The first Rama
release was the catchy jump tune, “Lily Maebelle”, released in October 1955.
The most well known Valentines’ personnel of Barrett, Francis, Edgehill,
Briggs and Bright were now in full force. They could do it all. The quintet
could handle up-tempo and ballad songs with equal ease. But the energetic
jump tunes really showed off their self-taught, carefully choreographed dance
steps.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
At Richard’s
insistence, the Valentines took great pride in their appearance. “We each had
a white tux, a black tux, a red tux and a blue tux,” Eddie said. “We had
black suede jackets. We had a black corduroy jackets with white pants. We
had black shoes, white shoes, red shoes. And we had a red heart on the pocket
of each of our uniforms. Richard had a red heart made of oilcloth sewn on the
pockets of all our uniforms. That was our logo.”
The Valentines in their white tuxedos with red hearts on the
jacket pockets.
Left to right: Mickey, Eddie, Ronnie, Raymond, Richard.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
One of the first
appearances by the Valentines after the release of “Lily Maebelle” was an Alan
Freed stage show at the State Theater in Hartford. The show also included the
Moonglows, the Heartbeats and the Nutmegs. It was Halloween night and Richard
said, “Let’s buy some masks to put on.” “We came out with masks on and the
audience kept yelling, ‘Take the masks off! Take the masks off!’, remembered
Eddie. “We had a routine where we spun around and when we turned back to the
audience we had the masks off. Alan Freed loved that.”
On November 18,
the Valentines began a week at the famed Apollo Theater with the Four Fellows,
Chuck Berry, the Solitaires, Arthur Prysock and the Buddy Johnson Orchestra.
It was the Valentines’ first show at the famed Apollo. The show was
billed as “Hal Jackson’s Rhythm & Blues Review.” “The Solitaires and
Valentines sang and presented their songs in the colorful rhythm and blues
style, with lots of choreography,” recalled Four Fellows’ lead Jim McGowan.
“Compared to them, we [the Four Fellows] must have seemed like stiffs.”
The Valentines on stage.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
From there, the
Valentines appeared on dee jay Georgie Woods’ “Rock ‘N’ Roll No. 4” show in
Philadelphia. The show was held in the magnificent Mastbaum Theater at 20th
and Market Streets, a five thousand seat venue, complete with marble imported
from Italy and twenty-two karat gold leaf decorated lobby and ceiling. During
the show, the stage came up out of the floor. Also on the show were Bubber
Johnson, the El Dorados, Philadelphia vocalist Gloria Mann, Screaming Jay
Hawkins, Lavern Baker and the Four Lads. Bobby Roberts’ twenty-three piece
rock & roll orchestra supplied the music.[5,6]
While in the
Philadelphia area, many of the stars of the Georgie Woods show, including the
Valentines, El Dorados and Screamin’ Jay, also performed at the Tippin Inn on
Sunday, Dec. 18th. The Tippin Inn was a black-owned establishment
in Berlin, NJ, that sported a grand showroom and featured some of the
country’s best known African-American entertainment.
(From the Classic Urban
Harmony Archives)
The grandness of
the Valentines bookings reflected the popularity of “Lily Maebelle” and their
follow up release, “I Love You Darling”. While there was no evidence that
“Lily Maebelle” broke national (Billboards national R&B charts
contained only the Top 15), the record sure made noise in some key local
markets. The record spent the month of December in Cash Box’s Hot Ten R&B
charts in Philadelphia. The song
was also big in New York. No wonder the Valentines were invited to join Alan Freed’s Christmas holiday show. It opened at New York City’s Academy of Music
on December 22, 1955, and ran for twelve days. The show also included Lavern
Baker, the Wrens, the Cadillacs, the Chuckles, Count Basie, Joe Williams, Boyd
Bennett, Don Cherry, Gloria Mann, the Heartbeats, Sam Taylor and Al Sears. To
coincide with the Christmas season, the Valentines released “Christmas
Prayer,” another Barrett composition. Before long the Valentines were one of
the hottest groups on the East Coast.
