Shelley "SoleMann" King's Blog (94)

The Prisonaires...Magazine Article From 1954

When five self-trained Tennessee State Prison convicts waxed a cool disc called "Just Walking In The Rain," the Prisonaires became a nation-wide sensation. Their sweet ballad has already sold a quarter-of-a-million copies.

The story of the group's success as artists, however, is not nearly so staggering as the story of five cons who can leave prison just about any time they please. You see, in order to maintain their… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 10, 2008 at 3:23pm — 4 Comments

The Prisonaires

January 18

*Johnny Bragg was born on this date in 1926. He was an African-American singer.

From Nashville, Tenn., as a teenager in 1943, Bragg was sentenced to six life terms in the Tennessee State Prison. The charge was rape, he always denied the charges, and Governor Frank Clement commuted his sentence in 1959. He soon returned to prison on a parole violation and spent time in and out of incarceration until 1977.… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 10, 2008 at 3:17pm — 1 Comment

The Schoolboys

The Schoolboys sound almost uncannily similar to Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, but they predate them by close to a year in terms of recording and success. Formed in Harlem's Cooper Junior High School in 1954 or early 1955, with Harold Atley as leader, James Edwards (first tenor), Roger Hayes (second tenor), James "Charlie" McKay (baritone), and Renaldo Gamble (bass), they performed in school talent shows and became… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 9, 2008 at 7:21pm — 8 Comments

The Five Echoes

The Five Echoes are notable for having been the group that both Earl Lewis (Channels, Flamingos) and Johnnie Taylor both passed through at one time or another. The original Chicago-based group -- Constant "Count" Sims (baritone), Herbert Lewis (baritone), Jimmy Marshall (bass), and Tommy Hunt (second tenor) -- originally called themselves the Flames because they hung out at the Morocco Hotel, home to a famous nightspot, the Flame.

The Flames… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 9, 2008 at 5:46pm — 3 Comments

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)… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 8, 2008 at 9:40pm — 5 Comments

The Magnificent Men

In 1964, the Magnificent Men, the only white act to ever headline New York 's legendary Apollo Theatre and the other major stops on the rhythm and blues "chitlin circuit," was formed from the improbable combination of two integrated bands. York, Pennsylvania's Del-Chords, a seven-member group that featured singers Dave Bupp and Adrian "Buddy" King, often played Battle of the Band contests against Harrisburg's nine-member… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 7, 2008 at 1:40am — 13 Comments

Joe Bataan

Joe Bataan (also spelled Bataán) (born 1942 in Spanish Harlem, New York City) is an Afro-Filipino American Latin R&B musician from New York. He was born Bataan Nitollano and grew up in the 103rd and Lexington part of East Harlem where he briefly lead the Dragons, a local Puerto Rican street gang before being sent to the Coxsackie Correctional Facility to serve time for a stolen car…

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Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 6, 2008 at 3:56pm — 4 Comments

Ralfi Pagan

Ralfi Pagan passed without making a significant mark in the music industry, but not because he

didn't try. Raised on the Lower East Side of New York City, he was part of the city's bubbling

salsa scene in the '60s and late '70s. His main body of work -- four albums -- was waxed for

Johnny Pacheco and Gerald Masucci's Fania Records. Though a major player in the studio, he

didn't achieve the notoriety of some… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 1, 2008 at 7:13pm — 1 Comment

The Spook Who Sat By The Door

THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR:

In the early 1970's, the film "The Spook Who Sat By The Door," premiered, the film was about-the CIA accepting applications from blacks, expecting blacks to fail the exams. When one black man (Freeman) passed the exams, they

were shocked.…

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Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on December 24, 2007 at 5:36pm — 6 Comments

Baby Huey: The Baby Huey Story...The Living Legend

Fantastic! The lost link in the Chicago soul scene of the 60s was Baby Huey -- and he was a pretty darn big link too, if you've ever seen him in pictures! Weighing in at about 300 pounds, Baby Huey was sort of a rockin' soul star who played clubs on both sides of the city, to audiences of all types -- working in a party-styled blend of funk, rock, and soul that was one of the most powerful grooves going down in the Windy City… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on December 23, 2007 at 4:42am — 9 Comments

LeRoy Hutson

Leroy Hutson is an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter, arranger, producer and instrumentalist , best known as the man who had the unenviable task of replacing Curtis Mayfield , one of the all-time great singer-songwriters, as lead singer of the legendary R&B vocal group, The Impressions.

He has been characterized as the best-kept secret of Seventies Soul, most recently noted in the June 29, 2006 issue of… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on December 18, 2007 at 7:22pm — 2 Comments

The Mad Lads

John Gary Williams, William Brown, Julius Green, and Robert Phillips were students at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis during the early Sixties when they formed a vocal group called the Emeralds. They

soon came to the attention of Stax/Volt Records, whose publicity

director, Deanie Parker came up with a new name for the group.

"We were practical jokers," John…

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Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on December 17, 2007 at 4:04am — 4 Comments

The Dynamic Superiors

From Wikipedia

The Dynamic Superiors are a motown group from Washington, D.C., United States.

The group formed in 1963 with members Tony Washington (lead), George Spann (1st tenor), George Peterback, Jr. (2nd tenor), Michael McCalpin (baritone), and Maurice Washington (bass). After a ten year wait, they received their first recording contract in 1974. They recorded with moderate success throughout the 1970s.… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on December 16, 2007 at 5:54pm — No Comments

The Miracles...Renaissance Album 1973

Albums like Renaissance proved that the Miracles could still produce even if their leader Smokey Robinson had gone solo. In fact, Smokey was never far away as he was the executive producer of the album, and the song writing talents of Leon Ware, Willie Hutch, and Larry Mizell, amongst others helped them out. Most of the tracks are lush slow Soul numbers such as If You’re Ever In The Neighborhood, I Wanna Be With You, Wigs And… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on November 28, 2007 at 8:03pm — 1 Comment

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Quincy Jones is thoroughly entwined in the musical background of my young adulthood. A genius of unique quality. I have been posting blogs and music throughout the years and decided to embark on the arduous but satisfying task of gathering some of it to remember the excellent legacy that he left.