Ames Brothers

The Ames Brothers got their beginning in Malden, MA, where all four were born. The act consisted of Joe (b.5/3/21), Gene (b.2/13/23), Vic (b.5/20/25, d.1/23/78) and Eddie (b.7/9/27). Born into a non-professional but musical family, the boys were brought up on classical and operatic music. Their parents, David and Sarah Urick, were Russian Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine who read Shakespeare and semi-classics to their nine children from the time they were old enough to listen.

The brothers formed a quartet with a cousin Lennie, and had been touring Army and Navy bases entertaining the troops and were offered a job at the Foxs and Hounds nightclub, one of the fanciest clubs in Boston. This one week engagement turned into several months when the word got around of their appearance. At the time, they were going by the name of the Amory Brothers, a name taken from Vic's middle name and they were becoming quite popular in the area. It was at this time that Joe decided to rejoin the group. He said they were just having too much fun together for him to miss out. The name Amory was shortened to Ames. They were swept into national top billing with their first hit record, "Rag Mop," in January, 1950. Doing radio shows for free at times just for the experience, they later became regulars on such shows as The Arthur Godfrey Hour. One of the first acts to appear on the original Ed Sullivan Show when it was known as Toast of the Town, they made their debut with him when the show was telecast live from Wanamaker's Department Store. Recordings

Boswell Sisters

One of the all-time greatest jazz vocal groups, the Boswell Sisters, Martha, Vet and Connee, began their career in the vaudeville houses of New Orleans. Connee, paralyzed from the waist down by a childhood accident (though her disability was often attributed to polio), always performed sitting down. Gifted musicians as well as singers, the sisters also worked at a local radio station, performing classical and semi-classical instrumentals. (Martha played piano, Vet played violin, banjo and guitar, and Connee played cello, saxophone and guitar.) Their careers took off when the radio station gave them a daily singing program.

The sisters' harmonic vocals, dotted with scatting and numerous tempo and key changes, quickly made them popular in New Orleans and beyond. They recorded several songs during the twenties, but it wasn't until 1930, when they recorded four songs for the Okeh label, that they finally achieved popular recognition. They later signed with Brunswick, and between 1930 and 1936 they were the hottest vocal group in the country. They appeared in several movies and were regulars on Bing Crosby's radio program. Many of their hit recordings were made with the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. Both Vet and Martha retired from show business in 1936. Connee went on enjoy a mildly-successful solo career. Recordings

Comedian Harmonists

With three tenors, a baritone, a bass, and pianist Erwin Bootz, the Comedian Harmonists took early twentieth century American vocal harmony music and gave it a European, almost Teutonic sensibility. With an eclectic repertoire that took in jazz, pop, film, opera, and cabaret tunes, they were popular in Germany in the early 1930s, as well as other parts of Europe. Leader Harry Frommerman worked out demanding vocal parts for the band that shifted throughout the song, setting them apart from many other popular vocal groups of those and future times. The Comedian Harmonists were torn apart as the 1930s progressed. Three of them were Jewish, and they were asked by the Nazis to stop singing Jewish melodies before getting blacklisted. The Jews in the Comedian Harmonists left for Austria, and both they and the other trio tried to keep the group going with replacements. Several decades after their prime, a cult grew around them that included such unlikely converts as rock critic Lester Bangs and top folk and rock producer Joe Boyd. There has also been a film (The Harmonists) and a Broadway musical (Band in Berlin) inspired by the group's story. Recordings

The Drifters

Formed in 1953 in New York, USA, at the behest of Atlantic Records, this influential R&B vocal group was initially envisaged as a vehicle for ex-Dominoes singer Clyde McPhatter. Gerhart Thrasher, Andrew Thrasher and Bill Pinkney (b. 15 August 1925, Sumter, North Carolina, USA) completed the new quartet which, as Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, achieved a million-selling number 1 R&B hit with their debut single, "Money Honey". Follow-up releases, including "Such A Night" (number 5 R&B), "Lucille" (number 7 R&B) and "Honey Love" (a second chart-topper), also proved highly successful, while the juxtaposition of McPhatter's soaring tenor against the frenzied support of the other members provided a link between gospel and rock 'n' roll styles. The leader's interplay with bassist Pinkey was revelatory, but McPhatter's induction into the armed forces in 1954 was a blow that the Drifters struggled to withstand. The new line-up declared themselves with "There Goes My Baby". The single not only topped the R&B chart, it also reached number 2 on the US pop listings, and anticipated the "symphonic" style later developed by Phil Spector. Further excellent releases followed, notably "Dance With Me" (1959), "This Magic Moment" (1960) and "Save The Last Dance For Me", the latter a million seller which topped the US pop chart and reached number 2 in the UK. Recordings