The Valentines
quickly acquired their own fan club, the Valenteens! A number of young women
came to Richard and asked if the Valentines wanted a fan club, and Richard
said yes. They wanted to come to the group’s rehearsals, but Richard would
not allow that. The Valenteens came to all the Valentines shows and always
sat in the front rows. They would call all the radio stations and request
Valentines’ records. [see matchbook photo below]
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
One of the
Valentines’ recordings from late 1955 didn’t give them any label credit at
all. The vocal group the Wrens were scheduled to record “C’est la Vie” but
only lead Bobby Mansfield and George Magnezid of the Wrens showed up. The
Valentines were already in the studio to record “Hand Me Down Love”. George
Goldner had the idea that the Valentines could lend backup voices, which they
did.
In later years,
Richard Barrett would become the quintessential A&R man/producer – the one who
would be in the studio making sure the mikes were positioned and mixed right,
making sure the recording had the sound the label wanted on the record. Yet
through most of the Valentines recordings, it was George Goldner who filled
this role. Richard watched and learned skills he would later used to produce
records for Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, Chantels, Flamingos, Isley
Brothers, Imperials and Dubs.
WINS’ Alan Freed
was not the only dee jay out promoting R&R stage shows in the New York – New
Jersey area. WLIB jock, Hal Jackson, staged the first such stage show in the
Bronx on February 10–12, 1956. Held at the Opera House Movie Theater, the
line-up included the Valentines, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the Bonnie Sisters,
Cadillacs, Heartbeats, Ann Cole, Ruth McFadden, Al Sears and Frank
(“Floorshow”) Culley’s band. Such shows could be grueling, presenting five or
six performances a day.
Also in February,
the Valentines joined an R&B stage show package to tour the Stanley-Warner
theater chain in northern New Jersey. The package was promoted and MC’d by
Ramon Bruce of WAAT (Newark) and also included the Heartbeats, Jesse Powell,
Sam (The Man) Taylor, the El Dorados, the Cadillacs, Ray and Jay, Harriet
Kaye, and Gloria Mann. At opening night, Feb.12, at the Capitol Theatre in
Passaic, 8000 people circled the block waiting to buy tickets. The following
night at the Embassy Theater in Orange, both performances had been sold out a
week in advance. By Wednesday night at the Ritz in Patterson, 4000 teenagers
jammed the streets.[7] Shows in Hoboken, Bayonne, and Elizabeth did just as
well. All told, the six-day tour played to more than 25,000 people.[8]
Audiences were mixed race and generally well behaved. At one show in
Connecticut, fans stormed the dressing room, looking for autographs and pieces
of the performers clothing,
Ad for Chubby's nightclub in South New Jersey
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
In April 1956,
Alan Freed put together another rock & roll stage show to run Easter Week at
the Brooklyn Paramount. Actually, the show ran ten days with six or seven
performances a day. The show was heavy on vocal groups – the Valentines,
Teenagers, Platters, Willows, Flamingos, Cleftones, Rover Boys, and Royaltones
– plus the Jodimars, Ruth McFadden, Cindy & Lindy, Dori Anne Gray and the Alan
Freed Orchestra featuring Sam (The Man) Taylor and Al Sears. This was the
first time the Valentines performed on the same billing as Richard’s protégé,
young Frankie Lymon. The twelve-year-old Lymon spent a lot of time in the
Valentines’ dressing room between sets. Little did the group know, the
youngster secretly tied the shoelaces of some of their shoes together. “He
tied mine together and those of Ronnie Bright,” Eddie recalled. “He used to
do things like that.” The show was a huge success. An estimated $240,000 was
netted over the length of the show. At $1.25 to $2.00 per ticket, that
amounted to a half million tickets sold. [9]
One of the
Valentines most popular songs was “Woo Woo Train”, released in the spring of
1956. “Woo Woo Train” was notable for the great sax solo by Rama band leader,
Jimmy Wright. “Jimmy Wright – Oh man, he was great!” exclaimed Eddie
Edgehill. “I loved that man. He was great, especially on “’Woo Woo Train’”.
Valentines' "Woo Woo Train"
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
The sight of the
group bounding onto the stage dressed in white suits with red hearts on their
front pockets to the tune of “Lily Maebelle” was a sure crowd pleaser. But
what really tore up the show was the group’s closing song. They saved “Woo
Woo Train” for the end because it showcased their choreography. Recalled
Eddie, “We had canes and Ronnie [Bright] would have a conductor’s hat on, and
he’d say, ‘All Aboard!’ And then they’d start ‘Woo Woo Train’. We had a lot
of dancing in that song and saved it for our closer.”
