The Solitaires

Last updated
The Solitaires
The Solitaires in 1954.jpg
The Solitaires in 1954. Top row: Herman Curtis, Pat Gaston, Bobby Baylor. Bottom row: Bobby Williams, Buzzy Willis.
Background information
Origin Harlem, New York City, United States
Genres Doo-wop
Years active1953–2019
Labels Old Town Records
Argo Records
Past members
  • Nick Anderson
  • Reggie Barnes
  • Freddy Barksdale
  • Bobby Baylor
  • Herman Curtis
  • Pat Gaston
  • Cecil Holmes
  • California Jones
  • George Magnezid
  • Robbie Mansfield
  • Roland Martinez
  • Cathy Miller
  • Angel Morgan
  • Monte Owens
  • Wally Roker
  • Bobby Williams
  • Harriet Williams
  • Buzzy Willis
  • Milton Love
  • Frank Morrow
  • Alvin Grant
  • Don Cruz
  • Ray Goodwin

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. [1]

Contents

History

The Solitaires formed in Harlem in 1953. They started as a street-corner singing group, one of many that used to congregate on 142nd Street. [2] The original lineup consisted of Eddie "California" Jones (lead singer), Nick Anderson (first tenor), Winston "Buzzy" Willis (second tenor), Rudy "Angel" Morgan (baritone), and Pat Gaston (bass). [1]

Old Town Records: 1954–1963

Herman Curtis

After a series of personnel changes, the group had six members: Herman Curtis, also known as Herman Dunham (lead singer/first tenor), Buzzy Willis (second tenor), Pat Gaston (bass), Monteith "Monte" Owens (tenor/guitar), Bobby Baylor (second tenor/baritone) and Bobby "Schubie" Williams (tenor/piano). Curtis had previously performed with the Vocaleers, Gaston with the Four Bells, Willis with the Crows, and Owens, Baylor and Williams with the Mello-Moods. [2]

Willis happened to work for Hal Jackson, a famous disc jockey and radio personality at WLIB. With Jackson's help, the Solitaires landed an audition with record producer Hy Weiss in the fall of 1953. Weiss used to hold auditions in a local movie theater after it had closed for the night. [1] Weiss was impressed with the young men's vocals. Just teenagers at the time, the Solitaires wrote most of their own material and had their own style of harmony, which helped distinguish them from the other street-corner singers. [2] The group was signed to the Old Town record label, from which they issued a series of singles that included "Wonder Why", "Blue Valentine", and a cover version of the jazz standard, "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You". It was during this period that the group's best known publicity photo was taken, showing Curtis, Gaston, Baylor, Williams and Willis in white jackets procured for them by their manager at the time, Maurice Hines (father of the noted actor and dancer Gregory Hines). [1]

Milton Love

When Curtis left the group to join the air force in 1955, [2] he was replaced by Milton Love (formerly of the Concords). It was with Love that the Solitaires enjoyed their greatest success. [3] Love had taken voice lessons as a child, and had released a single with the Concords while still in high school, writing the lyrics and singing the lead on both sides. [4] With the Concords he had also sung backup on a single with Pearl Reaves ("You Can't Stay Here"/"I'm Not Ashamed") which had done well locally. [5] The Solitaires had a string of local hits throughout the latter part of the 1950s that included "The Wedding" (1955), "The Angels Sang" (1956), and their biggest hit, "Walking Along" (1957). Bass singer Freddy Barksdale joined the group in 1956 when Pat Gaston also joined the air force. Curtis rejoined the group when time permitted and sang lead on a few more songs, including "Please Kiss This Letter" and "Thrill of Love". [1]

Meanwhile the group performed regularly to sold-out crowds in venues along the East Coast and in Canada, including the Apollo Theater in Harlem, the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C., and shows hosted by Alan Freed, Hal Jackson, and Dr. Jive. [1] In 1955 they performed at the Second Annual Festival of Negro Music at the Savoy Ballroom. Their songs received regular airplay and developed a loyal fan base among R&B lovers. When they performed their hit song "The Wedding" and its sequel, "The Honeymoon", Love would wear a mop on his head to play the part of the bride. [2]

