The dominoes

The Dominoes , also known as Billy Ward & the Dominoes , were an American R&B singing group formed by Billy Ward after World War II. Their style mixed gospel and blues and paved the way for rock 'n' roll in the early 1950s .

history

Dominoes - Do Something For Me

Billy Ward was a trained singing teacher who selected from among his students the members of the group: Clyde McPhatter , Charlie White, Joe Lamont and Bill Brown. The Dominoes won some talent competitions and stood in the recording studio for the first time on November 14, 1950. They were therefore signed by the recently founded King Records subsidiary Federal, for which the new record label's first single (Federal # 12001), Do Something for Me / Chicken Blues , was released in December 1950. In March 1951, the single Sixty Minute Man / I Can't Escape from You (Federal # 12022) was released, the A-side of which had strong sexual innuendo. It developed into the new label's first million seller and reached No. 1 on the Rhythm & Blues hit parade, on which it remained for 14 weeks. This title was one of the first R&B hits that could also be placed in the pop hit parade, where the single reached number 23 and was noted in the charts for four weeks.

In 1951 White and Brown left the group and were replaced by James Van Loan and David McNeil. In April 1952 the dominoes had another number 1 with Have Mercy Baby .

In 1953 McPhatter jumped out and founded the Drifters . Ward hired Jackie Wilson as the new lead singer. Further line-up changes followed, and the group switched several times between Federal Records and its mother label King Records, until they chose Decca Records as the last record company in June 1956 . The last hit of the Dominoes was released in April 1957 on Liberty Records; the classic Stardust reached No. 5 on the R&B charts and was the Dominoes' best crossover hit with a 12th place on the pop hit parade . Here, however, Jackie Wilson was no longer singing, but Eugene Mumford as a substitute, because Wilson had left the group in 1956 in favor of a solo career. The group then made it through to 1965 without any great success.

Discography (singles)

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes, label)			Remarks	Label
		UK	US	R&B
1950	Do something for me	-	-	R&B6 (10 weeks) R&B	First published: December 1950 Authors: Billy Ward, Rose Marks	Federal (# 12001) B-side: Chicken Blues
1951	Sixty Minute Man	-	US17 (9 weeks) US	R&B1 (30 weeks) R&B	Lead singer: Billy Brown; 14 weeks at number 1 on the best seller charts First published: March 1951 Authors: Billy Ward, Rose Marks	Federal (# 12022) B-side: I Can't Escape from You
	I am with you	-	-	R&B8 (1 week) R&B	First published: July 1951 Authors: Billy Ward, Rose Marks	Federal (# 12039) B-side: Weeping Willow Blues
1952	That's what you're doing to me	-	-	R&B7 (5 weeks) R&B	First published: February 1952 Authors: Billy Ward, Rose Marks	Federal (# 12059) B-side: When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano
	Have Mercy Baby	-	-	R&B1 (20 weeks) R&B	10 weeks at number 1 on the jukebox charts First published: April 1952 Authors: Billy Ward, Rose Marks	Federal (# 12068) B-side: Deep Sea Blues
	I'd be satisfied	-	-	R&B8 (9 weeks) R&B	from here on all publications as Billy Ward and His Dominoes First published: October 1952 Authors: Billy Ward, Rose Marks	Federal (# 12105) B-side: No Room
	The Bells	-	-	R&B3 (7 weeks) R&B	First published: December 1952 Authors: Billy Ward, Rose Marks	Federal (# 12114)
	Pedal Pushin 'Papa	-	-	R&B4 (2 weeks) R&B	Lead singer: David McNeil Authors: Billy Ward, Rose Marks
1953	These Foolish Things Remind Me of Love	-	-	R&B5 (7 weeks) R&B	First publication: April 1953 Authors: Jack Strachey, Eric Maschwitz	Federal (# 12129) B-side: Don't Leave Me This Way
	You Can't Keep a Good Man Down	-	-	R&B8 (3 weeks) R&B	Lead singer: Jackie Wilson First published: July 1953 Authors: Billy Ward, Rose Marks	Federal (# 12139) B-side: Where Now Little Heart
	Rags to Riches	-	-	R&B2 (9 weeks) R&B	Lead singer: Jackie Wilson First published: October 1953 Authors: Richard Adler , Jerry Ross ; that same year a number 1 pop hit for Tony Bennett	King (# 1280) B-side: Don't Thank Me
1956	St. Therese of the Roses	-	US13 (15 weeks) US	-	Lead singer: Jackie Wilson First published: June 1956 Authors: Remus Harris, Arthur Strauss	Decca (# 29933) B-side: Home Is Where You Hang Your Heart
1957	Stardust	UK13 (12 weeks) UK	US12 (24 weeks) US	R&B5 (10 weeks) R&B	Lead singer: Eugene Mumford First published: April 1957 Authors: Hoagy Carmichael , Mitchell Parish ; previously a hit for Isham Jones (1931), Benny Goodman (1936), Artie Shaw (1941)	Liberty (# 55071) B-side: Lucinda
	Deep Purple	UK30 (1 week) UK	US20 (12 weeks) US	-	Lead singer: Eugene Mumford First published: August 1957 Authors: Peter DeRose , Mitchell Parish; 1939 a hit for Larry Clinton	Liberty (# 55099) B-side: Do It Again
1958	Jennie Lee	-	US55 (5 weeks) US	-	First published: April 1958 Original / Authors: Arnie Ginsburg, Jan Berry (1958 a top 10 hit as Jan & Arnie)	Liberty (# 55136) B-side: Music, Maestro, Please

