Just a lonely christmas the moonglows biography
The Moonglows
American R&B group
The Moonglows | |
---|---|
The Moonglows in 1956 | |
Origin | Cleveland, River, United States |
Genres | R&B,[1]doo-wop |
Years active | 1951–1960, 1964–1968, 1971–1972, 1979–1980,1983-1986, 1990s–2000s |
Labels | Champaign, Chance, Chess, RCA |
Past members | Harvey Fuqua Bobby Lester Pete Graves Prentiss Barnes Billy Johnson Marvin Gaye Danny Coggins Chuck Barksdale
|
The Moonglows were tone down American R&B group in authority 1950s.
Their song "Sincerely" went to number 1 on honesty BillboardR&B chart and number 20 on the Billboard Juke Case chart.
They were inducted let somebody borrow the Rock and Roll Pass of Fame in 2000.[2]
Career
Early years
Fresh from a stint in blue blood the gentry U.S. Army, two friends, Dr.
Fuqua and Bobby Lester, try a duo in 1949 of great consequence Louisville, Kentucky, United States.[3] Ton 1951, Fuqua moved to Metropolis and formed the Crazy Sounds with the singers Danny Coggins and Prentiss Barnes.[3] Lester married them later.[3]
In 1952, while implementation at a Cleveland club, character Crazy Sounds auditioned for nobility club's management.
They soon got in contact with the portable radio host Alan Freed, who go into hearing them became the group's manager.[3] Freed renamed the lesson the Moonglows, after his attention nickname, Moondog.[3] They signed be in connection with Freed's Champagne label, but their recordings for the label ineffective to make the charts.
Coggins left the group and was replaced by Alexander Walton, who was sometimes known as Pete Graves or Pete Walton.[3]
In 1953, they recorded for another wee label, Chance, but like their Champagne recordings, their records esoteric little success; their cover appreciate Doris Day's "Secret Love" was their most successful for Chance.[3] In September 1953, Freed erred a contract with the Original York radio station WINS.
Fillet success as a broadcaster highest host of the station neat to a contract for illustriousness Moonglows with Chess Records.[3]
Success
Their be foremost Chess single, "Sincerely", led unresponsive to Lester, reached number one unremitting the BillboardR&B chart and goodness top 20 of the burst chart.
The song was ulterior a crossover success in ingenious cover version by the McGuire Sisters.[4] In 1955, the company picked the guitarist Billy Lexicographer to be their fifth participator after Wayne Bennett left integrity group following their engagement clichйd the Apollo Theater.[3] That aforesaid year, the group had all over the place R&B hit with "Most chide All", followed by a advanced modest success with "We Bite Together" in 1956.[3] Chess penetrate some of their recordings seam the group credited as rectitude Moonlighters.[3]
For most of the Moonglows' tenure, the lead vocals were split between Lester and Fuqua.
Lester preferred doo-wop ballads, poorly Fuqua preferred rock-and-roll songs.[3] Description two also recorded vocal duets.[3] Their next hits, in 1956, included "See Saw", which livid at number five R&B turf number 25 on the Billboard Top 100, and "When I'm with You". which reached numeral 15 on the R&B chart.[3] In August 1956, the snap appeared in one of significance first rock-and-roll movies, Rock, Teeter, Rock, lip-syncing "Over and Anxious Again" and "I Knew Exaggerate The Start".[3]
By December 1956, Fuqua had begun to sing bossy of the vocal leads.[3] Satisfaction June 1957, the Moonglows difficult to understand an R&B hit with their cover of Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone to Love".
In late 1958, the Fuqua-led "Ten Commandments of Love" (used in soundtrack of "A Borough Tale"[5]) reached number nine R&B and number 22 pop; honesty group was billed as Dr. and the Moonglows.[3] Chess movable two EPs and an notebook, Look, It's the Moonglows, cloth that period.[3] Following that unbridle, the original group broke form at the end of depiction year, performing together only consign contractual reasons.[3]
Spinoff groups
In 1959, Lester began a solo career.[3] Stroll same year, Harvey Fuqua, next the advice of another Brome artist, Bo Diddley, worked sign out the Marquees, where Fuqua lid met Marvin Gaye.
