The Chords | |
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 The Chords c. 1955 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1951–1960 |
| Labels | |
| Past members |
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The Chords were an American doo-wop vocal group formed in 1951 in The Bronx, New York, [1] known for their 1954 hit "Sh-Boom", which they wrote.[ citation needed ] It is the only song they created that reached mainstream popularity.[ citation needed ]
The group was formed by friends from a high school based in the Bronx, New York City, United States. [2] The initial members were the brothers Carl and Claude Feaster, plus Jimmy Keyes, Floyd McRae, William Edwards, with support from the pianist Rupert Branker. The Chords were one of the early acts to be signed to Cat Records, a subsidiary label of Atlantic Records. [2]
Their debut single was a doo-wop version of a Patti Page song "Cross Over the Bridge", and the record label reluctantly allowed a number penned by the Chords on the B-side. [3] That track was "Sh-Boom", which quickly became the more popular side. [3] The record reached the top 10 of the U.S. pop chart, which was then a unique occurrence for an R&B number. [3] The track was covered by The Crew-Cuts, who took the song to the top of the charts, arguably registering the first U.S. rock and roll number one hit record. [2]
The enthusiasm doo-wop fans had for the Chords' music was dampened when Gem Records claimed that one of the groups on its roster was called the Chords; consequently the group changed their name to the Chordcats. [3] Their success was a one-off as subsequent releases, including "Zippity-Zum", all failed to chart. [3] A round of personnel changes and recordings on a variety of labels all failed to reignite the public's interest. [2] [4] [5] [6]
Pianist Rupert Branker was murdered on July 3, 1961. [8]
Later Bass Joe “Ditto” Dias, who replaced William Edwards, died sometime in the 1960s. [9]
Later Tenor/Baritone Arthur Dicks, who briefly replaced Buddy McRae, died in 2001. [10]
Floyd McRae, the last surviving original member, died on March 19, 2013, at a nursing home in the Bronx at the age of 85. [7]
The Moonglows were an American R&B group in the 1950s. Their song "Sincerely" went to number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 20 on the Billboard Juke Box chart.
The Turbans were an American doo-wop vocal group that formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1953. The original members were: Al Banks, Matthew Platt, Charlie Williams (baritone), and Andrew "Chet" Jones (bass). They came from Downtown Philadelphia.
The Robins were a successful and influential American R&B group of the late 1940s and 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal groups who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound. They were founded by Ty Terrell, and twin brothers Billy Richards and Roy Richards. Bobby Nunn soon joined the lineup. They began their career as the Bluebirds but switched to recording as the Robins in May 1949. In 1955, the group disagreed over whether to remain on the West Coast or sign with Atlantic Records and move to the East Coast. This led to a split within the group. Music producers and songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller took former Robins members Nunn and Carl Gardner, recruited singers Leon Hughes and Billy Guy, and formed the Coasters. The founding Richards brothers and Tyrell continued to record as the Robins until 1961.
The Clovers are an American rhythm and blues/doo-wop vocal group who became one of the biggest selling acts of the 1950s. They had a top 30 US hit in 1959 with the Leiber and Stoller song "Love Potion No. 9".
The Mello-Moods were an American R&B musical ensemble, operating from the late 1940s to mid-1950s.
The Wrens were an American doo-wop vocal group from The Bronx, New York City. They are best known for their song "Come Back My Love" and "I'm Just the Kind of Guy".
The Cadillacs were an American rock and roll and doo-wop group from Harlem, New York, active from 1953 to 1962. The group was noted for their 1955 hit "Speedoo", written by Esther Navarro, which was instrumental in attracting white audiences to black rock and roll performers.
The Del-Vikings were an American doo-wop musical group that recorded several hit singles in the 1950s and continued to record and tour with various lineups in later decades. The group is notable for the hit songs "Come Go with Me" and "Whispering Bells", and for having been a successful racially mixed musical group during a period of time when such groups were rare.
"Sh-Boom" is an early doo-wop song by the R&B vocal group The Chords. It was written by James Keyes, Claude Feaster, Carl Feaster, Floyd F. McRae, and William Edwards, members of The Chords, and published in 1954. It is sometimes considered the first doo-wop or rock 'n' roll record to reach the top ten on the pop charts, as it was a top-10 hit that year for both the Chords and The Crew-Cuts. In 2004, it was ranked No. 215 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time".
The Harptones are an American doo-wop group, which formed in Manhattan in 1953.
The Dubs are an American doo wop vocal group formed in 1956, best known for their songs "Could This Be Magic", "Don't Ask Me to Be Lonely" and "Chapel of Dreams".
The Cadets were an American doo-wop group, formed in Los Angeles, California, United States. The group began as a gospel group, the Santa Monica Soul Seekers, in the late 1940s. The members were Lloyd McCraw, Willie Davis, Austin "Ted" Taylor, Aaron Collins, Glendon Kingsby, and Will "Dub" Jones. In 1955, the group auditioned for Modern Records, and were accepted. The group decided to switch to the popular R&B style, with the exception of Kingsby, who left to continue in gospel music.
The Danleers were an American doo-wop group formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1958. The group's original and most famous lineup consisted of Jimmy Weston, Johnny Lee, Willie Ephraim, Nat McCune, and Roosevelt Mays. One of many streetcorner vocal groups in Brooklyn, they rose to prominence in 1958 on the strength of the single "One Summer Night", written by their manager, Danny Webb, who also named the group. The single was one of the biggest hits of that year and sold over one million copies. Further releases were not so successful and the group mostly dissolved by the mid-1960s. It continued to tour for several decades with Weston as the main original member.
The Charts were an American doo-wop group of the 1950s, most famous for their recording "Deserie".
The Solitaires were an American doo-wop group, best known for their 1957 hit single "Walking Along". Although they never had a national chart hit, they were one of the most popular vocal groups in New York in the late 1950s.
The Monotones were a six-member American doo-wop vocal group in the 1950s. They are considered a one-hit wonder, as their only hit single was "The Book of Love", which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1958.
The Students were an American doo-wop vocal group, which formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, in 1957. Although they only released four sides, two of them – "I'm So Young" and "Every Day of the Week" – became doo-wop standards. "I'm So Young" in particular became popular and durable, and has been covered by the Beach Boys, Rosie and the Originals, The Ronettes and Kid Kyle and "The Students".
The Checkers were an American doo-wop quintet formed in 1952. The original members were John Carnegie (Tenor/Lead), Charlie White (Tenor/Lead), Irwin "Teddy" Williams (Tenor), James Turner "Buddy" Brewer (Baritone), and Bill Brown. The group, only having recorded 25 singles for the King Records imprint and their subsidiary Federal Records broke up in 1955. The most notable aspect of the group was their constantly changing sound due to the 5 personnel changes that happened within their short existence. King kept on releasing bands under the pseudonym of "The Checkers" until the mid 70s.
Lillian Leach, also known by her married name, Lillian Leach Boyd, was an American singer who performed lead vocals with the Bronx-based doo-wop group the Mellows. She was noted for her mellifluous voice and wistful singing style. The Mellows recorded several hit songs in the 1950s, including "Smoke From Your Cigarette", "Yesterday's Memories", and "How Sentimental Can I Be?"
The Hollywood Saxons were a Los Angeles R&B group who recorded under various other names. They were well known on the LA R&B circuit. Their recording history ran from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. Their discography is complex due to the various names they recorded under and labels they recorded on.
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