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

More singles

SPRING:

• 12010: No! Says My Heart / Harbor Lights, January 1951
• 12016: The Deacon Moves In / [Little Esther: Other Lips, Other Arms], February 1951
• 12036: Heart to Heart / [Little Esther: Lookin 'for a Man], July 1951
• 12072: That's What You're Doing to Me / Love, Love, Love; May 1952
• 12106: I'm Lonely / Yours Forever, October 1952

KING:

• 1281: Ringing in a Brand New Year / Christmas in Heaven, November 1953

SPRING:

• 12162: My Baby's 3-D / Until the Real Thing Comes Along, December 1953
• 12178: Tootsie Roll / I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town, April 1954

KING:

• 1342: Tenderly / A Little Lie, April 1954

SPRING:

• 12184: Handwriting on the Wall / One Moment with You, May 1954

KING:

• 1364: Lonesome Road / Three Coins in the Fountain, June 1954
• 1368: Little Things Mean a Lot / I Really Don't Want to Know, June 1954

SPRING:

• 12193: Above Jacob's Ladder / Little Black Train, August 1954

JUBILEE:

• 5163: Gimme Gimme Gimme / Come to Me Baby, October 1954

SPRING:

• 12209: Can't Do Sixty No More / If I Never Get to Heaven, February 1955
• 12218: Cave Man / Love Me Now or Let Me Go, April 1955

JUBILEE:

• 5213: Sweethearts on Parade / Take Me Back to Heaven, July 1955

KING:

• 1492: Learnin 'the Blues / May I Never Love Again, July 1955
• 1502: Give Me You / Over the Rainbow, August 1955

SPRING:

• 12263: Bobby Sox Baby / How Long, How Long Blues, April 1956
• 12301: One Moment with You / St. Louis Blues, July 1957
• 12308: Love, Love, Love / Have Mercy Baby, July 1957

DECCA:

• 30043: Will You Remember / Come On, Snake, Let's Crawl, October 1956
• 30149: Half a Love / Evermore, December 1956
• 30199: Rock Plymouth Rock / Til Kingdom Come, March 1957
• 30420: I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance / To Each His Own, August 1957
• 30514: When the Saints Go Marching In / September Song , December 1957

LIBERTY:

• 55111: My Proudest Possession / Someone Greater Than I, October 1957
• 55126: Sweeter As as the Years Go By / Solitude, February 1958
• 55181: Please Don't Say No / Behave Hula Girl, April 1959

literature

• Stambler, Irwin: The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock And Soul . 3rd revised edition, New York City, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989, pp. 185f, ISBN 0-312-02573-4 .
• Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book of American Singing Groups. A History 1940-1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, pp. 312-315.

swell

1. ^ Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Records 1940-1955 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, 1973, p. 19
2. ↑ Chart sources: UK US US-RB
3. ^ Joel Whitburn : Joel Whitburn presents Hot R&B Songs 1942-2010 . Billboard Books, New York 2011, ISBN 0-89820-186-1 .

Web links

• The Dominoes at Allmusic (English)
• Detailed biography of Marw Goldberg (English)