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Groupe Doo
Wop US formé en 1952 à Chicago (Illinois) et composé de Pirkle Lee Moses Jr., Louis Bradley, Jewel Jones, James Maddox , Robert Glasper
& Richard Nickens. Les Eld Dorados se sont séparés en 1958.
One of the
leading R&B Vocals groups on Vee Jay, the El Dorados had a relatively short
career with their first lineup, during which they scored a massive crossover
hit, 1955's "At My Front Door" (number 17 on the pop charts and number one R&B,
where it remained for 18 weeks). They managed only one other charting record --
1956's "I'll Be Forever Loving You" -- before their initial breakup in 1959.
Subsequent lineups and name changes (and alterations) brought no further success,
but they continued performing well into the '80s.
The original group featured five members -- Pirkle Lee Moses Jr., Louis Bradley,
Jewel Jones, James Maddox, and Robert Glasper -- when they formed in the
Englewood section of Chicago's south side in 1952 while still attending
Englewood High School (the same school that the Moroccos attended). They were
calling themselves the Five Stars. Johnny Moore, their high school custodian,
liked the group so much and thought they showed so much promise, that he became
their manager.
In 1954, just after graduation, Moses and Glasper took advantage of the Air
Force's 90-day active duty program, but while Moses returned, Glasper remained
with the Air Force. By then, Arthur Bassett (tenor) had temporarily replaced
Moses, and Richard Nickens came in for Glasper. The Five Stars were now six, and
a name change was inevitable. They were about to become the Cardinals (apparently,
they had no knowledge of Atlantic's New York-based group) when the craze for
naming your group after a popular car model hit, and since they couldn't call
themselves
the Cadillacs, the settled for Cadillacs' luxurious two-door model, the El
Dorado, for inspiration. the El Dorados came to the attention of local Chicago
WWCA disc jockey Al Benson, who witnessed first-hand how their gorgeous blend of
harmonies and talent made for an exciting new group that he could support. They
had already won first prize at a local talent show at the Club De Lisa. Benson
arranged for the group to audition at a contest hosted by Vee Jay Records at the
Park City Skating Rink. Amateur groups were challenged to compete against Vee
Jay's Spaniels. the El Dorados rose to the challenge, winning the contest and a
recording contract with the label.
the El Dorados' first single, a bluesy ballad called "My Loving Baby," was
issued in September 1954, and was a popular regional seller. Their next effort
had the group backing up Hazel McCollum on "Annie's Answer," which was Vee Jay's
contribution to the ongoing "Annie" saga begun by
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. Perhaps tiring of all the Annie nonsense,
Arthur Bassett ankled the El Dorados (he also joined the Air Force), and the
sextet slimmed down to a quintet. During the third week of September 1955, Vee
Jay released the group's "At My Front Door," which stormed the Billboard R&B
charts on September 24th and the Top 100 on October 15th. The song featured Al
Duricati's pounding drum rhythm and a rousing sax solo. The so-called "baby
talk" pre-finale by Moses Jr. made the record soar even further, and the lyrics
about that "crazy little mama" became as legendary as the Annie saga. By the end
of the year it had climbed to number 17 on the pop charts and number one R&B,
where it remained for 18 weeks. (Pat
Boone later did a cover version that charted at number seven pop).
Their follow-up, "I'll Be Forever Lovin' You" (originally recorded by the Rip
Chords but never released), was issued during the second week of December. It
was a rocker that exuded jazz, pop, and R&B overtones, but although it made it
to number eight R&B in February 1956, it never charted on the pop lists. Soon
after the release of the follow-up, Nickens left and the El Dorados soldiered on
as a quartet. A few additional singles performed well in certain U.S. cities,
but didn't measure up to their prior hit status. Their next single, "Tears on My
Pillow" (a different song from Little Anthony and the Imperials' hit record),
was the last by all of the original El Dorados; soon after its release, the
group and Pirkle Moses Jr. separated over a disagreement on new management.
Moses Jr. soon joined another Vee Jay act, the Kool Gents, who had been left
without a singer when their frontman,
Dee Clark, departed for a solo career. John McCall (tenor), Douglas Brown
(second tenor), Teddy Long (second tenor and baritone), and Johnny Carter (bass)
of the Kool Gents joined with Moses Jr., to become the New El Dorados. They
released two singles in 1958 for Vee Jay, but when neither sold, they eventually
left Vee Jay in a money dispute and subsequently disbanded altogether.
