Carlis "Sonny" Monroe on lead which brings us to the final version of The Falcons.

The classic Falcons broke up in the spring of 1963 and West, anxious to keep the name of his hit group alive, simply transferred the name to another of his groups, The Fabulous Playboys who were already an established if not particularly successful recording act. Their lead singer was Carlis "Sonny" Monroe and he can be heard on 3 tracks on this collection - "I Found A Love," "Love The Way You Walk," and "Stick By You." These tracks which all feature a basic piano accompaniment, probably originate from the same rehearsal session. This version of The Falcons lasted until 1970.

For the full story of The Falcons, the comings and goings, the label hopping, and the shooting of Robert West (non fatal) in a dispute over the management of Mary Wells, get yourself over to Marv Goldberg's site here -  http://www.uncamarvy.com/Falcons/falcons.html . The sleevenotes on the back cover of this LP are also very informative.

 

 Track Details:

01) Since You've Been Gone - The Falcons (Eddie Floyd) - unreleased
02) Something Hit Me - The Falcons with Little Bee - unreleased
03) I Found A Love - The Falcons II (Carlis Monroe) - rehearsal tape
04) We Met In A Dream - The Falcons with Earl Martin - unreleased
05) Short & Nappy - The Falcons (Eddie Floyd) rec. 15th April 1962 - unreleased
06) I Got A Feeling - The Falcons (Joe Stubbs) - unreleased
07) Love The Way You Walk - The Falcons II (Carlis Monroe) - rehearsal tape
08) Searching For You Baby - The Falcons with Joltin' Joe Howard - (demo?) Kudo 666 (1958)
09) I Ain't No Cryin' Man - The Falcons (Joe Stubbs) - unreleased
10) Round & Round - The Falcons (Eddie Floyd)- unreleased
11) You've Got A Friend - The Falcons with Earl Martin - unreleased
12) Skinny Girl - The Falcons (Eddie Floyd) rec. 15th April 1962 - unreleased
13) Love At First Sight - The Falcons with Little Bee - unreleased
14) Never Find Another Girl Like You - The Falcons (Eddie Floyd) - unreleased
15) Stick By You - The Falcons II (Carlis Monroe) - rehearsal tape
16) Swim - The Falcons (Joe Stubbs) - demo of Lu-Pine 103

Thanks once again to Charlie B for the sounds and scans of this raw but righteous LP.

Rhythm And Blues Hit Vocal Groups (Authentic / Dooto LP 501)

Side 1:
01) Speedin' - The Medallions
02) The Telegram - The Medallions
03) My Pretty Baby - The Medallions
04) Did You Have Fun - The Medallions
05) Coupe De Ville Baby - The Medallions
06) Mary Lou - The Medallions

Side 2:
01) Be Mine Or Be A Fool - The Penguins
02) So Tough - The Cufflinx
03) It's Too Late Now - The Cufflinx
04) House Cat - The Romancers
05) Let Me Cry - Willie Headen & The Birds
06) I Love You Bobby Sox - Willie Headen & The Birds

Hit Vocal Groups (Mega)

Hit Vocal Groups (Zippy)

Thanks to Marv for reconstructing this third LP collection of Dootone vocal group sounds. Get the first two back in the blog - The Best Vocal Groups Of Rhythm And Blues and The Best Vocal Groups In Rock'n' Roll.

This LP was first released in 1958 on Authentic which was a short lived subsidiary label of Dootone / Dooto which released some singles and a few budget priced LPs. This LP was later reissued on parent label Dooto. If you like that real greasy West Coast R&B sound like I do then you'll find this collection to be right up your alley. Doo Wop wailin' plus Willie Headen - great stuff!

Original Single Issues

The Medallions:

The Telegram / Coup De Ville Baby - Dootone 357 - July 1954

Edna / Speedin' - Dootone 364 - May 1955

My Pretty Baby / I'll Never Love Again - Dootone 373 - October 1955

Did You Have Fun / My Mary Lou - Dootone 407 - October 1956 (Vernon Green And The Medallions)

The Penguins:

Be Mine Or Be A Fool / Don't Do It - Mercury 70610 - April 1955. Was a previously unissued Dootone take unearthed for this LP? It sounds like the Mercury release on this reconstructed LP post. Only buyers of the original LP will know for sure!

