The Four Aces
The Four Aces was a vocal quartet from the US state of Pennsylvania that sang traditional pop and Chicago blues in the 1950s . In the years before the rock 'n' roll era , The Four Aces were among the most popular and successful groups on the American music scene.
The Four Aces were founded in Chester, Pennsylvania in 1949 by Al Alberts and Dave Mahoney. A little later Lou Silvestri and Sol Vaccaro completed the quartet. Musically in the mainstream, with slight echoes of swing, they are primarily remembered for their sentimental versions of film hits.
successes
In 1951 Al Alberts was looking for a record company for their first track (It's No) Sin . When the search was unsuccessful, he founded his own label and achieved a million-seller with the debut single . The group initially performed in the Philadelphia area. Now the big record companies became aware of the group, and in 1952 Alberts signed a contract with Decca Records . Her next title, Tell Me Why , didn't quite make it to the top of the charts, but the title sold over a million copies. A number of top ten hits followed; In 1954, her Three Coins in the Fountain from the film of the same name became number 1 in the charts. The following year, the group was able to repeat its success with another film title: Love Is a Many Splendored Thing stayed in the charts for months. Her song Written on the Wind , which they sang for the film drama In den Wind (OT: Written on the Wind ), received an Oscar nomination in 1957 .
The Four Aces were also successful in Great Britain ; between 1952 and 1955 they achieved five top ten hits with Tell Me Why (1952 # 3), Three Coins In The Fountain (1954 # 5) for the film of the same name ( Drei Münzen im Brunnen (1954 ) , Mr. Sandman (1955 # 9), Stranger In Paradise (1955 # 6) and Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing (1956 # 2).
Aftermath of the band
With the advent of rock 'n' roll there were no further successes. In 1959 the group disbanded. Al Alberts started a solo career and toured until the 1990s, albeit with moderate success. He died on November 27, 2009.
In 2001 The Four Aces were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame .
literature
- Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book Of American Singing Groups. A History 1940-1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, 200-202.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ehnert, Günter (Ed.): Hit Records. British Chart Singles 1950-1965 . Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1988, p. 48