During this same time, the remaining El Dorados -- Jones, Bradley, and Maddox --
joined up with new lead singer Marvin Smith. Smith had moved with his family to
the west side of Chicago in the late '40s, where he attended Crane High and sang
on street corners and in church choirs, before joining the group as their new
lead vocalist. To avoid legal problems with Vee Jay, the group's name was
changed to Those Four El Dorados for 1958's "A Lonely Boy," Academy Records of
Chicago. Jewel Jones' name on the label was spelled J-u-e-l-l (each member's
name was listed). Those Four El Dorados' later traveled to the West Coast, and
connected with a former NBA basketball star Don Barksdale, who had formed his
Rhythm Record Company in Oakland, CA. The group changed monikers again, this
time calling themselves
the Tempos, but the group faltered again, and returned to Chicago, splitting
up in 1961.
Marvin Smith went on to join the Artistics on Okeh and Brunswick Records as the
lead for such R&B charters as "I'm Gonna Miss You" (number 55 Top 100, number
nine R&B, 1966) and "Girl I Need You" (number 69 Top 100, number 26 R&B, 1967).
Johnny Carter, meanwhile, tried to keep the name alive by forming yet another
new New El Dorados in late 1959, with John McCall, Danny Edwards, and Eugene
Huff (formerly of the Valquins). This group lasted until 1965. Carter tried
again in 1971, hooking up with Huff, Spence Goulsby, Jr., and Lee Toussaint on
lead for two sides on Paula, but that group was gone by the early '80s. Moses
Jr. recorded with an unknown group as
the Squires in 1963 on Boss ("It's Time") and then did a solo effort titled
The Docks. In 1965, Moses Jr., Melvin Morrow, and George Prager (the latter two
late of the Moroccos) came together as the Major Minors. In 1969, this group
once again became the El Dorados, doing a single for Torrid Records. Pirkle
Moses Jr. then quit for almost a decade but returned with yet another El Dorados-lineup
with tenor Norman Palm (from the Pastels on United), second tenor Billy
Henderson, George Prayer (baritone), and Anthony Charles (bass). Around 1985
Henderson left and Anthony Charles passed away. Eugene Huff (of Carter's El
Dorados) and Larry Johnson (Moroccos) took their places and the group recorded a
ballad for Delano Records in 1987. In effect, that last El Dorados recording
group contained members formerly in four Chicago-area groups: the Palms, the
Moroccos, the Kool Gents, and the El Dorados. On December 26, 2000, the original
El Dorados lead vocalist Pirkle Lee Moses, Jr. passed away.
Talents : Pirkle Lee Moses Jr. : Lead - Louis Bradley : Tenor - Jewel Jones : Second Tenor & Baritone - James Maddox : Baritone & Bass - Robert Glasper : Bass - Richard Nickens : Bass
Style musical : Doo Wop
AT MY FRONT
DOOR
(1955)
ROCK 'N'
ROLL'S FOR ME (1955)
BIM BAM BOUM
(1956)
TEARS ON MY
PILLOW
(1957)
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Years in activity :
| 1910 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 2000 | 10 | 20 |
78 t. & Singles
| 1954 | 78 t. VEE JAY VJ-115 (US) | . | My Loving Baby / Baby I Need You |
| 1954 | SP VEE JAY VJ-115 (US) | . | My Loving Baby / Baby I Need You |
| 1954 | 78 t. VEE JAY VJ-118 (US) | . | EL DORADOS with Hazel McCOLLUM - Annie's Answer / Living With Vivian |
