Sitting In The Park Interview (fabulous Crystals, Fads, Tc Lee And The Bricklayers) And 1/4/2008 Music Show

[boba]

Hi. Today on my radio show I interviewed Eddie Cherry, of the groups the Fabulous Crystals, the Fads, and TC Lee and the Bricklayers. Eddie was originally from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Eddie moved to the South Side of Chicago in 1958, after completing high school in Arkansas. Inspired by Little Anthony and the Imperials' "Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop", Eddie started a group with his high school friend Lewis Young (who had also recently moved to Chicago). While trying to learn how to sing, the group was initially mentored by their neighbor Don Porter of the Spaniels. After Don stopped working with the group, Norman Palm of the Pastels began to help the group continue learning how to sing. Palm ended up leaving the Pastels and joining the group, who eventually named themselves the Fabulous Crystals, after a local movie theater called the Crystal Theater. The group practiced for a couple of years, and even ended up picking up a female singer while singing in Jackson Park. The group released their only single, "Left front row", on their manager John Delano Banks' "Delano" record label. The single was not promoted and received little airplay in Chicago.

In the early 60s the group won a talent show at Medina Temple; the winner of the show got to return to the temple to perform on a week-long "Brenda Lee Twist Show", a revue with Brenda Lee, Solomon Burke, and other pop stars. The group got a new manager who booked the Crystals on a "Twist" tour of the midwest; the group toured performing hour-long Twist shows at White nightclubs. The Crystals toured doing Twist shows for about 5 months, until the group broke up after a member left.

Around 1964, Eddie met another singer, Bob Pittman (previously of the Gospel Paraders), who formed a new group called the Fads. The group practiced for a couple of years and ended up getting a record deal with Mercury records. The group cut their single, "Just like a woman" / "The problem is" at the St. Lawrence recording studio. While at the studio, the Ideals saw the group rehearsing their song, "You lost and I won", and asked to record it themselves. Although the Ideals' record got play in the city, the Fads' own record, "Just like a woman" (released on Mercury and also scheduled but never released for Mercury's Blue Rock sub-label) got little play.

The Fads were then taken by local singer and promoter TC Lee to Cincinnati to record backup for Lee on the King record label. Lee had previously recorded on King's Federal Subsidiary with the group the King Pins. Lee renamed renamed the Fads as the Bricklayers; the group went with him, hoping to be successful as a new act with a new name. "Up and down the hill" / "Get away from here", was released as by TC Lee and the Bricklayers on King records, but only received a little play in Ohio. The group soon broke up, only having done studio recordings and never having performed live.

You can check out my interview at:

https://www.sittinginthepark.com/interviews.html

additionally, I did a music show after my interview. You can listen at:

https://www.sittinginthepark.com/1-4-2008.mp3

following is a playlist. Thanks for your interest.

Swinging Hearts - Spanish love - NRM

Incinerators - You think you're cute - Soundex

Ballads - This is magic - Tina

Twi-lites - No greater thing than love - M-Pac

Roy Jones and the Shells - Satisfied - Swirl

Invitations - Watch out little girl - MGM

Channels - I've got my eyes on you - Groove

Mill Evans - Why why why - King

Clara Hardy - I dream of you - Tuna

Dynamics - Whenver I'm with you - Top Ten

Uptowners - Lovers to friends - Captown

Primes - Who can I turn to - Lota Soul

El Pooks - Trisha - Orivious

Magnetics - Let me comfort you - Sound Trap

Collectors - Cruel World - Jerrel

Darrow Fletcher - Sitting there that night - Jacklyn

thanks,

Bob

[boba]

Hi. Today on my radio show I interviewed Eddie Cherry, of the groups the Fabulous Crystals, the Fads, and TC Lee and the Bricklayers. Eddie was originally from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Eddie moved to the South Side of Chicago in 1958, after completing high school in Arkansas. Inspired by Little Anthony and the Imperials' "Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop", Eddie started a group with his high school friend Lewis Young (who had also recently moved to Chicago). While trying to learn how to sing, the group was initially mentored by their neighbor Don Porter of the Spaniels. After Don stopped working with the group, Norman Palm of the Pastels began to help the group continue learning how to sing. Palm ended up leaving the Pastels and joining the group, who eventually named themselves the Fabulous Crystals, after a local movie theater called the Crystal Theater. The group practiced for a couple of years, and even ended up picking up a female singer while singing in Jackson Park. The group released their only single, "Left front row", on their manager John Delano Banks' "Delano" record label. The single was not promoted and received little airplay in Chicago.

In the early 60s the group won a talent show at Medina Temple; the winner of the show got to return to the temple to perform on a week-long "Brenda Lee Twist Show", a revue with Brenda Lee, Solomon Burke, and other pop stars. The group got a new manager who booked the Crystals on a "Twist" tour of the midwest; the group toured performing hour-long Twist shows at White nightclubs. The Crystals toured doing Twist shows for about 5 months, until the group broke up after a member left.

Around 1964, Eddie met another singer, Bob Pittman (previously of the Gospel Paraders), who formed a new group called the Fads. The group practiced for a couple of years and ended up getting a record deal with Mercury records. The group cut their single, "Just like a woman" / "The problem is" at the St. Lawrence recording studio. While at the studio, the Ideals saw the group rehearsing their song, "You lost and I won", and asked to record it themselves. Although the Ideals' record got play in the city, the Fads' own record, "Just like a woman" (released on Mercury and also scheduled but never released for Mercury's Blue Rock sub-label) got little play.

The Fads were then taken by local singer and promoter TC Lee to Cincinnati to record backup for Lee on the King record label. Lee had previously recorded on King's Federal Subsidiary with the group the King Pins. Lee renamed renamed the Fads as the Bricklayers; the group went with him, hoping to be successful as a new act with a new name. "Up and down the hill" / "Get away from here", was released as by TC Lee and the Bricklayers on King records, but only received a little play in Ohio. The group soon broke up, only having done studio recordings and never having performed live.

You can check out my interview at:

https://www.sittinginthepark.com/interviews.html

additionally, I did a music show after my interview. You can listen at:

https://www.sittinginthepark.com/1-4-2008.mp3

following is a playlist. Thanks for your interest.

Swinging Hearts - Spanish love - NRM

Incinerators - You think you're cute - Soundex

Ballads - This is magic - Tina

Twi-lites - No greater thing than love - M-Pac

Roy Jones and the Shells - Satisfied - Swirl

Invitations - Watch out little girl - MGM

Channels - I've got my eyes on you - Groove

Mill Evans - Why why why - King

Clara Hardy - I dream of you - Tuna

Dynamics - Whenver I'm with you - Top Ten

Uptowners - Lovers to friends - Captown

Primes - Who can I turn to - Lota Soul

El Pooks - Trisha - Orivious

Magnetics - Let me comfort you - Sound Trap

Collectors - Cruel World - Jerrel

Darrow Fletcher - Sitting there that night - Jacklyn

thanks,

Bob

music show link is:

https://www.sittinginthepark.com/1-4-2009.mp3

sorry about that.