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TIME FOR SOME REAL 'THROWBACK MUSIC' - LOL - DOO WOP
I remember when I first became REALLY aware of this group - I heard their song Shimmy Shimmy Ko Bop - Ya know a song filters through your brain - and you go 'who is that'? THAT song was my wake-up call to really pay MORE attention to this group - they could throw curve balls ...
I had no idea I already knew their music, I couldn't grasp the concept that he had been singing silky smooth doo wop like 'Tears On My Pillow', 'Prayer & A Jukebox', 'Take Me Back' with Shimmy Shimmy. Shimmy Shimmy was so very different from their other stuff. I was sure it had to be a different group. Went and bought Shimmy Shimmy, sorted through my 45's and sure enuf - one and the same group. (Of course, after listening to him for over 40 years - I can't believe I didn't recognize THAT voice.) Shimmy Shimmy began my fascination with Tony & the Boys for many years to come .... I was always sure he could sing the phone book and it would sound wonderful .... at least to me.... So I'm gonna do their best stuff - and some of his lesser known stuff ....
Doo Wop was not even a termed kicked around in my neighbourhood at that time. Mostly everyone was into 'Elvis the Pelvis" ....
Bio:
Little Anthony & the Imperials enjoyed one of the longest career runs of any doo wop group, adapting their honey-smooth style to fit the sweet uptown soul sound of the mid-'60s. Right from the beginning, Little Anthony's aching way with a ballad was the group's calling card, but their repertoire was balanced by more R&B-inflected dance tunes. Little Anthony was born Jerome Anthony Gourdine in 1940, and grew up in Brooklyn's Fort Greene projects. While in high school, he sang in a doo wop group called the Duponts, who recorded a single called "Prove It Now" in 1957. They disbanded after graduation, however, and Gourdine joined another group called the Chesters, which had been formed by his friend Clarence Collins (baritone) and also featured longtime friend Ernest Wright, Jr. (tenor); the other members were Tracy Lord (tenor) and Nat Rogers (bass). After a one-off single for Apollo, they landed a record deal with the End label in 1958, at which point their name was changed to the Imperials. ("Little Anthony" was later tagged onto the beginning by DJ Alan Freed.)
The Imperials' first single for End was the classic heartache ballad "Tears on My Pillow," a Top Five smash on both the pop and R&B charts. Little Anthony's dramatic interpretation was certainly helped in the public eye by his youthful-sounding voice and name, which recalled the recently popular Frankie Lymon. The single's B-side, "Two People in the World," was also something of a hit, making the Imperials one of the hottest vocal groups around. Landing a follow-up hit proved difficult, however; the group charted several singles -- "So Much," "Wishful Thinking," "A Prayer and a Juke Box" -- without even approaching their earlier success. Finally, the novelty dance track "Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop" caught on in 1960 and returned Little Anthony & the Imperials to the upper reaches of the charts (though it missed the Top Ten). The follow-ups "My Empty Room" and "Please Say You Want Me" flopped, however, and Little Anthony decided to try a solo career in late 1961.
The Imperials continued on with a new lineup of Collins, Wright, Sammy Strain, and George Kerr, the latter of whom was replaced by Kenny Seymour in 1962. Neither Little Anthony nor his erstwhile group had any luck on their own, and in late 1963 he returned to the fold, replacing Seymour. The next summer, the reconstituted Imperials signed with the DCP label, where producer/songwriter Teddy Randazzo made them a priority. His first effort with the group, "I'm on the Outside (Looking In)," reached number 15 on both the pop and R&B charts in 1964, reestablishing the Imperials as a commercial presence. The follow-up, "Goin' Out of My Head," was a smash, returning them to the pop Top Ten for the first time since "Tears on My Pillow"; it was covered quite often in the years that followed, and grew into something of a pop standard. The Imperials' streak of good fortune continued with the equally dramatic ballad "Hurt So Bad," another Top Ten hit that also became their second R&B Top Fiver in 1965. A couple of smaller hits followed later that year in "I Miss You So" and the pop/R&B Top 20 "Take Me Back."