In 1959 the Solitaires were booked to play at the Paramount along with Frankie Avalon, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper. They never got to meet Holly or the Big Bopper, as both were killed in a plane crash that February. [2]

Other labels

The group disbanded temporarily in 1961 when Milton Love joined the army for two years. Although they were popular in New York and several of their singles had been regional hits, they had not had a national chart hit. This was likely due to poor distribution by Old Town. [1] Their signature song, "Walking Along", was a local chart hit in the New York area in 1957. When a white group, the Diamonds, covered it in 1958, it reached #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. [6] The Solitaires then made some additional sales by re-releasing their version with Argo Records. A last Old Town single, recorded a few years earlier, was released in 1963. [1]

The group released three more singles under other labels in 1964. Calling themselves the Cadillacs, the group backed up Ray Brewster in "Fool", released by Arctic. They recorded another single as the Chances, "Through a Long and Sleepless Night", released by Roulette. Their last single as the Solitaires was "Fool That I Am", released by MGM. [2]

Later years

Various Solitaires lineups have toured since 1961. For several years the group was made up of Milton Love, Freddy Barksdale, George Magnezid and Robbie Mansfield. [4] (Both Magnezid and Mansfield formerly sang with the Wrens.) [4] The group performed at United in Group Harmony Association concerts and other venues in the 1990s. [4] In 2012 their lineup consisted of Milton Love, Alvin Grant, Don Cruz, and Ray Goodwin. [7] As recently as Labor Day 2014 the group was performing in the New Jersey area. [8]

The current and former members have pursued a variety of careers in and out of the music industry. Milton Love became a medical technician. Notably, Pat Gaston, formerly a high school dropout, eventually earned a doctorate in clinical psychology. [2]

Robert "Bobby/Schubie" Williams died in 1961, due to a blood disease. [1] [9]

Bobby Baylor died on January 4, 1989. [10] [9] [11]

George Magnezid died on December 9, 2003. [12]

Eddie "California" Jones died on August 24, 2008. [13]

Herman Dunham (known as Herman Curtis) died on February 1, 2010, due to lung cancer. [14] [15] [16]

Monte Owens died on March 3, 2011, in the Bronx, New York, after illness, at the age of 74. [17] [10] [9]

Freddy Barksdale died from diabetes and chronic kidney disease on June 25, 2015. [18] [19]

Ray Goodwin died from cancer in December, 2022. [20]

In 1984, the Murray Hill Company released a boxed set of Solitaires recordings which included several previously unreleased songs. Due to a mixup at Old Town, it also included a song not performed by the Solitaires: "Darling, Listen to the Words of This Song" was actually performed by another Old Town group called the Supremes (not to be confused with the Motown Supremes). Another unreleased song, "Silent Grief", written and sung by Milton Love, was unearthed by a collector and released in the 1990s. [21]

Milton Love retired in 2019. [22]

Influence

Although none of their original records made the charts, several of their songs have gained recognition over the years and have been included in anthologies such as 25 All-Time Doo-Wop Hits, The Best of Doo-Wop, Doo-Wop Classics, Doo-Wop Treasures, Only the Best of Old Town Records, and Rhino's Doo-Wop Box. [23] (Richie Unterberger classed the Solitaires' "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You" with the "should-have-been-hits" in his review of Doo-Wop Box.) [24] The group's recording career is described as "illustrious" in Mitch Rosalsky's Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Doo-Wop Vocal Groups. [21]

Decades after its original release, rock musician Lou Reed mentioned "Later for You, Baby" by the Solitaires in an interview, along with songs by the Mellows and other New York doo-wop groups, noting that they had been far more influential than anyone seemed to realize. [25]

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Moonglows</span> American R&B group

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Teenagers</span> American doo wop group

The Teenagers were an American music group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences by DJ Alan Freed. The group, which made its most popular recordings with young Frankie Lymon as lead singer, is also noted for being rock's first all-teenaged act. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herman Santiago</span> Puerto Rican singer

Herman Santiago is a Puerto Rican rock and roll pioneer and songwriter who was previously a member of the vocal group Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. He (disputedly) co-wrote the group's iconic hit "Why Do Fools Fall in Love".