The Cufflinx:

It's Too Late Now / The Saxaphone (sic) Rag (instr.) - Dooto 422 - August 1957 (The Cuff Links)

So Tough / My Love Is With You - Dooto 433 - January 1958

The Romancers:

I Still Remember  / House Cat - Dootone 381 - January 1956

Willie Headen & The Birds:

I Love You Bobby Sox / Stop Drinking - Dootone 1203 - May 1954 (Willie Headen)

Let Me Cry / The Skinny Woman Story - Authentic AU 410 also Dooto AU 410 - January 1957 (Willie Headen And The Five Birds)

Discographical info mainly from Marv Goldberg's site plus The Cash Box.

Your Marv Goldberg links for the lowdown on some of these groups:

The Medallions:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Medallions/medallions.html

The Penguins:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Penguins/penguins.html

The Cufflinx:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Cufflinks/cufflinks.html

With thanks to Marv (who is not Marv Goldberg!) for sending this collection.

For much more of that West Coast R&B vocal group sound, purchase Ace CD collections of Dootone, Modern, Combo and John Dolphin label sides!

The Best Vocal Groups In Rock'n' Roll (Dooto DL 224)

Side A:
01) Crazy Over You - The Calvanes
02) Always And Always - The Meadowlarks
03) Let Me Give You Money - The Pipes
04) I Still Remember - The Romancers
05) I Ain't Gonna Cry No More - The Penguins
06) Edna - The Medallions

Side B:
01) Guided Missiles - The Cuff Links
02) Double Dealing Baby - The Souvenirs
03) Don't Take Your Love From Me - The Calvanes
04) Back Home Again - The Birds
05) Boogie Woogie Teenage - The Meadowlarks
06) Untrue - The Meadowlarks

The Best Vocal Groups In Rock'n' Roll (Mega)

The Best Vocal Groups In Rock'n' Roll (Zippy)

Thanks to our regular contributor Marv for this second instalment of reconstituted Dootone vocal group albums. This LP was originally issued in April 1957 on Dooto (the Dootone name having been altered in early 1957 due to a court case). It was also reissued on the Dooto subsidiary Authentic label.

Remember a couple of posts ago I said I would just get the music up and forego the investigations into the background details? Oops - looks like I got carried away when preparing this post, so you get the usual heap o' arcane info.

There's just something about this 1950's Los Angeles R&B into Rock 'n' Roll sound that goes straight to the gut. Perhaps someone more articulate than I can explain it in the comments. Maybe it's the slightly fly by night feel of the records on these small labels like Dootone, Combo, the John Dolphin stable of labels, and many even more obscure outfits. The vocal groups and the sax instros, I love it all. Now I'm gonna cruise on over to Dolphin's Of Hollywood to grab me some 45s and maybe Huggy Boy is broadcasting from the store window. Or am I too late?

 Release Details:

The Calvanes - Crazy Over You / Don't Take Your Love From Me - Dootone 371 - August 1955

Don Julian And The Meadowlarks - Always And Always / I Got Tore Up - Dootone 367 - June 1955

Don Julian And The Meadowlarks - I Am A Believer / Boogie Woogie Teenage - Dootone 405 - October 1956

Don Julian And The Meadowlarks - Untrue - first released on this LP.

The Pipes - Be Fair / Let Me Give You Money - Dootone 388 - March 1956

The Romancers - I Still Remember / House Cat - Dootone 381 - January 1956

The Penguins - I Ain't Gonna Cry No More on Dootone EP "Rhythm and Blues Vocal Group Series Album #1" - Dootone EP-101 - June 1955

The Medallions - Speedin' / Edna - Dootone 364 - June 1955

The Cuff Links - Guided Missiles / My Heart - Dootone 409 - December 1956

The Souvenirs - Double Dealing Baby - first released on this LP

Willie Headen And The Five Birds - Back Home Again / I Wanna Know - Authentic 703 - July 1956 (also released on Dooto 703) Reviewed in The Cash Box, 7th July, 1956

Info from 45cat.com, The Cash Box, and Marv Goldberg's site.