Four Aces

The story of The Four Aces started when Philadelphia born Al Alberts was serving in the U.S. Navy and teamed up with tenor saxist Dave Mahoney. After discharge in 1946 they performed back in Pennsylvania as a duo, and then with local boys Rosario (Sod) Voccaro on trumpet and drummer Lou Silvestri, formed an instrumental combo. Pretty soon they discovered they were even better vocalists than musicians. Al was the lead and Dave, Sod and Lou added the tenor, baritone and bass voices. After a while of singing local dates they were approached by songwriters George Hoven and Chester Shull with a number they had written called '(It's No) Sin.' When the song received it privately on a label they christened Victoria. Local radio station plays soon spread across the State and eventually the country. In the end the record sold over a million copies. Eventually, the group was signed by Decca who released their second million copy seller, 'Tell Me Why.' A change of backing orchestra from Owen Bradley to Jack Pleis then brought further successes with 'Heart of My Heart,' their first American No.1, the million selling 'Three Coins in the Fountain,' and their top 10 version of 'Mister Sandman.' Al Alberts left the group in 1958 to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Freddie Diodatti, who fronted the foursome on their 1959 chart success 'The World Outside.' Dave and Sod left the group in the Sixties. The final member, Lou, left in 1976 to join the other members in a group, which was named The Original Four Aces, who continued to perform until 1987. Recordings

Four Freshmen

One of the most influential vocal groups of the 1950s, The Four Freshmen pioneered a revolutionary new style of close-harmony vocals that set the stage for bands like the Beach Boys, Spanky & Our Gang, the Hi-Lo's, the Manhattan Transfer and countless others. In 1948, brothers Ross and Don Barbour formed a barbershop quartet called Hal's Harmonizers at Butler University's Arthur Jordan Conservatory in Indiana. The band also featured Marvin Pruitt and Hal Kratzch. Later that year the group switched to a more jazz-oriented repertoire, and the quartet was renamed the Toppers. Pruitt soon left the group and was replaced with Ross and Don's cousin Bob Flanigan.

The group remained popular throughout the 50s and early 60s, releasing a wide array of successful albums, movie and television appearances and performing countless sold-out concerts. The band eventually lost mainstream attention with the emergence of the British pop bands of the 60s. Though, they managed to stay together even after the retirement of final original member Bob Flanigan in 1992. New lineups of the Four Freshmen have continued the legendary vocal tradition of the original band, while adding new touches. In 2000 the group won Downbeat Magazine's reader's poll award for Vocal Group of the Year, proving the quartet's timeless appeal and securing their role as one of the most important vocal groups in jazz history. Recordings

Four Preps

The Four Preps formed in the early 50s in Hollywood, CA and consisted of founding members Bruce Belland, Glen Larson, Marvin Inabnett and Ed Cobb (d. 1999, Honolulu). Recording for Capitol Records, they placed 13 singles in the US charts between 1956 and 1964, two of which made the Top 5 in 1958. The quartet began singing together during their high-school years, influenced by the Mills Brothers, Four Aces, and Four Freshmen acts. Impressed by a demo tape the group recorded Mel Shauer, manager of Les Paul And Mary Ford, took the group under his wing and arranged a recording contract with Capitol. Their first session, in late 1956, yielded "Dreamy Eyes", which was a minor hit, but the follow-up, "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)", written by Belland and Larson years earlier, reached number 2, and their next single, "Big Man", made number 3. Subsequent singles failed to reach the US Top 10 although the group did achieve a Top 10 album, Four Preps On Campus, in 1961 during the height of the folk music revival in the USA. The group's final charting single, 1964's "A Letter To The Beatles', parodied Beatlemania but was allegedly withdrawn from distribution by Capitol upon the request of the Beatles" management. The group continued until 1967. Cobb went on to join the group Piltdown Men, and later to produce such records as the Standells' "Dirty Water"; he also wrote "Tainted Love", a hit for Soft Cell in 1982. In 1988, the Four Preps were back on the road, with two of the original members, Belland and Cobb, being joined by David Somerville, former lead singer of the Diamonds and Jim Pike, founder of the Lettermen. Recordings

