) with Shorty Rogers,dir; tens, bars, pno, gtr, bs, dms. Jack Lewis,prod;
Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller,co-prods on -1. Second
session arrranged by Maxwell Davis; and third session produced by Danny Kessler.
Hollywood, January
21, 1953
E3VB-0018 All Night Baby
RCA 5271, LP 6279, CLP 1000
E3VB-0019 My Heart´s The Biggest Fool
RCA 5175, Crown LP 1000
E3VB-0020 (Now and Then There's) A Fool Such As I RCA 5175, CLP 1000
E3VB-0021 Oh Why RCA 5271, CLP 1000
July 30, 1953
E3VB-0161 My Baby Done Told Me RCA 5486 (withdrawn)
E3VB-0162 I´ll Do It RCA 5486 (withdrawn)
E3VB-0163 Let´s Go To The Dance RCA 5434, CLP 1000
E3VB-0164 How Would You Know RCA 5434, CLP 1000
September 15, 1953
E3VB-0198 Don´t Stop Now RCA 5564, CLP 1000
E3VB-0199 Get It Off Your Mind RCA 5564, CLP 1000
E3VB-0200 Empty Bottles RCA 5489, CLP 1000
E3VB-0201 Ten Days In Jail -1 RCA 5489, CLP 1000 |
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Note: "Ten Days In Jail" written by Leiber-Stoller.
Crown LP (CLP) is a bootleg titled "The Best of .. Vol 2".
Vol. 3 covers the Spark tracks and the first volume features Savoy tracks.
All tracks on El Toro (Spain) CD R&B 111 "I Must Be Dreamin'" (2007),
also including the four Crown tracks
below plus the 12 Spark recordings. The CD is compiled and has great liner
notes by Dave Penny, who insists the Spark recordings were done in order of the
LS master numbers.
The Drifters
(prob. as above) with unkn
acc.
Los Angeles, late 1953
JB 327 Sacroiliac Swing
Crown 108
JB 328 The World Is Changing Crown 108
Note: According to Steve Propes this Crown issue of 1954 ( listen to The
World... here ) was actually a recording by the Robins (see matrix numbers on the
following session - where Grady Chapman has a true McPhatter styled singing). There were
more "Drifters" issues on other labels by different groups, which were recorded
by vocal groups before the Clyde McPhatter 1953 Drifters group.
The Robins or
The Robbins (120)
(as above) with reeds and rhythm.
Los Angeles, c. December, 1953
329 Double Crossin´ Baby
Crown 106
alt.take Double Crossing Baby Ace CD CHD 698
330 I Made A Vow Crown 106, Ace CD CHD 698
331 All I Do Is Rock Crown 120
332 Key To My Heart Crown 120
Note: Singles issued in 1954. All RPM/Modern/Crown recordings prob. produced by Joe
Bihari. Joe, Jules and Saul Bihari involved with their usual pseudonyms as composers on
labels. Singles tracks reissued on LPs Ace 88 and CLP 1000.
The Robins
(Carl Gardner, Bobby Nunn, Grady
Chapman, Ty Terrell Leonard, Billy and Roy Richard, vcls)
L
Los Angeles, 1954 and 1955
12 Spark recordings
Note:
Mike Stoller states in the liner notes of Rhino R2 71090 that
"The Hatchet Man" was the first Robins date on Spark.
During his absense in 1954
- Chapman was out of the Robins from March, 1954 until the end of that year - Chapman recorded with the Suedes for Dolphin´s label Money (a.o. "Don´t
Blopper"). In early 1954 Carl Gardner joined the group. Gardner made his first
appearance with the Robins on March 13, 1954 for Gene Norman´s Embassy Ballroom. Six of
the Robins´ 12 Spark-titles are on Ace CDCHD 801 "Leiber & Stoller present the
Spark Records story": Riot In Cell Block #9 - Loop De Loop Mambo - Smokey Joe´s Cafe
- Whadaya Want - I Must Be Dreamin´ - The Hatchet Man. During the summer of 1954
the
Robins were fully engaged in Las Vegas for nightly stage shows. Around
June, 1955 Jake Porter of Combo records issued a single, Combo 91 as "Jake Porter and
The Buzzards", titled "Wine Women and Gold". Porter says
this was the 1955 Robins (the flip "The Bop" is an instrumental)
The Robins: SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE
Collectables CD 9974
1. Smokey Joe's Cafe
2. Riot In Cell Block #9
3. Whadaya Want
4. Framed
5. The Hatchet Man
6. One Kiss (wrongly titled
.. Led To Another)
7. I Must Be Dreaming
8. Just Like A Fool
9. If Teardrops Were Kisses
10. Loop De Loop Mambo
Collectables CD 9974
features ten of the
Robins' 12 Spark recordings.