Marv Goldberg Articles:

The Calvanes

Don Julian And The Meadowlarks

The Pipes

The Penguins

The Medallions 

The Cuff Links

The Souvenirs 

Absolutely Vital Purchases:

Ace CDCHD 579

Ace CDCHD 588

Ace CDCHD 676

Elsewhere On The Blog:

The Best Vocal Groups In Rhythm And Blues

Thanks Marv!

The Best Vocal Groups In Rhythm And Blues (Dooto DL-204)

Side 1:
01) Earth Angel - The Penguins
02) Hey Senorita - The Penguins
03) Kiss A Fool Goodbye - The Penguins
04) Ookey Ook - The Penguins
05) Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild - The Penguins
06) Baby Let's Make Some Love - The Penguins

Side 2:
01) The Letter - The Medallions
02) Buick 59 - The Medallions
03) Heaven And Paradise - The Meadowlarks
04) I Got Tore Up - The Meadowlarks
05) Teller Of Fortune - The Dootones
06) Ay Si Si Mambo - The Dootones

The Best Vocal Groups Of Rhythm And Blues (Mega)

The Best Vocal Groups Of Rhythm And Blues (Zippy)

Again it's thanks to Marv for this reconstruction of an LP originally issued on the LA indie label Dootone in July 1955. Founded in 1951 by Dootsie Williams, Dootone flirted with the big time in 1954 / 1955 when "Earth Angel" by The Penguins became not only a national R&B hit in late 1954 but also entered the pop chart, peaking at number 8 in early 1955.

"Buick 59" / "The Letter" by the Medallions was the first vocal group record released by Dootone, becoming something of a West Coast regional hit in 1954 Another regional vocal group success was "Heaven and Paradise" also released in 1954. This LP (and a concurrent series of EPs) can therefore be seen as an attempt to surf the early success of Dootone's R&B vocal group issues and it must have achieved reasonable sales as it was re-released several times throughout the '50s and into the early '60's latterly as "Dooto" issues when the Dootone label changed its name following a lawsuit by the Duo Tone company.

So thanks to Marv for this great selection of West Coast vocal group sounds, and thanks to the original uploader of the artwork.

The Vocal Group Album (Roots of Rock 'n' Roll Volume Eight)

Side A:
01. Poor Butterfly - The Three Barons
02. Milk Shake Stand - The Three Barons
03. Palace Of Stone - The Toppers
04. I'm Living For You - The Toppers
05. If Money Grew On Trees - The Toppers
06. These Are Things I Want To Share With You - The Syncopaters
07. River Stay Away From My Door - The Syncopaters
08. Out In The Cold Again - The Syncopaters

Side B:
01. It Could Have Been Me - The Four Buddies
02. You Left Me Alone - The Four Buddies
03. Ooh Ow - The Four Buddies
04. I'd Climb The Highest Mountain - The Four Buddies
05. It All Comes Back To Me Now - The Marshall Brothers
06. I Didn't Know - The Marshall Brothers
07. My Life Is My Life - The Marshall Brothers
08. I Won't Believe You Anymore - The Marshall Brothers

Side C:
01. Call For Me - The Carols
02. I Got A Feelin' - The Carols
03. Mighty Lak A Rose - The Carols
04. Fifty Million Women - The Carols
05. I'm Losing My Mind - The Dreams
06. Under The Willow - The Dreams
07. My Little Honeybun - The Dreams
08. I'll Be Faithful - The Dreams

