Search - Dreamlovers :: Golden Classics Edition

A Very Good Doo-Wop Group Lost To The Small-Label Curse And

02/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When lead Morris Gardner, bass James Dunn and baritone brother Clifton, along with tenors Tommy Ricks and Cleveland Hammock, Jr., first assembled as a group in Philadelphia circa 1956, they called themselves, among other names, The Romancers. Sometime in 1959, following the big Bobby Darin hit Dream Lover, they finally settled on The Dreamlovers, and soon came to the attention of one Len "Buddy" Caldwell, who operated two small recording labels called Len and V-Tone. Their first single, Take It From A Fool b/w For The First Time, came out on Len 106 in 1960 and that same year, now with co-lead Donald Hogan on board, Home Is Where the Heart Is b/w Annabelle Lee and Time b/w May I Kiss the Bride, were released on V-Tone 211 and V-Tone 229.



None of the singles made any national impact, hardly surprising given the limited promotional funds available to Caldwell, but they did generate enough local interest to land them a contract with the marginally larger Heritage Records, run by Philadelphia songwriter/promoter/producer Jerry Ross. There they cut a song written by Hogan, and when it was released in early summer 1961 on Heritage 102, their tight harmony behind Hogan's lead, and haunting vibraphone backing sent When We Get Married into the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching # 10 in August b/w Just Because. The strange thing is, although now regarded as a Doo Wop classic, it made no impact whatsoever on the R&B charts, nor did either of the follow-up Heritage releases, which were also shut out of the Hot 100 - Welcome Home b/w Let Them Love (And Be Loved) on Heritage 104 in 1961, and Zoom Zoom Zoom b/w While We Were Dancing on Heritage 107 in 1962 - both fine cuts which, when you hear them in this great Collectables compilation, will leave you wondering why.



It was also in 1962 that George Goldner gave them a shot on one of his many labels, and that July, If I Should Lose You reached # 62 Hot 100 on End 1114, while its flipside, I Miss You, became a # 115 on the Hot 100 "Bubble Under" charts. Both are also here and again, when listening to them, you might be puzzled at their weak showing and complete failure on the R&B listings, until you take into account the fact Goldner had a host of other artists recording for him at that time, and promotional funds were usually devoted to his more prominent groups like The Flamingos.



The group also appeared on several hits, although unbilled, released by Cameo/Parkway where they served anonymously back of the likes of Chubby Checker, The Dovells, Dee Dee Sharp and several others. In 1964, they had one release there of their own, Oh Baby Mine b/w Those Will Be The Good Old Days on Cameo 326, which went nowhere in the face of the opening phases of the British Invasion.



Before that, in 1963, they even had one released by the giant Columbia Records - I'm Through With You b/w Pretty Little Girl on Columbia 42842 - and in 1966 Calling Jo-Ann b/w You Gave Me Somebody To Love was tried on Mercury 72630 - but not even these majors with all their promotional power could get them back on the charts. Another in that vein was You Gave Me Somebody To Love b/w Doin' Things Together With You on Warner Bros 5619 in 1965. Also here is Amazons And Coyotes b/w Together which came out in 1963 on Casino 1308 and Swan 4167 - to no avail.



Even so, this is a volume that will be thoroughly enjoyed by those who love the classic Doo-Wop sound."