The Solitaires are 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 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 iden ...

, best known for their 1957

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

Walking Along "Walking Along" is a song recorded by the American doo wop group the Solitaires in 1957. The group members are individually credited on the Argo Records single release as the songwriters. The single was their best selling record. This song featu ...

". Although they never had a national chart hit, they were one of the most popular vocal groups in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in the late 1950s.

History

The Solitaires formed in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

in 1953. They started as a street-corner singing group, one of many that used to congregate on 142nd Street. The original lineup consisted of Eddie "California" Jones (lead singer), Nick Anderson (first tenor), Winston "Buzzy" Willis (second tenor), Rudy "Angel" Morgan (baritone), and Pat Gaston (bass).

Old Town Records: 1954–1963

Herman Curtis

After a series of personnel changes, the group had six members: Herman Curtis, also known as Herman Dunham (lead singer/first tenor), Buzzy Willis (second tenor), Pat Gaston (bass), Monteith "Monte" Owens (tenor/guitar), Bobby Baylor (second tenor/baritone) and Bobby "Schubie" Williams (tenor/piano). Curtis had previously performed with the Vocaleers, Gaston with the Four Bells, Willis with

the Crows The Crows were an American R&B singing group formed in 1951 who achieved commercial success in the 1950s. The group's first single and only hit, " Gee", released in June 1953, has been credited with being the first rock n’ roll hit by a rock ...

, and Owens, Baylor and Williams with the Mello-Moods. Willis happened to work for

Hal Jackson Harold Baron Jackson (3 November 1915 – 23 May 2012) was an American disc jockey and radio personality who broke a number of color barriers in American radio broadcasting. Biography Early years Jackson was born in Charleston, South Carolina, ...

, a famous disc jockey and radio personality at

WLIB WLIB (1190 AM) is an urban contemporary gospel radio station licensed to New York City. WLIB is owned by Emmis Communications, along with sister stations WBLS (107.5 FM) and WQHT (97.1 FM). The three stations share studios in the Hudson Square n ...

. With Jackson's help, the Solitaires landed an audition with record producer

Hy Weiss Hyman Y. "Hy" Weiss (February 12, 1923 – March 20, 2007) was an American record producer of pop and rhythm and blues music in the 1950s and 1960s, and the founder of Old Town Records. Biography Born to a Jewish family in Cuca, Argeș County, ...

in the fall of 1953. Weiss used to hold auditions in a local movie theater after it had closed for the night. Weiss was impressed with the young men's vocals. Just teenagers at the time, the Solitaires wrote most of their own material and had their own style of harmony, which helped distinguish them from the other street-corner singers. The group was signed to the Old Town

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

, from which they issued a series of singles that included " Wonder Why", "Blue Valentine", and a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive lis ...

, "

I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You" is a 1932 song recorded by Bing Crosby with Orchestral Accompaniment. The music was composed by Victor Young, with lyrics written by Ned Washington and Bing Crosby. The song is a jazz and pop standar ...

". It was during this period that the group's best known publicity photo was taken, showing Curtis, Gaston, Baylor, Williams and Willis in white jackets procured for them by their manager at the time, Maurice Hines (father of the noted actor and dancer

Gregory Hines Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. As an actor, he is best known for '' Wolfen'' (1981), '' The Cotton C ...

Milton Love

When Curtis left the group to join the air force in 1955, he was replaced by Milton Love (formerly of the Concords). It was with Love that the Solitaires enjoyed their greatest success. Love had taken voice lessons as a child, and had released a single with the Concords while still in high school, writing the lyrics and singing the lead on both sides. With the Concords he had also sung backup on a single with

Pearl Reaves Pearl Reaves (June 7, 1929 – March 6, 2000), also known by her married name, Pearl Farano, was an American R&B singer and guitar player, best known for her 1955 single, "I'm Not Ashamed (Ugly Woman)". She was unusual for her time in that she ...

("You Can't Stay Here"/"I'm Not Ashamed") which had done well locally. The Solitaires had a string of local hits throughout the latter part of the 1950s that included "The Wedding" (1955), "The Angels Sang" (1956), and their biggest hit, "

" (1957). Bass singer Freddy Barksdale joined the group in 1956 when Pat Gaston also joined the air force. Curtis rejoined the group when time permitted and sang lead on a few more songs, including "Please Kiss This Letter" and "Thrill of Love". Meanwhile the group performed regularly to sold-out crowds in venues along the East Coast and in Canada, including the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

in Harlem, the

Howard Theater The Howard Theatre is a historic theater, located at 620 T Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. Opened in 1910, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In its heyday, the theater was known for catering to an African- ...

in Washington, D.C., and shows hosted by

Alan Freed Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...

, Hal Jackson, and Dr. Jive. In 1955 they performed at the Second Annual Festival of Negro Music at the

Savoy Ballroom The Savoy Ballroom was a large ballroom for music and public dancing located at 596 Lenox Avenue, between 140th and 141st Streets in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Lenox Avenue was the main thoroughfare through upper Harle ...

. Their songs received regular airplay and developed a loyal fan base among R&B lovers. When they performed their hit song "The Wedding" and its sequel, "The Honeymoon", Love would wear a mop on his head to play the part of the bride. In 1959 the Solitaires were booked to play at the

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

along with

Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" an ...

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

, and

the Big Bopper Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), known as The Big Bopper, was an American singer, songwriter and disc jockey. His best-known compositions include "Chantilly Lace" and " White Lightning", the latter of wh ...