Side D:
01. I Won't Cry - Little David & The Harps
02. You'll Pay - Little David & The Harps
03. Baby Dee - Little David & The Harps
04. Wah Diddy Wah - Little David & The Harps
05. Say You're Mine - Jimmy Jones & The Savoys
06. We Made A Vow - Jimmy Jones & The Savoys
07. I Love Only You - Jimmy Jones & The Savoys
08. With All My Heart - Jimmy Jones & The Savoys

The Vocal Group Album (Mega)

The Vocal Group Album (Zippy)

Over on the "Don't Ask Me ... I Don't Know" blog, Xyros is collecting together the Savoy Roots of Rock 'n' Roll series which was a 15 volume set of double and single LPs of rhythm and blues originally released on the Savoy and National labels. They started appearing in 1977 and were probably the first attempt by a record company to demonstrate that rock and roll had roots and antecedents from a time before Elvis or Bill Haley or Chuck Berry.

I started to pick up copies of the albums some time in the early 1980s and such was the impression they made on me I can still remember where I bought some of them. I bought "The Original Johnny Otis Show Volume 1" in a little record shop in a back street in Tulle in southwestern France. I picked up the second volume of Johnny Otis in Doug Dobell's record shop in Soho. "Honkers and Screamers" was purchased in the much missed Tower records in Glasgow and the first volume in the series, "The Roots Of Rock 'n' Roll," was found in the crammed browsers of Backbeat Records in Edinburgh.

You can now browse through most of the series on Xyros' blog here - "Savoy Roots of Rock 'n' Roll Volume 1 -15" and I'm pleased to say that this volume, "The Vocal Group Album," will be joining its companions with my full blessing.

The sharp eyed among you will have noticed that two volumes remain missing - both volumes of "Ladies Sing The Blues." Can anyone out there help?

As for this double LP set, it serves as a good guide to the changing style of vocal group recordings over a period of 12 years. The collection kicks off with hip harmonies from The Three Barons accompanied by Tiny Grimes and then moves onto the self contained instrumental / vocal group The Five Red Caps, here recording as The Toppers. 

As the years roll by we encounter groups who show the varied influences of the Ink Spots, The Ravens, and The Drifters. The Dreams, Little David And His Harps, and Jimmy Jones take us into more rock and roll territory. The Dreams are backed by a Leroy Kirkland led band which features Sam "The Man" Taylor and Mickey "Guitar" Baker, so we have moved pretty far from the world of 1940s Harlem and Tiny Grimes. Little David is David Baughan who was in the earliest lineup of The Drifters and later returned for a brief spell as replacement for Clyde McPhatter. You can hear the obvious vocal similarity between the two.

The download includes the full gatefold sleeve and its essay by vocal group expert Marv Goldberg.

More Info On The Trax

The Three Barons:

Milkshake Stand / I'd Give My Life - Savoy 527 - The Three Barons with The Tiny Grimes Quintette

Poor Butterfly - unissued recording. Recorded as The Three Riffs with The Tiny Grimes Quartette.

The Toppers:

Steve Gibson and the Five Red Caps recording under a pseudonym.

If Money Grew On Trees / Palace Of Stone - The Toppers - Savoy 559

I'm Living For You / I'm All Alone - The Toppers - Savoy 656 - a 1947 reissue of "Palace of Stone" retitled "I'm All Alone."

The Syncopators:

Mule Train / These Are Things I Want To Share With You - National 9093

River Stay Away From My Door / These Are Things I Want To Share With You - National 9095

The Four Buddies:

It Could Have Been Me - unissued recording.

Ooh-Ow / My Mother's Eyes - The Four Buddies with Hal Singer's Orchestra - Savoy 888

I Wanna' Know / I'd Climb The Highest Mountain - A-Side credited to Dolly Cooper with Hal Singer's Orchestra; B-Side credited to Dolly Cooper with The Four Buddies - Savoy 891.

You Left Me alone - unissued recording.

The Marshall Brothers:

The Marshall Brothers with the Rene Hall Quartet -

It All Comes Back to Me Now; I Didn't Know; My Life Is My Life; I Won't Believe You Anymore - unissued Savoy session.

