Obscure American Artists 1956-1963, Teen 220

 

Rick Kellis. Richard Smith Kellis, pianist, singer, songwriter, saxophonist, aka Richard "Gabriel" Kellis, member of Gabriel & The Angels (see Tc69)

Butch White aka Buddy White. Pop and Rock singer. One single in 1959 for Pop Records (label from Hollywood, California) as Butch White. Four next singles in 1960/1961 for different labels with different backing bands.

Michael Zara & The Compliments. Doo-Wop and Soul group from New York, NY. Michael Zara was replaced by Vic Donna, with the group continuing as The Compliments for later releases.

Yolanda & The Naturals. Doo-Wop and Soul group from Los Angeles, California. One single for Kimley (local label from LA).

Johnny Ferguson. Pop and Country singer, guitarist and songwriter. Born John Lambeth Ferguson III in 1937, in Nashville, Tennessee.

He started his musical career in the late 50s as a disc jockey on a variety of small stations in and around the Nashville area. As a writer, he managed to have a couple of his songs recorded by country acts Judy Lynn and Pat Kelly. In 1958 he recorded two singles for Decca in New York.

It was a demo of one of his songs that persuaded Arnold Maxin, the managing director at MGM Records, to sign him. His first single for MGM, the catchy John D. Loudermilk song ‘Angela Jones’ gave him a transatlantic Top 30 hit in 1960. Later recordings, including a version of ‘I Understand’, failed to enhance his reputation on either side of the Atlantic and he joined the ranks of one-hit-wonders. He died in 2015.
https://fromthevaults-boppinbob.blogspot.com/2015/03/johnny-ferguson-born-22-march-1937.html

Kenni Woods. Soul and Pop singer from Englewood, New Jersey, best known for the songs "Can't He Take A Hint?" and "Back With My Baby" recorded in 1963 on Philips, in association with and produced by Van McCoy.

In later years she recorded as Alice Presley, Kendra Spotswood, Sandi Sheldon.

Obscure American Artists 1956-1963, Teen 219

 

The Four Stars. Obscure group - one single for Cammy (small label from Philadelphia, PA). 

Joan Temple. Teen Pop singer, born in Newport News, Virginia. She sang in the local church choir after which she went to New York to further her singing career. She won an amateur contest at the Apollo Theater after which she went on night club tour which was followed by her signing recording contract with Prep Records.

The Three Coquettes. Female vocal group - one single for Hope Records (Dist. NRC/Jay-Gee).

Lorie Woode aka Lori Wood. Teen Pop and Doo-Wop singer from NYC.

Terry Woodford & The Mystics. Singer and songwriter, producer, music publisher, recording engineer from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The Mystics: James "Larry" Hamby (guitar), Billy Bradford (drums) and David Hood (bass).

Ray Foster. R&B singer from NYC - one single for PJ Records (local label from NYC).

Sonny Flaharty & His Young Americans. Rock singer and the group from Dayton, Ohio. Ray Bushbaum - piano & organ, Mike Flaharty - bass, Teddy Eubanks - lead guitar, Sonny - lead vocal and rhythm guitar, Doug Porter - drums. In 1963 they released two singles, two more in 1964. Between 1958 and 1962 Sonny Flaharty released four solo singles. Between 1967 and 1983 he released numerous singles with different backing bands. 

Obscure American Artists 1956-1963, Teen 218

 

Robin Montgomery. Teen Sound singer from Conroe, TX - one single for Orbit Records (local label from Conroe).

Ricky North. Teen Sound singer from NYC - one single for Versatile Records (local label from NYC).

Jonny Norwood. Soul and R&B singer from Texas - one single for Kix (label from Houston, Texas).

Betty Ann Shor. Teen Pop singer - one single for Justice Records (local label from New York, NY).

Bob Special with Buddy Greco & Orch. Pop singer - one single for Seeco Records (label from NYC).

Three "G's". Obscure vocal group from Los Angeles - one single for Rip (local label from LA).

