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The Flamingos

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The Flamingos
This article is about the doo wop group. For other uses, see Flamingo (disambiguation).

The Flamingos were a doo wop group from the United States, most popular in the mid to late 1950s.

Early quintet

Cousins Jacob Carey (Jake) and Ezekial Carey (Zeke), bass and 2nd tenor, respectively, formed the group in Chicago, Illinois, after meeting cousins baritone Paul Wilson and first tenor John E. "Johnny" Carter at a black Messianic Jewish synagogue. Earl Lewis (not the Channels lead) soon joined, and after a series of name changes, (The Swallows, El Flamingos, The Five Flamingos), wound up being known as The Flamingos. Sollie McElroy soon replaced Lewis (who joined the Five Echoes). The Flamingos' first single (for Chance Records), "If I Can't Have You", was a moderate local success, as was the follow-up "That's My Desire", but it was Johnny Carter's composition of "Golden Teardrops," with its complex vocal harmonies and Carter's soaring falsetto, that cemented their reputation as a top regional act of the day (and for all time among group harmony aficionados and record collectors).[1]

The Flamingos left Chance Records sometime after their December 1953 session and signed with DJ Al Benson's Parrot Records. Sollie McElroy was on their first Parrot session, but left the group in December 1954, to be replaced by tenor Nate Nelson (who was on their second Parrot session; he's lead on "I'm Yours," released in January 1955). In early 1955, the Flamingos signed with the resource-rich Chess Records, to record for their Checker Records subsidiary. At Chess/Checker, the Flamingos achieved their first national chart hit with "I'll Be Home", which went to #5 on Billboard's R&B charts (Pat Boone's cover version, complete with incorrect lyrics, was a hit on the pop charts).[citation needed] The group also had moderate success for the label with other chestnuts like "A Kiss From Your Lips," "The Vow," and "Would I Be Crying", which to this day hold up as some of the finest R&B records of all time.[citation needed] The Flamingos also appeared in the 1956 Alan Freed movie, Rock, Rock, Rock (film) Rock, Rock Rock. Both Zeke Carey and Johnny Carter were drafted that year (Carter was drafted in September). [1]

Nate Nelson, Jake Carey, and Paul Wilson continued the group with new member Tommy Hunt (added in October 1956). Another new member, tenor/lead, guitarist, and arranger Terry "Buzzy" Johnson, joined in late December of that year. This group (Nate Nelson, Tommy Hunt, Terry Johnson, Paul Wilson, and Jake Carey) began recording for Decca Records in April 1957. Their most notable single was Johnson's arrangement of "The Ladder of Love", but legal entanglements between Checker and Nate Nelson ruined any chance of commercial success.[citation needed] Zeke Carey returned to the Flamingos in 1958, making the group a sextet. (When Johnny Carter was discharged from the service, he joined The Dells; he has been with them for almost 50 years.) [1]

End Records

That year, the Flamingos began recording for George Goldner's End Records in New York City, where they had several national hits and achieved a more sophisticated sound. Almost immediately, the group had their first pop chart hit with "Lovers Never Say Goodbye", written by Terry Johnson, who shared lead chores on the song with Paul Wilson. The formula was a winner as Terry and Paul also led three of the 12 songs selected for their first album "Flamingo Serenade" - George Gershwin's "Love Walked In", "But Not For Me" and "Time Was." The Flamingos would have their biggest seller with another old standard from that LP, on which Nate Nelson handled lead chores. "I Only Have Eyes for You" (1959, originally recorded by Dick Powell in 1934),[citation needed] became their biggest seller, and has been featured in dozens of movies and TV shows. A long series of hits followed, including the Johnson-penned "Mio Amore", Doc Pomus' composition "Your Other Love", "Nobody Loves Me Like You" (written for the group by Sam Cooke), and "I Was Such a Fool". LP cuts "Love Walked In" and "Time Was" were also issued as singles and made a good showing.[citation needed] That same year, they appeared in the Alan Freed movie, Go, Johnny, Go, singing a frenetic version of "Jump Children" (originally recorded for Chance Records in the early days). The group became known almost as much for their stage show and choreography as for their magnificent harmonies. Groups including The Temptations and Tavares would later credit the group as major influences.

Splintering

File:Flamingos60s.jpg
Album cover showing the Flamingos, mid to late 1960s. Top: Jake Carey, Julien Vaught. Bottom: Zeke Carey, Doug McClure, Alan Fontaine.

The group began to come apart at the turn of the decade. Tommy Hunt left for a solo career in 1960. Nate Nelson and Terry Johnson split to form the Modern Flamingos in 1961, and went on to record as The Starglows on Atco Records in 1963. (The Modern Flamingos name was used later; the group would include members of the defunct Del-Knights in the late 1960s). New members were brought in, making the group Zeke Carey (tenor), Jake Carey (bass), Paul Wilson (baritone), Billy Clarke (tenor), Eddie Williams (tenor), Alan Fontaine (guitar), and Julien Vaught (saxophone). Clarke and Williams took duties on most new lead vocals.

