The Emperors (also billed as The Emperor's) were an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

band from

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, formed in the early 1960s. The group had its first breakthrough when producer Phil Gaber noticed the group and recorded their first single, "Karate", in 1966.Jason Ankeny, The Emperorsat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

The song was released on Mala Records and became a hit; the song was a regional smash in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

area, reached the Top 30 of the national R&B charts, and peaked at #55 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.Charts

Billboard.com ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

Their follow-up single was a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

Don Gardner Donald Gardner (May 9, 1931 – September 4, 2018) was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, and drummer. His records included the 1962 pop hit " I Need Your Lovin'", with Dee Dee Ford. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Gardner star ...

's tune "My Baby Likes to Boogaloo", and another single, "Searchin'", followed in 1967 before the group signed with

Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History From 1916 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing produ ...

. One single, "Karate Boogaloo", followed on the label before Bobby Fulton left the group to start Soulville Records. The group then renamed itself Emperors Soul 69 and recorded the single "Bring Out Yourself" for

Futura Records Futura Records is a French record company and jazz record label founded in 1969 by Gérard Terronès. Marge Records is a notable subsidiary label. The label changed its name in 2018 into Futura Marge. Roster * Richard Accart * Françoise Acha ...

before disbanding. The group's output was reissued on LP and CD in 2002.

Members

*Danny Sullivan on B-3 organ with double stack Leslie speaker? *James Jackson *Donald Brantley *Bobby Fulton *Edgar Moore *David Peterson *Billy Green *Tyrone Moss *Milton Brown Jr. *Steve Stephens *Ronnie Burnett *Dred”Perky” Scott

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emperors, The American soul musical groups Musical groups from Pennsylvania