My cool cousin, Mark, won't believe it when he reads this, but the first 45s I saw spinning on a turntable as a kid were in his bedroom in the mid-1960s. Several times a year, my parents would drive three hours from Manhattan to Margate, N.J., a quiet suburb of Atlantic City, so my father could visit his sister, Mary. [Photo above of Mark in the mid-1960s standing in the short driveway of his parents' beachfront house in Margate, N.J.]
Whenever we arrived and before my father could start arguing with my Uncle Al, my uncle slipped my younger brother and me $10 each and off we went in his yellow Cadillac on a junk-food crawl kids could only dream about. My uncle always wore sunglasses, dressed like a gambler, loved Spandex and sported a Palm Springs tan, even in the winter. We'd stop first at the White House sub shop (which is still there!), followed by an old-school pizza restaurant, a foot-long hot-dog stand, an ice cream parlor and more. A blur of nitrate-filled dishes and cavity-producing desserts that not only knocked dinner out of play but breakfast and lunch the next day. [Photo above, from left, of my Aunt Mary, Mark, my father and Uncle Al on their patio in Margate at the dawn of the 1960s]
When the three of us returned to the house, Mark always had something hip playing behind his nearly closed door. Pushing my way in before Mark would head out (he was older and already could drive or had friends who did), he'd play me these amazing singles of vocal harmony groups. [Photo above from left of my Aunt Mary, my father and my mother]
Mark knows his doo-wop—groups, names of singers, labels, the color of labels, who sang what, and so on. For Mark, the sounds of these groups remain a powerful reminder of his idyllic youth, when an expanse of sand and pounding surf were a mere jump off his patio. To me, he was living the California dream, only on the bleached-white streets of Margate.
Mark and I email all the time now. A few weeks back, I asked if he'd choose a bunch of favorite sleeper harmony-group sides, just like he did 55 years ago in his room. He happily obliged. While I can't take you on Uncle Al's famous junk-food death march, I can play you the music I heard when I came back, swearing never to eat that stuff again.
Here are Mark's picks along with his insights (I'm already craving a White House sub). Mark will pick it up from here:
The Coasters—Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart (1958). A high point of Atlantic group harmony. Not the usual Coasters novelty songs such as Yakety Yak but perfect harmony and a killer sax break by King Curtis. Check out the stereo version. Go here...
The Impressions—At the County Fair (1958). This group is, of course, better known more for their 1960s soul songs. This isn’t one of them. Not only is Curtis Mayfield more than present here, but Jerry Butler is, too. Go here...
The "5" Royales—Baby, Don't Do It (1953). Almost any song by this unheralded group from Winston-Salem, N.C. carries the day, but this one, with the Charlie Ferguson Orchestra and his saxophone, is a great place to start. Innovative guitarist Lowman Pauling, raspy bluesy lead singer Johnny Tanner and the guys had a long run, from the early 1950s to the mid-1960s. No wonder they were James Brown's opening act. This one has a close connection to Brown's Please Please Please. Go here...
The Sheppards—Never Felt This Way Before (1959). The Sheppards were from Chicago. Their semi-hit was Island of Love, but the B-side, Never Felt This Way Before, is better. Go here...
The Mellows—Smoke From Your Cigarette (1955). The Mellows were a New York group, with lead singer Lillian Leach here vocalizing sadly and seductively. Go here...
The Penguins—Baby Let's Make Some Love (1955). This Los Angeles group was best known for a bunch of songs that included their big hit Earth Angel as well as Hey Senorita. But most of them pale in comparison to Baby Let’s Make Some Love. Go here...
Arthur Lee Maye and the Crowns—Cool Lovin' (1956). The Crowns were another great Los Angeles group. Lee’s day job was playing Major League baseball for the World Champion Milwaukee Braves. During the off-season, he was a lead singer. The Crowns' unsung song is Cool Lovin’. Go here...
Speaking of the Crowns, Maye's version of Gloria may be the best. Go here...
Vernon Green and the Medallions—Buick 59 (1954). Yet another Los Angeles group with a few hits and a lot of car songs. The best is Buick 59, complete with vocal V-8 acceleration. Go here...
The Orchids—You Have Two (I Have None) (1955). This Chicago group had only eight sides or so. A must-listen is You Have Two (I Have None), with its slow stroll. Go here...
Earl Lewis & the Channels—Stars in the Sky (1956). This New York group's big hit was The Closer You Are, but that worn song isn't nearly as fresh as Stars in the Sky, with a superb tenor sax solo on the break. Go here...
Or dig the Channels' Bye Bye Baby (1959) with that bouncing bass and solid sax solo. Go here...
The Charts—Zoop (1957). This New York group's popular side Deserie is more than OK, but Zoop is more emblematic of what group harmony was all about then. Go here...
And here's the Charts' Deserie...
The Nutmegs—Ship of Love (1955). This group hailed from New Haven, Ct., and were best known for Story Untold, but Ship of Love still rules for me. Go here...
The Pastels—Been So Long (1957). The Pastels began as soldiers stationed at a U.S. Air Force base in Narsarssuak, Greenland. Their first live appearances were part of military showcases before they were transferred to Washington, D.C. This hit reached #5 on Billboard's R&B chart before crossing over to the pop chart at #24. Go here...
The Rainbows—They Say (1956). This Washington, D.C., group was actually the second incarnation of the Rainbows, which originally broke up in the mid-1950s after lead singer Henry Womble left for boarding school. The new Rainbows recorded this one in 1956 for George Goldner's Rama Records. Go here...
William Bell—Any Other Way (1962). Bell remains an underappreciated R&B and soul singer-songwriter. He recorded for Stax but never got the acclaim he deserved. I had to add him for the singular sound of his voice. Go here...
