The Flairs (or Flares) were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

known for their 1961 hit "Foot Stompin', Pt. 1." Based in Los Angeles, they went through several lineup changes during their existence. Their notable members included Richard Berry (writer of '

Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a standard in pop and r ...

') and

Cornell Gunter Cornell Gunter (November 14, 1936 – February 26, 1990) was an American rhythm and blues singer, most active in the 1950s and 1960s. He was born in Coffeyville, Kansas, and died in Las Vegas, Nevada, after being shot in his automobile. He was ind ...

, who would go on to be a member 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 ...

. The group debuted on

Flair Records Flair Records was an American record label owned by the Bihari brothers, launched in the early 1950s. It was a subsidiary of Modern Records. Its most famous artist were Elmore James, who released ten singles with this label (as listed below), R ...

which it was named after in 1953. In 1956, a new Flairs group was formed and they joined

ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...

. After they went to Loma Records and became known as the Ermines. After another lineup change they became known as the Flares.

Career

The Debonaires/Flairs

Formed at Jefferson High School in Los Angeles, the group was originally called the Debonaires. The members included Arthur Lee Maye, Pete Fox, Obediah Jessie, Joe Winslow, and A.V. Odom. Winslow dropped out, leaving the group a quartet. Bass man Odom was out soon after, and was replaced by Richard Berry. Maye began putting baseball ahead of singing (he would later be a professional baseball player for the

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...

), and the group brought in Beverly Thompson to replace him.

, who had recently left the earliest lineup of

the Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The ac ...

, came in to make the group a quintet. Their first recording "I Had A Love" was released as by The Hollywood Blue Jays in 1953 on

John Dolphin John Robert Vernon Dolphin (1 October 19052 May 1973) was a British engineer and inventor, who joined the Secret Intelligence Service and then became the Commanding Officer of the top-secret Second World War Special Operations Executive (SOE) " ...

's label

Recorded In Hollywood Recorded In Hollywood was an independent American record label specializing in rhythm and blues, active from the late 1940s to the end of the 1950s, which issued several sides by artists significant to the genre. John Dolphin (music producer), Joh ...

. Dolphin released another single by a different group called the

Five Hollywood Blue Jays The Five Hollywood Blue Jays were an American music group. They only made one single and it was for the label " Recorded In Hollywood" in 1952. They are not the same group as The Hollywood Blue Jays who also recorded for the same label. The Hollywoo ...

around the same time. The Debonaires made a handful of recordings on the label with no real success. In 1953, the group signed to

, a subsidiary of

Modern Records Modern Records (Modern Music Records before 1947) was an American record company and label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. Modern's artists included Etta James, Joe Houston, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and John Lee ...

, owned by the

Bihari brothers The Bihari brothers, Lester, Jules, Saul and Joe, were American businessmen of Hungarian Jewish origins. They were the founders of Modern Records in Los Angeles and its subsidiaries, such as Meteor Records, based in Memphis. The Bihari brothers wer ...

. At this point, the Debonaires changed their name to the Flairs. Although named after the label, they had little success there. They recorded several singles through 1953, beginning with "

I Had a Love "I Had a Love" was the second single released by the band Blue Angel from their 1980 album, also titled '' Blue Angel''. Released either with the picture sleeve above or in a generic sleeve, it uniquely featured a different B-side in each count ...

". The next was "Rabbit On A Log", which was credited to the Hunters, to avoid competition with "I Had A Love." More singles followed into 1954 including "Baby Wants"/"You Were Untrue" with

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and 1 ...

on guitar. Thompson left in the summer of 1954. The group performed as a quartet, and brought in Charles Jackson as a fifth member on recordings. The Flairs performed at the famed tenth

Cavalcade of Jazz The Cavalcade of Jazz was the first large outdoor jazz entertainment event of its kind produced by an African American, Leon Hefflin, Sr. The event was held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, Lane Field in San Diego and the last one at the Shrine Aud ...

concert held at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...

in Los Angeles which was produced by

Leon Hefflin, Sr. Leon Norman Hefflin, Sr. (August 17, 1898 – November 20, 1975) was a pioneering African-American producer, director, business owner, furniture manufacturer, and entrepreneur. After losing his large and successful manufacturing business in the ...

on June 20, 1954. They performed along with Ruth Brown,

Count Basie and his Orchestra The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie in 1935 and recording regularly from 1936. Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 1950 ...

, Lamp Lighters,

Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five Tympany Five was a successful and influential American rhythm and blues and jazz dance band founded by Louis Jordan in 1938. The group was composed of a horn section of three to five different pieces and also drums, double bass, guitar and pi ...

Christine Kittrell Christine Kittrell (August 11, 1929 – December 19, 2001) was an American R&B singer, who first recorded tracks in 1951 with Louis Brooks and his Band. Kittrell was born Christine Joygena Porter in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, and a ...

