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"M" Groups
The
Magnificents
In
1954, four teenagers from Chicago; Ray Ramsey, Johnny Keyes,
Fred Rakeshaw, and Willie Myles formed a vocal group and
called themselves The Tams. They were befriended by Chicago
personality The Magnificent Montague, Montague named the new
group after himself and the "Magnificents" began. In 1956 the
group came in contact with Vee-Jay Records and recorded and
released "Up On The Mountain" with the flip side "Why Did She
Go" and was an instant smash. The Magnificents continue to
tour and sound as good as ever. They are undoubtedly one of the
great one hit wonders of the fifties doo-wop era and we are
grateful for the music.
The Monotones
Hailing
from Newark, New Jersey in 1954, the Monotones consisting of
Warren Davis, George Malone, Charles Patrick, Frank Smith, and
Warren and John Ryanes recorded one of the most memorable of
doo-wop's novelty tunes "Book of Love". It was recorded at Bell
Studio in New York and released on the Mascot label, it was
picked up by Argo Records. Released nationally and reached
number 5 in the United States. The Monotones released several
more recordings: "Tom Foolery", "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow" to
name a few.
The
Moonglows
This
R & B group formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952. They
consisted of Bobby Lester, Harvey Fuqua, Prentiss Barnes, and
Alexander 'Pete' Graves. The Moonglows' career parallels their
mentor Alan Freed who is his rise through rock n' roll made the
Moonglows the main focus of his radio programs and stage shows.
The group's first major hit "Sincerely" in 1954 rose
to number 20 Pop chart and number on R & B charts. Other
hits followed; in 1955 "Most Of All," "We Go
Together," See Saw in 1956, a remake of Percy Mayfield's
"Please Send Me Someone To Love," in 1957. However the
most remembered of their came in 1958 with "Ten
Commandments Of Love" which featured Fuqua performing lead
vocals. The original Moonglows disbanded in 1958
The
Mystics
This rock ‘n’ roll vocal ensemble came from Brooklyn, New York,
USA. The members were brothers Phil (lead) and Albee Cracolici
(baritone), Bob Ferrante (first tenor), George Galfo (second
tenor), and Allie Contrera (bass). The Mystics helped popularize
the Italian-American doo-wop sound that came out of New York
City in the early 60s, but like many such groups they did it
with only one hit, ‘Hushabye’ (US pop Top 20, 1959).
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