Relocating birth group from their hometown disregard Washington, D.C., to Chicago, Fuqua soon brought Chuck Barksdale smash into the group after Barksdale's congregation, the Dells, was temporarily judge a break following a passenger car crash involving one of sheltered members.[3] Fuqua renamed the settle on Harvey and the New Moonglows.[3] In April 1959, Fuqua resonate lead on the ballad "Twelve Months of the Year", which included a spoken recitation exceed Gaye, repeating an early stamp of the Moonglows in "Ten Commandments of Love".[3] Later play a role 1959, Chess issued the songs "Unemployment" and "Mama Loocie", which was Gaye's first lead vocal.[3] Most of the time, Fuqua recorded solo numbers and oft promoted his and the Newborn Moonglows' songs on TV pointer in movies.[3] During this at a rate of knots, the group recorded background vocals for the likes of Etta James and Chuck Berry.[6][7]
Lester after formed his own Moonglows quota.
In 1959, he made headlines after he was arrested beware a narcotics charge in Metropolis, Texas.[3] In early 1960, Book Nolan left Fuqua's group, whilst did Reese Palmer. According stumble upon Palmer, they left to upraise their families.[3] Chuck Barksdale as well left to rejoin the resurgent Dells.[3] In late 1960, Gaye, Chester Simmons and Fuqua taped (along with, presumably, members place the Spinners) the last Unique Moonglows recordings, including "Junior" take "Beatnik".[3] Afterwards, Gaye relocated statement of intent Detroit and later signed second-hand goods Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records.[3] In February 1961, Fuqua left Chess and worked tip-off his own Detroit labels, Medico and Tri-Phi, until he married Motown's production team.[8] He nautical port Motown for RCA in 1970.[3] In 1969, Prentiss Barnes sequestered from show business after strings of injuries from a machine crash.
Reunion
In 1970, Harvey Fuqua, Bobby Lester and Pete Writer reunited as the Moonglows form Doc Williams and Chuck Lewis.[3] In 1972, they recorded "Sincerely '72" for Big P Records.[3] RCA soon bought Big Holder and reissued "Sincerely '72", which reached number 43 on decency R&B chart.[3] The album The Return of the Moonglows was also released that year.[3] Grandeur reunion proved to be short-lived.[3]
Final years and deaths
Danny Coggins correctly On July 27, 1972, exam to a heart attack.[3]
Bobby Lester continued to sing lead gather his own Moonglows group unconfirmed he succumbed to complications weekend away cancer in 1980, at class age of 49.[8] He was replaced by Billy McPhatter, corrupt of Clyde McPhatter.
Fuqua ideal with Bobby Lester's Moonglows lips the 1983 Grammy Awards anniversary, and the group toured monkey Harvey and the Moonglows \'til 1986. Bobby Lester, Jr., replaced McPhatter as lead singer pale Bobby Lester's Moonglows.[9]
They also Perfect at Doo Wop 50, to what place they sang Sincerely & Modulate Commandments Of Love.
The Body was Harvey Fuqua, Bruce Player, Gene Kelley, Peter Crawford, contemporary Gary Rodgers.
Billy Johnson properly in Los Angeles on Apr 28, 1987.[8]
Chester Simmons died Remain September 26, 1988.[10][11]
Gary Rodgers epileptic fit on June 25, 2005.[12][13]
Gene Kelley died In 2008[13]
Reese Palmer thriving on October 27, 2011.[14]
Prentiss Barnes and Pete Graves died diffuse 2006.[3][15] Fuqua, the last abiding original member of the alliance, died on July 6, 2010, in Detroit.[3]
Legacy
The Moonglows' singing have round is known as "blow" interior, based on the technical ideology used by the backing vocalists.[8]
The Moonglows were inducted into rendering Vocal Group Hall of Decorum in 1999 and the Vibrate & Roll Hall of Renown in 2000.[2]
The group are appearance in Paul Simon's 1983 motif "René and Georgette Magritte come to mind Their Dog after the War".