, and Perez Prado and his Orchestra. Shortly after Thompson's departure, Berry left as well. He had been working with Arthur Lee Maye's new group, the Crowns, as well as his own second group, the Dreamers. This caused friction in the Flairs. His replacement was Randy Jones (who also did some bass spots with the Crowns). The group continued recording, with one of their singles, "Love Me, Love Me, Love Me", being credited to the Chimes. Jackson left to join the Chimes at this time, and Jones left to fill the bass spot in

the Penguins ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. Gunter, Jessie, and Fox continued as the Jac-O-Lacs, recording for Tampa Records. The group broke up at this point. Jessie recorded one more Jac-O-Lacs single, "Mary Lou", backed by the Cadets. He got to know this group and, when a baritone was needed a few years later, recommended fellow Flair Pete Fox for the job. Jessie continued as a soloist.

The Ermines/second Flairs

With Fox joining the Cadets and Jessie recording solo (as

Young Jessie Obediah Donnell "Obie" Jessie (December 28, 1936 – April 27, 2020) was an American R&B, rock and roll and jazz singer and songwriter. He recorded as Young Jessie in the 1950s and 1960s, and was known for his solo career, work with The Flai ...

), Cornell Gunter formed a new group, the Ermines, with new members George Hollis, Thomas Miller, and his cousin, Kenneth Byley. After a brief stint with Loma Records, they signed up with manager

Buck Ram Samuel "Buck" Ram (November 21, 1907 – January 1, 1991) was an American songwriter, and popular music producer and arranger. He was one of BMI's top five songwriters/air play in its first 50 years, alongside Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Ji ...

, and moved to

ABC-Paramount Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

, taking the name the Flairs. After recording for ABC a short time, they moved to Modern, then to

Aladdin Records Aladdin Records was a record company and label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by brothers Eddie and Leo Mesner. It was originally called Philo Records before changing its name in 1946. Aladdin was known for jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock mus ...

. Old Ermine's tracks continued to be released by Loma. Also, during this time, they frequently backed up Gunter's sister,

Shirley Gunter Shirley M. Gunter (September 29, 1934 – December 1, 2015)Aaron Collins joined the Flairs. Former Flair Pete Fox was also a member of the Cadets when they split, and he did not join the Flairs. The fourth Cadet, Will "Dub" Jones, filled one of two recent vacancies in

, the other being filled by recent Flair departee Cornell Gunter.

The Flares/Peppers

Miller, Hollis, Davis, and Collins recorded only briefly as the Flairs, before changing their name to the Flares in 1959. Buck Ram had actually proposed a different name, the Peppers. After a two-year break, the Flares began to record again. By this time, however, both of the former Cadets had left, and the group was now Miller, Hollis, Eddie King, Robbie Robinson, and Beverly Harris. This lineup recorded for

Felsted Records Felsted Records was the name of two record labels. The UK version began as a subsidiary of Decca Records in July 1954 with music mainly in the jazz and dance band genres and recordings leased from the French Blue Star, Riviera, and Classique l ...

. Then the lineup returned to Miller, Hollis, Willie Davis, and Aaron Collins (possibly featuring Harris). They recorded as Bennie Bunn and the Cadets for Sherwood Records in 1960. At that time, Hollis left and was replaced by a former Flair, Randy Jones and Patience Valentine was added as a fifth member. Once again as the Flares, the group recorded for Jan-Lar Records. The group's lineup shifted rapidly at this point- later, Davis was out and Hollis was in. Then, Jones and Valentine were out, and Davis and Collin's sister Rose Collins were in. Rose was only in shortly, then she and Aaron's sister Betty Collins. Then, Davis was out again, replaced by the returning Vince Weaver for a short time, before Davis returned. As the Flares, their biggest hit was the 1961 release "Foot Stompin' Part 1", which hit #20 on the

Black Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart and #25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 1961, the group took Buck Ram's previous suggestion and recorded as the Peppers for

Ensign Records Ensign Records was a record label started in 1976 by London-born Nigel Grainge, elder brother of UMG Chairman Sir Lucian Grainge. History Nigel Grainge began his career in the record business as a sales office assistant at Phonogram UK in 19 ...

. Then it was back to the Flares for Ram's Press Records. They alternated between the Peppers and the Flares through 1964. At that point, the group split.

