Vernon Guy (March 21, 1945 – September 10, 1998) was an American R&B vocalist based in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. Early in his career he toured with bandleader

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 1 ...

in the

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocal ...

Revue. Guy released a few solo records on Turner's labels before forming

the Sharpees The Sharpees were an American Rhythm and blues, R&B group based in St. Louis. The group originated from a band led by guitarist and bandleader Benny Sharp. History The Sharpees were named after guitarist Benny Sharp. Sharp (1930 – 2019) was ...

with Benny Sharp in the mid 1960s. He later performed with musicians

Bennie Smith Bennie Smith (October 5, 1933 in St. Louis, Missouri – September 10, 2006 in St. Louis, Missouri) was an American, St. Louis blues guitarist, considered to be one of the city's patriarchs of electric blues. His sound was emblematic of a St. Loui ...

and Johnnie Johnson.

Life and career

Guy was born in

on March 21, 1945. He began singing gospel music with his brother in the vocal group the Seven Gospel Singers. Inspired by singer Frankie Lymon, Guy began singing secular music and the group was renamed the Cool Sounds. The Cool sounds competed in local talent shows. They won Dave Dixon's "Shower of Stars," sponsored by

KATZ Katz or KATZ may refer to: Fiction * Katz Kobayashi, a character in Japanese anime * "Katz", a 1947 Nelson Algren story in '' The Neon Wilderness'' * Katz, a character in ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' Other uses * Katz (surname) * Katz, British C ...

Kiel Auditorium Kiel Auditorium was an indoor arena located in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the home of the St. Louis University basketball team and hosted the NBA's St. Louis Hawks, from 1955 to 1968. The site was home to Charles H. Turpin's Booker T. Wash ...

. The prize was supposed to be a recording session, but that didn't materialize. The group continued performing, now at local clubs in St. Louis and

East St. Louis East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

. They had gigs at the Manhattan Club, the Riviera, the Dynaflow and the Red Top with the bands of musicians

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...

Little Milton James Milton Campbell Jr. (September 7, 1934 – August 4, 2005), better known as Little Milton, was an American blues singer and guitarist, best known for his number-one R&B single " We're Gonna Make It". His other hits include "Baby, I Love ...

, and

Oliver Sain Oliver Sain Jr. (March 1, 1932 – October 28, 2003) was an American saxophonist, songwriter, bandleader, drummer and record producer, who was an important figure in the development of rhythm and blues music, notably in St Louis, Missouri. B ...

. In 1961, Guy's saw his friend, Stacy Johnson, singing with Benny Sharp and the Zorros of Rhythm at the Club Caravan (formerly Early Bird Lounge). Johnson introduced Guy to Sharp who had him sing " Shout" by

the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

. Impressed, Sharp offered him a job in his band. Guy and Johnson, along with singer Horise O'Toole became known as New Breed. One day at the Club Caravan, bandleader

's vocalist

Jimmy Thomas Jimmy Thomas (January 20, 1939 – April 25, 2022) was an American soul singer and songwriter. He was best known as a vocalist for Ike Turner. Thomas joined Turner's Kings of Rhythm in 1958, and remained with the band when the Ike & Tina T ...

introduced Johnson and Guy to Turner, who at the recommendation of Ikette

Robbie Montgomery Robbie Montgomery (born June 16, 1940) is an American singer and restaurateur. She is noted for being one of the original Ikettes in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in the 1960s. After her tenure as an Ikette, she was a member of the Mirettes, and t ...

, asked Guy and Johnson to join the

Revue. Turner went home with Guy to ask his mother and grandmother permission for him to tour. Initially Guy sang backup in the revue, but after a few weeks on the road, Guy and Johnson recorded their first records for Turner at his home in East St. Louis. Guy released his first record on Turner's label

Teena Records Teena Records was a record label founded by R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner in 1963. Ike Turner named the label after his wife Tina Turner. Records on Teena were distributed by CIRCA distributing firm. CIRCA (Consolidated International Record Company o ...

in 1963. The revue toured at a grueling pace. He was getting fed up with doing roadie work, and while in

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

for a gig he discovered that he was owed royalties. He left the revue without informing Turner and returned to St. Louis. After a few days, he was contacted by Jimmy Thomas who told him Turner wanted him back. Guy rejoined the revue in Detroit. After returning, Guy and Johnson were featured more. They recorded together as Vernon & Stacy, releasing the single "The Hunter And The Rabbit" / "My Life Time Love" on Turner's label

Sonja Records Sonja Records was a Los Angeles-based record label founded by musician Ike Turner in 1963. Turner set up the label to release singles from the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, which included his then wife, R&B singer Tina Turner, as well as other artists ...

in 1963. Weary of the touring and in love with a girl back home, Guy left the revue in 1964. In St. Louis, he returned to Benny Sharp, forming the Sharpees. They signed to George Leaner's One-derful Records based in Chicago and released their first single, "Do the 45," which was a modest hit in 1965. The band released a few more singles and continued to perform through the 1970s with changing lineups. In 1978, Sharp quit performing and turned to religion. 1985, Guy briefly revived the Sharpees with Johnson which included Guy's nephew Paul Grady in the band. After their dissolution, Guy continued to perform primarily as a solo artist around St. Louis. He still performed with Johnson occasionally as well as musicians

and Johnnie Johnson. Guy died in an automobile accident in St. Louis on September 10, 1998.

Discography

Singles

* 1963: "You've Got Me (Just Where You Want Me)" / "They Ain't Lovin' Ya" (Teena 1703) * 1963: "The Hunter And The Rabbit" / "My Life Time Love" (Sonja 2002) * 1964: "Anything - To Make It With You" / "Walking Down The Isle" (Sonja 2007) * 1980: "My Brand New Woman" / "Ooh Vernon" (Electric Land 811020)

Albums

Ike & Tina Turner

* 1964: ''

Ike & Tina Turner Revue Live ''Ike & Tina Turner Revue Live'' is the first live album by Ike & Tina Turner released on Kent Records in 1964. Background The Ike & Tina Turner Revue was formed in 1960 in St. Louis by songwriter, musician, and bandleader Ike Turner. By 19 ...

'' (

Kent Records Kent Records was a Los Angeles-based record label, launched in 1958 by the Bihari brothers. It was subsidiary of Crown Records Corporation. Kent was a follow-up to Modern Records which ceased operations in 1958. The label reissued Modern's singles, ...

) * 1965: ''

Live! The Ike & Tina Turner Show ''Live! The Ike & Tina Turner Show'' is a live album by Ike & Tina Turner released on Warner Bros. Records in 1965. In 1967, ''The Ike & Tina Turner Show – Vol. 2'', consisting of different recordings from the same shows was released on Loma Re ...

'' (

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

) * 2004: ''The Bad Man: Rare & Unreissued Ike Turner Produced Recordings 1962-1965'' (Night Train International) * 2012: ''Ike Turner Studio Productions: New Orleans and Los Angeles 1963–1965'' ( Ace Records)

Other appearances

* 1999: ''West Coast Modern Blues 1960s (

P-Vine Records P-Vine Records is an independent record label based in Tokyo, Japan. History It was started in 1976 by Blues Interactions, a firm founded in 1975 by Yasufumi Higurashi and Akira Kochi, as a record label focused on black music. The label name c ...

) * 2013: ''New Breed Blues With Black Popcorn'' (Kent Dance)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guy, Vernon 1945 births 1998 deaths African-American male singers American soul singers Singers from Missouri St. Louis blues musicians Sonja Records artists Kings of Rhythm members Ike & Tina Turner members Road incident deaths in Missouri 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers