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Classic
Urban Harmony visits Felix Hernandez'
"Rhythm Review" Radio Program
April 16, 2011
Pam & Charlie Horner visited Felix Hernandez' WBGO-FM "Rhythm
Review" radio program on April 16, 2011, where Charlie appeared as a guest,
playing some extremely rare and great soul vocal harmony group records. Felix's popular classic soul program airs every Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM
on WBGO-FM in Newark, NJ. Charlie and Felix have been friends for over
35 years. Scroll down to see some photos of the event and label scans
plus backgrounds of the records Charlie played. Felix Hernandez' website is
www.classicsoul.com
and his program can be heard each Saturday from 10 AM - 2 PM EDT on
www.wbgo.org.
All records are from the Classic Urban
Harmony Archives and photos are by Pamela Horner.
WBGO Studios in Newark
Charlie in front of WBGO-FM
Inside WBGO
The WBGO Library
Some of the numerous awards WBGO has
earned.
Primarily a jazz station, WBGO's walls
reflect their mission.
Felix and Charlie discussing music.
Charlie Horner & Felix Hernandez
Charlie on the air on WBGO-FM
The Del Larks are from Plainfield, NJ.
"Job Opening" was released on 1967
on lead Sam Campbell's own Queen City label. Ron Taylor does the
second lead.
The record sold only locally when released but has since achieved legendary
status in the U.K. The Del Larks are back performing and will appear
at the
Morris Museum (Morristown, NJ) New Jersey Rocks concert on July 29, 2011.
See Our Events Calendar
for details. For the complete history of the group,
see our bio of the
Del Larks.
Broadway Express is a fine soul vocal group
from North Philadelphia.
"What Love Can Do" was written by group member, Ronnie Jones.
Fans of 1950's doo wop music will remember Ronnie Jones & the Classmates
for songs like "I'm Just A Lonely Boy" (End records).
The Dynamics are from Detroit and some
believe this is an early
recording by Ron Banks & the Dramatics. We don't think so, but
this is a great soul cha cha number with a smooth lead. Nice sound.
The second set of records we played were from three groups,
each coming from different states and each calling themselves the Magnetics.
The Magnetics on the Sound Trap label was
found by Charlie in a little soul
shop in Richmond, VA, in the 1970's. It dates from 1972 and is
extremely rare.
Though the recording sound a little muffled, it is a great side.
Another rare recording, this Magnetics
group is from Detroit. The
lead is Gerald Mathis, said by some to be related to Johnny Mathis.
The group behind him is a spin off of the Volumes. The record is from
1966.
The final Magnetics group is from Chicago
and this great soul ballad
was produced by Calvin Carter (of V-J Records) in 1969.
The next set features records on Philadelphia (PA) labels.
Not much is known about the Coup De Villes,
in spite of the fact that
they made a couple great records for the Philly Groove label, the same label
that featured the Delfonics and First Choice, This record came out in
1969.
Another very rare soul group record, the
Lyndell label had offices in
Philadelphia, PA and Brunswick, GA. The group could have been from
either
location. This record probably dates from the late 1960's/early
1970's.
The Four Thoughts are from the Germantown
section of Philadelphia.
The song was borrowed from the Moonglows and given an updated
soul harmony treatment. The record was produced and released by
the late Wally Osborne, one of the great music producers in Philly.
It came out in the late 1960's.
The next set featured soul vocal groups from Virginia, an
area with a rich legacy of vocal harmony.
Jato Vondel is one of our favorite vocal
groups. They did three great
records, the best known of which is "A Few Steps Down The Aisle."
This one is equally good. The group was a trio, Jarvis Bell, Von
Spencer,
and Del Davis. Jato Vondel began singing gospel in Norfolk before
moving
into secular music. In the 1970's we interviewed the lable owner,
James Gregory.
At some point, we'll publish his story. This record is from 1974.
The only known photo of Jatovondel.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
The Untouchables were from Richmond, VA,
and recorded three records for the
FAAP label (Fine Artists of America Productions). FAAP was a small
record label
and recording studio owned by Elmer Hillard and run out of his basement in
Richmond. This is an outstanding soul ballad with a slight doo wop
flavor.
It came out in 1970.
Four Grand is another Richmond soul group.
The song "Lost Legend" was written
and produced by a friend of ours, Millard Peaks who did a Richmond radio
show at the
time (1972). Peaks also owned the Long Distance label.
The Masqueraders were, and still are one of
the greatest of the soul
vocal harmony groups. Originally from Dallas, they went to Detroit to
record
for the La Beat label in 1967. To see a video of the Masqueraders
performing
this song at our anniversary in October 2010, click
Masqueraders
and scroll
down near the bottom of the page. The Masqueraders are as good now as
ever!
Some people believe that Royal Flush is the
Manhattans released under
another name. This stems from the fact that the Manhattans had just
left
the DeLuxe label at the time (1973) and this fabulous ballad was written
and produced by Robert S. Riley Sr., who wrote and produced the
Manhattans. Can anyone tell us for sure? This group is too
polished to
have been a one release wonder.
Elegant Taste is a trio from Newark, NJ.
We spoke to lead singer,
Sidney David, the night before the radio show and found out that
members of Elegant Taste also sang with the Young Gents (Buddah
label) and the Gents (Paramount label). This fabulous ballad with a
high tenor lead came out in 1975.
We're not sure where the Cool Sounds are
from, but we believe, Los
Angeles. The group recorded some fabulous records for Warner Brothers
that are all highly sought after. This record was their first in 1969.
We concluded our guest appearance on Felix
Hernandez' show with
Charles Allen's "God Blessed Our Love" on the Dash label from 1975.
The record had a female group background and is reminiscent of
the Impressions' "For Your Precious Love".
We had a fabulous time at WBGO and thank Felix Hernandez for
all he does for R&B and Soul music in the NYC and Northern New Jersey area.
Tune in any Saturday from 10 AM - 2 PM on
www.wbgo.org and check out Felix' website for his other activities by
going to
www.classicsoul.com.
Copyright © Classic Urban Harmony LLC, 2011. All
Rights Reserved.