Not on this CD:
I Love Paris
Wrap It Up
The Robins
(Grady Chapman, Ty Terrell
Leonard, Billy and Roy Richard, and Hidle Brown "H.B." Barnum,vcls/lead -1;
plus poss. Johnnie "Twovoice" Morisette,vcl)
Jewell Grant,bars; Plas Johnson,tens; Ernie Freeman,pno; Rene Hall,gtr; Curtis Counce,bs;
Ed Hall,dms. Freeman and Rene Hall,arrs. Produced by Gene Norman, (featured on the cover
of the GNP Crescendo LP below - Whippet was owned by GNP).
MGM
Studio, Fairfax Avenue and Gene Norman Studio, Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, 1956 and early 1957 (during five sessions)
V-5489-175 Cherry Lips Whippet 200, WLP 703
V-5489-176 Out Of The Picture W 200, WLP 703
B-5000 Merry-Go-Rock W 201, WLP 703
B-5001 Hurt Me W 201, WLP 703
Since I First Met You W 203, WLP 703
That Old Black Magic W 203, WLP 703
A Fool In Love W 206, WLP 703
All Of A Sudden My Heart Sings W 206, WLP 703
Every Night W 208, WLP 703
Where´s The Fire W 208, WLP 703
In My Dreams Whippet 211
Keep Your Mind On Me W 211
You Wanted Fun W 212
Snowball W 212, WLP 703
Blues In The Night GNP Crescendo LP 9034
How Long -1 Whippet LP 703
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Download at RealPlayer Music Store
|
 |
Note: Carl Gardner has stated that
Leiber-Stoller called him off the "Cherry Lips" recording session to do the
first Coasters session.
H.B.
Barnum, born in Texas July 15, 1936 (who was a childhood Hollywood stage piano concerts favorite and had
made his first solo record on Imperial as Pee Wee Barnum in 1950 and sang with
the Dootones in L.A. in 1955), acted as pianist and utility voice with the Robins during
1956-57. He sang and played piano for RCA in the early 1960s and later became a famous
manager /arranger /producer for several acts. Whippet singles subsequently issued between
March, 1956 and January, 1958. Whippet LP "Rock & Roll" reissued on
GNP-Crescendo 9034 (excluding "How Long" and retitled "The Best of The
Robins"), and on CD GNPD 9034 (with all 16 tracks). The GNP issue has a cover
featuring a photo from 1957 of Leonard, Chapman, Barnum and the Richards brothers and
presents the brothers as Richard (no s). All Whippet tracks issued on "Cherry Lips"
Famous Grooves CD. "Cherry Lips" was supposed to be led by Gardner, but by then
he and Nunn had left to form the Coasters. Chapman recorded several solo songs for
Whippet.
Johnnie Morisette said he sang with the Robins during this period. From Steve Propes in
Blues & Rhythm: "I was in the Robins too, we came behind Grady Chapman. Gene
Norman split up the lead singers who was getting a big head, they were nowhere alone. I
sang lead on "You Wanted Fun". We played the Crescendo with Herb Jeffries. At
that point there were two competing Robins groups (probably talkin´ ´bout Carl Gardner;
ed.note). They were taking away from each other - one lead by Grady Chapman, they left
Crescendo on their own with H.B. Barnum." Morisette was born in Brazil on July 1,
1935 (or Montu Osland in the South Pacific). He succeeded Vernon Green as lead with the
Medallions before his stint with the Robins and later worked with Sam Cooke. |
The Robins
(Bobby Sheen, Ty Terrell Leonard, Billy
and Roy Richard, and prob Grady Chapman, vcls) with unknown accomp. Produced by Imperial
Records and H.B. Barnum.
Radio
Recorders, Los Angeles, August 7, 1958
IM-1708 A Quarter To Twelve Knight 2001
IM-1709 Pretty Little Dolly -
November 11, 1958
IM-1831 A Little Bird Told Me
Knight 2008
IM-1832 It´s Never Too Late -
Note: There are two
unreleased tracks filed for Knight: "Talk, Talk, Talk" and
"Sufferin´". Grady Chapman was substituted by Bobby Sheen from early 1958 (when Grady was in and
out of the group). Sheen was born in 1941. Charles Sheen (Sheen´s son) has given the
following information. Sheen joined the Robins in early 1958 when Chapman was in and out
of the group. From 1959 the Robins´ driver - Billy Richards Jr also joined the group as
Ty Terrell not always worked with them. By March 1961 Sheen had done most of the leads and
he went with Lester Sill to Phil Spector of Philles Records as a back-up-singer and
toured with Bobby Soxx & the Blue Jeans. In 1962 Sheen started moonlighting and joined
Nunn´s new Coasters, Mark II (originally including Nunn, Richards Jr, and Sheen -
Chapman joined Nunn´s group in 1964). This group was the same until 1966. |
H.B. Barnum
|
The Robins
(as above plus "Little" Billy
Richards Jr, vcls) with tbn, bars, pno, gtr, bs, dms, cga. Produced by H.B. Barnum. Leads:
Sheen -1, Richards Jr -2.
