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The Moroccos – [And Other Great Groups On United]
Delmark DE 761 (2002) – United Series
Compact Disc

12 pure vintage doowop tracks!

By 1954 vocal ensembles were grabbing an ever-larger share of the African-American record-buying dollars. United Records had wisely entered the doowop market in 1953, and by 1955 could be considered competitive in the flourishing vocal group market. Chop Chop Boom (Delmark 703) was devoted to groups issued on the subsidiary States label while Bang Goes My Heart features groups issued on the United imprint; The Moroccos, The Answers, The Sheppards and The Pastels.

The Moroccos And Other Great Groups On United
Bang Goes My Heart
Featuring The Answers, The Sheppards, The Pastels Delmark DE-761

The Moroccos
1. Studio Chatter 0:00
2. Bang Goes My Heart 0:00
3. Sad Sad Hours 0:00
4. Studio Chatter 0:00
5. The Hex 0:00
6. What Is A Teen-Ager’s Prayer 0:00
* 7. When Was My Baby Born 0:00
* 8. My Easy Baby 0:00

The Answers
9. Keeps Me Worried All The Time 0:00
10. Have No Fear 0:00

The Sheppards
* 11. Just Let Me Love You 0:00
12. Sherry 0:00
*13. Pretty Little Girl 0:00
14. Mozelle 0:00

The Moroccos
15. Chicken 0:00
16. Pardon My Tears 0:00
17. Red Hots And Chili Mac 0:00
18. Somewhere Over The Rainbow 0:00
*19. Morocco Chant 0:00

The Pastels
20. Boom De De Boom 0:00
21. Put Your Arms Around Me 0:00
*22. Goodbye 0:00
*23. Bye Bye 0:00
*24. Patty 0:00 audition tape
*25. My Little Girl 0:00 audition tape
*26. Goodbye 0:00 audition tape

Unknown
*27. Tender Love 0:00 audition tape
*28. Without The One I Love 0:00 audition tape

*previously unissued

By 1954 vocal ensembles were grabbing an ever-larger share of the African-American record-buying dollars so United Records wisely began signing vocal groups as early as 1953, and by 1955 could be considered competitive in the flourishing vocal group market. Chop Chop Boom (Delmark 703) was devoted to groups issued on the subsidiary States label while Bang Goes My Heart features groups that were issued on the company’s United imprint. Complete notes enclosed by Bob Pruter, author of Doowop:The Chicago Scene.

United Records was the first successful black-owned record company. Operated by Leonard Allen, tailor, retired policeman and obviously one of exceptionally wide taste in music, the two labels (United and States) issued some of the best performances in the jazz, blues, gospel and R&B idioms between 1951 and ’57. Delmark is proud to release this important body of masters, including many previously unissued, recorded in studios which pioneered high fidelity recording in the ’50s.


The Moroccos
1. Studio Chatter 0:00
2. Bang Goes My Heart 0:00 (5009-5)(George Prayer, Embassy Music Corp., BMI) U-204 Ralph Vernon
3. Sad Sad Hours 0:00 (5010-4)(Leonard Allen, Embassy Music Corp., BMI) U-207
4. Studio Chatter (0:00)
5. The Hex 0:00 (5012-2)(Leonard Allen, Embassy Music Corp., BMI) U-207
6. What Is A Teen-Ager’s Prayer 0:00 (5011-2)(George Prayer, Embassy Music Corp., BMI) U-204 Solly McElroy
7. When Was My Baby Born 0:00 (1489-2)
8. My Easy Baby 0:00 (1487-9)

The Answers
9. Keeps Me Worried All The Time 0:00 (1625-1)(F. Miller/A. Smith, Embassy Music Corp., BMI) U-212
10. Have No Fear 0:00 (1624-1)(F. Miller/A. Smith, Embassy Music Corp., BMI) U-212

The Sheppards
11. Just Let Me Love You 0:00 (1573-5)
12. Sherry 0:00 (1574-5)(William Sheppard, Embassy Music Corp., BMI) U-198 James Isaac
13. Pretty Little Girl 0:00 (1575-2)
14. Mozelle 0:00 (1572-7)(William Sheppard, Embassy Music Corp., BMI) U-198 John Pruitt

The Moroccos
15. Chicken 0:00 (1529)(A. Smith/S. Smith, Embassy Music Corp., BMI) U-188 Solly McElroy
16. Pardon My Tears 0:00 (1526)(Julius Guy, Embassy Music Corp., BMI) U-188 Solly McElroy
17. Red Hots And Chili Mac 0:00 (1538-10)(T. Von Rush/A. Smith, Embassy, BMI) U-193 Ralph Vernon
18. Somewhere Over The Rainbow 0:00 (1542-4)(H. Arlen/E.Y. Harburg, EMI Feist Catalog, Inc., ASCAP) U-193 Solly McElroy
19. Morocco Chant 0:00 (1539)

