The Tymes were a Philadelphia A cappella group who reached the height of their popularity in the 1960s. They included baritone Norman Burnett, born May 5, 1943, tenor Albert Alexander Berry III born March 17, 1941; bass Donald Banks, born October 29, 1939; tenor George … Read MoreThe Tymes (1956-1976)
The Contours were a talented early Motown Records group that began as a quartet called the Blender in Detroit, Michigan in 1958. They had brilliant choreography of splits and fouetté turns that Motown founder Berry Gordy first thought was too much for a stage act … Read MoreThe Contours (1958-1971)
Rose Royce is an R&B group founded during the 1970s in Los Angeles, California. Original members of the group were Henry Garner (drums), Kenny Copeland (lead vocals, trumpet), Kenji Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Terral “Terry” Santiel (congas), Lequeint “Duke” Jobe (bass), Michael Moore (saxophone), Freddie … Read MoreRose Royce (1970- )
The R&B and soul music ensemble Debarge, named for their shared surname, comprises the children of Robert Louis DeBarge, Sr. from Chicago, Illinois, and Etterlene Louise Abney DeBarge Rodriguez, a singer from Royal Oak, Michigan. The seven brother and sister individual members of the ensemble … Read MoreDeBarge (1979–1989)
Known as the “perfect pitch” virtuosic a cappella legends, the Persuasions were established in 1962 by Jesse “Sweet Joe” Russell, who was born on September 25, 1939, in Henderson, Kentucky; bass James Caldon Hayes, born November 12, 1943, in Hopewell, Virginia; composer/tenor Jerome Eugene Lawson, … Read MoreThe Persuasions (1962-2017)
The composers, lyricists, and performers who comprised the duo McFadden and Whitehead were reared in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gene McFadden was born on January 28, 1949, in Olanta, South Carolina, and John Cavadus Whitehead was born on July 10, 1948, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As teenagers, they … Read MoreMcFadden and Whitehead (1970-2004)
The Emotions were an American Grammy Award-winning soul/R&B vocal ensemble from Chicago, Illinois who began as a gospel group called the Hutchinson Sunbeams in 1962. The group transitioned into R&B music in 1963. The Emotions were four sisters: Wanda Hutchinson-Vaughn, born December 17, 1951; Jeanette … Read MoreThe Emotions (1962-2020)
The Chiffons, a premier all-female American group, was formed in 1960 by three Bronx, New York born teenaged girls. They were the 14-year-old lead singer Judy Craig, born on August 6, 1946; Patricia Bennett, 13 was born on April 7, 1947; and Barbara Lee, 13, … Read MoreThe Chiffons (1960-2009)
The Essex, a doo-wop R&B American quintet vocal ensemble, was formed in 1962. The band was named after Essex County, New Jersey. They were unique among R&B groups at the time in that all the founding members were also U.S. Marines. The founding members were … Read MoreThe Essex (1962-1965)
The Intruders, an R&B ensemble, was established in 1960 as a doo-wop group influenced by gospel music. Its first members were Sam “Little Sonny” Brown, born June 21, 1941; Phillip “Phil” Terry, born November 1, 1943; Robert “Big Sonny” Edwards, born on February 22, 1942, … Read MoreThe Intruders (1960–1994)
