Vernon "Verne" Harrell (June 5, 1940 – March 15, 1997) was an American R&B singer and songwriter.

Career

Harrell was from

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 released several singles in the 1960s and 1970s. He also went by the name Keidar Syenon Harrell. He co-wrote songs with J. R. Bailey (a former member of

The Cadillacs The Cadillacs were an American rock and roll and doo-wop group from Harlem, New York, active from 1953 to 1962. The group was noted for their 1955 hit " Speedo", written by Esther Navarro, which was instrumental in attracting white audiences to ...

and writer of "

Everybody Plays the Fool "Everybody Plays the Fool" is a 1972 song first recorded by American R&B group The Main Ingredient, and written by J. R. Bailey, Rudy Clark and Ken Williams. It was the first single released from the group's album ''Bitter Sweet'', released wi ...

" by

The Main Ingredient The Main Ingredient was an American soul and R&B group best known for their 1972 hit song "Everybody Plays the Fool". Early history The group was formed in Harlem, New York City in 1964 as a trio called the Poets, composed of lead singer Dona ...

). Several songs penned by the two include "Soul Shing-A-Ling" and "Seven Days Too Long" by Chuck Wood in 1966, "Sweet, Sweet Lovin'" by

The Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The a ...

in 1967, and "Lonely Singer" by Kurtis Scott. Both sides of another New York single by Forest Hairston "Go On And Tell" b/w "No Second Chance" on Viney Records was co-written by Harrell with Doris Horne. Harrell replaced

Billy Guy Billy Guy (June 20, 1936 – November 5, 2002) was an American singer, best known as a lead singer for the Coasters. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Biography Born Frank Phillips in Texas, Guy is best known as a memb ...

in the 1960s as a member of

The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with " Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producin ...

, while Guy was busy working on a solo career. After 1969, singer

Jimmy Norman Jimmy Norman (August 12, 1937 – November 8, 2011) was an American rhythm and blues and jazz musician and a songwriter. In his early career, Norman had a charting single of his own, "I Don't Love You No More (I Don't Care About You)", as ...

replaced Harrell as the regular substitute for Billy Guy. Harrell never recorded with The Coasters, he only performed on stage. One song Harrell recorded called "Do It To It" on Calla Records has the same backing track that was used on The Coasters' recording of "Lovey Dovey." Other versions of "Do It To It" by The Sandpebbles and Tony Fox, both released on Calla Records in 1968, supposedly also have the same backing track. Harrell released two records in 1971, one called "Muhammed Ali" on

Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History From 1916 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing prod ...

, about the famous boxer Muhammad Ali, and another one on

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1959, ...

. He has also written songs under the names Keidar Syeon and Keidar Syenon, co-writing a few under the name with J. R. Bailey. In 1965, he co-wrote the song "Daisy Daisy" with Sol Meshel and J. R. Bailey under the name Keidar Syenon Harrell. He released a record for Capitol Records in 1972 under the name of Keidar Syeon. The songs were " Unchain My Heart" (originally recorded by

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

in 1961) and

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

's "

Brown Eyed Girl "Brown Eyed Girl" is a song by Northern Irish singer and songwriter Van Morrison. Written by Morrison and recorded in March 1967 for Bang Records owner and producer Bert Berns, it was released as a single in June of the same year on the Bang la ...

." He had been living in Bronx, New York before his death in 1997 at the age of 56.

Discography

Singles

* Slick Chick/Beg Borrow And Steal (Lescay #3003) (1962) * Slick Chick/Cold, Cold Heart (Lescay #3011) (1962) (as Vernon Harrel) * Nobody But Nobody/Such A Lonely Guy (Ascot #2144) (1963) * Do Unto Others/Little Joe (Beltone #2031) (1963) (as Vernon Harrel) * I Had A Dream My Record Was Number One/Beg Borrow And Steal (Beltone #2038) (1960s) * Baby Don’tcha Worry/All That's Good (Decca #31721) (1964) (as Vernon Harrell and Little Gigi) * Your Love/Daisy Daisy (Score #1008) (1966) * If This Ain’t Love (Ain't No Cows In Texas)/A Man Has Got To Cry Sometime (Score #1010) (1966) * Do It To It/Can't Take The Hurt (Calla #136) (1969) * (Stereo)/ (Mono) (Brunswick #55448) (1971) (as Verne Harrell) * Brown Eyed Girl/Unchain My Heart (Capitol #3377) (1972) (as Keidar Syeon) * Slick Chick/Holding A Dream (Side B by Gene Latter) (RNB #007) (2004)

Various artists compilations

* Hits & Misses: Muhammad Ali & The Ultimate Sound Of Fist Fighting (Trikont) (2005)

Notes

External links

The Coasters Members' Mini Bios
*

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

br> BMI Catalog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrell, Vernon American rhythm and blues singers Songwriters from New York (state) The Coasters members 1940 births 1997 deaths Northern soul musicians 20th-century American singers