The Sensations 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 ...
group from
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The group formed in 1954 under the name the Cavaliers, soon after changing to the Sensations. The group scored two hits on the US
R&B chart in 1956 with the
Atco Records singles "Yes Sir That's My Baby" (#15) and "Please Mr. Disc Jockey" (#13).
By 1957 they were managed by
Kae Williams.
[Jay Warner, ''American Singing Groups: A History from 1940 to Today'' (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006):287.] The group disbanded soon afterwards, and lead singer Yvonne Mills married and started a family.
In 1961, bass singer Alphonso Howell persuaded Yvonne Mills Baker that the group should re-form, and they won a contract with
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...
subsidiary label
Argo
In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sour ...
. They soon had a hit with a version of "
Music, Music, Music
"Music! Music! Music! (Put Another Nickel In)" is a popular song written by Stephen Weiss and Bernie Baum and published in 1950.
Background
The first recording of the song was by Etienne Paree with Eddie "Piano" Miller, released by Rainbow Rec ...
", which reached #12 on the R&B chart and #54 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
.
A few months later, they released the tune "
Let Me In".
[ It was their biggest success, peaking at #2 R&B and #4 on the Hot 100. However, later releases were less successful and the group broke up.][
Yvonne Baker later started a solo career, recording a number of tracks that achieved cult status among Northern soul fans, most notably "You Didn’t Say a Word" on Parkway Records in 1966.][
Alphonso Howell died on May 7, 1998, at the age of 61. Sam Armstrong died on July 11, 2017. Yvonne Mills Baker died on May 3, 2020.]
Members
;Early members
*Yvonne Mills Baker (b.15th Feb 1933- d. 3rd May 2020)
*Tommy Wicks
*Alphonso Howell (1937–1998)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sensations, The
Musical groups from Philadelphia
Doo-wop groups
Argo Records artists