The Pastels
20. Boom De De Boom 0:00 (1566-6)(Clyde Otis, Iza Music Corp., BMI) U-196 Fred Buckley
21. Put Your Arms Around Me 0:00 (1567-5)(Clyde Otis) U-196 Fred Buckley
22. Goodbye 0:00 (1563-2)
23. Bye Bye 0:00 (1562-7)
24. Patty 0:00
25. My Little Girl 0:00
26. Goodbye 0:00

Unknown
27. Tender Love 0:00
28. Without The One I Love

The Moroccos
As The Four Chimes Accompaniment unknown; 1487, 1489 October 5, 1954. Red Holloway, tenor sax; Norman Simmons, piano; William "Lefty" Bates, guitar; probably Quinn Wilson, bass; Paul Gusman, drums; 1526, 1529 January 18, 1955. Same as above except add McKinley Easton, baritone sax; 1538, 1539, 1542 May 27, 1955. As The Moroccos & Lefty Bates Band Lucius Washington replaces Holloway; probably Horace Palm, piano. 5009-5012 after July 27, 1956. All studio recordings at Universal with the exception of 5009-5012 which was recorded at Boulevard Studio.
The Answers & Lefty Bates Band
Red Holloway, tenor sax; Mac Easton, baritone sax; probably Horace Palm, piano; William "Lefty" Bates, guitar; probably Quinn Wilson, bass; Paul Gusman, drums.1624, 1625 April 5, 1957.
The Sheppards
Same as above except Tommy Badger, tenor sax; unknown piano and drums. 1572-1575 February 1, 1956.
The Pastels
Same as The Answers except Vernel Fournier, drums. 1562, 1563 October 19, 1955; 1566, 1567 November 23, 1955.

Album Production: Robert G. Koester & Steve Wagner
Compiled by Bob Pruter
Supervision: Leonard Allen
Cover photo courtesy Richard Reicheg collection
Additional photos courtesy Bob Pruter collection
Design: Al Brandtner
Special thanks to George Paulus, Richard Reicheg and Victor Pearlin for providing the 78s and 45s used to research the music enclosed and to Jesse for inspiration.


The United/States label complex, which operated from 1951 to 1957, recorded the whole gamut of African-American popular music styles of the day--blues, jazz, vocal groups, rhythm and blues jumps, and gospel. When the company started up in 1951, vocal groups were not a large part of the rhythm and blues market, but by 1954 vocal ensembles were grabbing an ever-larger share of the African-American record-buying dollars. Owner Leonard Allen wisely began signing vocal groups as early as 1953, and by 1955 his label could be considered competitive in the flourishing vocal group market. Delmark previously covered some of Allen’s vocal groups—the Danderliers, Five Chances, Strollers, Hornets, Drakes, Palms—in Chop Chop Boom, a collection devoted to groups that recorded on the company’s States imprint. Bang Goes My Heart is devoted to those groups that recorded on the company’s United imprint, namely the Moroccos, Sheppards, Pastels, and Answers.