Little Anthony & the Imperials continued to chart singles over the next several years, but only one -- 1969's "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" -- breached the Top 50 on either the pop or R&B sides. That same year, the group switched labels to United Artists, and Ernest Wright, Jr. departed to join singer Tony Williams' latter-day version of the Platters. He was replaced by a returning Kenny Seymour, who was in turn replaced by Bobby Wade in 1971, the year of the group's last chart single, "Help Me Find a Way (To Say I Love You)." Sammy Strain left in 1972 and wound up joining the O'Jays four years later; his replacement was Harold Jenkins. Little Anthony himself left the group a second time in 1975 to pursue solo recording as well as an acting career, which effectively spelled the end of the road; nonetheless, a Collins-led lineup did manage to score one last hit in the U.K., 1977's "Who's Gonna Love Me." Little Anthony became a born-again Christian in 1978 and subsequently recorded a gospel album, Daylight. Anthony, Collins, Wright, and Strain reunited in 1992 and toured the oldies circuit steadily thereafter.
Biography by Steve Huey (Allmusic)
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
THE THREE DEGREES
boomp3.com
BEFORE you all get really excited about this version of Love Train IT is performed by the Three Degrees & Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.
IT IS NOT on the Roulette Years. (this post) I'm not actually sure where it originated from. But it sure would be a heck of an album to lay hands on.
Why have I posted this?? Today is my friend Duley's Birthday. And I wanted to give him a song he probably didn't have. He is always looking for obsure (odd?) songs from me. I guess he thinks I only have obscure stuff!! LOL!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY MEIHO ....
THIS SONG IS ON THE ROULETTE YEARS- IT IS ONE OF Baby Brothas (YA-BOY'S) FAVS .....
boomp3.com
The Three Degrees
When you hear the name, The Three Degrees, you immediately think of their most famous song, "When Will I See You Again", and the vision of three beautiful ebony women, perfectly co-ordinated in both their dance routines and their vocal harmonies. True, "When Will I See You Again" was a major hit record throughout the world, topping the chart in the U.S.A., the U.K, Japan and most European countries, earning the trio every conceivable accolade at the time -- not to mention enough Gold records to make Fort Knox a little envious!
More than two decades on, the threesome have retained all three of their major qualities -- their beauty, their sparkling choreography and their precise vocal qualities. And, in between, they have amassed an impressive list of hit records.
Today, the line-up consists of Valerie Holiday, Helen Scott and Cynthia Garrison.
The actual beginning of the group dates back more than 3 decades, when their then-manager, the enigmatic Richard Barrett brought three young teenagers together in Philadelphia. After a couple of years of constant rehearsing and local record hops, the group made its first mark on the recording scene by way of the Philly-based Swan Records.
But they were tough days for the teenagers! "I remember taking the bus to rehearsals every day," recalls Helen. "We'd rehearse until 8 or 9 o'clock every night and on weekends. And we'd play local record hops whenever we could. Gradually, we started to make noise outside of Philadelphia and we went to Pittsburgh, into Ohio and Rhode Island. Always on weekends, though, because we were all still at school."
During the Swan years, the group's line up was Helen, Fayette Pinkney and Janet Harmon. Their biggest success on Swan was probably "Gee Baby", which featured Fayette on lead vocals. "Those original recordings were quite different from the way we record now," Helen reflects. "We would record with a 'live' band, all in one room at the same time. Only towards the end of the years with Swan did we record our vocals after the band had finished recording the tracks. Many of the musicians went on to become members of MFSB and I remember when Kenny Gamble would come by the office and the studio to tout his songs!
"You know, we were just happy-go-lucky teenagers...we had no big expectations and we did it for the sheer pleasure of music. We just wanted to sing! I remember getting my first TV paycheck...it was for $90 and I thought I'd hit the jackpot. To a fifteen year old, that was a lot of money."
Soon thereafter Helen got married and left the group. By this time, they had signed with New York-based Roulette Records and the line-up was Fayette, Valerie Holiday and Sheila Ferguson and this line-up was to remain intact for their glory years with Roulette and Philadelphia International.
The hits began with a remake of the Chantels 1958 hit, "Maybe" and continued through "I Do Take You", "You're The One", "There's So Much Love All Around Me" (all produced by Barrett) and closed out with "Trade Winds" for Roulette. It was during this two-year span that they made a cameo appearance in the movie, "The French Connection", singing "Everybody Gets To Go To The Moon", portraying themselves in a cabaret scene.
