Checkmates, Ltd.
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The Checkmates, Ltd. were an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
R&B group from
Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...
,
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. The group, discovered by Nancy Wilson, included both
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and
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members; their one major
hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization in ...
was 1969's " Black Pearl", produced by
Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...
. The song peaked at No. 13 on the U.S. pop chart. Their remake of " Proud Mary" reached No. 30 on the
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in late 1969. The group broke up in 1970, but reunited in 1974 for a few more years. They performed on the same billing as
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
and Herb Alpert, and sang the
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for the
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in 1975. Lead singer
Sonny Charles Sonny Charles (born Charles Hemphill, September 4, 1940)Joel Whitburn, ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits''. 7th edn, 2000 is an American soul singer born to a sharecropping family at Blytheville, Arkansas. At the age of 10. he moved with his pa ...
later had a moderately successful career as a
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artist. Charles and Marvin ("Sweet Louie") Smith later reunited and toured the
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into the 2000s. Smith died on December 15, 2007, of a
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, while on a
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in the
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where he and Sonny Charles were scheduled to perform. He was 68.Lifeinlegacy.com


Members

*
Sonny Charles Sonny Charles (born Charles Hemphill, September 4, 1940)Joel Whitburn, ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits''. 7th edn, 2000 is an American soul singer born to a sharecropping family at Blytheville, Arkansas. At the age of 10. he moved with his pa ...
– lead vocals – (born Charles Hemphill, September 4, 1940, Blytheville, Arkansas)Joel Whitburn, ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits''. 7th edn, 2000 – Charles was later a vocalist with the Steve Miller Band.Steve Miller Band Celebrates 40 Years With 'Live' DVD
Billboard.com
*Bobby Stevens – vocals *Harvey Trees – guitar *Bill Van Buskirk – bass *Marvin "Sweet Louie" Smith – drums, vocals *Calvin Thomas – drums *Jimmy Milton – vocals


Discography


Albums


Singles


References


External links



* ttps://www.soulexpress.net/checkmates_part2.htm The Checkmates Ltd. story, part 2 - 1969-1975 {{authority control Musical groups from Indiana American rhythm and blues musical groups