The Moroccos
The Moroccos came out of the Englewood community on the South Side, and consisted originally of Ralph Vernon (lead), George Kemp (aka Prayer) (baritone), Fred Martin (bass), and Melvin Morrow (tenor). The first session in the fall of 1954 did not prove satisfactory to the company. The group, then calling themselves the Four Chimes, did "My Easy Baby" and "When Was My Baby Born," the latter a pleasing reworking of the old Negro religious folk song, "The Last Month Of The Year." Stylistically, however, it did not fit with the emerging doowop sound in black music. “My Easy Baby” is a bouncy number that the group sings with assurance. United, however, shelved the numbers, and the group and Allen agreed what they needed was not only a fifth member but also an additional lead.
The Four Chimes recruited Sollie McElroy, who had already made a name for himself singing tenor lead for the famed Flamingos. He had been recently let go by the Flamingos, and was now eager to be recruited by another group. With McElroy as a member, the group went into session again in January 1955. Now with five members, the group needed a new name. One of the musicians in the studio had a set of maracas, which inspired the group to adopt the name Moroccos. The first session yielded a pretty ballad, "Pardon My Tears," and a dance tune, "Chicken," which when paired became the Moroccos' first release. While collectors generally hold the ballad in greater esteem, it was "Chicken" that got the radio play.
The next session in May produced the old Harold Arlen tune, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" (led by McElroy), backed with a fine jump, "Red Hots And Chili Mac" (led by Vernon). This release in October, 1955, was a double sided hit in Chicago, and nationally “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” clicked. An unusual number from the session is the previously unreleased “Morocco Chant,” a Latin-style jump with ensemble-style chanting and humming along with some Perez Prado-inspired grunts. One can see why Allen left it in the can, because in its rambunctious vocal attack there was nothing out there that sounded remotely like it.
The Moroccos in July of 1956 had one more session with United. Prayer wrote some of the songs, but shortly before the group was scheduled to go into the studio, he joined the U. S. Marines. The Moroccos recruited a replacement Calvin Barron (who had been a member of Sun Ra’s group, the Cosmic Rays). The session produced two releases for the group. The first paired Prayer's saccharine but effective "What Is A Teen-Ager's Prayer," in which McElroy gives a fine reading, with the excellent loping "Bang Goes My Heart,” also led by McElroy. The disk came out in September, and as commercial as both songs were, neither made it. Years later, Joe Simon got a Top Ten R&B hit (on the Cash Box survey) with “What Is A Teen-ager’s Prayer” under the truncated title, “Teenager’s Prayer.”
The second release from the July session featured the lovely Prayer penned "Sad Sad Hours," which had the smooth-voiced McElroy effectively trading the lead with the grittier Vernon. "The Hex” is a well-crafted novelty jump, which McElroy sings exuberantly, and of course it gets a blasting sax break (which is all too short). As with the previous release, the record had little sales action.

The Pastels
The Pastels are a Chicago group who should not be confused with the far more famous East Coast group of the same name who hit with "Been So Long" and "So Far Away." The Chicago Pastels were an earlier group who recorded one record for the United label in 1956.
Fred Buckley, the group's lead, organized the Pastels from among his high school friends in his South Side neighborhood, namely Charles McKnight (baritone), Norman Palm (first tenor), Robert Randolph (second tenor), and Charles Williams (bass). The group signed with United in October of 1955. The first session produced two excellent numbers, "Bye Bye" and "Goodbye," but the company inexplicably did not release them. Probable accompanists were Red Holloway on tenor sax, Horace Palm on piano, Quinn Wilson on bass, Lefty Bates on guitar, and Vernel Fournier on drums. “Goodbye” epitomizes a doowop jump, where the group rides the song with assurance, and the break features a scorching sax on the break (a bonus is Bates’ guitar also coming in for some licks). “Bye Bye” is a lovely ballad, where Holloway weaves his tenor sax through the vocals as he does on the classic Danderliers ballads.
A month later the Pastels were recording again, putting on wax two lesser numbers, a ballad, "Put Your Arms Around Me," and a bouncy El Dorados type jump tune, "Boom De De Boom." The latter song was originally intended for the El Dorados to record, but the group was out of town when the person who brought it arrived from New York, so he took it to United. Both songs were written by Clyde Otis, a couple of years away from his position as Mercury A&R director and producer of such great artists as Brook Benton and Dinah Washington.
"Boom De De Boom" received the original airplay on local station WHFC, but then listener requests pushed "Put Your Arms Around Me" onto the playlist. In addition to including all the studio recorded sides, we’ve included three audition or rehearsal numbers by the Pastels, one of which is an a capella version of “Goodbye.”

The Sheppards
The Sheppards were formed on the South Side of Chicago and consisted of George “Sonny” Parker (tenor lead), John Pruitt (tenor lead), James Dennis Isaac (first tenor), Nathaniel Tucker (bass), Kent McGhee (baritone), and Oscar Boyd (second tenor). This group of Sheppards should not be confused with the later more famous group that appeared on Apex and Vee-Jay. Both groups were namesakes of the same manager, Bill "Bunky" Sheppard, but each had a different history and personnel.
"Mozelle," featuring Parker as lead, is a mid-tempo song that uses a 12-bar blues structure. It was the side that garnered considerable local radio play upon release, making the group celebrities, at least in Chicago anyway. The ballad side, "Sherry,” superbly represents the glories of doowop, where the lead tenor Isaac soars, Tucker on bass warbles low, the other members chorus robustly. The song even features Tucker doing a deep-voiced recitation like the Ink Spots. To contemporary doowop fans “Sherry” is the vastly superior side, yet it only generated a few radio plays.
Two other songs from the “Mozelle” session remained unreleased, "Pretty Little Girl" and "Just Let Me Love You,” both aggressive jump tunes led by Pruitt. Each featured rapid-fire jumping sax breaks by Tommy Badger. While “Just Let Me Love You” has previously been released (albeit not legally and probably sourced from an acetate), “Pretty Little Girl” makes its debut to the world with this collection.