The Carols: 

Fifty Million Women / I Got A Feelin - The Carols - Savoy 896

Call For Me; Mighty Lak A Rose - unissued recordings.

The Dreams:

I'm Losing My Mind / Under The Willow - The Dreams - Savoy 1140

I'll Be Faithful / My Little Honeybun - The Dreams - Savoy 1157

Little David and His Harps:

Little David = David Baughan

I Won't Cry / You'll Pay - Little David and His Harps - Savoy 1178

Baby Dee; Wah Diddy Wah - unissued recordings.

Jimmy Jones & The Savoys:

Say You're Mine / You - The Savoys featuring James Jones - Savoy 1188

With All My Heart / Please Say You're Mine - Jimmy Jones And The Savoys - Savoy 1586

We Made a Vow - unissued recording.

The Golden Groups Volume 47 - The Best Of Apollo Records Part 1

Side One:
01. One More Time - The Mel-O-Dots
02. Just How Long - The Mel-O-Dots
03. Rock My Baby - The Mel-O-Dots
04. Baby Won't You Please Come Home - The Mel-O-Dots
05. Angel Baby - Billy Austin and His Hearts
06. Night Has Come - Billy Austin and His Hearts
07. Oh But She Did - The Opals
08. My Heart's Desire - The Opals

Side Two:
01. Do Let That Dream Come True - The Jumping Jacks
02. Long Haired Raggedy Rascal - The Jumping Jacks
03. Why Oh Why - The Jumping Jacks
04. Julocka Jolly - The Jumping Jacks
05. I Just Love You So - Lydia Larson & The River Rovers
06. Bald Headed Daddy - Lydia Larson & The River Rovers
07. Little Side Car - The Larks
08. Tippin' In - The Larks

The Golden Groups Volume 47 (Mega)

The Golden Groups Volume 47 (Zippy)

I came across this LP in a local second hand shop a couple of months ago and just couldn't resist. When Relic were issuing these Golden Groups LPs way back in nineteen canteen I didn't buy a single one. Now I'm the proud possessor of two, thanks to recent second hand purchases. See here for Volume 6 - The Best Of Ember Records.

I've been on an Apollo kick in my own recent listening so this collection fits in nicely with that. It's definitely a mixed bag, though. Here's a quick run through -

The Mel-O-Dots release on the Apollo popular series has a good rockin' A-Side in "One More Time" which features a rather strange fairground organ break. What were they thinking of? B-Side "Just How Long" is an effective ballad in the Ink Spots style. The unreleased "Rock My Baby" does indeed rock along in fine style until that ghastly organ blasts in. "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" is a slow harmony pleader which thankfully remains organ free. Again there are echos of the Ink Spots and early 1940s harmony groups.

The releases by Billy Austin and His Hearts and The Opals are both excellent R&B vocal group discs. The uptempo "Angel Baby" has a tenor sax break by Charlie "Little Jazz" Ferguson."Night Has Come" is a fine weepy. Both Opals' sides are very good indeed. "Oh But She Did" - uptempo effort featuring a hoarse voiced lead with good guitar licks. "My Heart's Desire" - soft and romantic. Classic vocal group sound.

The Jumping Jacks. Good golly almighty what fresh hell is this? How could anyone believe that this sort of thing would sell in 1953? Overwrought cloying bollocks with kitsch organ backing. The unreleased sides are better by virtue of the fact that they fairly rattle along. It's hard to believe that The Jumping Jacks originated from the same neighbourhood as The "5" Royales. It's even harder to believe that after recording this dross they transmogrified into The Romeos and recorded some excellent R&B in a much more contemporary style, especially their two knowingly suggestive sides "Somebody's Been Plowing My Mule" and "Oh Baby Oh." Another good'un by The Romeos is "I Beg You Please" which is a world away from what's on offer by The Jumping Jacks. These Romeos sides were featured on Relic's second part of the Apollo Records story.

