The silhouettes

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The Silhouettes was a four-piece American doo-wop and R&B group that enjoyed particular success with their 1958 hit Get a Job .

history

The Silhouttes formed as a four-person African - American group in Philadelphia in 1956 . After initially singing exclusively gospel under the name The Gospel Tornadoes , they soon moved in the direction of the then popular doo-wop. In 1957 you signed a contract with the radio host Ulysses Kae Williams. At their first meeting with Williams, they recorded the song Get a Job , which was originally only published as the B-side to the now largely forgotten ballad I Am Lonely . It became their only hit, which sold over a million times: With Get a Job they were number one on the Billboard charts for two weeks in 1958 and the R&B charts for six weeks and also appeared on the TV show American Bandstand . The Silhouttes could no longer build on this success, their subsequent singles such as Bing Bong , I Sold My Heart to the Junkman or Not Me Baby sold disappointingly and did not reach the pop or R&B hit lists. It is therefore also considered a one hit wonder .

In the following years the Silhouttes toured with Sam Cooke , Jackie Wilson and Clyde McPhatter, among others . Bill Horton and Raymond Edwards left the group in 1962, after which John Wilson and Cornelius Brown joined as new members. In the 1960s, the group turned more to R&B and soul . After the Silhouttes initially dissolved in 1968, the four original members reunited in 1980. Until their last appearance in November 1993, they were regularly on the "Oldies Circuit" with their old titles. With Workin 'Hard (1982) they also released an album with new songs, which only found limited distribution on record . The Silhouttes made a guest appearance in the 1986 B-movie Joey .

reception

The distinctive “Sha Na Na” singing in Get a Job inspired the band of the same name to get their name. The battle name of the East Timorese guerrilla leader and politician Xanana Gusmão is also inspired by the song. The silhouettes also achieved lasting fame through the use of Get a Job in films such as American Graffiti (1973), The Soldiers of Fortune (1983), Stand by Me (1986) and Good Morning, Vietnam (1987).

Members

Original members

  • Bill Horton, lead singer (December 25, 1929 - January 23, 1995)
  • Richard "Rick" Lewis, tenor (September 2, 1933 - April 19, 2005)
  • Earl T. Beal, baritone (July 18, 1924 - March 22, 2001)
  • Raymond Edwards, Bass (born September 22, 1922 - 1997)

Later members

  • John "Bootsie" Wilson, lead singer (born July 18, 1940 - September 21, 2009)
  • Cornelius Brown (* 1930; † 1991)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Joel Whitburn: Top R&B Singles 1942–1995, page 400, ISBN 0-89820-115-2
  2. ^ Wayne Jancik: The Billboard Book of One Hit Wonders, p. 46, ISBN 978-0-82307 622 2
  3. ↑ Sara Niner: Xanana Thesis Chapter 1: 1946–1978 , pp. 9–11, accessed June 9, 2017.