The Tams | |
---|---|
Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Genres | R&B, Soul, Beach music [1] |
Years active | 1960–present |
Labels | Arlen Records, ABC-Paramount, Probe, Virgin |
Members | Robert Lee Smith Little Red |
Past members | Joseph Pope Horace Key Floyd Ashton Charles Pope |
Website | www |
The Tams are an American vocal group from Atlanta, Georgia, who enjoyed their greatest chart success in the 1960s, but continued to chart in the 1970s, and the 1980s. Two separate lineups of the group continue to perform and record. One lineup, called 'The Original Tams with R. L. Smith', features original member Robert Lee Smith, and the other lineup is under the leadership of Little Red, the son of longtime member Charles Pope and the nephew of group co-founder Joe Pope.
The band formed in 1960, and took their name from the Tam o'shanter hats they wore on stage. [2] By 1962, they had a hit single on Arlen Records. "Untie Me", a Joe South composition, became a Top 20 on the Billboard R&B chart. [2] The follow-up releases largely failed until 1964, when "What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)", reached the Top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. [2] The song spent three weeks at number one on the Cash Box R&B chart. Many of their popular hits were written by Ray Whitley. [2]
"Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" was also a modest US hit the same year. [2] The Tams had only one further major US hit (in 1968) when "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy", peaked at #26 on the US R&B chart, and subsequently made the UK Top 40 in 1970. [3]
Their 1965 recording "I've Been Hurt" was their biggest regional hit (based on sales and airplay) prior to 1980.
The group reached the Number one slot in the UK Singles Chart in September 1971, with the re-issue of "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me", thanks to its initial support from the then thriving UK Northern soul scene. The song also topped the Irish Singles Chart, making them the first African-American group to have a number-one single in Ireland. [4]
The group did not chart again until 1987, when their song "There Ain't Nothing Like Shaggin'" reached #21 in UK, propelled by a regionally-popular dance known as the Carolina shag, which featured heavily in the subsequent 1989 film, Shag . [2] However, the track was banned by the BBC because the word "shag" means "to have sexual intercourse" in colloquial British English. [5]
Still quite popular in the Southeastern United States, they continue to record new music and perform at well-attended concerts. In 1999, they were featured performers with Jimmy Buffett on his CD, Beach House on the Moon, and also toured with him around the country.
American singer-songwriter Tameka Harris, born in 1975, is the daughter of Dianne Cottle-Pope and Charles Pope. [6] Charles Pope died from Alzheimer's disease on July 11, 2013, at the age of 76. [7]
In recent years the group has been led by Albert "Little Red" Cottle Jr., the son of former member Albert Cottle. [8]
Year | Title | Chart positions | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [11] | US R&B [11] | AUS [12] | UK [13] | Release date | |||
1962 | "Untie Me" | 60 | 12 | — | — | August 17, 1962 | |
1963 | "What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)" | 9 | 1 | — | — | January 14, 1964 | |
1964 | "You Lied to Your Daddy" | 70 | 27 | — | — | March 19, 1964 | |
"It's All Right (You're Just in Love)" | 79 | — | — | — | March 26, 1964 | ||
"Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" | 41 | 10 | — | — | June 24, 1964 | ||
"Find Another Love" | 87 | — | — | — | October 29, 1964 | ||
"Silly Little Girl" | 87 | — | — | — | October 31, 1964 | ||
1965 | "I've Been Hurt" | — | — | — | — | October 10, 1965 | |
1968 | "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" | 61 | 26 | — | 32 | April 8, 1968 | |
"Trouble Maker" | 118 | — | — | — | September 19, 1968 | ||
1971 | "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" | — | — | 87 | 1 | October 11, 1971 | |
1987 | "There Ain't Nothing Like Shaggin'" | — | — | — | 21 | November 9, 1987 | |
1988 | "My Baby Sure Can Shag" | — | — | 100 | 91 | February 28, 1988 | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
This was the group's first album in 1964. It has the single of the same name.
Hey Girl Don't Bother Me! | |
---|---|
Studio album by | |
Released | 1964 |
Recorded | 1964 |
Genre | Rhythm and Blues |
Label | ABC-Paramount |
Singles from Hey Girl Don't Bother Me! | |
|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Weep Little Girl" | Mac Davis | 2:21 |
2. | "Go Away Little Girl" | Goffin-King | 2:13 |
3. | "What Kind of Girl Are You" | Ray Whitley | 1:55 |
4. | "Hey Little Girl" | Buddy Funk | 2:31 |
5. | "Why Did My Little Girl Cry" | Harry Middlebrooks | 2:11 |
6. | "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" | Ray Whitley | 2:25 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Silly Little Girl" | Joe South | 2:36 |
2. | "Candy" | David-Whitney-Kramer | 2:15 |
3. | "My Lady Elaina" | Judy Thomas | 2:08 |
4. | "Melancholy Baby" | Morton-Burnett | 2:21 |
5. | "She's Funny That Way" | Whiting-Clark | 2:50 |
6. | "Anna (Go to Him)" | Arthur Alexander | 2:45 |
Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, soul, and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s.