Lydia Larson's unreleased "I Just Love You So" borders on chaos and doesn't quite cut it but she gets us bumpin' and grindin' with "Bald Headed Daddy" which drips with sleaze. Girl group The River Rovers chant away in the background in an el primitivo style.

This LP ends with two contrasting sides from one of the great vocal groups.The Larks weigh in with the bluesy double entendre "Little Side Car" and a jazzy vocal version of "Tippin' In" which was originally composed as an instrumental by Bobby Smith for the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra and was subsequently re-recorded by Bobby and his own small group on Apollo. Here he is again backing The Larks on their sophisticated version to take us out swingin'. Solid, man!

Original Release Details

The Mel-O-Dots: One More Time / Just How Long (Apollo 1192) released May 1952, in Apollo's 1000 "Popular" series. Jazz and R&B releases were in the 350-500 series. Rock My Baby; Baby Won't You Please Come Home - unreleased.

Billy Austin and His Hearts: Angel Baby / Night Has Come (Apollo 444) released December 1952. With Charlie Ferguson, His Tenor and Orchestra.

The Opals: Oh But She Did / My Heart's Desire (Apollo 462) released October 1954.

The Jumping Jacks: Do Let That Dream Come True / Why Oh Why (Lloyds 101) released June 1953. Long Haired Raggedy Rascal; Julocka Jolly (?) - unreleased.

Lydia Larson & The River Rovers: Delta Drag / Bald Headed Daddy (Apollo 432) released November 1951. "Delta Drag" was credited to The River Rovers. Both sides backed by the Bill Harvey Orchestra. "I Just Love You So" - unreleased.

The Larks: Little Side Car / Hey, Little Girl (Apollo 429) released August 1951. With Bobby Smith's Orchestra. If It's A Crime / Tippin' In (Lloyds 110) released June 1954. With Bobby Smith's Orchestra.

The Prisonaires - Five Beats Behind Bars

Side One:
01. Baby Please
02. Just Walking In The Rain
03. My God Is Real
04. Softly And Tenderly
05. I Know
06. No More Tears
07. Don't Say Tomorrow
08. What Do You Do Next?

Side Two:
01. That Chick's Too Young To Fry
02. Lucille, I Want You
03. If I Were A King
04. Surleen
05. All Alone And Lonely
06. Rockin' Horse
07. Two Strangers
08. Frank Clement (What About)

Five Beats Behind Bars (Mega)

Five Beats Behind Bars (Zippy)

A rare foray by Sam Phillips into vocal group recordings. The Prisonaires were in fact prisoners in the State Penitentiary in Nashville Tennessee whose music came to Sam's attention via Red Wortham of Wortham Music, and Jim Bulleit who in early 1953 owned a small share in Sun Records.

The Prisonaires were first formed in the State Pen in the early 1940s and this is reflected in most of the music they recorded which is heavily influenced by the Ink Spots and the close harmony groups of the late 1930s.The main man was Johnny Bragg who was serving a 99 year stretch for rape. Two more group members were also serving 99 year sentences (for murder) - Ed Thurman and William Stewart. The lineup which first recorded for Sun in June 1953 had been put together by Bragg in 1951: Johnny Bragg (lead, 99 years); John Drue (lead tenor, doing a 3 year stretch for larceny); Ed Thurman (2nd tenor and 99 years); Marcel Sanders (bass, 1-5 years for involuntary manslaughter); William Stewart (baritone, guitar, 99 years).

Bragg was also a songwriter who cowrote the group's first release on Sun, "Just Walkin' In The Rain" which became a minor R&B hit and was covered very successfully 3 years later by Johnnie Ray. The influence of the Ink Spots is obvious on this wistful ballad, but its success was almost immediately dissipated by the decision to issue a religious record as a follow up - My God Is Real / Softly And Tenderly. Their third release, A Prisoner's Prayer / I Know, also failed to sell. "I Know" sounds even more like an Ink Spots performance than "Just Walkin' In The Rain" while "A Prisoner's Prayer" is what might be called "overwrought."

