Doo-wop on my mind

February 8, 2022 William A. Gralnick

William Gralnick. Photo courtesy of William Gralnick

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Rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay. After all, aren’t we still listening to it? I remind my kids that they are not now listening to the music that was meaningful to them when they were teens. I am. My tastes have broadened but the Golden Oldies are my default setting.

And why not. The music of the ’50s and early ’60s not only spoke to us but the language was simple, easy to understand, and seemed to be wrapped up in our wishes, dreams, and heartaches. The songs about love, love requited, and death from love lost were our songs. Many groups covered the songs; the songs covered our lives. As I listened to the ‘50’s and ‘60’s channels on satellite radio, I began to get interested in where the groups were from; I already knew a lot about where the music came from. Then it dawned on me…

Brooklyn is so well known for so many things. The question hit me like a thunderbolt. What about rock ‘n’ roll groups from Brooklyn? Not a group that had someone from Brooklyn in it, but a group of Brooklynites who formed a group. Oh, there were groups from the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island, but about them I said, “Who cares? I’m writing for the Brooklyn Eagle.

So far, I’ve come across seven called by people, unlike me, who really know something about the subject the real McCoy. Here they are and here’s what I found when I investigated them. If you know of others, please share the “info” with me. The groups were The Three Friends, The Sinceres, The Chimes, The Passions, The Classics, The Tokens, and the Jive Five. I’ve since discovered the Fellows. As I looked into these groups it became apparent that stability wasn’t part of the genre. The members of the groups, and sometimes the groups themselves, were like pieces in a Chinese Chess game. They moved here and there, some were like Transformers changing themselves into different groups. While everyone wanted a hit, the main drive was the love of harmony and singing it.

Let me quote you something from the history of the Fellows. It will give you in “real time” what happened in the world of Brooklyn rock ‘n’ roll. It reads like a music version of the famous street card game hustle Three Card Monty or “Now you see it…now you don’t,” sort of follow the bouncing musician.

The group came together in 1953 when David Jones (tenor) and Larry Banks (bass)), both of whom had recently returned from combat in the Korean War, convinced Jimmy McGowan (second tenor) to resume his singing career. McGowan had prior time spent with the vocal group the Four Toppers but was forced to break up the band when he was hospitalized with an illness. With Jimmy Beckum (lead vocalist) also involved, the group formed the Schemers. The band members came from varying backgrounds and influences in the music industry: Beckum sang in the gospel group the Brooklyn Crusaders and Jones and Banks spent time in barbershop acts. After a few public appearances, Beckum left the Schemers, but was soon replaced with Teddy Williams, who McGowan had worked with during his stint with the Four Toppers.

Thereafter, the group adopted a style inspired by the Mills Brothers, which emphasized collective vocalization rather than an identifiable front man backed by harmony singers.. By 1954, their manager Jimmy Johnson renamed the Schemers to the Four Fellows, the belief that the changed moniker would sound more professional for their upcoming performance Ralph Cooper’s television program “Spotlight on Harlem.” Later in the year, Johnson orchestrated with a new group, leading to the Four Fellows debut single “I Tried” paired with “Bend on the River”. The single was a commercial disappointment, which lead to the swift ousting of Johnson from his managerial role to be replaced by Teddy “Cherokee” Conyer, a former saxophonist for Buddy Johnson. An agreement between Conyer and record producer Phil Rose placed the Four Fellows on Rose’s newly established label Glory Records.

This all took place in about two years.

This fluidity among the groups and/or their personnel was not unique to the Four Fellows. For instance, there were three different groups called the Sinceres, but only one was from Brooklyn. Several groups changed their names because another group had the same name, or an agent or producer didn’t think the name they had was going to drive a hit single. Rather than turn this into a PH.d thesis, I settled on letting my fingers do the walking through google. Next week we’ll do a deeper dive into some names you’ll know. While you’re waiting, find a secluded spot from which to watch the submarine races and turn up the volume on some doo-wop.