Ink Spots

The Ink Spots played a large role in pioneering the Black vocal group-harmony genre, helping to pave the way for the doo-wop explosion of the '50s. The quavering high tenor of Bill Kenny presaged hundreds of street-corner leads to come, and the sweet harmonies of Carlie Fuqua, Deek Watson, and bass Hoppy Jones (who died in 1944) backed him flawlessly.

Kenny's impeccable diction and Jones's deep drawl were both prominent on the Ink Spots' first smash on Decca in 1939, the sentimental "If I Didn't Care." From then through 1951, the group was seldom absent from the pop charts, topping the lists with "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me)" (1940), "I'm Making Believe" and "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" (both in 1944), and "The Gypsy" and "To Each His Own" (both in 1946). Watson eventually split to form his own group, the Brown Dots, and appeared in numerous low-budget film musicals, while Kenny attempted a solo career, notching a solo hit in 1951 with the uplifting "It Is No Secret." Countless groups masquerading as the Ink Spots have thrived across the nation since the '50s. Recordings

King Sisters

UT. Taking their stage name from their father, vocal trainer Daddy King Driggs, the siblings initially teamed with their mother and a family friend as the Six King Sisters, first attracting attention while appearing with the Horace Heidt Band in 1935 and enjoying a three-year tenure on Heidt's radio series. The group's lineup shrank to a quartet as the decade wore on, and in 1939 -- following a stint with Al Pearce -- the King Sisters joined a new band formed by Luise's husband, the legendary guitarist Alvino Rey. In addition to appearing on Rey's hits "Nighty Night" and "I Said No," the sisters also scored a series of smashes issued under their own name, among them "The Hut Sut Song," "I Understand," "I'll Get By" and "In the Mood."

At the peak of their success, the King Sisters also appeared in a number of Hollywood features, including 1942's Sing Your Worries Away, 1944's Meet the People and 1945's Cuban Pete. By this time they were no longer working with Rey, who had dissolved his band upon entering the armed forces; throughout 1944 the siblings were regulars on Kay Kyser's radio series, but during the postwar years their popularity declined, and throughout the 1950s they were well outside the public eye. In 1965, however, the King Sisters -- as well as members of their extended family, including Rey -- were tapped by the ABC television network to host their own weekly variety show; it was an immediate hit, although the death of featured performer Daddy King Driggs just a few weeks into the program's run made their success bittersweet. The King Family Show continued its run until 1969, with the sisters easing into retirement during the decade to follow. Recordings

The Lettermen

The most famous line-up of this very successful US close-harmony pop trio comprised Tony Butala (b. 20 November 1940, Sharon, Pennsylvania, USA), Bob Engemann (b. 19 February 1936, Highland Park, Michigan, USA), and Jim Pike (b. 6 November 1938, St. Louis, Missouri, USA). Pike, a letterman at Utah's Brigham Young University, released an unsuccessful single on Warner Brothers Records in 1959. In 1960, he and fellow student and ex-Mormon missionary Engemann formed a trio with Los Angeles-based supper-club singer Butala, who had recorded previously on Topic and Lute and had been using the Lettermen name since 1958. After two unsuccessful singles ("Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring" and "The Magic Sound"), they joined Capitol Records and struck gold immediately with "The Way You Look Tonight", a number previously associated with Fred Astaire. The trio enjoyed another 19 US chart singles including the Top 10 hits "When I Fall In Love" in 1961 and the medley "Goin' Out Of My Head"/"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" in 1967. They were rated the number 1 Adult Contemporary vocal group of the 60s, and put an impressive 24 albums in the US chart during the decade, with 10 of them reaching the Top 40.