A final release in July 1954, There Is Love In You / What'll You Do Next, also went nowhere.There were a couple more recording sessions at the Sun studio before the end of 1954 but nothing was released. Some of these unreleased tracks were in a much more contemporary R&B style, especially "Lucille I Want You," ""Rocking Horse," "Surleen," and "All Alone And Lonely."

The group broke up in 1955 as Drue and Sanders finished their sentences and Stewart and Thurman were released on parole. Back in the hoosegow Johnny Bragg formed a new group called the Sunbeams which recorded some unreleased tracks for Excello and then after a change of name to the Marigolds, achieved a hit on the same label with "Rollin' Stone."

Bragg was released in 1959 and started recording and songwriting for Decca. His new career came to an abrupt end in 1960 when he was reincarcerated for parole violations. He remained in prison until 1967. After his release he recorded a couple more discs for ElBeJay, but the following decade was an unhappy one for the former Prisonaire as he spent several more spells in prison until his final release in 1977.

The final phase of Bragg's life was uneventful. He made no attempt to reignite a musical career and confined his singing to performing in church. He died in 2004.

Prisonaires Singles on Sun Records:

Sun 186 - Baby Please / Just Walkin' In The Rain - July 1953

Sun 189 - My God Is Real / Softly And Tenderly - September 1953

Sun 191 - A Prisoner's Prayer / I Know - November 1953

Sun 207 - There Is Love In You / What'll You Do Next - July 1954

Thanks to Joan for the labelshots

Two CD collections have been issued which have identical titles and which cover the same ground, i.e. just about everything ever recorded by The Prisonaires:

 Bear Family BCD 15523

Charly CPCD 8120

The Bear Family CD was released in 1990 and the Charly CD in 1996. Both have 26 tracks.

Rumble (Jubilee LP JGM-1114)

I was updating the link on this post and for some reason it shot forward to today's date! Apologies - Be Bop Wino will be back with a whole heap o' fresh posts very soon!

Side 1:

01. Castle In The Sky - The Bop-Chords

02. The Gleam In Your Eye - The Channels

03. Fine Fine Frame - The Continentals

04. If I Could Make You Mine - The Love-Notes

05. Picture Of Love - The Continentals

06. Tonight - The Love-Notes

Side 2:

01. When I Woke Up This Morning - The Bop-Chords

02. Dear Lord - The Continentals

03. Now You Know - The Channels

04. United - The Love-Notes

05. The Closer You Are - The Channels

06. I Really Love Her So - The Bop-Chords

Thanks once more to Joan for the second in the series of Jubilee doowop compilation LPs released in 1959. These sides, which were originally issued in 1956 and 1957, were gathered from the Bobby Robinson group of labels. The Channels and Continentals sides were originally released on Whirlin' Disc, a label co-owned by Bobby Robinson and Jubilee owner Jerry Blaine. They were subsequently re-released as singles on the Port label between 1959 and 1961. The Bop-Chords and Love-Notes sides were originally released in 1956-57 on Holiday, a label owned by Bobby Robinson's brother Danny.

There are occasional clicks and pops and even a skip on these vintage vinyl sides.

Download from:

Rumble (Mega)

Marv Goldberg's article on The Continentals is here:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Continentals/continentals.html

It includes juicy details on who was backing The Continentals at their recording sessions. Mickey Baker, King Curtis, Sam "The Man" Taylor are names to whet the appetite of any R&B fan.

Marv Goldberg's article on The Love-Notes / The Ivories is here:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Ivories/ivories.html

More juicy details, this time about the Love-Notes getting rushed on to an Apollo show as "United" / "Tonight" started to climb the charts. Also on the bill of that show were Chuck Willis, Mickey & Sylvia, Big Maybelle and Solomon Burke among others!

This LP was originally posted on Be Bop Wino on 21st June 2008. The original post is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2008/06/rumble-jubilee-jgm-1114_7413.html

The download includes label scans by Joan. Terrific stuff!