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The Earth Angels

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Earth Angels
Background information
OriginBarcelona, Spain
GenresDoo-wop
InstrumentVocals
Years active2007-present
MembersJordi Majó
Christian Carrasco
Joan Carrasco
Pol Daurella
Oscar López.
WebsiteEarth Angels
Joan, Pol and Christian performing the American hit A Thousand Stars with the original singer of the song, Kathy Young.
Carrasco brothers performing with John Gummoe, lead singer of The Cascades and writer of Rhythm Of The Rain[1]

The Earth Angels are a Spanish doo-wop vocal group formed in Catalonia. Their members come from its capital, Barcelona and they carry out live a cappella performances following the traditional way of performing this genre, by singing on the streets and places of the cities they visit.[2]

They became a band in 2007, when Christian Carrasco (son of Rafael Carrasco, the second drummer of the Spanish band Los Sírex[3]) a Bass-baritone, announced in a web page that he was looking for a singer of doo wop and he found Jordi Majó, the main vocalist. Since then, they carried out live performances based in the tradition as well as in radio and television stations in Barcelona and the Balearic Islands. Afterwards, Joan Carrasco, brother of Christian, joined the band, both influenced in this music style by their father during their infancy and they recorded their first version of the track Step by Step of the band The Crests.[4]

In 2008, they starred a television ad for the Vodafone telecommunications company.[5]

In 2009, they participated in a compilation of greatest doo wop hits with the most famous groups of the street corner style at present time, performing the theme In Your Company, album that was released by Crystal Ball Records in October of this same year.[6] In the middle of 2010, Pol Daurella, one of the vocalists of the Taller de Músics de Barcelona, joined them for the rehearsals and with whom they prepared the release of their second studio album before becoming an official member.[7]

Their speciality consists in performing covers of song themes considered as rarities of this genre, initially recorded between 1958 and 1964, but they also compose their own melodies, so they have been sponsored by the Rare Rocking Records musical company.[8] Also, they released a musical video directed by David Conill and Christina Scheper, in where they perform a cover of the song This is the night for love,[9] first published by the vocal band The Valiants in 1958.[10]

In 2010, with the release of their first commercial job, a compact disc with 15 covers and two themes of their own Street Corner Style, they became the Today's Doo Wop Masters Series premier band.[11] At the same time, Kingsley Abbot an expert journalist in writing books of the music of the sixties,[12] gave them four stars in the review she made about them at the musical page Record Collector, stating the following:[13]

Until very recently, The Earth Angels could be found harmonising on the streets of Barcelona. With this debut album, however, they’ve turned in one of the most satisfying and credible modern doo wop collections we’ve ever heard. The Angels have three key assets: impeccable choice of rare songs to cover; great background vocal arrangements, with each of the three group members tackling a wide range; and a particularly youthful and attractive lead voice in Jordi Majo.

In may of this same year, during three days, they participated in the Doo-wop festival celebrated at the Benedum Center for the performing arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the greatest artirts of this music style like The Quotations, The Marcels and The Edsels, the creators of the popular Rama Lama Ding Dong song.[14] At the hall of the hotel Hilton, they performed a live a cappella cover of the American hit A Thousand Stars with The Quotations and Kathy Young, the original singer of the song.[15] Shortly thereafter, on June 25, 2010, they participated in the seventh edition of the voice festival's (a) Phonica in the Catalonian town of Banyoles.[16]

They owe their success in the United States to having been discovered by Joe Conroy (DJ Brad) from the radio station Doo Wop Café, (part of Lagniappe Broadcast Network) dedicated to preserving American music of the 1950s. Conroy found a cover they had uploaded to the YouTube network of the song My Island in The Sun, primary performed by The Capris. Amazed by the sound of the group, he was in touch with them immediately by mail and after interchanging several messages, he suggested them the recording of a compact disc because they did not interpret classic songs but obscure hits of this style, so he started the arrangements for the production and dissemination of their music.[17][18] On the other hand, Carmen Kaye, the presenter of the Australian radio station Doo Wop Corner, included them in her worldwide list of featured bands of the present time doo wop.[19]

The twelfth of February 2011, they participated in the Rock, Rhythm & Doo-Wop! music festival celebrated at the Dutch town of Oss, where Pete Bowen, from the British magazine Now Dig This, commented that Jordi Majó was the best doo wop singer he had heard since the glorious days of this genre.[20]

History

From left to right; Jordi, Christian and Joan opposite the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Jordi Majó, the main vocalist, met the American classic music through the liking of his mother by it, listening since he was a kid to jazz, doo-wop and rock and roll. His father bought him his first Doo-wop record when he was eight years old, Classics Original Doo Wop Hits, 1955-1965 (Vogue PIP) and rapidly, with songs like Genie of the Lamp of the Ly-Dells and Lily Maebelle of The Valentines, he got to love the style and began to collect their records.

