The Crows

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The Crows
General information
Genre (s) Doo Wop
founding 1951
resolution 1955
Founding members
Lead
 Daniel "Sonny" Norton
baritone
 William "Bill Davis" (baritone)
tenor
 Harold Major
tenor
 Jerry Wittick
bass
 Gerald Hamilton
Last occupation
Tenor and guitar
 Mark Jackson

The Crows were an American rhythm and blues singing group that enjoyed commercial success in the 1950s. The group's second single was called Gee and was the group's first and only major hit. The piece was released in 1953 and is considered the first rock and roll hit by a rock and roll group. It reached number 14 on the Pop Billboard charts in 1954 and number 2 on the Rhythm and Blues Billboard charts.

history

Single The Crows: Gee

When The Crows formed in 1951, the members were Daniel "Sonny" Norton (lead); William "Bill" Davis (baritone); Harold Major (tenor); Jerry Wittick (tenor) and Gerald Hamilton (bass). In 1952 Wittick left the group and was replaced by Mark Jackson (tenor and guitar ).

The group was at the Wednesday Night Talent Show of the Apollo Theater discovered by agents Cliff Martinez, and it first appeared in May 1952, a single on Jubilee Records , entitled I Can not Get Started With You / Lu Lu Belle Blues . The performers were called Fat Man Humphries and the Four Notes . The single was unsuccessful.

Their manager Martinez brought the group to independent producer George Goldner , who had just founded the small independent label Rama Records . The Crows were the first group to be signed and recorded. The first pieces were recorded as a backdrop for tenor and pianist Viola Watkins. Gee was the third track recorded during the first recording session on February 10, 1953. The piece was arranged by band member William Davis within a few minutes, Viola Watkins is given as the author.

In May 1953 the Crows released their first single on Rama Records: Seven Lonely Days / No Help Wanted (Rama 3). The song Gee was first published in May 1953 as the B-side of the ballad I Love You So (Rama 5). However, radio stations began turning the record over and playing Gee , first in Philadelphia , then in New York and Los Angeles . In January 1954, 100,000 records of the piece had been sold and in April it reached number 2 in the R&B charts and number 14 in the pop charts . A year after its recording, the song was a successful hit.

The Crows had only one very successful song as a one-hit wonder . While Gee was in the charts, the record company released other singles from the group such as Call a Doctor , Baby and Miss You , but none were successful. The failure and lack of opportunities to perform regularly to support their recordings led to the group disbanding several months after Gee was no longer in the charts. The cast of the group remained unchanged throughout its success. Gerald Hamilton died in 1967 at the age of 33 and Daniel Norton in 1972, he was 39 years old.

Discography

Compilations

  • 1972: Echoes of a Rock Era ( split album with The Harptones ; 12 tracks each; 2 LPs)
  • 1988: Gee, It's the Crows: The Complete Jubilee and Rama Recordings, 1952-54
  • 2000: Strictly for the Birds: The Rama & Gee Recordings 1953–56 (split album with The Wrens and Bobby Mansfield)

Singles

year Title
music label 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US R&B R&B
1954 Gee
Rama 5 		US14 (5 weeks)
US 		R&B2 (11 weeks)
R&B
First published: May 1953
Authors: William Davis, Viola Watkins

More singles

  • 1953: No Help Wanted / Seven Lonley Days
  • 1953: Untrue (with Ray Barrow and His Orchestra)
  • 1953: I Love You So / Gee
  • 1953: Call a Doctor
  • 1953: baby
  • 1953: Miss You

literature

  • Jay Warner: The Billboard Book of American Singing Groups. A History 1940–1990 . New York: Billboard Books, 1992, pp. 137-139.

swell

  1. ^ A b Jay Warner: American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today , Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006, p. 137
  2. ↑ US catalog number: Jubilee 5085; Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book Of American Singing Groups. A History 1940-1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, pp. 137 and 139
  3. ↑ Ted Fox: Showtime at the Apollo , 2nd Ed. Edition, Da Capo Press, New York, NY 1993, pp. 116, ISBN 0-306-80503-0 .
  4. ↑ & Steve Propes Jim Dawson: What Was the First Rock'n'Roll Record . Faber & Faber, Boston & London 1992, pp. 124-127, ISBN 0-571-12939-0 .
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, 1973, p. 18
  6. ^ The Crows . history-of-rock. Retrieved November 17, 2006.
  7. ↑ JC Marion, DooWop Nation No. 7
  8. ^ Warner, Jay, American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006, 139
  9. ^ Joel Whitburn : Top Pop Singles 1955-2006 , Record Research 2007, ISBN 978-0-89820-172-7 / Hot R&B Songs 1942-2010 : 6th Edition, ISBN 978-0-89820-186-4

Web links