Los Angeles, 1960
Just Like That -1 Arvee 5001
Whole Lotta Imagination -2 -
Live Wire Suzie -1 Arvee 5013
Oh No -2 -
Note: In the spring of 1960 Terrell and H.B. Barnum recorded with Jimmy Scott Norman (yes
the later Coasters member) as the Dyna-Sores, who made of cover of "Alley Oop"
for Rendezvous.
The Ding Dongs
(Bobby Sheen, lead vcl-1; Billy and Roy
Richard, Billy Richards Jr, lead-2; and poss. Grady Chapman) with unkn accomp. Produced
by Johnny Otis.
Los Angeles, ca 1960
Ding Dong (aka Saw Wood Mountain)
-1 Eldo 109,
Ace CD CHD 759
Sweet Thing -2 Eldo 109
Lassie Come Home Todd 1043
Late Last Night Todd 1043
Note: Thanks, Charles Sheen, for the information on above.
The Robins
(Bobby Sheen, lead vcl; Billy Richards
Jr, lead vcl-1; Billy and Roy Richard,vocals) with unkn accomp.
Prob Los Angeles, ca March, 1961
6001 How Many More Times Lavender 001
6002 White Cliffs Of Dover -
6003 Mary Lou Does The Hoochie Koo - 1 (aka
Mary Lou Loves To Hootchy Kootchy Coo) Lavender 002
6004 Magic Of A Dream -
Note: In 1962 Roy, Billy Jr. and Bobby Sheen joined Marvin Phillips.
Note:
All titles from 1956 - 1961 (except those as The Ding Dongs) on "Cherry
Lips" Famous Grooves CD 31672 971026 of 1997. Hugh Gregory wrote the
following on the Robins in his 1998 book "The Real Rhythm and blues":
"Although the Robins were not the most influential of all the vocal groups… they
facilitated the possibility that R&B could comment on and reflect, in a humorous way,
the concerns of the working man (also referring to the Coasters, ed.mark). It does have to
be said… the Robins… being at the cutting edge of social change was of less
consideration than turning a fast buck. And it was the lure of the fast buck that
scuppered their chances of long-term success."
Special Note:
During the 1970s Chapman, Billy Richards, Leonard and Barnum act for a couple of
times in a revival Robins group and in January, 2002 Grady Chapman (who had substituted
for Carl Gardner in the Coasters a couple of times in the late ' 90s and in 2001)
re-activated a new group - Grady Chapman & The Robins (with Bobby
Baker, Billy Foster, and Bobby Johnson) - still active GREAT!
The Robins on
Cruise in 2008 (Memory
Lane West Coast doo Wop)
The Robins -
California´s
first "bird" group was formed when Ty Terrell Leonard and the
Richard brothers
Billy and Roy met at Alameda High School
in San Francisco in 1945, and formed the "A-Sharp Trio" (no recordings). The
trio came to Hollywood a year later, and in 1949 they were joined by Bobby Nunn, who
worked at Johnny Otis´ and Alu Bardi´s club "The Barrelhouse" in Watts. The
group became the third of the trend setting bird groups after the Ravens and the Orioles.
Grady Chapman joined the group as lead singer and fifth member in 1953. From March, 1954
Carl Gardner substituted for Grady (who was sent to jail for a while) and Carl was later
featured as sixth singer in the group (and foremost lead on Spark Records). Chapman made
some solo records in 1954 or 1955, and in 1957 and 1958 and also for Imperial after 1960
and was used as a studio back-up. He often joined Nunn´s Coasters Mark II during several
years from the mid ´60s, and worked with Billy Richards Jr´s Nunn-offspring
"Coasters" group and also toured with his own line-up of "Coasters".
Grady also substituted for Carl Gardner in the true Coasters a couple of times in the late
´90s after Richards and Gardner had settled their differences. Ty Terrell, as he prefers
to call himself, did some solo recordings after 1960. Several of the Robins´ members also
recorded with Marvin Phillips in different versions of "Marvin & Johnny".
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on The Robins | Bobby Nunn & the Robins
on The
Robins