According to
Eddie, most of the choreography was worked out by Eddie Edgehill and Mickey
Francis, and sometimes Ronnie Bright. “We all put our heads together and
worked out the routines. Richard said, ‘We’re not going to put no money
together to go to no dance school. This is something we can do ourselves!’
And we did. The Cadillacs and lots of other groups went to Cholly Adkins, but
we did our own choreography.”
By May, “Woo Woo
Train” had reached #6 on Joe Smith’s Boston (WVDA) survey, prompting the
Valentines to cut a radio promo for him. They also cut a promo for Ramon
Bruce.
The Valentines
(Courtesy of Richard Barrett)
In June of 1956,
The Valentines, along with the Moonglows and Solitaires, donated their
services to assist Alan Freed with entertaining an “alcohol-free” prom for
Horace Greeley High School, in Chappaqua, NY.[10]
Also in June 1956,
The Apollo Theater in NYC featured on its bill five groups from the
Rama/Gee label stables: The Valentines, Teenagers, Cleftones, the
Pretenders and Mabel King from Charleston, SC. The show also featured Clyde
McPhatter, recently split from the Drifters.
Most of the
Valentines performances were on the East Coast. They did play the Downtown
Lounge in Springfield, MA, Chubby’s in Camden, NJ (April 23, 1956),
Washington, DC and the El Mocambo Club in Toronto, where they stayed for a
month. Richard felt they should perform where Rama records had the
best distribution. Most of the traveling was done in the group’s station
wagon, with “Valentines” written on the side or by Trailways bus. The group
traveled with their music written out and used the house band of the venue
they were playing.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
Meanwhile, June
1956 saw the release of the Valentines’ fifth Rama release, “Twenty More
Minutes,” which was another Barrett composition. By August 24, the Valentines
were back at the Apollo Theater with Tommy (Dr. Jive) Small’s R&B show. The
line up also included the Clovers, Big Maybelle, Claudia Swan, Bo Didley, the
Five Satins, Charlie & Ray, and the Channels.
By late summer
1956, Raymond Briggs left the group and was replaced at first tenor by David
Clowney. Clowney had been playing piano for the group and moved into the role
of singer. The Valentines first met David Clowney earlier in 1956 while he
was singing and playing piano with the Pearls (“Shadows of Love”). The Pearls
were a Detroit group who were on a week-long show at the Apollo Theater. “The
Valentines had seven days off so we went down to the Apollo and after the show
went backstage and talked to David Clowney,” Eddie stated. “We asked him
where he was going next and he said the Pearls were heading back to Detroit
but he was staying in New York. So we asked him how he’d like to play piano
for the Valentines and he said, ‘Sure!’ So he came to rehearsal and that’s
how he got into the group.” Clowney left the Pearls and joined the
Valentines. The Valentines’ recording of “Nature’s Creation,” released in
October, still has Briggs as tenor, with Clowney on piano.
In late 1956,
Eddie Edgehill left the Valentines and returned to Philly due to an illness in
his family. Eddie’s part was taken
by Carl Hogan, who rejoined the Valentines.
Back in Philadelphia in 1957, Eddie Edgehill ran into an old friend from his
school days, Arthur “Jackie” Harden. The two decided to start a singing group
in Philadelphia so they recruited some singers from the South Philly
neighborhood where Eddie was living (Wilder Street between Reed and Dickerson
Streets). Added to the group were Warren Sherrill, Frank “Lovey” Washington
and Jerry Abel. Warren Sherrill had begun singing with a legendary Philly
street corner group called the Quantrells (no releases) that at one time also
contained Roosevelt Simmons (Sensations & Universals), Robert Mott (Dreamers),
Alphonso Howell (Sensations) and Russell Carter (Cherokees).
Eddie Edgehill’s new group was named the Orientals. Warren Sherrill and
Arthur Harden shared the leads while Eddie sang baritone, Frank sang second
tenor and Jerry sang bass.
The Orientals rehearsed a lot at a room in the Progressive Club (a nightclub
on Reed Street). When he thought the group was ready, Eddie contacted Richard
Barrett who was always looking for talented acts to produce at Gone/End
records. The group traveled to New York City and met with Barrett. They
ended up recording two songs produced by Richard Barrett, “Can’t You Hear the
Bells” and “Lonesome”. George Goldner told Richard to give the group a demo
of both sides to take back to Philly. Goldner wanted Georgie Woods to play
the record on the air and start to break it in Philadelphia. Woods played the
record but nothing further became of it. Unfortunately, the tunes were never
released by Goldner.
