The Medallions 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 ...
vocal group
A vocal group is a performing ensemble of vocalists who sing and harmonize together. The first well-known vocals groups emerged in the 19th century, and the style had reached widespread popularity by the 1940s.
Types
Vocal groups can come in se ...
led by
Vernon Green (1937–2000).
History
The group formed in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, California, United States, in 1954, after Vernon Green was heard singing on the street by
Walter "Dootsie" Williams, the owner of
Dootone Records. Green – who walked with a cane as a result of childhood
polio
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
– put together a singing group with three friends from
Fremont High School, Andrew Blue (tenor), Randolph Bryant (baritone), and Ira Foley (bass), and named them the Medallions because of his own penchant for wearing medallions around his neck.
[Biography by Bryan Thomas at Allmusic.com]
Retrieved 23 September 2013 Their first release, "Buick 59", based on
Todd Rhodes
Todd Washington Rhodes (August 31, 1899 or 1900 – June 4, 1965) was an American pianist, bandleader and arranger who was an early influence in jazz and later in R&B. He recently became popular due to his song “Rocket 69” being featured in ...
'
double-entendre
A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...
R&B recording "Rocket 69", was one of the first releases on Dootone in September 1954.
[ J.C.Marion, ''Shining On- The Medallions'', 2003]
Retrieved 23 September 2013 It was backed with a ballad called "The Letter", which received extensive airplay in the region. "The Letter" contained the nonsense lyric, "the 'puppetutes' of love", which was later picked up by the
Steve Miller Band
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles t ...
as "the
pompatus
''Pompatus'' (or ''Pompitus'') () is a nonce word coined by Steve Miller in his hit single "The Joker" (1973).
Etymology
The word is probably a corruption of—or imagined variation on—the word "puppetutes", which was itself a coinage, originat ...
of love" and used in their song "
The Joker
The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, and first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book ''Batman (comic book), Bat ...
".
[Vernon Green & The Medallions at ElectricEarl.com]
Retrieved 23 September 2013 The song also included the nonsense word "pismotality", invented by Green.
[
Blue was replaced by Willy Graham, and Donald Woods joined to make the group a quintet. The group became a popular attraction in ]southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
, appearing on bills with stars such as Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...
, Percy Mayfield
Percy Mayfield (August 12, 1920August 11, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues singer with a smooth vocal style. He also was a songwriter, known for the songs " Please Send Me Someone to Love" and "Hit the Road Jack", the latter being a song ...
and T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 ''Roll ...
.[ The Medallions performed for the eleventh famed ]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, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...
. on July 24, 1955. Also featured Big Jay McNeely, Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra
Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles ...
, 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 ...
and James Moody and his Orchestra.
They continued to release singles on Dootone into late 1955, including "Edna", a favorite of Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
when interviewed on the ''Pop Chronicles
The ''Pop Chronicles'' are two radio documentary series which together "may constitute the most complete audio history of 1940s–60s popular music." They originally aired starting in 1969 and concluded about 1974. Both were produced by John ...
'' documentary. They also recorded with singer Johnny Morrisette, as Johnny Twovoice & The Medallions.Etta James
Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...
' boyfriend at the time, received a co-writing credit for the song "I'd Rather Go Blind
"I'd Rather Go Blind" is a blues song written by Ellington Jordan and co-credited to Billy Foster and Etta James. It was first recorded by Etta James in 1967, released in 1967, and has subsequently become regarded as a blues and soul classic.
Or ...
"[Etta James and David Ritz, ''Rage To Survive'', 1995, ] – bass singers Bubba (or Buddha) Carter and Joe Williams. In 1957, the group recorded for Specialty Records
Specialty Records was an American record label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by Art Rupe. It was known for rhythm and blues, gospel, and early rock and roll, and recorded artists such as Little Richard, Guitar Slim, Percy Mayfield, and Lloyd P ...
as the Phantoms, and Green also recorded with the Cameos. Green then returned to Williams' label, by then renamed Dooto Records, with a new line-up of the Medallions comprising himself, his brother Jimmy, Billy Foster and Joe Williams. The group, with a variety of line-ups, later recorded for the Pan World and Minit labels, continuing to release singles into the early 1960s.[
The group ceased to exist after Green was injured in a car accident in the mid-1960s, although he released a single, "Can You Talk", on Dootone as late as 1973.][ Since the death of Vernon Green in 2000, the group has been occasionally reconstituted by his brother Jimmy Green, Billy Foster, Buddha Carter, Jack Palti and Jerome Evans, who have performed as the New Medallions.][
]
Discography
Singles
*"Buick '59"/"The Letter" (Dootone, 1954)
*"The Telegram"/"Coupe De Ville Baby" (Dootone, 1955)
*"Edna"/"Speedin'" (Dootone, 1955)
*"Dear Darling"/"Don't Shoot Baby" (Dootone, 1955)
*"I Want A Love"/"Dance & Swing" (Dootone, 1956)
*"Shedding Tears For You"/"Pushbutton Automobile" (Dootone, 1956)
*"Magic Mountain"/"'59 Volvo" (Dooto, 1959)
*"For Better Or For Worse"/"I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder" (Dooto, 1957)
*"A Lover's Prayer"/"Unseen" (Dooto, 1957)
*"Did You Have Fun?"/"My Mary Lou" (Dooto, 1956)
*"Behind The Door*/"Rocket Ship" (Dooto, 1959)
*"Deep, So Deep"/"Dear Ann" (Pan World, 1962)
*"Dear Ann"/"Shimmy Shimmy Shake" (Pan World, 1962)
*"Look At Me, Look At Me"/"Am I Ever Gonna See My Baby Again" (Minit, 1964)
*Can You Talk"/"You Don't Know" (Dootone, 1973)
References
External links
Discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Medallions, The
American rhythm and blues musical groups
Apex Records artists
American vocal groups