Biography
The group was formed by Memphis, Tennessee, natives Louis Williams Jr. (24 February 1941 – 13 October 2002), Nathan "Pedro" Lewis (born 30 July 1943), and Elvin Lee Jones( 24 March 1942- 10 March 2012). Both lead singer Williams, who modeled his vocal style closely on that of his idol Sam Cooke, and Lewis, had previously sung with the Del-Rios, who recorded for Stax Records in 1962 when they were fronted by William Bell. [1] In 1964, songwriter Roosevelt Jamison recommended the Ovations to Quinton Claunch and Doc Russell at Goldwax Records, and they were signed to record their first release, "Pretty Little Angel". It was not a hit, but their second record, "It's Wonderful To Be In Love", written by the group members, rose to no.22 on the Billboard R&B chart and no.61 on the pop chart. [2]
The Ovations toured widely with James Brown, James Carr, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Percy Sledge and others, before releasing their follow-up single, "I'm Living Good," written by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham and recorded in Muscle Shoals. However, it was not a commercial success. Jones left the group in 1966 and was replaced by Billy Young, a member of the Avantis. Several later records by the Ovations on Goldwax failed to chart, including "I Need A Lot Of Loving," also written by Penn and Oldham, and "I Believe I'll Go Back Home," co-written by George Jackson, before the group had their second hit with "Me And My Imagination," written by Claunch with Bill Cantrell, which reached no.40 on the R&B chart. [1]
The group continued to record for Goldwax, until a dispute over royalties was followed by the collapse of the label in 1969. The Ovations then split up. In 1971 Williams formed a new version of the group, with singers Rochester Neal, Bill Davis, and Quincy Billops Jr., formerly of The Nightingales. [3] They then recorded for the Sounds of Memphis label, an offshoot of MGM Records, and had a no.19 hit in 1972 with "Touching Me", produced by Dan Greer. In late 1973, the group had their biggest hit with "Having a Party", a version of the Sam Cooke song which was infused with a medley of other soul hits. The single, which had been recorded by Williams together with backing vocalists, reached no.7 on the R&B chart and no.56 on the pop chart. The group also released an album, Having a Party, on MGM, but disbanded soon afterwards. [1] [2] [4] In 2009 their recording of "They Say" was included on a Goldwax Northern soul compilation. [5]
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