The Carrasco Brothers, Christian and Joan, inherited their father's taste for the classics of this genre and since their infancy they began to sing with their mother, Isabel Comas tracks of The Five Latinos, The Diamonds and Rocky Sharpe & The Replays among many others. Listening to the Spanish radio program Flor de Pasión, directed by Juan de Pablos, they discovered in more depth and excitement the doo wop music.

At a very young age, Joan developed an ear for instruments and learned to play piano, guitar, drums, mouth organ and other air instruments. He is also a member of a rock band called Cram. After discovering the German vocal group The Crystalairs, Christian developed certain interest in singing this music style, becoming part of several vocal projects whom with Jordi and his brother Joan, formed The Earth Angels, his dream of being part of a doo wop group.

First career

In 2007, Christian reunited with a friend whom in the beginning of the 1990s, 15 years before, he started his way in vocal harmony on the streets of Barcelona.[21] Together they formed a band called Street Candles,[22] which ended forming two vocal groups; The Velvet Candles[23] and The Earth Angels.[24]

With Street Candles they had a short but intense way out in the music scene, from performing on the streets, they were contracted by the audiovisual company Soufaproductions to film a commemorative video for the fifth anniversary of the music program Silenci, ordered by the Spanish television channels TV3 and Canal33.[25] With the release of this video, in where they performed the track I Don't Wanna Grow Up, they began to be contracted by important night clubs of all the Spanish peninsula, like in the Pequeña Betty and the Irish Rover in Madrid, between others.

Success after success, they became engaged to enliven the birthday party of Iñaki Urdangarín, with the Spanish Royal Family, which made them more popular.[26] Subsequently, Jordi, decided to try other projects and the group changed its name for The Velvet Candles, but due to disagreements among its members, Christian left the band and Jordi decided to return and join Christian and Joan naming the new band The Earth Angels.[27]

Despite not having been advertised, as Vodafone's advert does not indicate who they are, in just over four months their commercial page received about 12.000 visits. As Jordi says, the secret of their success relies in keeping the essence and in the spontaneous live performances, in where in one of them, a British tourist told them, 'You sing like the angels' and due to their liking for spiritual sciences, they decided to call themselves The Earth Angels.[28]

In 2011, Oscar López joined the band as a new member whom with they became consolidated as a quintet[29]

References

  1. ^ "Rhythm Of The Rain". Sofos. 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  2. ^ "Earth Angels: Al rescat del 'Doo-wop'". elperiodico.cat. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  3. ^ "Los Sirex en la presentación de su libro". EFE EME. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
  4. ^ "The Earth Angels Biography". Rare Rockin’ Records Production. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  5. ^ "Earth Angels Vodafone A cappella". Audreywop. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  6. ^ "Doo wopin' around the world". Crystal Ball Records. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  7. ^ "Hola Rafael". Christian Carrasco. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  8. ^ "The Earth Angels". Joe Conroy. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  9. ^ "Earth Angels - This is the night for love video" (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  10. ^ "This is the night for love". WorldRecords. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  11. ^ "Contemporary Doo Wop Vocal Groups and Single Artists". doowopshoobop. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  12. ^ "500 Lost Gems Of The Sixties" (PDF). Michelle Thorn. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  13. ^ "New kids in the stairwell". Kingsley Abbott. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  14. ^ "Earth Angels stop in for the Oldies Spectacular". Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  15. ^ "Kathy Young & Earth Angels & The Quotations". Christian Carrasco. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  16. ^ "El festival (a)phònica prima la voz femenina en Banyoles". Jordi Bianciotto. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  17. ^ "THE EARTH ANGELS excerpted liner notes by Joe". Doo Wop Café. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  18. ^ "DJ Brad". Doo Wop Café. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  19. ^ "Radio Show in South Australia". Carmen Kaye. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  20. ^ Pete Bowen (11 February 2011). "For The First Time In The Netherlands... The Earth Angels - Doo-wop from the streets of Barcelona". Elvis Collectors Gold. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  21. ^ "Street Candles / I Count The Stars Video". VideoCure. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  22. ^ "40's, 50's Rhythm & Blues Style". The Big Jamboree, S.C.P. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  23. ^ "The Velvet Candles". Magic Pop. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  24. ^ "The Velvet Candles". Magic Pop. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  25. ^ "I Don't Wanna Grow Up". Sofa Experience. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  26. ^ "El grupo vocal The Velvet Candles debuta con "The story of our love"". Julio Soria. 11 February 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  27. ^ "Castara Band". Grupo Intercom. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  28. ^ "Earth Angels" (PDF). Cult espectacles. 30 October 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  29. ^ "Concierto Earth Angels "Acapella Street Corner Sound"". 2011. Retrieved 12 de July. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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