In 1972, they aligned their recording fate with Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International label and hit immediate paydirt in 1972 with "Dirty Ol Man". Soon after came "TSOP", which featured the ladies with MFSB. The following year came 'When Will I See You Again". "The whole Philadelphia Sound was the brainchild of Kenny (Gamble) and Leon (Huff)," Valerie explains. "They wrote and produced most of the hits...Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O'Jays, Billy Paul, the Intruders. In all honesty, we weren't aware of the potential of the label when we first signed but at our first session with them, we felt the magic. It was different from anything we had ever experienced before.
"To be perfectly honest, I didn't hear "When Will I See You Again"! We had released "Dirty Ol Man" as the first single and, to me, it was just another track on the album! I really wasn't knowledgeable enough to be a good judge.
"I was very disappointed when we left the label. I thought that Kenny and Leon were the best writers and producers we had ever worked with. I liked their work and I liked working with them. To this day, Richard Barrett has never explained why we left!"
During their 3 year stint with Philadelphia International, they enjoyed a good measure of success with "Year Of Decision", "Take Good Care Of Yourself" and, again with MFSB, "Love Is The Message".
It was during this era that the threesome made their biggest forward strides. A great deal of attention has been given to the fact that Prince Charles publicly acclaimed The Three Degree as his favourite group....Charlie's Angels, they were tagged! "It was a great feeling...a feeling of awe," is how Valerie remembers this accolade. "Going to Buckingham Palace was......I'm lost for words! The British royal family was an institution and it really didn't sink in at the time the magnitude of the people we were meeting. But the British people....the actual people...also took to us very quickly and very warmly and that warmth has always remained."
"It was actually the press who tagged us Charlie's Angels," Helen interjects. "I don't know if Prince Charles himself ever said that. But we did many charity events for several members of the Royal Family and we met Princess Diana, of course. In fact, on one occasion, just after she had given birth to Prince Harry and I was pregnant with my daughter, Karis, she whispered to me that she thought she was pregnant, too!"
In fact, The Three Degrees were invited guests at the wedding reception of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. "The only other American guest was Nancy Reagan and (actress) Susan George was the only other show business guest." Helen recalls.
Helen had rejoined the group in 1976, replacing Fayette. They moved on to Epic Records, where one album was released but did not achieve any major success for the ladies. A year later, they teamed up with Giorgio Moroder (he of Donna Summer fame) and a new string of hits began. "Giving Up, Giving In", "My Simple Heart" and the lush ballad, "Woman In Love", were the highlights of this period.
In 1986, Sheila decided to leave the group and after a short period of regrouping, Valerie and Helen brought in Cynthia Garrison and set about their business again. Ever since, they have been constantly touring all over the world, occasionally recording but always working.
Their hard work in the early years has held them in good stead for today's more demanding audiences. "For us, it is still exciting and we still enjoy our work," Valerie points out. "We are blessed with a wide age group appeal....from fifteen to sixty-five. This is why we have survived, I think. We learned and were taught how to entertain and even before we had hit records, we knew how to do our job -- our choreography, our costumes, the lights...these were all things that we learned at an early age."
"I think we have done many firsts in our career."Helen adds. "We have opened a lot of doors for other entertainers. In some cases, we may not have always succeeded but we have never given up. It still amazes me when we see teenagers singing along with our songs. And yet we still have the fans who have grown with us."
Cindy is, after 14 years, still the baby of the group! "It was a little frightening at the beginning," she recalls. "I had sung background for several artists (Millie Jackson, Change, Kathy Sledge and Brandy Wells) but I had never been a full member of a group before. I felt good from the first time I met Helen and Valerie. We got on great right from that first meeting. They were very down to earth and made me feel comfortable. My first tour was to Japan (in 1990) and I remember I didn't know all of the choreographs for the songs....it was difficult but I enjoyed it very much and still do!"
So, after more than three decades of existence, the Three Degrees can still make the claim as being the longest running female vocal group in history....see the Guiness Book of Records for confirmation of this fact! And they show no signs of slowing down!
