MY FAVE 20 RECORDS BY A VOCAL GROUP
TODAY........FROM 1952
HAVE MERCY BABY – THE DOMINOES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu9uE9yHx34
Recorded 28 January 1952 for Federal was the rockin’ “Have Mercy Baby” from The Dominoes on Federal with a sparkling lead from Clyde McPhatter.
Also recorded at this session was “Deep Sea Blues”,”When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano” and the unreleased “Pedal Pushin’ Papa”.An enormous r&b hit this was #1 in Billboard for 10 whole weeks. UK release
was not till 1956 then on a rare EP on Vogue shared with The Swallows
2. ONE MINT JULEP – THE CLOVERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkrbV9Riq3s
The original version of the famous song (later released in several
memorable versions by other artists including Sarah Vaughan and of
course Ray Charles.Recorded December 19 1951 for Atlantic and released
March 1952 it maintained The Clovers’ grip on the BB r&b chart peaking
at #2
3. HEY MISS FANNIE – THE CLOVERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOPWdIV7vGU
Led by Buddy Bailey the cool “Hey Miss Fannie” was laid down for
Atlantic on August 7 1952 and released that October. As with all their
records in this period the number crashed the Billboard r&b chart
peaking at #2. Three years later this song would become the very first recording ever made by Roy Orbison
4. TING-A-LING – THE CLOVERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlAnl6gs3RU
Latest in this mini-Cloverfest is the memorable Buddy Bailey-led “Ting-A-Ling” penned by Ahmet Ertegun which carried on the Clovers’ sensational chart record with a new #1 appearance on the BB r&b list.
Naturally it was more than a decade later before I ever made the
acquaintance of this original version of the song---but meantime I’d at
least said hello to it via the Buddy Holly version
5. ALL NIGHT LONG – THE ROYALS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZkqi_OM4lU
Debut disc from the group that will become famous as “The Midnighters”
but here recording under their original name. This was the flipside of
their “Every Beat Of My Heart” on Federal (see below). I love ‘em both but this one has the edge IMO. Love that famous Wynonie Harris
intervention in there too 😉
6. RED SAILS IN THE SUNSET – THE FIVE KEYS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chYAgD5Dhw4
Beautiful revival of one of the very best old standards (first done by
the British orchestra Lew Stone in 1935) here in an immaculate version
by The Five Keys with a joint Rudy West/Dickie Smith lead recorded March
4 1952 for Aladdin and released that April. Tons of versions followed
perhaps most notably being the Fats Domino version from 1963
7. EVERY BEAT OF MY HEART – THE ROYALS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk8feiRjHhk
The “A” side to #5 as listed above. Written by Johnny Otis this cool
number introduced the Royals (soon to be “The Midnighters”) to a waiting
US audience The song itself will become even more famous in later years
when taken high in the US charts in 1961 by Gladys Knight & The Pips
8. I’D BE SATISFIED – BILLY WARD & HIS DOMINOES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHn3hfWz_dg
The splendid Clyde McPhatter-led “I’d Be Satisfied” was recorded at an eight-song session for Federal on September 17 1952 . A good seller the
record peaked at #8 on the BB r&b chart. Billboard’s review gave the
record a good “82” rating
9. THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO ME – THE DOMINOES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EClNLZsNac
Recorded January 27 1951 (but not released until May 1952) the rocking Clyde-led “That’s What You’re Doing To Me” including some spectacular sax work was initially released by Federal as the flip side to “Love
Love Love” but was responsible for most of the sales of the single
reaching #7 BB r&b
10. MOONRISE – THE ROYALS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ll6mLe1Mto
A truly beautiful performance here by the group recorded for Federal
with the stunning lead of Charles Sutton on the great Alonzo Tucker
song.This really should have done it for the boys and awarded them a big
hit but alas 'twas not to be
11. COURAGE TO LOVE – THE “5” ROYALES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACC4ii8p51g
My favorite side of the ex-Royal Sons first venture as “The “5” Royales record on Apollo is the fine Lowman Pauling song “Courage To Love” which apparently was a moderate seller without charting but which gave good indication of the r&b hits that might follow
12. BESIDE YOU – THE SWALLOWS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpTKKV5IRzw
Excellent first release of 1952 for the Swallows on King recorded
October 10 1951 sees Junior Denby in good form on a memorable number
released in April 1952. “Beside You” was a hit (the biggest The Swallows ever had) and climbed to #8 on the BB r&b chart
13. BABY DON’T DO IT – THE “5” ROYALES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-AeAQOQ4yU
With lead Johnny Tanner in fine fettle here the “5” Royales at last hit paydirt with the super “Baby Don’t You Do It” for Apollo. The record became HUGE in the black community and topped the BB r&b chart at #1 in
early 1953
14. I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU – THE SWALLOWS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAlsAgxDeFg
I must confess to being a bigger fan of this song (a real oldie from
1934 originally in “Dames” movie sung by Dick Powell) in the later (and much better known) Flamingos version but the Swallows version is
excellent too.Recorded February 13 1952 for King (Junior Denby lead) and released that May.
15 NIGHT’S CURTAINS – THE CHECKERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69s7oypi7Ow
With John Carnegie lead here The Checkers appear on King with one of
their best singles the memorable “Night’s Curtains” released on King in November 1952 (it was well thought of in “Cash Box” winning their ‘Award O’ The Week’)
16/17 THE BUMP/SHE ROCKS – THE CARDINALS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B2uNS568_c
Hailing from Baltimore The five member Cardinals entered the r&b fans consciousness when they were signed to Atlantic and debuted with the
classic “Shouldn’t I Know” in 1951.Now releasing their fourth single
with new boy Leander Tarver in tow,both sides of which come from a June
21 session which also produced the unreleased “If You Can See My Baby”
and “This Can’t Be The End”
18. OH OH BABY – THE CHECKERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C__vXGkidZU
With Bill Brown (lately of The Dominoes) singing lead The Checkers cut
the Henry Glover penned “Oh Oh Baby” at their first session on June 4
1952 resulting in their first single “Flame In My Heart”/”Oh Oh Baby” appearing on King in that August
19. TAKE ALL OF ME – THE “5” ROYALES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI-LZYUmb5s
Backed by Charlie Ferguson & His Combo here are the Royales in fine
rockin’ form on the flipside of their big “Baby Don’t Do It” r&b hit (see above).Released on Apollo in December 1952 unlike the “A” side this one did not chart
20. GET MAD BABY – THE GAYLORDS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjUYDjrKs_0
First off its important to distinguish these five man black Gaylords
from Newark,NJ from the later lilywhite Italian-American trio recording
under that name and spending an inordinate amount of time in that little shoemaker’s shop.Their popularity later caused the group here to change
their name to “The Imperials” to avoid confusion).Recording for Grandpa Herman at Savoy the guys cut the raucous “Go On Baby”/“Get Mad Baby”.Both sides are excellent I just like this side a tiny tad more
BUBBLING UNDER
21. I PLAYED THE FOOL – THE CLOVERS
22. LAST OF THE GOOD ROCKIN’ MEN – THE FOUR JACKS
23. MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT – THE CLOVERS
24. STORMY WEATHER – THE FIVE SHARPS
25. NOTHIN’ SHAKIN’ BABY – THE FOUR BUDDIES (UNRELEASED)
Okay,just ONE more year to go...but what a year!!
THE GREATEST EVER YEAR IN ROCK 'N' ROLL IMO - COMING SOON!
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