A sixth vocalist, Doug McClure, was added in 1962. Shortly afterwards, Clarke and Williams left the group. Founding member Paul Wilson left in 1964, new member Sidney Hall joined in 1966, and Jacob Carey's son J.C. Carey joined in 1969.[2] They recorded several uptempo songs through the 1960s, getting their first #1 single on the U.K. charts, "Ain't Nothing But A Party (Boogaloo Party)". Around this time, the Flamingos formed their own label, Ronze, and produced many of their own recordings.

The group continued recording into the 1970s. A new album was released in 1972 on Ronze, entitled "The Flamingos Today". By this time, the group was the Careys, McClure, Fontaine, the returning Billy Clarke, and former Limelite Clarence Basset. [3][4] New member Frank "Mingo" Ayers entered soon after.[5] More mildly successful recordings came in this decade, including the uptempo "Heavy Hips", and a slower song, "Buffalo Soldier".

By 1980 the group was Jake Carey, Zeke Carey, Frank Ayers, and Jerome Wilson.[6]. Ayers left around this time, joining the Del Vikings. In 1984, two new members joined: Bennie Cherry and Archie Satterfield[7]. In 1988, the group was featured at the 1988 Grammy Awards.

By the early 1990s, the group was the Careys, Satterfield, Ron Reace, and Kenny Davis.[5] Later, it was the Careys, Reace, and King Raymond Green.[8] Jake Carey died in 1997. The group recorded a new album, Unspoken Emotions, under the Ronze label in 1999. It featuring re-recordings of "Ain't Nothing But A Party" and "I'll Be Home", led by Zeke Carey. The group appeared on the PBS television special Doo Wop 50 that same year. The lineup was Zeke Carey, J.C. Carey, Ron Reace, King Raymond Green, and Larry Jordan. Zeke Carey died in 2001. King Raymond Green and Ron Reace left around that time and were replaced by Earnest "Just Mike" Gilbert and former Dynamic Superior George Spann. James Faison entered shortly thereafter. Tommy Hunt has flown in from England (where he has lived since 1970) to perform with this group twice since 2001.

The group split up in late 2005 due to money disputes. [9] Spann, Jordan, Gilbert, and Faison grouped together to reform Spann's old group, The Dynamic Superiors.[10] Carey brought in new members, and toured with Tommy Hunt starting in April 2007. The current lineup is Carey, Victor Brown, Philip "Flip" Thomas (founding member of Crown Heights Affair), and the returning Sidney Hall and Doug McClure.[2]

Other Flamingos groups

Terry Johnson leads a separate Flamingos group, which has appeared on two PBS specials: "Doo Wop at Fifty" (in which they were the only group to have more than two songs featured) and "Doo Wop Cavalcade: The Definitive Anthology". By the early 2000s the group was Johnson, Theresa Trigg (member since 1976), Ulysses Jackson, Jeff Calloway (member since 2002), and Willie Bell. J. J. Hankerson replaced Jackson in the early 2000s, and Hankerson and Bell left in 2006, replaced by Joseph Mirrione. Johnson's group maintains a full schedule of doo wop revival concerts and private functions. They are working on a 50th anniversary album and Johnson is working on a solo album, entitled 'Still in the Pink'.

Ron Reace also leads a Flamingos group.

There was an unrelated doo-wop group based in Los Angeles that called itself "The Flamingos", operating in the early fifties. Its members were Gaynel Hodge, Cornelius Gunter, Joe Jefferson, Curtis Williams and Richard Berry. When the Chicago Flamingos hit nationally, they changed their name to the Turks, but eventually disbanded, and went on to greater things. Williams was one of the founders of The Penguins; Hodge, Gunter and Jefferson joined the pre-recording-career edition of The Platters; while Richard Berry went on to sing on "Riot in Cell Block #9" and "The Wallflower", and to write the immortal "Louie Louie".[11]

Pepsi lawsuit

Current Flamingos member J.C. Carey, along with Terry Johnson, Tommy Hunt, and descendants of Nate Nelson and Paul Wilson, sued PepsiCo for allegedly using "I Only Have Eyes For You" in a 1998 television commercial without consulting the group. The group was awarded $250,000.[12]

Awards

The Flamingos received the Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award in 1996 (where Terry Johnson, Jake Carey, Zeke Carey, Tommy Hunt and Johnny Carter performed) and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Doo-Wopp Hall of Fame in 2004. The group that performed at the Rock Hall ceremony included Terry Johnson on lead, Tommy Hunt and Johnny Carter. In 2003, The Flamingos recording of "I Only Have Eyes For You" was inducted into the Grammy Award Hall of Fame.

Samples

"Nobody Loves Me Like You" from Requestfully Yours File:NobodyLovesMeLikeYou.ogg

References

  1. ^ a b c Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks - FLAMINGOS
  2. ^ a b Worcester Magazine - It's not old, it's vintage
  3. ^ Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks - 5 SHARPS
  4. ^ Bassett Family Association Newsletter May 2006
  5. ^ a b Flamingos
  6. ^ Edward N. Bomsey Autographs, Inc
  7. ^ About Touch of Silk
  8. ^ CD jacket; Doo Wop 50 Live!
  9. ^ Message
  10. ^ http://www.jsoundsproductions.com/home.html
  11. ^ Dave Marsh, Louie Louie
  12. ^ The Flamingos wins settlement from Pepsi for unauthorized use of song
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