Group personnel listing:
1963 Fayette Pinckney, Linda Turner, Shirley Poole
1963 Fayette, Helen Scott, Janet Harmon
1966 Fayette, Janet, Sheila Ferguson
1967 Fayette, Sheila, Valerie Holiday
1976 Sheila, Valerie, Helen Scott (return)
1986 Valerie, Helen, Vera Brown
1987 Valerie, Helen, Rhea Harris
1988 Valerie, Helen, Victoria Wallace
1989 Valerie, Helen, Cynthia Garrison
BEFORE you all get really excited about this version of Love Train IT is performed by the Three Degrees & Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.
IT IS NOT on the Roulette Years. (this post) I'm not actually sure where it originated from. But it sure would be a heck of an album to lay hands on.
Why have I posted this?? Today is my friend Duley's Birthday. And I wanted to give him a song he probably didn't have. He is always looking for obsure (odd?) songs from me. I guess he thinks I only have obscure stuff!! LOL!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY MEIHO ....
THIS SONG IS ON THE ROULETTE YEARS- IT IS ONE OF Baby Brothas (YA-BOY'S) FAVS .....
boomp3.com
The Three Degrees
When you hear the name, The Three Degrees, you immediately think of their most famous song, "When Will I See You Again", and the vision of three beautiful ebony women, perfectly co-ordinated in both their dance routines and their vocal harmonies. True, "When Will I See You Again" was a major hit record throughout the world, topping the chart in the U.S.A., the U.K, Japan and most European countries, earning the trio every conceivable accolade at the time -- not to mention enough Gold records to make Fort Knox a little envious!
More than two decades on, the threesome have retained all three of their major qualities -- their beauty, their sparkling choreography and their precise vocal qualities. And, in between, they have amassed an impressive list of hit records.
Today, the line-up consists of Valerie Holiday, Helen Scott and Cynthia Garrison.
The actual beginning of the group dates back more than 3 decades, when their then-manager, the enigmatic Richard Barrett brought three young teenagers together in Philadelphia. After a couple of years of constant rehearsing and local record hops, the group made its first mark on the recording scene by way of the Philly-based Swan Records.
But they were tough days for the teenagers! "I remember taking the bus to rehearsals every day," recalls Helen. "We'd rehearse until 8 or 9 o'clock every night and on weekends. And we'd play local record hops whenever we could. Gradually, we started to make noise outside of Philadelphia and we went to Pittsburgh, into Ohio and Rhode Island. Always on weekends, though, because we were all still at school."
During the Swan years, the group's line up was Helen, Fayette Pinkney and Janet Harmon. Their biggest success on Swan was probably "Gee Baby", which featured Fayette on lead vocals. "Those original recordings were quite different from the way we record now," Helen reflects. "We would record with a 'live' band, all in one room at the same time. Only towards the end of the years with Swan did we record our vocals after the band had finished recording the tracks. Many of the musicians went on to become members of MFSB and I remember when Kenny Gamble would come by the office and the studio to tout his songs!
"You know, we were just happy-go-lucky teenagers...we had no big expectations and we did it for the sheer pleasure of music. We just wanted to sing! I remember getting my first TV paycheck...it was for $90 and I thought I'd hit the jackpot. To a fifteen year old, that was a lot of money."
Soon thereafter Helen got married and left the group. By this time, they had signed with New York-based Roulette Records and the line-up was Fayette, Valerie Holiday and Sheila Ferguson and this line-up was to remain intact for their glory years with Roulette and Philadelphia International.
The hits began with a remake of the Chantels 1958 hit, "Maybe" and continued through "I Do Take You", "You're The One", "There's So Much Love All Around Me" (all produced by Barrett) and closed out with "Trade Winds" for Roulette. It was during this two-year span that they made a cameo appearance in the movie, "The French Connection", singing "Everybody Gets To Go To The Moon", portraying themselves in a cabaret scene.
In 1972, they aligned their recording fate with Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International label and hit immediate paydirt in 1972 with "Dirty Ol Man". Soon after came "TSOP", which featured the ladies with MFSB. The following year came 'When Will I See You Again". "The whole Philadelphia Sound was the brainchild of Kenny (Gamble) and Leon (Huff)," Valerie explains. "They wrote and produced most of the hits...Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O'Jays, Billy Paul, the Intruders. In all honesty, we weren't aware of the potential of the label when we first signed but at our first session with them, we felt the magic. It was different from anything we had ever experienced before.
