The Counts were a

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 from

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, formed in the 1950s. The group included Chester Brown, James Lee, Robert Penick, Robert Wesley, and Robert Young. The Counts were also known as the Original Counts, as they performed with their original lineup until the death of Robert Young, in 2001. They were thought to be the longest-running doo wop group made up entirely of their original membership. Young wrote most of the Counts' songs, including "Hot Tamale" and "Darling Dear". "Darling Dear" (Dot 44-1188, b/w "I Need You Always") made it to No. 6 on the R&B singles chart. All of the members attended

Crispus Attucks High School Crispus Attucks High School (also known as Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School) is a high school of the Indianapolis Public Schools in Indianapolis, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is named for Crispus Attucks (c.1723 – March 5, 1770), ...

, in Indianapolis, where they originally formed as the Five Diamonds. They changed their name in 1954 when they signed with

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

. The Counts recorded at Wilkins Studio, possibly with

Jimmy Coe James "Jimmy" R. Coe (March 20, 1921 – February 26, 2004) was an American jazz saxophonist. Early life Coe was born in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, and moved to Indianapolis with his family as a child. He first played in a band with Erroll "G ...

(or, perhaps, with a Jimmy Cole), and were at times backed live by

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

References

External links

Counts discography at Discogs.com

''Darling Dear'' at Youtube
Doo-wop groups Dot Records artists {{US-band-stub