Jimmy Briscoe & the Little Beavers

In the 1970s when teenage groups were on the rise five young men from Baltimore, Maryland were discovered at a talent show in Baltimore by then Music student Paul Kyser. The guys Jimmy Briscoe, Stanford Stansberry, Kevin Barnes, Maurice Pulley, and Robert Makins were Jimmy Briscoe & The Little Beavers. The group signed Paul Kyser as ther manager and he began to mentor the group. The group then relocated and based in Jersey City, New Jersey where Kyser was a student. The group went on to debuted with Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" on Atlantic Records in the fall of 1971. Paul Kyser, produced the side and its flip "Sugar Brown." Bobby Finch replaced Makins in 1977. The group also changed their name dropping “The Little”, becoming just Jimmy Briscoe & The Beavers. The name change was thought to act as a thrust to move the group from a teenage group to “funkateers” with success on the road.

Atlantic Records however, never issued anything another recording from the group; Jimmy Briscoe & The Beavers did have the follow-up, "Together, Together (We'll Make a Way)," on J City Records in 1978. They had six well-received releases -- from 1973 to 1976 -- on Pi Kappa Recording Label, including local/regional favorites "My Ebony Princess," "Where Were You," and "I Only Feel This Way When I'm Near You." But nothing sold high numbers meriting them an appearance on the nationally syndicated Soul Train television program.

The group cut the popular disco tune "Invitation to the World" on Wanderick records in 1977; Paul Kyser did a licensing deal with TK Records, but the additional clout didn't make the record take off as expected. "Into the Milky Way" mixed by Bobby DJ Guttadaro, was the final release, coming out on Salsoul Records in the summer of 1979. This record did not cause much radio buzz or great sales. The group disbanded and went their separate ways.