In 1968, Jim's brother Gary replaced Engemann and six years later their brother Donny replaced Jim. Numerous personnel passed through the group in later decades with Butala the mainstay, although Donovan Tea (b. Houston, Texas, USA) has kept him company since 1984. The Lettermen began recording on their own Alpha Omega label in 1979 and have continued to record on a regular basis, releasing their 70th studio album in 2000. In 1998, Butala opened the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame in his hometown of Sharon, Pennsylvania. This distinctive harmonic vocal group, who have never charted in the UK, remain a top-earning club act and are much in demand on the cabaret circuit. The Lettermen have earned nine gold albums to date and sold over $25 million worth of records. Recordings

Lennon Sisters

In 1955 television audiences watched as four sisters, sixteen-year-old Dianne (Dee Dee), fourteen-year-old Peggy, twelve-year-old Kathy, and nine-year-old Janet Lennon, The Lennon Sisters, made their television debut on The Lawrence Welk Show, singing an a cappella version of "He". America fell in love with these four little girls and their sweet, innocent, and angelic voices, and The Lennon Sisters became regulars on The Lawrence Welk Show, performing on his show every Saturday night for the next thirteen years.

Their first recording was a 45 single of "Mickey Mouse Mambo" and "Hi to You." They sang both of these songs on their first of two guest appearances on The Mickey Mouse Club. They recorded their first of many albums, entitled Let's Get Acquainted, in May of 1957. In 1960,Y´ Dee Dee married Dick Gass and retired from show business to be a stay at home mom. Peggy, Kathy, and Janet continued on in her absence until Dee Dee rejoined the groupY´ in 1964. In 1968 The Lennon Sisters and Lawrence Welk parted company. It was a painful move, but one that had to be made. They were not little girls anymore, and although they remained grateful to Welk for all he had done for them, they had to move on.

From 1969-1970 The Lennon Sisters starred in their own musical variety show on ABC, Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters Hour. Each week the girls welcomed new guest stars such as Jack Jones, Jack Benny, and Bobby Goldsboro, and their good friend Jimmy Durante was with them each week.Y´ In the middle of this seemingly happy time tragedy struck the Lennon family for the second time. The first occurred many years early in 1954 when their sixteen month old baby sister Mary was struck and killed by a speeding car. The second turned even more tragic. On August 12, 1969 their father Bill was shot and murdered by a deranged fan who then turned the gun on himself. This was an extremely painful and frightening time for the entire Lennon family,Y´ but their strong faith in God and close family ties kept them going and gave them the strength needed to weather this storm. Recordings

Johnny Mann Singers

Johnny Mann is best known for the thirty-nine albums he arranged and conducted for his Johnny Mann Singers resulting in five GRAMMY AWARD nominations and two GRAMMY AWARDS. He is a composer, arranger, conductor, entertainer and recording star. His group of super-talented young singers appeared with him in Chevrolet’s weekly syndicated series, “Stand Up and Cheer” which enjoyed a three-year run on national TV and many tours around the country. Johnny’s start in Hollywood was arranging scores for seven full-length motion pictures for Warner Brothers, Twentieth Century Fox and Columbia Studios. He then became the choral director of the “NBC Comedy Hour,” which led to the formation of The Johnny Mann Singers and a record contract. Along with being musical director of the original “Alvin and The Chipmunks” TV series, he sang the voice of “Theodore”. Mann has worked over the years with George Gobel, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Julie London, Steve Allen, and was Danny Kaye’s conductor on a twelve week tour.

With limitless energy and enthusiasm, Mann sincerely espouses the positive and good of America through his entertainment. He was invited to perform at The White House twice during President Nixon’s reign to entertain Imelda Marcos and first-time Russian visitor to the U.S., Leonid Breschnev, General Secretary of The U.S.S.R. Mann’s devotion to his country has made him the recipient of four consecutive awards from The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, top awards from The Disabled American Veterans, The Medal of Honor from The National DAR, The Silver Helmet Award from the AM VETS, The National Honor Medal from The Veterans of Foreign Wars, and numerous citations from The American Legion. Mann has appeared twice as Guest Conductor of the world famous United States Air Force Band and Singing Sergeants in Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C. Recordings