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Del-Vikings</span> American doo-wop group

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.

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chords (American band)</span> American doo-wop group

The Chords were an American doo-wop vocal group formed in 1951 in The Bronx, New York, known for their 1954 hit "Sh-Boom", which they wrote. It is the only song they created that reached mainstream popularity.

Prentice Moreland was an American R&B and doo wop singer of the 1950s and early 1960s.

The Valentines were one of the most highly regarded American doo-wop groups from the mid-1950s.

The Charts were an American doo-wop group of the 1950s, most famous for their recording "Deserie".

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Checkers (American band)</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Vocaleers</span>

The Vocaleers were an American doo-wop group formed in Harlem, New York, in 1952. Managed by record producer Bobby Robinson, the group released a string of regional hits and scored one national R&B hit with the song "Is It a Dream" in 1953. Highlighted by the distinctive vocal delivery of Joe Duncan, "Is It a Dream" became a standard component of several R&B acts in Harlem and, briefly, the Vocaleers were among the most popular attractions of the city's music scene.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Goldberg, Marv. "The Solitaires". Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks. Retrieved 31 March 2015. While never achieving the national stature of many of their contemporaries, the Solitaires managed to outlast most of them in a career that saw them as one of the top vocal groups on the New York scene.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Warner, Jay (2006). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today . Hal Leonard Corporation. p.  295. ISBN   9780634099786.
  3. ↑ "The Solitaires Biography". Oldies.com. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Walking Along With the Solitaires". The Solitaires Website. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  5. ↑ Kochakian, Dan (December 1985). "Pearl Reaves". Women, Whiskey And... (15): 25–27.
  6. ↑ Dahl, Bill. "The Diamonds - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Terhune, Virginia (31 October 2012). "County producer books Solitaires to sing in Fort Washington: Doo-wop group coming to Harmony Hall". Gazette.Net.
  8. ↑ "Rocking New Jersey Labor Day events". App.com. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 Goldmine Staff (19 July 2011). "Meet The Mello-Moods, the teen doo-wop group that started it all". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  10. 1 2 "The Solitaires Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  11. ↑ "Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks - THE SOLITAIRES". Uncamarvy.com. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  12. ↑ "Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks - THE WRENS". Uncamarvy.com. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  13. ↑ "Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks - DEMENS/EMERSONS". Uncamarvy.com. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  14. ↑ "HERMAN DUNHAM & SOLITAIRES "PLEASE REMEMBER MY HEART" 2008" . Retrieved 2023-05-13– via YouTube.
  15. ↑ "Herman Dunham Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information". Legacy.com. 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  16. ↑ "The Dead Rock Stars Club January to June 2010". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  17. ↑ "2011 January to June". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  18. ↑ "Classic Urban Harmony Newsletter #25". Us6.campaign-archive.com. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  19. ↑ "The Solitaires "Big Mary's House" Live - 1995" . Retrieved 2023-05-16– via YouTube.
  20. ↑ "The Voices of Doo Wop "Sh-Boom" Live - 1999" . Retrieved 2023-05-13– via YouTube.
  21. 1 2 Rosalsky, Mitch (2002). Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Doo-Wop Vocal Groups. Scarecrow Press. p. 523. ISBN   9780810845923.
  22. ↑ "The Solitaires "Big Mary's House" Live - 1995" . Retrieved 2023-05-13– via YouTube.
  23. ↑ "The Solitaires: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  24. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "Review of Doo Wop Box, Vol. 3". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  25. ↑ Bockris, Victor (1994). Transformer: The Lou Reed Story . Simon & Schuster. p.  92. ISBN   0-684-80366-6.
  26. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book Billboard/Cash Box/Record World 1954–1982. Sheridan Books. p. 471. ISBN   978-0-89820-213-7.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.