Groupe Doo Wop US formé en 1955 à New York et composé de Harold Atley puis Leslie Martin, James Edwards, Roger Hayes, James "Charlie" McKay et Renaldo Gamble.

The Schoolboys sound almost uncannily similar to Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, but they predate them by close to a year in terms of recording and success. Formed in Harlem's Cooper Junior High School in 1954 or early 1955, with Harold Atley as leader, James Edwards (first tenor), Roger Hayes(second tenor), James "Charlie" McKay (baritone), and Renaldo Gamble (bass), they performed in school talent shows and became popular locally, only to see Atley exit after a few months. He was replaced by Leslie Martin, a boy soprano who had an almost operatic intensity to his singing and intonation. They appeared on Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour and won first prize, which brought them the chance to record soon after, under the aegis of disc jockey Tommy Smalls, who had the popular Dr. Jive Show on WWRL in New York -- he gave them the name the Schoolboys and got them their recording. Their debut single, "Please Say You Want Me," a slow, moon/June-rhymed ballad featuring Martin's astonishingly powerful boy soprano voice, became a hit in the fall of 1955 and led to a series of releases, notable for the pleading nature of their lyrics, especially the ballads, which were usually backed by songs titled with girls' names. The group was never able to match the success of its debut release, however, and by 1956, the Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon, also organized in upper Manhattan, had supplanted them in the minds of the listening public.
The Schoolboys' original lineup disintegrated not too long after their one hit -- Renaldo Gamble joined Pearl McKinnon (herself a Frankie Lymon sound-alike) and the Kodaks. By 1957, the Schoolboys were history, their moment having passed to Lymon and company. It is alleged that some of the work credited to the group was really Martin and members of the Cadillacs, rather than his own group.

Talents : Harold Atley, then Leslie Martin : Leader - James Edwards : First Tenor - Roger Hayes : Second Tenor - James "Charlie" McKay : Baritone - Renaldo Gamble : Bass

Style musical : Doo Wop

PLEASE SAY YOU WANT ME (1956)

Shirley (1956)

MARY (1957)

I Am Old Enough (1957)

The Slide (1958)

Years in activity :

1910 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000 10 20

DISCOGRAPHY

78 t., Singles & EP

11/1956 78 t. OKEH 7076 (US) Please Say You Want Me / Shirley
11/1956 SP OKEH 4-7076 (US) Please Say You Want Me / Shirley
04/1957 78 t. OKEH 7085 (US) Mary / I Am Old Enough
04/1957 SP OKEH 4-7085 (US) Mary / I Am Old Enough
08/1957 78 t. OKEH 7090 (US) Pearl / Carol
08/1957 SP OKEH 4-7090 (US) Pearl / Carol
1958 SP JUANITA 103 (US)

The Slide / Angel Of Love

08/1963 SP MEMORY LANE 5-2205 (US)

Please Say You Want Me / Carol

06/1972 SP BIM BAM BOOM 107 (US) The Slide / Angel Of Love
1989 EP Magic Carpet ‎511 (US)

Mary / Ding A Ling Coo Coo Mop / Pearl / I Am Old Enough

19?? SP COLLECTABLES 15-2205 (US) Please Say You Want Me / Carol



Album

19?? LP 12" OKEH 1000 (US) THE SCHOOLBOYS MEET THE YOUGTONES - The SCHOOLBOYS : Shirley / Please Say You Want Me / Mary / I Am Old Enough / Pearl / The Slide / Angel Of Love / Carol / The YOUGTONES : Come On Baby / O Tell Me / Gonna Get Together Again / Can I Come Over / Patricia / By The Candleglow / It's Over Now / You I Adore
10/1991 CD COLLECTABLES COL-CD-5076 (US)

Little Joe Cook & The Thrillers Meet The Schoolboys - Little Joe Cook & The Thrillers : This I Know / Peanuts / Lilly Lou / The Echoes Keep Calling Me / Let's Do The Slop / Please Don't Go / The Schoolboys : Shirley / Please Say You Want Me / Mary / I Am Old Enough / Pearl / Carol

2003 CD Note ‎NCD-10012 (UK)

Back To "Doo-Wop" School - The Schoolboys & The Students - The SCHOOLBOYS : Please Say You Want Me / Shirley / Angel Of Love / Carol / I Am Old Enough / Mary / Ding A Ling Coo Coo Mop / Pearl / The Slide / The STRUDENTS : I'm So Young / Everyday Of The Week / My Vow To You / That's How I Feel / Mommy And Daddy / My Heart Is An Open Door / Mary / Mommy And Daddy (outtake) / My Heart Is An Open Door (outtake) / Bye Bye Truly

© Rocky Productions 22/04/2018