|
Originally, the Five Stars formed at Kennard Junior High in the mid-'50s with William Fulgham (lead), Harold Sudberry (second lead), Donald Brown, James Williams, and Clarence Williams (no relation). Like most groups, the members changed for a myriad reasons; the changes continued when they graduated to East Technical High and became the Five Quails.
With a lineup of Billy Strawbridge, Billy Fulgham, Art Kirkpatrick, Donald Brown, and James Williams, they cut Jungle Baby b/w Hop Scotch Rock on Mercury in 1957; the novelty didn't chart, but they found work backing singer Chuck Willis, touring with him briefly before he passed in April of 1958. Harvey Fuqua befriended the Quails in the basement of the Apollo Theater in New York when they were touring with Willis. Discovering they were from Cleveland (his old stomping grounds), he promised to help them one day. Sudberry got drafted and missed the Mercury recording and the Chuck Willis tour. Curtis Robinson and Willie Woodall served as Quails at varying times.
After the Willis experience they toured Canada for a year. Harold Sudberry says of the experience, "We went there with nothing but our voices and the determination to sing. We would go to clubs to audition and tell the manager, 'If you like us, hire us.' If they didn't, we would just leave. We didn't go hungry." The guys found the respect as singers in Canada that wasn't accorded to them in the States. A Canadian police officer stopped and questioned them once, and they showed the officer a glossy of the group. Seeing they were entertainers, he made each member sign the photo and sent them motoring along.
Returning home, they landed a regular gig at the Rose Room at the Majestic Hotel on East 55th Street, singing with the Duke Jenkins Trio. Jenkins, a jazz pianist, had his own television show and the Quails appeared with Jenkins on the tube every week. They played clubs, rinks, and theaters, plus regular spots like the Play-Mor Lounge, the Spaghetti Inn at Wade Park, and the Keith Theater on 105th and Euclid, where they backed Timi Yuro.
In 1961, Harvey Fuqua left Chicago for Detroit and hooked up with Gwen Gordy. The two started Tri-Phi and Harvey Records and Fuqua fulfilled his promise to help the Quails. Their first song was a two-sided classic that sold regionally: Got to Get to School on Time and the exquisite ballad Been Such a Long Time. Junior Walker the All Stars backed them on the Harvey sessions. The Gordy sisters, Anna and Gwen, performed secretarial duties. Sudberry, Robinson, Strawbridge, Kirkpatrick, and Williams sang on the Harvey sides. The following year, 1962, saw the release of their final recordings: Never Felt Like This Before b/w My Love and I Thought b/w Over the Hump. Neither sold much and Fuqua bailed to Motown; the Quails, though legally Motown artists (since the label acquired Tri-Phi and Harvey Records), never saw a minute of studio time, and quietly faded away.
They didn't live in Detroit, and only went there to record or gig, after which they promptly returned to Cleveland. The guys had jobs, families, and bills, and never thought of uprooting and moving to Detroit. They weren't about to pack records at the warehouse, shine shoes, or perform any other such tasks to fulfill their recording commitment -- they considered themselves singers and entertainers, period. They didn't hang out at the recording company or on the road, and admired singers like Billy Stewart and Shep (Heartbeats, Shep the Limelights) for staying in their dressing or hotel rooms before and after shows without a big entourage around. The Quails were quiet guys who kept to themselves, but did befriend labelmate Shorty Long.
Curtis Robinson died in Alabama. James Williams recorded solo releases, like Let Me Down Easy, as Jimmy Love. ~ Andrew Hamilton, Rovi
|
Download SoundHound
The only App that can give you results through singing and humming search!
|
|
|
Like us on Facebook | |
|
@SoundHound |
