The Gardenias were an American doo-wop group led by singer

Luther Ingram Luther Thomas Ingram (November 30, 1937 – March 19, 2007) was an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter. His most successful record, "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right", reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and No. 3 ...

. Backed by bandleader Ike Turner, they recorded for

Federal Records Federal Records was an American record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan's King Records and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was run by famed record producer Ralph Bass and was mainly devoted to Rhythm & Blues releases. The compa ...

in 1956.

History

Formed in

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is a p ...

, the group consisted of

singing lead, his brothers Archie Ingram and Richard Ingram, Lawrence Witherspoon, and Connie Perry. They started off as a gospel group known as the Alton Crusaders before venturing into R&B as the Gardenias. On September 13, 1956, they recorded for

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. The group record four songs: "My Baby's Tops", "Flaming Love", "(All Alone And) Miserable", and "You Found The Time". They were accompanied by

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 ...

and his

Kings of Rhythm The Kings of Rhythm are an American music group formed in the late 1940s in Clarksdale, Mississippi and led by Ike Turner through to his death in 2007. Turner would retain the name of the band throughout his career, although the group has underg ...

for the session. Their first and only single "Flaming Love" / "My Baby's Tops" was released in November 1956. After the release, the group occasionally sang with Turner and continued singing gospel until they disbanded the following year.

Discography

Singles

* 1956: "Flaming Love" / "My Baby's Tops" (Federal 12284)

Album appearances

* 1991: Ike Turner Kings Of Rhythm – ''Trailblazer'' (Charly R&B) * 2010: Ike Turner – ''That Kat Sure Could Play! The Singles 1951-1957'' ( Secret Records Limited)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardenias Doo-wop groups Musical groups from Illinois Musical groups established in 1956 Federal Records artists Music of St. Louis