The Jarmels was an American doo wop

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

group formed in 1959 in Richmond,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

best known for their only 1961 hit, " A Little Bit of Soap".

Career

The start of their big break came in 1960 when they were at a local (Richmond) venue where

Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later ...

was appearing, and they met him. King invited them to travel to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and meet with various record companies, including

Laurie Records Laurie Records was a record label established in New York City in 1958 by brothers Robert and Gene Schwartz, and Allan I. Sussel. Among the recording artists on Laurie's roster were Dion and the Belmonts (both together and as separate acts), ...

. The Cherokees impressed Laurie after auditioning with King's signature song, " Stand By Me", and became the first African-American group that Laurie signed. The group was renamed the Jarmels after a street 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 on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

, New York. Jim Gribble, who had previously worked with

The Mystics The Mystics are an American rock and roll group that began in Brooklyn, New York, United States, in the late 1950s. The group was known as The Overons, a quintet that, when signed to Laurie Records, consisted of Phil Cracolici (born 1937, lead) ...

and The Passions, was assigned as

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

of the Jarmels. In early 1961, they released the single "Little Lonely One", which did not find much success outside New York. However, their second single, " A Little Bit of Soap", reached number 12 in America on the Billboard chart in June of the same year. The flip side of the recording was "

The Way You Look Tonight "The Way You Look To-night" is a song from the film ''Swing Time'' that was performed by Fred Astaire and composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Dorothy Fields. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936. Fields remarked, ...

", a song featured in the film ''

Swing Time In music, the term ''swing'' has two main uses. Colloquially, it is used to describe the propulsive quality or "feel" of a rhythm, especially when the music prompts a visceral response such as foot-tapping or head-nodding (see pulse). This sens ...

'' and originally performed by

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

. It won the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Original Song in 1936. "Soap" proved to be the only hit single for the Jarmels; the next four singles, including "Just the Way You Look Tonight" and a remake of the 1935 Bing Crosby hit " Red Sails in the Sunset" did not chart at all. The group continued to perform throughout the 1960s, recording a remake of "Come On, Girl" in 1963. There were several personnel changes, notably the addition of Major Harris, who would later go on to join

the Delfonics The Delfonics were an American R&B/soul vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Delfonics were most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include " La-La (Means I Love You)", " Didn't I (Blow Your Mind Thi ...

. The group disbanded in 1969.

Members

The group was composed of: * Nathaniel Ruff (1939 – 1990s) * Paul Burnett (1946 – March 23, 2001) * Ray Smith (born 1941) * Earl Christian (1940 – 1960s) * Tom Eldridge (1941 – June 19, 2000).

Discography

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jarmels, The American rhythm and blues musical groups Doo-wop groups 1959 establishments in Virginia Musical groups established in 1959 Musical groups disestablished in 1969 Laurie Records artists