| 1954 | SP VEE JAY VJ-118 (US) | . | EL DORADOS with Hazel McCOLLUM - Annie's Answer / Living With Vivian |
| 1954 | 78 t. VEE JAY VJ-127 (US) | . | One More Chance / Little Miss Love |
| 1954 | SP VEE JAY VJ-127 (US) | . | One More Chance / Little Miss Love |
| 1955 | 78 t. VEE JAY VJ-147 (US) | . |
At My Front Door
/ What's Buggin' You Baby |
| 1955 | SP VEE JAY VJ-147 (US) | . |
At My Front Door
/ What's Buggin' You Baby |
| 1955 | 78 t. VEE JAY VJ-165 (US) | . | I Began To Realize / I'll Be Forever Loving You |
| 1955 | SP VEE JAY VJ-165 (US) | . | I Began To Realize / I'll Be Forever Loving You |
| 1955 | 78 t. VEE JAY VJ-180 (US) | . | Now That You've Gone /
Rock 'n'
Roll's For Me
|
| 1955 | SP VEE JAY VJ-180 (US) | . | Now That You've Gone /
Rock 'n'
Roll's For Me
|
| 1956 | 78 t. VEE JAY VJ-197 (US) | . | A Fallen Tear / Chop Ling Soon |
| 1956 | SP VEE JAY VJ-197 (US) | . | A Fallen Tear / Chop Ling Soon |
| 1956 | 78 t. VEE JAY VJ-211 (US) | . |
Bim Bam Boom
/ There In
The Night |
| 1956 | SP VEE JAY VJ-211 (US) | . |
Bim Bam Boom
/ There In
The Night |
| 1957 | 78 t. VEE JAY VJ-250 (US) | . |
Tears On My Pillow
/ A Rose For My Darling |
| 1957 | SP VEE JAY VJ-250 (US) | . |
Tears On My Pillow
/ A Rose For My Darling |
| 1957 | 78 t. VEE JAY VJ-263 (US) | . | Three Reasons Why / Boom Diddie Boom |
| 1957 | SP VEE JAY VJ-263 (US) | . | Three Reasons Why / Boom Diddie Boom |
| 1958 | 78 t. VEE JAY VJ-302 (US) | . | Lights Are Low / Oh What A Girl |
| 1958 | SP VEE JAY VJ-302 (US) | . | Lights Are Low / Oh What A Girl |
| 1958 | SP ACADEMY 8138 (US) | . | FOUR EL DORADOS - A Lonely Boy / Go! Little Susie |
| 1963 | SP Oldies 45 OL 22 (US) | . | Crazy Little Mama (At My Front Door) (El
Dorados &
Magnificents) /
Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite
(Spaniels) |
| 196? | SP OLDIES 45 OL 56 (US) | . |
I'll Be Forever Loving You (El
Dorados with Al Smith's
Orchestra) /
Pretty Girls Everywhere
|
| 1964 | SP OLDIES 45 OL 91 (US) | . | Little Miss Love (EL DORADOS) / Seven Little Girls Sitting In The Back Seat (Paul EVANS & The CURLS) |
| 1970 | SP TORRID 100 (US) | . | In Over My Head / You Make My Heart Sing |
| 1971 | SP PAULA 347 (US) | . | Looking In From The Outside / Since You Came Into My Life |
| 1972 | SP CALUMET 1703 (F) |
 |
Loose Booty (Part 1) / Loose Booty (Part 2) |
| 197? | SP TRIP TR-56 (US) |
Baby, It's You
(Spaniels)
/ I'll Be Forever Loving You (ELDORADOES) |
|
| 198? | SP LOST NITE 263 (US) | . | One More Chance / Little Miss Love |
| 198? | SP LOST NITE 270 (US) | . |
At My Front Door
/ What's Buggin You Baby |
| 19?? | SP LOST NITE 278 (US) | . | Now That You've Gone / Rock 'n Roll's For Me |
| 198? | SP LOST NITE 285 (US) | . | I'll Be Forever Loving You / I Began To Realize |
| 1981 | SP LOST NITE 293 (US) | . |
Bim Bam Boom
/ There In The Night |
| 1981 | SP LOST NITE 300 (US) | . | A Fallen Tear / Chop Ling Soon |
| 1981 | SP LOST NITE 308 (US) | . | A Rose For My Darling / Tears On My Pillow |
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Albums
| 1960 | LP 12" VEE JAY VJLP-1001 (US) |
 |
CRAZY LITTLE MAMA - The ELDORADOS' - GUEST ARTIST : THE MAGNIFICENTS - At My Front Door / Now That You've Gone / Rock ‘n' Rolls For Me / A Fallen Tear / Up On The Mountain (MAGNIFICENTS) /There In The Night / I'll Be Forever Loving You / My Loving Baby / Annie's Answer / I Began To Realize / Caddy Bo (MAGNIFICENTS) / Baby I Need You |
