Jerome “Romeo” Ramos, lead singer
of the Velours, died on October 21 of throat cancer at the age of 75.
Jerome Ramos was born on May 15, 1937.
He formed the Velours when he was 19, along with John Cheatdom,
Donald Haywoode, Kenneth Walker and Marvin Holland, all friends from
the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. Their first
recording was “My Love, Come Back” on the Onyx label in 1956. It
was followed by “Romeo,” which was also Ramos's nickname. In 1957,
Walker and Holland were replaced by John Pearson and Charles Moffitt.
Their third record, “Can I Come Over Tonight?” was a hit on both
the R&B and pop charts.
They had three more releases on Onyx,
including “This Could Be the Night” and “Remember.” They
also recorded for Cub, End and Goldisc. They continued to perform
into the '70s, changing their name to the Fantastics. Mr. Ramos
retired from singing in 1975 and lived the rest of his life in Brooklyn.
In May 2007, Ramos, along with
Cheatdom, Haywoode, Pearson, and Keith Williams, performed “Can I
Come Over Tonight?” for one of T. J. Lubinsky's PBS programs. It was
his first performance in 32 years, and also his last. Although the
fidelity isn't great, here it is.
The Velours' 12 great Onyx sides can be
found on Relic Records' now out-of-print CD, The Golden Era of
Doo-Wops: Onyx Records.
Gregory Carroll (1928-2013)
Gregory Carroll was a founding member
of the Four Buddies. He also sang with the Orioles, the Dappers and
the Ink Spots. He died on January 24 at the age of 84.
The Four Buddies were from northwest
Baltimore, the cradle of R&B vocal
group harmony. The group consisted of Larry Harrison, lead tenor;
Gregory Carroll, second tenor; Bert Palmer, baritone; and Tommy
Carter, bass. Their first recording was in 1950 as a backup group
for Little Esther on “Just Can't Get Free,” as the
Metronomes. They continued to record for Savoy, changing their name to the Four Buddies.
Their first release, “I Will Wait,” backed with "Just to See You Smile Again," went to #3 on the R&B
charts in early 1951. They recorded 26 sides in all for Savoy,
including great ballads such as “Sweet Slumber,” “Heart and
Soul,” and “What's the Matter With Me?” These can be found on
the out-of-print CD The Four Buddies: Complete on Savoy
on the Savoy Jazz label.
In May 1953, Carroll left the Four
Buddies to become a replacement member of Baltimore's most successful
group, Sonny Til and the Orioles, just in time to sing on one of their biggest
hits, “Crying in the Chapel.” When the Orioles disbanded, he formed the Dappers, who recorded
on Rainbow and Groove. He was also a member of a latter-day Ink
Spots group. Larry Harrison went on to become the lead singer of the Barons on the Decca label.
Beginning in the '60s, he concentrated
on songwriting. His biggest hit was “Just One Look,” which he
co-wrote with vocalist Doris Troy.
Darlene McCrae ( ? -2013)
Darlene McCrae, a founding member of
both the Cookies and the Raelets, died on February 5.
She grew up in the Coney Island section
of Brooklyn, NY, and formed the Cookies in 1964 with Dorothy Jones
and Beulah Robertson. They placed third at a weekly amateur
night at the Apollo Theatre and came to the attention of Lamp
Records, a subsidiary of Aladdin. Their only release on Lamp was
“Don't Let Go.” In 1955, they signed with Atlantic Records. The
second of their three Atlantic releases, “In Paradise,” made the
R&B charts in early 1956. Prior to their final record, Beulah
Robertson was replaced by Margie Hendrix, who became the lead singer.
While at Atlantic, the Cookies sang
backup vocals for several of their single artists, including LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown, Joe Turner, Chuck Willis,
and especially Ray Charles. After several successful recordings, Ray invited them to become permanent members of his band.
Dorothy Jones left the group, but was replaced by two others. Here
are the original Raelets accompanying Ray on “Hit the Road, Jack.”
They are, from left to right, Pat Lyles, Margie Hendrix, Gwen Berry
and Darlene McCrae.
“Night Time is the Right Time” from
1958 is my favorite Cookies/Raelets recording. It was written and
recorded by Roosevelt Sykes in 1937, but Ray's version takes after a
1957 remake by Nappy Brown. Margie Hendrix faces off against Brother
Ray and comes out a winner.
Margie Hendrix and Darlene McCrae left
the Raelets around 1964, and thereafter, the membership changed
frequently. Ms. Hendrix, who had been romantically involved with
Ray Charles for several years, died of a drug overdose in 1966. In
1962, Dorothy Jones reformed the Cookies along with Darlene's
sister, Earl-Jean McCrae and Margaret Ross. Three of their songs
made the R&B charts, the most successful being “Don't Say
Nothin' Bad About My Baby.” Darlene McCrae replaced her sister in
1965, and the Cookies' last record was released in 1967.
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