Ram Jam was an American rock band formed in New York City and active in 1977 and 1978, mainly known for their hit single "Black Betty".
Anita Ward(sources differ) is an American singer and musician from Memphis, Tennessee. Beginning her professional music career in the late 1970s, Ward is best known for her 1979 million-selling chart-topper R&B/Disco hit "Ring My Bell" which was #1 on the United States Hot 100, R&B, Dance and United Kingdom charts.
The Spinners are an American rhythm and blues vocal group that formed in Ferndale, Michigan in 1954. They enjoyed a string of hit singles and albums during the 1960s and 1970s, particularly with producer Thom Bell. The group continues to tour, without any original members, after Henry Fambrough retired in 2023.
Thomas David Roe is an American retired rock and pop singer-songwriter.
The Main Ingredient was an American soul and R&B group which had a run of hits in the 1970s, including their 1972 million-selling song "Everybody Plays the Fool".
Archie Bell & the Drells was an American R&B vocal group from Houston, Texas, and one of the main acts on Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records. The band's hits include "Tighten Up", "I Can't Stop Dancing", "There's Gonna Be a Showdown", "Girl You're Too Young" (1969), "Here I Go Again", "Soul City Walk" (1975), "Let's Groove", "Everybody Have a Good Time" (1977), and "Don't Let Love Get You Down" (1976).
The Five Stairsteps, known as "The First Family of Soul" and later "The Invisible Man's Band", were an American Chicago soul group made up of five of Betty and Clarence Burke Sr.'s six children: Alohe Jean, Clarence Jr., James, Dennis, and Kenneth "Keni", and briefly, Cubie. They are best known for the 1970 song "O-o-h Child", listed at number 402 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Tameka Dianne Cottle-Harris, known professionally by her nickname Tiny, is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the multi-platinum R&B vocal group Xscape. She received a Grammy Award for her writing contributions on the TLC hit "No Scrubs". Cottle is also known for her marriage to T.I. She acquired the nickname "Tiny" due to her small stature of 4'11".
The Tymes are an American soul vocal group who enjoyed equal success in the United Kingdom and in their homeland. They are one of the few acts to have one and only one chart-topper in both the US and UK with different songs.
Mildred Virginia Jackson is an American R&B and soul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 copies sold. Jackson's songs often include long spoken sections, sometimes humorous, sometimes sexually explicit. According to the cataloguing site WhoSampled.com, her songs have appeared in 189 samples, 51 covers, and six remixes.
"Since she always enjoyed writing poems, in the early '70s Jackson began crafting such proto-rap R&B singles as the outspoken "A Child of God ."
Chairmen of the Board is an American-Canadian, Detroit, Michigan-based soul music group, who saw their greatest commercial success in the 1970s.
"Caravan of Love" is a 1985 R&B hit originally recorded by Isley-Jasper-Isley, the second half of the Isley Brothers' 3 + 3 lineup of the 1970s.
"Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" is a popular single by American vocal group The Tams. Written by Ray Whitley, it was originally released in 1964 and reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on the R&B chart.
Timothy Earle Thomas was an American R&B singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer, best known for the hit song, "Why Can't We Live Together".
The Floaters were an American R&B vocal group, from the Sojourner Truth housing projects in Detroit, Michigan, that formed in 1976. The group are best known for their 1977 song "Float On", which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 5 on the Irish Singles Chart.
New York City was an American R&B vocal group. They formed in 1972 under the name "Tri-Boro Exchange", and all of the group's members had had significant experience singing in other vocal and doo-wop ensembles. They are also from New York City.
The Checkmates, Ltd. were an American R&B group from Fort Wayne, Indiana. The group, discovered by Nancy Wilson, included both black and white members; their one major hit was 1969's "Black Pearl", produced by Phil Spector. The song peaked at No. 13 on the U.S. pop chart. Their remake of "Proud Mary" reached No. 30 on the UK Singles Chart in late 1969.
Ronald Dyson was an American soul and R&B singer and actor. He had a lead role in the Broadway production of Hair and scored a top ten single in 1970 with "(If You Let Me Make Love to You Then) Why Can't I Touch You?"
Xscape is an American girl group from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1991 by Kandi Burruss, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, LaTocha Scott, Tamera Coggins-Wynn, and Tamika Scott. The following year Coggins-Wynn left the group and Xscape became a quartet. They were discovered by Jermaine Dupri who signed the group to his So So Def label. The group released their debut album Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha in 1993, which spawned two of their biggest hits, "Just Kickin' It" and "Understanding". The album was certified Platinum on February 1, 1994. Xscape has sold more than 9 million records worldwide.