The Charts were an American

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

group of the 1950s, most famous for their recording "Deserie". The group formed as The Thrilltones in

Harlem, New York Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

in 1956, and comprised teenagers Joe Grier (lead), Stephen Brown (first tenor), Glenmore Jackson (second tenor), Leroy Binns (baritone), and Ross Buford (bass). They acquired a manager,

Les Cooper Les Cooper (March 15, 1921 – August 3, 2013) was an American doo wop musician, best known for his hit rock instrumental "Wiggle Wobble". Cooper was born in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. He sang in several New York doo wop groups, including ...

, who had previously been a member of various R&B groups, and who changed their name to The Charts. They were signed to the

Everlast Erik Francis Schrody (born August 18, 1969), known by his stage name Everlast, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter, who was the frontman for hip hop group House of Pain. He was also part of the hip hop supergroup La Coka ...

label, owned by Bobby Robinson's brother Danny, who released their first single "Deserie" in May 1957. The song's authorship was credited to Cooper and Johnson, although singer Joe Grier later claimed that he had written the song along with the group's other material. The record was No. 3 on the national R&B charts, and was later featured on many compilations of doo-wop classics. After a few more singles for Everlast, the original Charts disbanded in 1958 when Grier went into the service. On his return, he took up the saxophone, and featured on the 1962 instrumental hit by Les Cooper and his group the Soul Rockers, "

Wiggle Wobble "Wiggle Wobble" is an instrumental written by Les Cooper and performed by Cooper & the Soul Rockers. The single was produced by Bobby and Danny Robinson. It was featured on their 1963 album ''Wiggle Wobble Dance Party''. Background The sax pl ...

" (No. 22 pop, No. 12 R&B). Brown and Binns kept the group's name going for several years with new members. They released an updated version of "Deserie" in 1967, retitled "Desiree", and continued touring and appearing at doowop revival concerts with various versions of The Charts until around 1983. Binns continued to perform with later versions of

The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing ...

and

The Del Vikings The Del-Vikings (also known as The Dell-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 song ...

. "Deserie" was later recorded, as "Désiree", by

Laura Nyro Laura Nyro ( ; born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (1968 ...

on her 1971 album ''

Gonna Take a Miracle ''Gonna Take a Miracle'' is the fifth album by New York City-born singer, songwriter and pianist Laura Nyro, with assistance by vocal trio Labelle. It was released on Columbia Records in November 1971, one year after its predecessor ''Christmas a ...

''. In 1985, the group was Grier, Alex Augustine, Mickey Collier, and Jim Moschella (former member of

The Elegants The Elegants was an American doo-wop vocal group, that started in 1958 by Vito Picone, Arthur Venosa, Frank Tardogno, Carman Romano and James Moschello in South Beach, Staten Island, New York. Before their nursery rhyme inspired song, " Little ...

). The group appeared on the PBS special Red, White, and Rock in 2002. The group was Grier, Binns, and two then-current members of the Del-Vikings, Dickie Harmon and Butch Phillips.

References

External links

Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charts, The Doo-wop groups African-American musical groups Musical groups established in 1956 Musical groups disestablished in 1958 1956 establishments in New York City Musical groups from Harlem