. They never got to meet Holly or the Big Bopper, as both were killed in a plane crash that February.

Other labels

The group disbanded temporarily in 1961 when Milton Love joined the army for two years. Although they were popular in New York and several of their singles had been regional hits, they had not had a national chart hit. This was likely due to poor distribution by Old Town. Their signature song, "Walking Along", was a local chart hit in the New York area in 1957. When a white group,

the Diamonds The Diamonds are a Canadian vocal quartet that rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s with 16 ''Billboard'' hit records. The original members were Dave Somerville (lead), Ted Kowalski (tenor), Phil Levitt (baritone), and Bill Reed (ba ...

, covered it in 1958, it reached #29 on the

Billboard 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 ...

. The Solitaires then made some additional sales by re-releasing their version with Argo Records. A last Old Town single, recorded a few years earlier, was released in 1963. The group released three more singles under other labels in 1964. Calling themselves the Cadillacs, the group backed up Ray Brewster in "Fool", released by Arctic. They recorded another single as the Chances, "Through a Long and Sleepless Night", released by Roulette. Their last single as the Solitaires was "Fool That I Am", released by MGM.

Later years

Various Solitaires lineups have toured since 1961. For several years the group was made up of Milton Love, Freddy Barksdale, George Magnezid and Robbie Mansfield. (Both Magnezid and Mansfield formerly sang with

the Wrens The Wrens were an American indie rock band from New Jersey. The group consisted of Charles Bissell (guitar/vocals), brothers Greg Whelan (guitar/vocals) and Kevin Whelan (bass/vocals), and Jerry MacDonald (drums). They released three albums; a fo ...

.) The group performed at United in Group Harmony Association concerts and other venues in the 1990s. In 2012 their lineup consisted of Milton Love, Alvin Grant, Don Cruz, and Ray Goodwin. As recently as Labor Day 2014 the group was performing in the New Jersey area. The current and former members have pursued a variety of careers in and out of the music industry. Milton Love became a medical technician. Notably, Pat Gaston, formerly a high school dropout, eventually earned a doctorate in clinical psychology. Robert "Bobby/Schubie" Williams died in 1961, due to a blood disease. Bobby Baylor Died On January 4, 198

George Magnezid On December 9, 200

Herman Dunham(Known as Herman Curtis) died On February 1, 2010, due to cance

Monte Owens died on March 3, 2011, in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, after illness, at the age of 74. In 1984, the Murray Hill Company released a boxed set of Solitaires recordings which included several previously unreleased songs. Due to a mixup at Old Town, it also included a song ''not'' performed by the Solitaires: "Darling, Listen to the Words of This Song" was actually performed by another Old Town group called the Supremes (not to be confused with the Motown Supremes). Another unreleased song, "Silent Grief", written and sung by Milton Love, was unearthed by a collector and released in the 1990s.

Influence

Although none of their original records made the charts, several of their songs have gained recognition over the years and have been included in anthologies such as ''25 All-Time Doo-Wop Hits'', ''The Best of Doo-Wop'', ''Doo-Wop Classics'', ''Doo-Wop Treasures'', ''Only the Best of Old Town Records'', and Rhino's ''Doo-Wop Box''. (

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

classed the Solitaires' "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You" with the "should-have-been-hits" in his review of ''Doo-Wop Box''.) The group's recording career is described as "illustrious" in Mitch Rosalsky's ''Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Doo-Wop Vocal Groups''. Decades after its original release, rock musician

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

mentioned "Later for You, Baby" by the Solitaires in an interview, along with songs by the Mellows and other New York doo-wop groups, noting that they had been far more influential than anyone seemed to realize.

Discography

* "Wonder Why"/"Blue Valentine", 1954, Old Town * "Please Remember My Heart"/"South Of The Border", 1954, Old Town * "Chances I've Taken"/"Lonely", 1954, Old Town * "I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance"/"Girl Of Mine", 1954, Old Town * "My Dear"/"What Did She Say", 1955, Old Town * "The Wedding"/"Don't Fall In Love", 1955, Old Town, US Cashbox #43 * "Magic Rose"/"Later For You Baby", 1955, Old Town * "The Honeymoon"/"Fine Little Girl", 1956, Old Town * "You've Sinned"/"You're Back With Me" (aka "The Angels Sang"), 1956, Old Town * "Give Me One More Chance"/"Nothing Like A Little Love", 1956, Old Town * "Walking Along"/"Please Kiss This Letter", 1957, Old Town * "I Really Love You So" (aka "Honey Babe")/"Thrill Of Love", 1957, Old Town * "Walkin' And Talkin'"/"No More Sorrows", 1958, Old Town * "Walking Along"/"Please Kiss This Letter", 1958, Argo * "Big Mary's House"/"Please Remember My Heart" (remake), 1958, Old Town * "Embraceable You"/"Round Goes My Heart", 1958, Old Town * "Helpless"/"Light A Candle In The Chapel", 1959, Old Town * "Lonesome Lover"/"Pretty Thing", 1960, Old Town * "The Time Is Here"/"Honey Babe", 1963, Old Town * "Fool That I Am"/"Fair Weather Lover", 1964, MGM

References

External links

Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks - The Solitaires

"Walking Along" by the Solitaires
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solitaires, The Doo-wop groups American pop music groups Musical groups from Harlem