Roburt Posted June 19, 2023 Share Posted June 19, 2023 Back in the late 50's & early to mid 60's, only one venue was more important than the east coast chitlin-circuit theatres (Royal, Howard, Uptown, etc) and that was ... Carr's Beach, Annapolis. Being a Beach resort, they only staged live shows (for blacks) between May & September, but during that period of each year they booked all the top black acts. Those acts were booked to play the venue by Balto label owner Rufus Mitchell (Ru-Jac). Rufus always had his hand on the pulse of what was happening in Baltimore soul circles. In summer 61 (June / July), they had one guy jointly topping the bill twice in just a 2 week period ... a young singer who titled himself John F Kennedy ... (see attached ads). On his first booking there, it states DIRECT FROM DETROIT, but he wasn't a Detroit based singer (perhaps he'd just returned from a booking there) ... On his 2nd appearance on the beach he's called the YOUNG PRESIDENT OF R & B ... so he's a young guy and seems to be riding on the back of President JFK's popularity with the black community (so guess his real name wasn't JOHN F KENNEDY but something not too distant from that). Now, in the mid 60's, two Baltimore groups came together to form Frankie & the Spindles, one of these being Frankie & the Spinners, led by Frankie Kennedy. Frankie had been born in 1948 and his full name was Franklin C Kennedy / F Kennedy -- not too far removed from John F KENNEDY. Anyone know if the guy performing solo on Carr's Beach in summer 61 was in fact, Frankie of the Spindles ? BTW, in September 71, the Chi-lites record label had no intention to immediately put the group's LP track "Have You Seen Her" out on 45. Frankie & the Spindles quickly recorded a version of the song, Lucky 'A' released it as a single and it instantly started to get lots of radio plays (especially in Balto / DC / Norfolk / Philly areas). Seeing the reaction the 45 was getting, Brunswick relented & the Chi-Lites version was issued on Brunswick in mid October 71. 1 Link to comment Social source share More sharing options...
Roburt Posted June 19, 2023 Author Share Posted June 19, 2023 (edited) The day after John 'Stand By Me' Kennedy was starring on Carr's Beach, this guy topped the bill @ the venue. A few weeks later the same guy was topping the bill @ an adjacent black beach resort, Sparrows Beach (owned by the same black family) ... FOOT NOTE: James Brown didn't seem to be in 'headlining' mode yet + poor Sugar Pie DeSanto had been changed into a double act. Edited June 19, 2023 by Roburt 2 Link to comment Social source share More sharing options...
Roburt Posted June 19, 2023 Author Share Posted June 19, 2023 (edited) How Frankie & the Spinners evolved into Frankie & the Spindels / Spindles ... (with a good few other acts thrown in too -- Nina Simone signed the Swordsmen included) ... Frankie & the S's had their 1st 45 out that November, ("Count To Ten"), hence the need for the name-change. Edited June 19, 2023 by Roburt Link to comment Social source share More sharing options...
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