Discography

Singles

The Hollywood Blue Jays

* 1953: "I Had A Love" / "Tell Me You Love Me" (

396)

The Flairs

* 1953: "I Had A Love" / "She Wants To Rock" ( Flair 1012) * 1953: "Tell Me You Love Me" / "You Should Care For Me" (Flair 1019) * 1953: "Baby Wants" / "You Were Untrue" (Flair 1041) * 1954: "Getting High" / "Love Me Girl" (Flair 1028) * 1954: "This Is The Night For Love" / "Let's Make With Some Love" (Flair 1044) * 1954: "I'll Never Let You Go" / "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Chill Me" (Flair 1056) * 1955: "She Loves To Dance" / "My Darling, My Sweet" (Flair 1067) * 1955:

Shirley Gunter Shirley M. Gunter (September 29, 1934 – December 1, 2015)Modern Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

989) * 1956: Shirley Gunter and The Flairs – "Fortune In Love" / "I Just Got Rid Of A Heartache" (Modern 1001) * 1956: Fatso Theus and The Flairs – "Be Cool My Heart" (

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

3324) * 1956: "Aladdin's Lamp" / "Steppin' Out" (

ABC-Paramount ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

9740) * 1957: "I'd Climb The Hills And Mountains" / "Swing Pretty Mama" (Antler 4005) * 1959: "The Sheik Of Araby" / "Adorable" (

Barclay Barclay may refer to: People * Barclay (surname) * Clan Barclay Places * Barclay, Kansas * Barclay, Maryland, a town in Queen Anne's County * Barclay, Baltimore, Maryland, a neighborhood * Barclay, Nevada, a town in Lincoln County * Barclay, ...

60165)

The Hunters

* 1953: "Rabbit on the Log" / "Down at Hayden" (Flair 1017)

The Chimes

* 1954: "My Heart's Crying For You" / "Love Me, Love Me, Love Me" (Flair 1051)

Cornel Gunter and The Ermines

* 1955: "True Love" / "Peek, Peek-A-Boo" (Loma 701) * 1956: "Muchacha, Muchacha" / "Keep Me Alive" (Loma 704) * 1956: "One Thing For Me" / "I'm Sad" (Loma 705) Bennie Bunn and the Cadets * 1960: "You Must Be An Angel" / "I'm Looking For A Job" (Sherwood 211)

The Flares

* 1960: "Hotcha Cha-Cha Brown" / "Loving You" (

Felsted Felsted (sometimes spelt Felstead) is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Bannister Green, Bartholomew Green, Causeway End, Coblers Green, Cock Green, Frenches Gre ...

8604-V) * 1960: "Jump And Bump" / "What Do You Want If You Don't Want Love" (Felsted 8607-V) *1961: "Foot Stomping Pt. 1" / "Foot Stomping Pt. 2" (

The Ramrocks The Ramrocks or Buck Ram's Ramrocks were an American rock band of the 1950s led by Buck Ram. They toured as the backing band of Ray Scott (singer), Ray Scott. Discography *A: Hot Rock B: On The Rocks 1958 *A: The Great Pretender B: Humrock 1959B ...

) (Felsted 8624) – peaked at #25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100/ #20 R&B * 1961: "Foot Stomping" / "Hotcha Cha-Cha Brown" (London HLU 9441) * 1962: "Doing The Hully Gully" / "Truck and Trailer" (Press 2802) * 1962: "Mad House" / "Make It Be Me" (Press 2803) * 1962: "Rock and Roll Heaven Pt. 1" / "Rock and Roll Heaven Pt. 2" (Press 2800) * 1963: "Do It With Me" / "Yon He Go" (Press 2807) * 1963: "Hand Clappin'" / "Shimmy And Stomp" (Press 2808) * 1963: "The Monkey Walk" / "Do It If You Wanna' (Press 2810) * 1964: Cookie Jackson and The Flares – "I Didn't Lose A Doggone Thing" / "Write A Song About Me" (Press 2814)

The Peppers

* 1961: "One More Chance" / "A Place In My Heart" (

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

1706) * 1963: "It Wouldn't Be The Same" / "Little Piece Of Paper" (Press 2809)

Album appearances

* 1989: ''R&B Confidential No.1 - The Flair Label'' ( Ace Records) * 1991: ''Juke Box R&B'' (Ace Records) * 1999: ''Buck Ram's Doo Wop'' (Ace Records) * 2004: Shirley Gunter – ''Oop Shoop (The Flair And Modern Recordings 1953-1957)'' (Ace Records) * 2010:

– T''hat Kat Sure Could Play! The Singles 1951-1957'' ( Secret Records Limited) * 2013: ''Dust My Rhythm & Blues - The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-55'' (Ace Records) * 2016: Richard Berry – ''Louie, Louie:'' ''1953-1962'' (Real Gone)

References

External links

Marv Goldberg's R&B notebooks - The FlairsThe Flairs
on

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 ...

Article on Randy Jones
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flairs Doo-wop groups Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1952 Recorded In Hollywood artists Flair Records artists Modern Records artists Aladdin Records artists ABC Records artists Barclay Records artists Loma Records artists 1952 establishments in California