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Groupe Doo Wop US de Bakersfield Californie). Les Colts étaient composé de Ruben Grundy (lead), Joe Grundy, Carl Moland et Leroy Smith.
The Colts
are best remembered as the group who first recorded "Adorable," a classic doo
wop tune subsequently covered by the
Drifters, Little Caesar & the Romans and
other Vocals groups. The Colts formed in the Mojave desert city of Bakersfield,
CA, but commuted by car to L.A., where they attended classes at Los Angeles City
College. The group -- Ruben Grundy, his brother Joe Grundy, Carl Morland, and
Leroy Smith -- eventually caught the attention of music business veteran and
impresario Samuel "Buck" Ram, who at the time was also managing
the Platters and
the Penguins. In August of 1955, the Colts were signed to Mambo Records in
Los Angeles and shortly thereafter recorded "Adorable" and its flipside, "Lips
Red As Wine." Just as the single (Mambo number 112) was about to hit retail
outlets, however, Ram and the label's reps decided that the Mambo name might
confuse some people and lead them to think that the label featured only Latino
dance music, so the group was shifted over to the Vita label instead (Vita
number 112).
Meanwhile, in New York, Atlantic Records' Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler had
heard the Colts' "Adorable" and felt the song should be covered by their
Drifters. It proved to be the perfect
tune for the group (their first without celebrated lead vocalist,
Clyde McPhatter, who by this time had just left the group). Aided by strong
popularity on the West Coast, "Adorable" charted from late October into November
before being overtaken in sales by the
Drifters' version. In October 1955, the Colts made their very first
performance at the 400 Club in San Diego, appeared on local TV shows, and closed
out the year by appearing in a big R&B revue in Los Angeles, hosted by DJ Hunter
Hancock.
In early 1956, the Colts' next single -- "Sweet Sixteen" b/w "Honey Bun" (written
for them by Curtis Williams of
the Penguins, the writer of "Earth Angel") -- was released (Vita number 121)
and after their next single ("Never No More" b/w "Hey You Shoo-Be-Doo-Be" (Vita
number 130), manager Ram moved the Colts over to Dot Records. Mickey Lynn, the
wife of
Johnny Otis Band singer Mel Williams, joined the group as a vocalist, but
this lineup failed to produce any releases for Dot. In the summer of 1957, they
released "Sheik of Araby" b/w "Guiding Angel" on Buck Ram's Antler label, but by
now, Ram was concentrating on the worldwide success of
the Platters. The Colts disbanded shortly thereafter.
By December of 1961, the song "Adorable" was still hot, when Little Caesar and
the Romans recorded it for their only full-length LP, Those Oldies but Goodies (DFLP
1218) which features a fine version with Vocals by Carl Barnett.
Style musical : Doo Wop, Rhythm 'n' Blues
Adorable (1955)
Sweet Sixteen (1956) Honey Bun (1956) Never No More (1956) Shiek Of Araby (1957) |
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Years in activity :
1910 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 2000 | 10 | 20 |
DISCOGRAPHY
Singles
9/1955 | SP MAMBO 112 (US) | Adorable / Lips Red As Wine |
10/1955 | SP VITA 112 (US) | Adorable / Lips Red As Wine |
10/1955 | SP VITA 114 (US) | Jackie Kelso & The Colts - Kwella Kwella / Rat A Rat |
01/1956 | SP VITA 121 (US) | Sweet Sixteen / Honey Bun |
04/1956 | SP VITA 130 (US) | Never No More / Hey You, Shoo Bee Ooh Bee |
03/1957 | SP ANTLER 4003 (US) | Shiek Of Araby / Never No More |
05/1957 | SP ANTLER 4007 (US) | Guiding Angel / Shiek Of Araby |
1957 | SP Spry 110 (US) | Ruben Grundy & The Devilles Sisters - Every Word / Sail Away |
1958 | SP ANTLER 4002 (US) | Oh When You Touch Me / I Never Knew |
04/1959 | SP Del-Co 4002 (US) | Oh, When You Touch Me (Joe GRUNDY - The RED COATS) / I Never Knew (GRUNDY BROTHERS - The RED COATS) |
05/1962 | SP PLAZA P-505 (US) | Sweet Sixteen / Hey, Pretty Baby |
1962 | SP PLAZA P-505 (US) | Sweet Sixteen / Lips Red As Wine |
1965 | SP OLDIES 45 OL 328 | Sweet Sixteen / Adorable |
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© Rocky Productions 7/04/2016