The Falcons

Last updated

The Falcons were an American rhythm and blues vocal group, some of whose members went on to be influential in soul music. [1]

Contents

History

The Falcons formed in 1955 in Detroit, Michigan on the Mercury Records imprint. After personnel changes in 1956, The Falcons had hits for the Lu Pine Records label with the million-selling "You're So Fine" (1959), [2] and "I Found a Love" (1962). [3] The group recorded under the production wing of Robert West, who gave the group a gospel sound and recorded the singers on his own Flick label. "You're So Fine" was a national hit, charting at No. 17, on United Artists' Unart label after being picked up from Flick. [3]

Joe Stubbs was the lead singer, also on the singles "Just for Your Love" (1959) and "The Teacher" (1960), before Wilson Pickett replaced him in 1960. [3] After 1963, the Fabulous Playboys took over the Falcons name. The later group comprised Carlis 'Sonny' Munro, James Gibson, Johnny Alvin, and Alton Hollowell. [3] This group made the R&B chart in 1966, with "Standing on Guard". [3] In 2005, Munro briefly reformed the group with Frank Garcia, Calvin Stephenson and Charnissa Stephenson.

Singer and songwriter Willie Schofield (born December 30, 1939) died from acute kidney failure at his home in Southfield, Michigan on March 30, 2021, at age 81. [4]

Members

Some members were replaced over time:

Discography

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart positions
US Pop
[5]
US R&B
[5]
1959"You're So Fine"172
"You're Mine"107
"Just for Your Love"26
1960"The Teacher"18
1962"I Found a Love"756
1966"Standing on Guard"10792
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson Pickett</span> American singer (1941–2006)

Wilson Pickett was an American singer and songwriter.

Memphis soul, also known as the Memphis sound, is the most prominent strain of Southern soul. It is a shimmering, sultry style produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring melodic unison horn lines, organ, guitar, bass, and a driving beat on the drums.

Leroy Vinnegar was an American jazz bassist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, the self-taught Vinnegar established his reputation in Los Angeles, California, during the 1950s and 1960s. His trademark was the rhythmic "walking" bass line, a steady series of ascending or descending notes, and it brought him the nickname "The Walker". Besides his jazz work, he also appeared on a number of soundtracks and pop albums, notably Van Morrison's 1972 album, Saint Dominic's Preview.

Southern soul is a type of soul music that emerged from the Southern United States. The music originated from a combination of styles, including blues, country, early R&B, and a strong gospel influence that emanated from the sounds of Southern black churches. Bass guitar, drums, horn section, and gospel roots vocal are important to soul groove. This rhythmic force made it a strong influence in the rise of funk music. The terms "deep soul", "country soul", "downhome soul" and "hard soul" have been used synonymously with "Southern soul".p. 18

Bonny "Mack" Rice, sometimes credited as Sir Mack Rice, was an American songwriter and singer. His best-known composition and biggest hit as a solo performer was "Mustang Sally". He also wrote "Respect Yourself" with Luther Ingram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Undisputed Truth</span> American musical group

The Undisputed Truth was an American Motown recording act, assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield as a means for being able to experiment with his psychedelic soul production techniques. Joe "Pep" Harris served as main lead singer, with Billie Rae Calvin and Brenda Joyce Evans on additional leads and background vocals.

Lu Pine Records was a small local record label in Detroit, Michigan, founded by Robert West. Mainly active during the late-1950s and 1960s but was reactivated for some time when its owner moved to Las Vegas in the 1970s. The label released records by a number of artists, including Joe Stubbs, Eddie Floyd, The Falcons and The Ohio Untouchables. Prior to the emergence of Motown Records, it was the most significant African-American-owned record label in Detroit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Floyd</span> American soul-R&B singer and songwriter

Eddie Lee Floyd is an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s, including the No. 1 R&B hit song "Knock on Wood".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Bobo</span> American jazz percussionist (1934–1983)

William Correa, better known by his stage name Willie Bobo, was an American Latin jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of Latino music and was noted for combining elements of jazz, Latin and rhythm and blues music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Bo</span> Musical artist

Edwin Joseph Bocage, known as Eddie Bo, was an American singer and pianist from New Orleans. Schooled in jazz, he was known for his blues, soul and funk recordings, compositions, productions and arrangements. He debuted on Ace Records in 1955 and released more single records than anyone else in New Orleans other than Fats Domino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaco Records</span> American record label founded 1962

Malaco Records is an American independent record label based in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, that has been the home of various major blues and gospel acts, such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, Mel Waiters, Z. Z. Hill, Denise LaSalle, Latimore, Dorothy Moore, Little Milton, Shirley Brown, Tyrone Davis, Marvin Sease, and the Mississippi Mass Choir. It has received an historic marker issued by the Mississippi Blues Commission to commemorate its important place on the Mississippi Blues Trail.

<i>Patsy Clines Greatest Hits</i> 1967 greatest hits album by Patsy Cline

Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits is a compilation consisting of American country pop music singer, Patsy Cline's greatest hits. The album consists of Cline's biggest hits between 1957 and 1963. It is one of the biggest-selling albums in the United States by any female country music artist.

100 Proof (Aged in Soul) was an American funk/soul group, who formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1969. They were put together by former Motown songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland, signing the group to their new Hot Wax Records label. The group went on to release several hit singles between 1969 and 1972. The biggest of these was "Somebody's Been Sleeping", which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, sold more than one million copies, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>The Exciting Wilson Pickett</i> 1966 studio album by Wilson Pickett

The Exciting Wilson Pickett, released in 1966, was the third album by R&B and soul singer Wilson Pickett. The album charted at #3 on the U.S. Billboard R&B albums chart and #21 on the popular albums chart, becoming the highest-charting studio album of Pickett's career. The making of the album saw Pickett end his relationship with Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had cut his early singles, and move to Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where he would record for the next two years. According to AllMusic, this album firmly established Picket's "stature as a major '60s soul man". The album launched four major hits for Pickett, but AllMusic emphasizes that the album cuts, "of nearly an equal level", will be of more interest to collectors.

The Marvelows were an American soul group from Chicago, formed in 1959. After contacting arranger / producer Johnny Pate, the group signed to the ABC-Paramount label, and recorded four sides: "A Friend", "My Heart", "Hey Hey Baby", and "I Do". Originally composed as a show warmup song, "I Do" was released as a single in the summer of 1965, and peaked at number 7 on the R&B Singles chart and at number 37 on Billboard's Hot 100. It was later covered twice by The J. Geils Band, first in 1977, and again on a live album in 1982, charting at number 24 on the Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Persip</span> American jazz musician (1929–2020)

Charles Lawrence Persip, known as Charli Persip and formerly as Charlie Persip, was an American jazz drummer.

The Five Du-Tones were an American soul vocal group, who enjoyed success in the dance craze era of the early 1960s. The group comprised Willie Guest, Robert Hopkins, LeRoy Joyce, Oscar Watson and James West. They came together while attending Patrick Henry High School in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tami Lynn</span> American soul singer (1939–2020)

Tami Lynn was an American soul singer. She scored a Top Ten hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1971 with the song "I'm Gonna Run Away From You".

Joe Stubbs was an American R&B/soul singer who became the lead singer of four different groups throughout his recording career. He was the younger brother of The Four Tops' lead Levi Stubbs.

William Nelson "Sonny" Sanders was an American soul music singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer.

References

  1. Dahl, Bill. "Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  2. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p.  113. ISBN   0-214-20512-6.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 83. ISBN   0-85112-733-9.
  4. "Willie M. Schofield 1939 - 2021". Legacy.com. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "The Falcons Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved April 16, 2022.