| 1981 | LP 10" LOST NITE LLP-20 (US) |
 |
THE EL DORADOS - Crazy Little Mama /A Rose For My Darling / There In The Night / I'll Be Forever Loving You / A Fallen Tear / Tears On My Pillow |
| 07/1981 | LP 12" CHARLY CRB 1022 (UK) |
 |
BIM BAM BOOM - At My Front Door / Boom Diddie Boom / Little Miss Love / My Loving Baby / Chop Ling Soon / Lights Are Low / Baby I Need You / Bim Bam Boom / Rock 'n' Roll's For Me / Trouble Trouble / "Annie's Answer" / Fallen Tear / Oh What A Girl / I Began To Realise / I'll Be Forever Loving You / She Don't Run Around |
| 1984 | LP 12" SOLID SMOKE SS-8025 (US) |
 |
THEIR GREATEST RECORDINGS - LOW MILEAGE - HIGH OCTANE - A Fallen Tear / My Loving Baby / At My Front Door / There In The Night / Love Of My Own / Bim Bam Boom / Now That You've Gone / I Began To Realize / A Rose For My Darling / I'll Be Forever Loving You / It's No Wonder / One More Chance / Rock 'n Roll's For Me / Lord Knows I Tried / 3 Reasons Why |
| 11/1993 | CD VEE JAY 702 (US) |
 |
BIM BAM BOOM - At My Front Door (Crazy Little Mama) / Boom Diddie Boom / Little Miss Love / My Loving Baby / Chop Ling Soon / Lights Are Low / Baby I Need You / Bim Bam Boom / Rock & Roll's For Me / Trouble Trouble / Annie's Answer / Fallen Tear / Oh What A Girl / I Began To Realise / I'll Be Forever Loving You / She Don't Run Around |
| 04/1995 | CD ST. GEORGE 7702 (US) |
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CHICAGO STREET CORNER BLUES & RHYTHM - Blues In A Letter / 219 Train / My Gal Is Gone / Whoo-Wee Baby / Weeping Willow Blues / My Lovin' Partner / White Cliffs Of Dover / I Was Wrong / Gloria / Ooh Rockin' Daddy / Framed / Mozelle / Let It Roll / Mother's Son / So Lonely Baby / Eye Sight To The Blind / W-P-L-J / Worrried Life Blues / How Do Earthly Men Know |
| 07/1999 | CD CHARLY 197 (UK) |
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ROCK 'N' ROLLS FOR ME - Bim Bam Boom / At My Front Door (Crazy Little Mama) / Rock & Roll's For Me / She Don't Run Around / Trouble Trouble / Boom Diddie Boom / Chop Ling Soon / Little Miss Love / I'll Be Forever Loving You / Oh What A Girl / Baby I Need You / Annie's Answer / Tears On My Pillow / Fallen Tear / Language Of Love / My Loving Baby / Love Of My Own / Lord Knows I Tried / Now That You've Gone / One More Chance / Lights Are Low / I Began To Realise / Rose For My Darlilng / It's No Wonder / Always My Love / There In The Night / Why Must I / Three Reasons Why |
| 10/2000 | CD COLLECTABLES 7245 (US) |
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AT MY FRONT DOOR... CRAZY LITTLE MAMA - THE VERY BEST OF THE EL DORADOS - At My Front Door (Crazy Little Mama) / A Fallen Tear / Tears On My Pillow / Lord Knows I Tried / I'll Be Forever Loving You / Baby I Need You / She Don't Run Around / A Love Of My Own / Boom Diddle Boom / I Began To Realize / Little Miss Love / A Rose For My Darling / My Lovin' Baby / What's Buggin' You Baby / Now That You've Gone / Rock 'n' Roll's For Me / Lights Are Low / Annie's Answer / Three Reasons Why / Chop Ling Soon / There In The Night / Trouble Trouble / One More Chance / It's No Wonder / Bim Bam Boom |
© Rocky Productions 3/07/2013