The Merry Macs

The Merry Macs formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the 1920’s and sang harmony with their mom singing the melody.  They attended West High School and sang at school proms and college dances, fine-tuning their close-harmony style. In 1926 they were discovered by organist Eddie Dunsteder, who hired them to sing on his WCCO radio show in Minneapolis.  He concocted the name the Mystery Trio for the group and had them wear masks – a little comical considering that no one could see them on radio.  After a year of local broadcasting, the trio met bandleader Joe Haymes, changed their name to the Personality Boys, discarded their masks, and toured the country. In 1930 they added a girl, Cheri McKay, to sing the melody line.  While searching for a new name (somehow, Cheri didn’t qualify as a Personality Boy), they realized all their last names started in “Mc,” so they became the Merry Macs.

Influenced by The Mills Brothers, the close-harmony quartet began with Ted on baritone, Joe and Judd on tenor, and Cheri singing melody.  Their blend was so incredibly tight that it was difficult to distinguish one vocalist from another. In 1932 the group’s manager, Harry Norwood, got them signed to Victor Records, source of their historic four-part harmony 78 “The Little White Church on the Hill.”  This was also the year of their first live performance at the Chicago Theatre and the commencement of their appearances on Don McNeil’s “Breakfast Club” program several times a week under an NBC Radio contract. A number of firsts are attributable to this trend-setting group:  they were the first close-harmony quartet to include a female, the first to use purely rhythmic accompaniment, and reportedly the first to wear white tie and tails, thus setting the trend toward formal attire on stage. Recordings

Modernaires

The Modernaires had their beginnings as a trio in Buffalo, New York, in 1935. Their first engagement was with the Ted Fio Rito Orchestra. The members, Hal Dickinson, Chuck Goldstein, and Bill Conway were called Don Juan-Two and Three. Soon after that, they joined the Ozzie Nelson Band, and became known as The Three Wizards of Ozzie. Next came a stint with Fred Waring, where they recruited Ralph Brewster to make it a quartet, and The Modernaires were a reality. In 1937 they joined Paul Whiteman's musical organization where they were featured on his radio show, and recorded many of the classic songs of that era, a few with Jack Teagarden.

Their biggest break came in 1939 when the legendary Glenn Miller engaged them to record a tune called "It's Make Believe Ballroom Time," a sequel to the original "Make Believe Ballroom," which they had recorded earlier for Martin Block's Big Band Show of the same name, on WNEW New York. Soon after, Glenn Miller made the Modernaires an important part of the most popular big band of all time. Paula Kelly (Mrs. Hal Dickenson) was added to the group, making it a quintet, and for the next few decades they traveled the world many times over making history with the Glenn Miller Band. Recordings

Pied Pipers

Originally consisting of eight members, The Pied Pipers had their greatest success after nearly half of the members left the group. The remaining Pipers (Billy Wilson, Chuck Lowry, Jo Stafford, and her then-husband John Huddleston) joined the Tommy Dorsey Band in 1939, backing Sinatra on many classic recordings. In 1942 The Pied Pipers broke away from Dorsey, and Huddleston joined the army, to be replaced by Hal Hopper, one of the original eight members. The group backed Johnny Mercer on several tracks during the early 40s, including "Candy" and "Blues in the Night." Their first single ("Deacon Jones"/"Pistol Packin' Mama") was released in 1943. Stafford had become quite busy with her solo career and left the group in 1944, to be replaced by June Hutton. Throughout the rest of the decade The Pied Pipers charted frequently, yet their popularity waned in the '50s. Recordings

Mike Sammes Singers

The "go to guy" in British pop music for over thirty years when it came to back-up vocals. What Anita Kerr and her singers were in Nashville, what Randy van Horne and Johnny Mann were in Hollywood, Sammes were in the UK. Virtually every "doo-doo-doo" to heard on a pop recording made in the UK between 1955 and 1975 came out of the mouths of Sammes and his colleagues.

Sammes started learning music with the cello in grammar school, then worked briefly for the music publisher, Chappell & Company, before being conscripted into the Royal Air Force in the days of National Service. After leaving the service, Sammes worked a variety of jobs until a fellow musician, Bill Shepherd convinced him to form a group called the Coronets. The male vocal group recorded some covers of current hits and did some back-up work, but Shepherd lost interest and wanted to break up the group. Recordings