The Answers
United/States was quickly going downhill in 1957, but on April 5 of that year, in one of his last gasp efforts, Allen held a marathon session to record three groups—the Palms, Strollers, and Answers. The work of the Palms and Strollers were anthologized in Delmark’s Chop Chop Boom collection, but the strong Answers sides that were released on United appear here. Nothing is known of the Answers, but the two writing credits for the songs—Miller and Smith—suggests the name of at least one of the members, Miller. Smith was probably Al Smith who appropriated a lot writing credits on United groups for his work in rehearsing the groups for recording sessions. Accompaniment was handled by the strong Lefty Bates Trio (Bates on guitar and most likely Horace Palm and Quinn Wilson on piano and the bass respectively), plus Red Holloway on tenor, Mac Easton on baritone sax, and Paul Gusman on drums. The jump side, "Keeps Me Worried All the Time," has the group swinging with élan, and includes a blistering tenor solo by Holloway. The ballad side, “Have No Fear” is another stellar effort, which opens with Holloway soloing with lyricism.

Mystery Group
The history of the 1950s is filled with those vocal groups who brashly walk into a record company one day, audition before some jaded cigar puffers, sadly find their best efforts rejected, then dejectedly exit, their dreams shattered, never to be heard from again. But what these groups often left behind were audition tapes that sometimes become treasured legacies of the golden age of doowop. Among the tapes that Delmark picked up from Leonard Allen was incredible audition tape of a song called “Tender Love.” We have no idea who this group is, but the group sounds very similar to the Supremes, a male group who did “Just For You And I” on Ace—in other words, soulful and moving. “Without The One I Love” by this group is more in the Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters vein.
By 1957, the rock 'n' roll revolution was in full throttle, and United tried at their utmost to properly exploiting its groups as rock 'n' roll stars. The Moroccos, and perhaps the Pastels and Sheppards, had what it took in the late 1950s to become a part of the rock 'n' roll revolution. But it did not happen. All that is left is the wonderful body of recordings that these groups left behind in the recording studio, and luckily we are able to appreciate their work.
Robert Pruter
Doowop:The Chicago Scene

For more information on the vocal groups that recorded for United/States, consult on the Web the Red Saunders Research Foundation [http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~campber/rsrf.html].

Other Delmark albums in the United Series include:
The Danderliers & Other Great Groups on States, Chop Chop Boom
(703) with The Hornets, The Strollers, The Drakes...
The Four Blazes, Mary Jo (704) with Tommy Braden, Floyd McDaniel
Honkers And Bar Walkers, Volume Three (542) with Eddie Chamblee, J.T. Brown, Jim Conley, T.J. Fowler, Wild Bill Moore, Sax Kari, Floyd Taylor
Honkers And Bar Walkers, Volume One (438) with Jimmy Forrest, Tab Smith,
Paul Bascomb, Doc Sausage, Jimmy Coe, Cozy Eggleston...
Jimmy Forrest, Night Train (435)
Paul Bascomb, Bad Bascomb (431)
Tab Smith, Jump Time (447); Ace High (455); Top ’n’ Bottom (499)
Junior Wells, Blues Hit Big Town (640) with Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Otis Spann...
Robert Nighthawk, Bricks In My Pillow (711)
Roosevelt Sykes, Raining In My Heart (642)
Big Walter Horton/Alfred "Blues King" Harris, Blues Harmonica Kings (712)
Jump ’n’ Shout (715) with Dave Bartholomew, Ernie K-Doe, Larry Darnell,
Erline Harris, Annie Laurie, Chubby "Hip Shakin" Newsome
Long Man Blues (717) with Eddie Boyd, Harold Burrage, Arbee Stidham...
Robert Anderson, Working The Road - The Golden Age of Chicago Gospel (702) with (Little) Lucy Smith Singers, Reverend Robert Ballinger...
J.T. Brown, Windy City Boogie (714) with Little Brother Montgomery
Morris Pejoe/Arthur "Big Boy" Spires, Wrapped In My Baby (716)
Memphis Slim & His House Rockers featuring Matt "Guitar" Murphy,
Memphis Slim U.S.A. (710); The Come Back (762)

Call or write for a free catalog of jazz and blues:
Delmark Records 1800 684 3480
4121 N. Rockwell
Chicago, IL 60618
C P 2002 Delmark Records
www.delmark.com