The Royal Holidays, a Detroit-based group, began singing in 1955, and like many groups of the period, started on the street corners and in the parks. The group consisted of: Vernon Williams (first tenor/lead), Chester Scott (also first tenor/lead), Kenneth Fuqua (second tenor/lead), Jerry Wallace (baritone), and Charles Farley (bass). Having no original material of their own, Vernon Williams was "recruited" through Chester Scott, not only for his singing ability, but also for his writing talents. Between 1955 and 1958, the group honed their skills and gained experience performing at local dances and teen clubs in the Detroit area. By 1958, their persistence was starting to pay off. They had acquired a manager, Harry Nivens, who had them record for his own small Penthouse label.

Williams wrote I'm Sorry and shared lead vocal chores with Scott. Williams also wrote the flip Margaret, singing solo lead. Since Penthouse was a small label, Nivens went to New York City's Carlton label for wider distribution; and so I'm Sorry b/w Margaret was once again released, this time for Carlton, also in 1958. -Billboard reviewed the record the week of July 21, 1958, where it shared company with other new releases Why Do I by Lee Andrews the Hearts, Tears on My Pillow by the Imperials, Trickle Trickle by the Videos, and You Cheated by the Slades.

By August of 1958, the group had been picked up by Universal Attractions and was involved in several DJ tours of the east coast. The Royal Holidays recorded again for Nivens. Down in Cuba, also written by Vernon, featured Williams and Fuqua on leads and was b/w At the Bandstand. Kenneth Fuqua recalls that the tune was written in about ten minutes on his front porch. Although none of the group had ever been to Cuba, they wanted to do something with a "Latin" flavor. Nivens took the recordings east to New York City, where they were picked up and released by Herald in January 1959, as Herald 536. For whatever reason, Herald also used the number 536 for the Mello-Kings' recording of Chip Chip b/w Running to You, creating instant confusion with cataloging. Not surprisingly, this shared numbering lead to further confusion, with some pressings of the Mello-Kings record showing Chip Chip on the label, but with the cut actually being the Royal Holidays' Down in Cuba. The mismatched record is now highly valued in collector's circles, bringing a price only slightly less than the actual Royal Holidays record, and considerably more than the standard Mello-Kings issue.

The Royal Holidays performed at many of the major theaters in the country, on rock & roll package shows. They appeared at the legendary Apollo, where they shared the bill with Ruth Brown, the Moonglows, the Kodaks, Oscar Annette, and the Norma Miller Dancers. Because of their youth, a legal guardian, Elizabeth Mills, had been appointed by the courts of Wayne County, MI, and had to sign a release for the group to appear at that venue.

Following the Apollo came bookings at the Howard Theatre in Washington, DC, and also the Royal Theatre in Baltimore in the winter of 1960, the Royal Holidays also appeared on Dick Clark's #American Bandstand show. Vernon Williams remembers Jackie Wilson and Arthur Prysock as two of the outstanding entertainers that the Royal Holidays performed with on-stage. As was the case with many artists of the period who achieved some measure of fame, the Royal Holidays were not able to parlay their initial success into a long-term career and disbanded in the early '60s. Fuqua continued in music for a time as a solo singer with a band, but would not record again. Williams remained active in music, and later recorded as a member of the Satintones, the Pyramids, and the Four Sonics. Farley and Scott are deceased. Williams, Fuqua, and Wallace all still live in the Detroit area, and Williams remains active as both a singer and songwriter. ~ Jim Dunn & Nikki Gustafson, Rovi