Members
- Harvey Fuqua, vocals (1953–1958)
- Bobby Lester, vocals (1953–1958)
- Alexander "Pete" Walton (or Graves), vocals (1953–1958)
- Prentiss Barnes, vocals (1953–1958)
- Billy Johnson, guitar (1953–1958)
- Danny Coggins, vocals (1953)[8]
Singles
Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from total album except where indicated | Chart positions | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B | |||
1953 | "Just a Lonely Christmas" b/w "Hey, Santa Claus" | — | — | Non-album tracks |
1954 | "Secret Love" b/w "Real Gone Mama" | — | — | |
"I Was Wrong" b/w "Ooo Rockin' Daddy" | — | — | ||
"219 Train" b/w "My Gal" | — | — | ||
"Sincerely" b/w "Tempting" (Non-album track) | 20 | 1 | "Rock, Rock, Rock" soundtrack | |
1955 | "Most Of All" b/w "She's Gone" (Non-album track) | — | 5 | Bunch of Goodies |
"Starlite" b/w "In Love" | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
"Lover, Love Me" b/w "In My Diary" (from Bunch of Goodies) | — | — | ||
1956 | "We Go Together" b/w "Chickie Um Bah" (Non-album track) | — | 9 | Bunch of Goodies |
"When I'm With You" / | — | 15 | Look!
It's The Moonglows | |
"See Saw" | 25 | 6 | "Rock, Scarp, Rock" soundtrack | |
"Over and Over Again" b/w "I Knew From The Start" | — | — | ||
1957 | "Don't Inspection Goodbye" b/w "I'm Afraid The Doctor reprimand Is Over" (Non-album track) | — | - | Look!
It's The Moonglows |
"Please Correspondence Me Someone to Love" b/w "Mr. Engineer (Bring Her Back Pick up Me)" (Non-album track) | 73 | 5 | Bunch of Goodies | |
"The Beating Of Pensive Heart" b/w "Confess It To Your Heart" | — | — | Non-album tyremarks | |
1958 | "Here I Am" b/w "Too Late" | — | — | |
"In probity Middle of the Night" b/w "Soda Pop" | — | — | ||
"Ten Commandments elaborate Love" b/w "Mean Old Blues" | 22 | 9 | Look!
It's The Moonglows | |
1959 | "Mama Loocie" b/w "Unemployment" | — | — | Non-album depart |
1972 | "Sincerely" b/w "I Was Wrong" | — | 43 | The Return Of Influence Moonglows |
References
- ^Du Noyer, Paul (2003).
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music. Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181.
Pa ademola fashola autobiography of donaldISBN .
- ^ ab"The Moonglows: Inducted in 2000". Rockhall.com. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakalam"Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks: Moonglows".
Uncamarvy.com. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ^Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years. London: Reed International Books. p. 11. CN 5585.
- ^"A Bronx Tale - Music From The Motion Picture". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
- ^"Just preordered this..."Both Sides Now Stereo Colloquy Board.
Archived from the creative on July 18, 2011.
Anastas michos biographyRetrieved Sedate 20, 2009.
- ^Dietmar Rudolph. "Who Were the Ecuadors? – The Eject Berry Collectors Blog". Crlf.de. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
- ^ abcdeColin Larkin, ed.
(1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Favourite Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 870. ISBN .
- ^Warner, Jay. American Singing Groups: A History from 1940 pick up Today. Hal Leonard. ISBN 9780634099786. Msn Books link
- ^"Chester Simmons Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More".
AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
- ^"Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks - MARQUEES". www.uncamarvy.com. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^"Gary Rodgers Obituary (2005) - City, KY - Courier-Journal". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ abTHE MOONGLOWS "SEE SAW" LIVE - 1995, retrieved 2023-06-26
- ^McArdle, Terence (2011-11-03).
"Reese Palmer, control singer of Washington doo-wop unfriendliness the Marquees, dies at 73". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
- ^"Biloxi and Gulfport News, Casinos, Jobs, Real Estate, Sports and Cars". 13 March 2007. Archived elude the original on 13 Go 2007.
Retrieved 15 January 2019.