The Checkmates, Ltd. were an American R&B group from Fort Wayne,

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

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was 1969's "

Black Pearl The ''Black Pearl'' (formerly known as the ''Wicked Wench'') is a fictional ship in the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series. In the screenplay, the ''Black Pearl'' is easily recognized by her distinctive black hull and sails. Captained by ...

", 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 "Proud Mary" is a song written by John Fogerty and first recorded by his band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was released by Fantasy Records as a single from the band's second studio album, '' Bayou Country'', which was issued by the same ...

" reached No. 30 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

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 and

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

, and sang the

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for the Thrilla in Manila in 1975.

Lead singer The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Sonny Charles 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 Caribbean where he and Sonny Charles were scheduled to perform. He was 68.Lifeinlegacy.com

Members

* Sonny Charles – 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 The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock, as ...

.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