Freddie North. Freddie B. Carpenter Jr. R&B singer (born 1939, Nashville, Tennessee - died 2025). He began his singing career IN 1957 with the vocal doo wop group The Rookies, and he embarked on a solo career in the 1960s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_North

Sheila North. June Evelyn Kuykendall, session singer, born in Oklahoma. She recorded numerous singles as a backup singer, also a couple of solo singles using different aliases: Bridget (see Ta78), Sheila North, Ricky Page (see Txx).

https://www.discogs.com/artist/633386-Rickie-Page

The Nortones. Teen Sound group formed by Steve Barri (Steven Barry Lipkin, left; see T14) and Bernie Reed. The two 18-years-olds who comprise the group, played their own guitar accompaniment as well as wrote their own material recorded for Warner Bros. and Stack (label from Los Angeles, California).
https://doo-wop.blogg.org/main-tag/nortones-c26502836
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Barri

Obscure American Artists 1956-1963, Teen 217

 

Gary Kane. Teen Sound singer - one single for Amy Records

Johnny Mendell. Teen Pop singer from Philadelphia, PA - three singles for Columbia and Jamie.            

Garry Miles with The Statues. Pop and Doo-Wop singers from Nashville, Tennessee.  James "Buzz" Cason (Garry Miles) and Richard Williams first joined forces in 1955 as lead vocalist and keyboard player; respectively of the six-man Casuals, Nashville High School students all. The Band was soon one of the hottest acts of the fraternity scene and by 1957 was recording for Dot records. By that year's close Tthe Casuals had signed on as regular back-up for Brenda Lee as the Casualteens, then 12 years old. In 1960 Cason cut a version of the hotly contested british song "Look for a Star", issued by Liberty as Garry Miles. 

While that deck still rode the charts, Liberty released an update of Tony Bennett's 1951 hit "Blue Velvet" by The Statues, which reached #84 on the Hot 100 that August. The Group comprised Buzz Cason and Richard Williams from The Casuals & Casualteens plus Hugh Jarrett of The Jordanaires. They released two more singles on Liberty, Garry Miles released several solo singles on Liberty and Spar Records (label from Tennessee).

https://doo-wop.blogg.org/the-statues-a211072386

Obscure American Artists 1956-1963, Teen 216

 

Don Gant. Teen Pop singer, songwriter and record producer (1942 - 1987). In 1961 he recorded a single with Norro Wilson, credited to Don & Eddie, with two songs composed by Roy Orbison, Joe Melson. Later, Don Gant produced some of Roy’s sessions at MGM and co-wrote a couple of songs for him. Don recorded numerous solo singles on Colpix and Hickory.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Gant

Lee Kane. Female singer & model from New York area.

Carl Helm. Pop and Rock singer (1941 - 2024), grew up singing in Ardmore and cut his first recordwhen he was 20 with President Records in 1961. His singing voice resembled Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole, and he signed with Canadian American Records in 1962, and recorded two singles. He was invited to be part of the groundbreaking singing staff at Philadelphia International Records and helped create the famous Sound of Philadelphia in the 1970s

Nydia Caro. Actress and singer, born in New York City to parents from Rincón, Puerto Rico, and initiated her career in the arts at a very young age while living in New York. in 1964, released a Christmas-themed single on the Roulette Records label, numerous singles and albums in later years.

Obscure American Artists 1956-1963, Teen 215

 

The Twin-Tones aka The Twins Jim and John. Rock and Pop vocal duo, James and John Cunningham, from Hicksville, Long Island, New York. In 1958, the boys recorded a cute rock-a-ballad called "Jo Ann" for RCA Victor, which was quickly covered by a group of three chubby comedians called The Playmates who turned the song into a hit for Roulette. RCA did not give up, however, releasing an LP, two EPs and several singles. The Twins didn’t realize and profit for composing the song – nor did they make any money from their RCA Victor long play and such was the business back then. 

John Cunningham, born 1940 in Flushing, New York, passed 2016 in Brockwell, Arkansas. His twin brother James Cunningham died 2018 in Cullman, Alabama.

There were in fact two different Twin Tones duets. The Twin Tones on Monte Carlo Records were girls.

https://doo-wop.blogg.org/the-twins-aka-the-twin-tones-2-a211995723

Obscure American Artists 1956-1963, Teen 214

 

Bobby Webb & The Jets. Swamp Pop and R&B artist from Louisiana.

Cliff Rivers. Alias of Joey Castle (Joseph John Castaldo, see Rxx), rockabilly singer/guitarist born in Bronx, NY, in 1942 - died in 1978.

 

Buddy Blake. Country singer born Buddy Blake Cunningham (1910 - 2000). He worked as a jack-of-all-trades at Sam Phillips' Sun Records studio, often contributing musically as Buddy Cunningham.

In 1959, Cunningham Sr. founded the Cover Records label where his son B.B. Cuningham (aka B-B) released six singles that were far more in line with contemporary tastes, and where the instrumental tracks (see Q79).

Neil Darrow with The Quarter Notes. Born Neil Richard, Teen Pop singer from Buffalo, NY.