"To be perfectly honest, I didn't hear "When Will I See You Again"! We had released "Dirty Ol Man" as the first single and, to me, it was just another track on the album! I really wasn't knowledgeable enough to be a good judge.
"I was very disappointed when we left the label. I thought that Kenny and Leon were the best writers and producers we had ever worked with. I liked their work and I liked working with them. To this day, Richard Barrett has never explained why we left!"
During their 3 year stint with Philadelphia International, they enjoyed a good measure of success with "Year Of Decision", "Take Good Care Of Yourself" and, again with MFSB, "Love Is The Message".
It was during this era that the threesome made their biggest forward strides. A great deal of attention has been given to the fact that Prince Charles publicly acclaimed The Three Degree as his favourite group....Charlie's Angels, they were tagged! "It was a great feeling...a feeling of awe," is how Valerie remembers this accolade. "Going to Buckingham Palace was......I'm lost for words! The British royal family was an institution and it really didn't sink in at the time the magnitude of the people we were meeting. But the British people....the actual people...also took to us very quickly and very warmly and that warmth has always remained."
"It was actually the press who tagged us Charlie's Angels," Helen interjects. "I don't know if Prince Charles himself ever said that. But we did many charity events for several members of the Royal Family and we met Princess Diana, of course. In fact, on one occasion, just after she had given birth to Prince Harry and I was pregnant with my daughter, Karis, she whispered to me that she thought she was pregnant, too!"
In fact, The Three Degrees were invited guests at the wedding reception of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. "The only other American guest was Nancy Reagan and (actress) Susan George was the only other show business guest." Helen recalls.
Helen had rejoined the group in 1976, replacing Fayette. They moved on to Epic Records, where one album was released but did not achieve any major success for the ladies. A year later, they teamed up with Giorgio Moroder (he of Donna Summer fame) and a new string of hits began. "Giving Up, Giving In", "My Simple Heart" and the lush ballad, "Woman In Love", were the highlights of this period.
In 1986, Sheila decided to leave the group and after a short period of regrouping, Valerie and Helen brought in Cynthia Garrison and set about their business again. Ever since, they have been constantly touring all over the world, occasionally recording but always working.
Their hard work in the early years has held them in good stead for today's more demanding audiences. "For us, it is still exciting and we still enjoy our work," Valerie points out. "We are blessed with a wide age group appeal....from fifteen to sixty-five. This is why we have survived, I think. We learned and were taught how to entertain and even before we had hit records, we knew how to do our job -- our choreography, our costumes, the lights...these were all things that we learned at an early age."
"I think we have done many firsts in our career."Helen adds. "We have opened a lot of doors for other entertainers. In some cases, we may not have always succeeded but we have never given up. It still amazes me when we see teenagers singing along with our songs. And yet we still have the fans who have grown with us."
Cindy is, after 14 years, still the baby of the group! "It was a little frightening at the beginning," she recalls. "I had sung background for several artists (Millie Jackson, Change, Kathy Sledge and Brandy Wells) but I had never been a full member of a group before. I felt good from the first time I met Helen and Valerie. We got on great right from that first meeting. They were very down to earth and made me feel comfortable. My first tour was to Japan (in 1990) and I remember I didn't know all of the choreographs for the songs....it was difficult but I enjoyed it very much and still do!"
So, after more than three decades of existence, the Three Degrees can still make the claim as being the longest running female vocal group in history....see the Guiness Book of Records for confirmation of this fact! And they show no signs of slowing down!
Group personnel listing:
1963 Fayette Pinckney, Linda Turner, Shirley Poole
1963 Fayette, Helen Scott, Janet Harmon
1966 Fayette, Janet, Sheila Ferguson
1967 Fayette, Sheila, Valerie Holiday
1976 Sheila, Valerie, Helen Scott (return)
1986 Valerie, Helen, Vera Brown
1987 Valerie, Helen, Rhea Harris
1988 Valerie, Helen, Victoria Wallace
1989 Valerie, Helen, Cynthia Garrison
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