At
Barrett and Goldner’s suggestion the Orientals changed their name to the Del
Knights. On a second trip to visit Richard Barrett, the Del Knights were
given “Could You Care” to work on. Richard wanted the Del Knights to remain
in New York and work on the tune but Arthur Harden left the group to get
married. Without Harden, the Del Knight’s sound changed. By the time Harden
returned to the Del Knights, Goldner was no longer interested.
The Del-Knights, ca. 1958
Eddie Edgehill at bottom.
Top, left to right: Jerry Able, Frank Washington,
Dexter ? (pianist), Warren Sherrill, Arthur Harden
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
The Del Knights
career continued without Barrett and Goldner. The group auditioned for Barry
Golder and Jocko Henderson’s Casino label, where they then re-recorded
“Lonesome” along with five other sides including “Compensation,” “Everything,”
“I Am To Blame,” “Don’t Cry Anymore” and “Madly.” “Compensation” b/w
“Everything” were issued on the Unart label in December 1958. The
other four sides remained unreleased until 1994 when they appeared on the
Collectables label CD’s “Spotlite on Mainline and Casino
Records Vol. 1 and 2.” In 2003 they were also issued on limited pressed (only
100 made) red vinyl 45 RPM singles on the Reco-Art label. “Madly”
(lead by Warren Sherrill) is a cover of the song “Honest,” recorded by the
Philadelphia group the Gazelles for Gotham Records in 1955.
After signing with
the Ruth Davies Theatrical Agency on South Broad Street, the Del-Knights spent
much of the late 1950’s touring New England and eastern Canada as well as
singing around Philadelphia. For a time, Arthur Harden left the group, being
replaced by Anthony “Bay” McKinley, the former second tenor of the Cruisers on
V-Tone. The Cruisers had originally come from Washington, DC, but had become
a fixture around the Philadelphia club scene. Jerry Able also left the group,
being replaced by a singer remembered as Al. Both Arthur
Harden and Jerry Able would eventually return to the Del-Knights. Bay and Al
were mostly used for live performances and touring.
By the early
1960’s, the Del-Knights had also assembled up a band that traveled and
performed with them. Members of the band included Howard Churchill (bass
guitarist who also sang), Tommy Langley (guitarist), Sax White (saxophone),
Henry Terrell (drums), and later on Joe Jefferson and Duke Johnson on sax.
In 1961, the
Del-Knights recorded for Jerry Ross and Murray Wecht. “I’m Coming Home” and
“One Two Button My Shoe,” both lead by Warren Sherrill were released on Ross’
Sheryl label. The record was issued again a year later as the
De-Lights on the Popline label. The group on Sheryl most likely
included Eddie Edgehill, Warren Sherrill, Anthony McKinley and Al ?.
The Del Knights' "I'm Comin' Home"
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
The Del-Knights performing at the Wagon Wheel, NYC, ca. 1961.
Left to right: Howard Churchill (bass guitar), Warren Sherrill,
Anthony McKinley, Al ?, Eddie Edgehill
(Courtesy of Eddie & Geri Edgehill)
Also in 1961 the
Del Knights recorded for Chancellor records. Two songs, “Wrapped Too
Tight,” and “Wherever You Are” were arranged by veteran Philadelphia producer
Jerry Ragavoy. Eddie recalled the personnel on the record as himself, Warren
Sherrill, Al ?, Arthur Hardin (who’d returned to the group) and Herbie
Benjamin. Some publicity photos from Chancellor, however, shows only Eddie Edgehill, Warren Sherrill, Al ? and Anthony McKinley. Since Arthur Harden is
listed as co-writer of “Wherever You Are” along with Eddie Edgehill and Warren
Sherrill, it’s likely that some personnel changes occurred between the photos
and the recording session.
The Del Knights on Chancellor label, ca. 1961
Top row, left to right: Warren Sherrill, Al ?, Anthony McKinley
Bottom, left to right: Howard Churchill, Sax White, Henry Terrell
Eddie Edgehill, Tommy Langley
(Courtesy of Eddie & Geri Edgehill)
The Del-Knights
Left to right: Arthur Harden, Eddie Edgehill, Herb Benjamin, Al ?, Warren
Sherrill
(Photo courtesy of Eddie and Geri Edgehill)
Del Knights' "Wherever You Are"
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
The Del-Knights
final recording featured as return to the production team of Jerry Ross and
Murray Wecht. The group covered the David Dante novelty song, “Speedy
Gonzales” for the Bronko label. While the Del-Knights version did
well, it was Pat Boone’s version that scored nationally.