Obscure American Artists 1956-1963, Teen 213

 

Dianne Bailey. Teen Pop singer - recorded four singles: Rel (label from Durham, North Carolina); Choice Records (label from New York City); Swan (Philadelphia based label).

Lucia & Johnny. Vocal duo from California.

Dick Richards with Eddie Zack & His Dude Ranchers. Richard Zackarian (1923 - 2004), country artist from Providence, Rhode Island - inducted into the Rhode Island Country Music Hall of Fame.

 

Frankie Tyler. Early career pseudonym of Frankie Valli (lead singer of The Four Seasons).

Jim & Bob Harrison. R&B brothers' duo from New York.

Obscure American Artists 1956-1963, Teen 212

 

Linda Shannon. Pop singer. Started recording in 1953 for King Records, recorded one more single for this label in 1959, also one recorded for Linda (label from New York City). 

Valentino. Teen Sound singer - one single for Pinky Records, label from New York City owned by Pinky Herman who composed both tracks.

Frank Dean. Teen Rock singer - two singles for NYC labels.
 

Cindy & Lindy. Vocal duo from Massachusetts: Cindy Lord, Lindy Doherty.

Al Ward. Pop singer - one single for Big B Records (label from Avon-By-The-Sea, New Jersey).

 

Obscure American Artists 1956-1963, Teen 211

 

Kenny Wade. Kenneth Wade Bordes, graduated from Akron Buchtel High School 1960 in Ohio, Teen Sound singer and songwriter. He recorded two singles in 1961/1962, the third single in 1962, as Cerf Glendown (see Ta62).

Spencer Trask. Country and Pop singer. Two singles for New York City labels (Madison Records and Keys Records).

DeDe Young. Teen Pop singer. One single for Ascot Records (subsidiary of United Artists Records), one single for Challenge Records, as Dee Dee Young.

 

The Wilder Brothers. Record producers and musicians, brothers George, Walter and Warner Wilder, who also recorded as Sounds Of Sunshine. Between 1954 and 1962 they recorded numerous singles for different labels. One single (1954) enter the chart, three later singles for NYC labels (Verve Records; Personality and Leeds Records) are classified by Kreiter to Teen Sound.

 

Joe Villa . Joe Francavilla, once the Lead Vocalist of The Royal Teens, joining in 1958, coming to the group from The Three Friends. In the 1960s, he continued on as solo artist.

Obscure American Artists 1956-1963, Teen 210

 

Sheila Ellis. Teen singer from Houston, Texas. In 1962/1963, when she was 12-13 years old, she recorded three singles for San Records (local label from Houston). She died in 2011.

 

The Sunbeams. Vocal trio composed by three sisters from Tacoma, Katie, Susie and Joanie Sauer.

In mid-1955, the girls signed a recording contract with Dot Records and released  two singles under the name of The Sunbeams.

in 1956, they released the third single (Chic Records from Georgia), as The Soo Sisters (see T45).

In 1959 Dynasty Records (label from Hollywood, California) released the last single of the trio, under The Sawyer Sisters name (see Ta91).

https://doo-wop-groups.blogspot.com/search?q=sawyer

Obscure American Artists 1956-1963, Teen 404

 

Dale Jimmerson. Teen Rock singer from California. Recorded one single for Corsair Records (label from Hollywood, California), with girl group backing, written by Beatriz Cleveland, Alex Furth.

Brends Lee (Jones). R&B singer and songwriter born 1938 (Dayton, Ohio), died 2001.

In 1956 she recorded the 1^st single for Apollo (label from NYC), credited to Brenda Lee, she composed the A-side. This single has been classified by Kreiter to Teen Sound.

In 1958 and in the 1960s she recorded numerous R&B singles as part of Dean & Jean duo or as Jean.

In 1966 she released one single on Rust (subsidiary of Laurie, NYC), as Brenda Lee Jones. B-side was a re-release, originally released in 1964 on Rust by Dean & Jean duo.

Jack Carroll. Real Name: Vincent (Vincenzo) Riccio (1921 - 2005). Pop & Jazz vocalist from Belleville, New Jersey. He was featured with Les Brown's Band of Renoun in the 1940s, also accompanied the bands of Tex Beneke and Sammy Kaye, and many more. He was night club entertainer, and singer, including commercial spots for such companies as Progresso Soup and Burger King. He also appeared in a few films.

He started recording in the late 1946.

Between 1956 and 1963 he released numerous singles for RKO Unique, Decca and Laurie, classified by Kreiter to Teen Sound.