Del Knights' "Speedy Gonzales"
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
The Del Knights ca. 1961
Top, Left to right; Warren Sherrill, Eddie Edgehill, Al ?, Anthony McKinley
Bottom, Left to right; Howard Churchill, Henry Terrell, Tommy Langley, Sax
White
(Courtesy of Eddie & Geri Edgehill)
The Del-Knights
kept singing until 1966 when they formed the core of Terry Johnson’ Modern
Flamingos group. Booked by the Jolly Joyce Agency in Philadelphia, the modern
Flamingos became Terry Johnson (lead), Eddie Edgehill (second tenor), Warren
Sherrill (first tenor), Jerry Able (bass) and sonny Ross (baritone) along with
musicians Duke Johnson (drums) and Eddie Thomas (bass guitar). That group
stayed together for about a year before Terry Johnson moved to Detroit to
record, write and produce for Motown.
In 1967, Eddie
Edgehill and Warren Sherrill wrote and produced “Do The African Twist” for the
mad men on the Gamble label.
By 1968, Eddie
Edgehill was managing the Sweet Delights, a group of four women and one man.
The Sweet Delights featured Eddie’s wife, Gerylane (Moore) Edgehill. Also in the group
were Peggy Murphy, Grace Montgomery, Albert Byrd and a woman remembered only
as Jackie. In 1968 the Sweet Delights recorded “Baby Be Mine” for Atco
Records. The record sold well, enabling the group to tour extensively.
The Sweet Delights, 1968
Left to right: Geri Edgehill, Peggy Murphy, Albert Byrd, Jackie ?, Grace
Montgomery
(Courtesy of Eddie & Geri Edgehill)
On April 12, 1997,
former Valentines’ Richard Barrett, Eddie Edgehill, Ronnie Bright and Mickey
Francis were reunited on stage at New York City’s Symphony Space Performing
Arts Center as they were inducted into the United In Group Harmony
Association’s Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
Eddie Edgehill
passed away on January 13, 2010 in Philadelphia's Temple Hospital. He
will be missed.
Recorded in 1958, the Del-Knights' "Lonesome" did not come out
until
issued on A CD in 1994. In 2003, it was released on a red vinyl
45 RPM collector's release. Only 100 were pressed.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
Eddie Edgehill Discography - 45 RPM Singles
As by
"The Valentines"
Rama 171
Lily Maebelle / Falling For You
1955
Rama 181
I Love You Darling / Hand Me Down Love
1955
Rama 186
Christmas Prayer / K-I-S-S Me
1955
Rama 196
The Woo Woo Train / Why
1956
Rama 201
Twenty Minutes / I'll Never Let You Go
1956
Rama 208
Natures Creation / My Story Of Love
1956
As by
"The Wrens" [Uncredited backup to Bobby Mansfield]
Rama 194
C'est La Vie / --
1956
As by
"The Del Knights"
Unart 2008
Compensation / Everything
1958
Sheryl 339
I'm Comin' Home / One Two Button My Shoe
1961
Chancellor
1075 Wherever You Are / Wrapped Too Tight
1961
Bronko 502
Speedy Gonzales / Everybody Popeye
1962
Reco-Art 1000
Lonesome / I Am To Blame
2003
Reco-Art 1001
Madly / Don't Cry Anymore
2003
[the last two records were recorded in 1958]
As by "The De-Lights"
Pop-Line 346
I'm Comin' Home / One Two Button My Shoe
1962
(Reissue of the Sheryl release)
The Del
Knights' "Madly"
Only 100 pressed.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
Based on our
lengthy interviews and conversations with Eddie Edgehill and Richard Barrett.
Parts of this this tribute were taken from our articles, "Richard Barrett Part 1:
The Valentines"
and "Richard Barrett
Part 6:
The Channels,
Isley Bros, Del Knights,"both of which appeared
in "Echoes of the Past" magazine and are reprinted on this website.
Copyright © Classic Urban Harmony LLC, 2010. All
Rights Reserved.
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