Here, at special request, the story and the only two singles (with their B-sides) of Doo-Wop group the Continentals. The original Continentals were formed in the winter of 1955, when Buddy Payne, Herman Montgomery, James Gripper and James Vincent Cooper asked Danny Hicks. The Continentals practiced seven days a week, without fail. They may have known how to sing and they may have appreciated the need to practice, but they never got the message that they should have had a manager. They handled almost all of their infrequent bookings themselves and that became a problem that would haunt them for their entire career. Danny had friends and family in Harlem, so he was often in the neighborhood. In the Spring of 1956, an acquaintance told him to look up Bobby Robinson in his record shop on 125th Street. He did, and told Robinson about his group and how they were looking for a record deal. He must have sold the group well, because Robinson arranged an audition at the Lenox Avenue studio of Roseta LeNoire (who would later turn up on the TV show 'Family Matters'). Robinson gave them a contract and they assumed he'd take on a lot more responsibility than he did. They thought Bobby Robinson was going to be their manager, but that turned into a real disappointment. He always promised things, but they never seemed to happen. This is why, even with a record deal, the Continentals never made that many appearances.
Around May 1956 Buddy Payne impulsively quit the group and joined the Marines. Their first thought was to not replace him, but all their arrangements were for five voices, so they had to get someone. They initially tried Buddy's younger brother, Ronnie, who was just getting out of Junior High School. He knew all the arrangements and could sing, but his parents felt he was too young, so that killed that. Fortunately, Danny was still friendly with John 'Peanut' Jones, his old buddy from the Romancers. Peanut agreed to join the Continentals and it was off to do some serious practicing. Finally. June 29, 1956. The big day. While they were practicing at Manhattan's Beltone studios, in walked Earl Lewis and the Channels. The two groups had met on a show at St. Augustin's Church in Brooklyn and now the Continentals and the Channels were each ready for their first session. According to Earl Lewis, “'Dear Lord' just knocked me out.” Earl admits that listening to Danny (the high tenor on the tune) was what prompted him to pump up his falsetto part in 'The Closer You Are.' With Bobby Robinson and his brother Danny supervising the session, the Continentals stepped up to the mike and laid down 'Dear Lord' (led by Herman, with Danny doing the high tenor echo) and 'Fine, Fine Frame' (led by Herman). The tune had originally been called 'Fine Brown Frame,' butBobby Robinson had reminded them that Nellie Lutcher had had a 1948 hit with a song of that name. While there's no law against having two songs with the same name, Robinson didn't want any confusion. So the guys had changed it to “Fine, Fine Frame”.
The studio band consisted of saxman King Curtis (who wrote out the charts for them), guitarist Mickey Baker, drummer Philly Joe Jones, pianist Panama Lewis, and a bassist whom no one can remember. Although it took 3 to 3 1/2 hours, there were only three takes of 'Dear Lord' and two of 'Fine, Fine Frame.' When their time was up, they stayed around to hear the Channels record 'The Closer You Are' and 'Now You Know.' While Earl Lewis gives credit to the Continentals for his group's sound, Bobby Robinson was more excited about the potential of the Channels. Thus, he released 'The Closer You Are' in August, while taking his time with 'Dear Lord.' Both would be issued on Robinson's new Whirlin' Disc label. The guys waited and waited for Robinson to release the record, which he finally did in October 1956. On November 13, 1956, the Continentals had their second Whirlin' Disc session, at which they did two more home-grown tunes: 'Picture Of Love' (led by Herman) and 'Soft And Sweet' (with Danny out in front). The songs were done in two takes each. Mickey Baker, Panama Lewis, and Philly Joe Jones returned, augmented by saxman Sam 'The Man' Taylor, and bassist Ray Brown. 'Picture Of Love' and 'Soft And Sweet' were released in February 1957. In spite of good reviews and a great reputation among their peers, the Continentals were barely hanging on. Things really started to fall apart in late 1957, when James Gripper left to join the Air Force. His replacement was another singer from Danny's old Romancers group, baritone Willie Keels. However, they were barely working at all. "We thought Bobby Robinson was our manager, but nothing happened," says Danny. By that time, they were completely disgusted with Robinson, who clearly wasn't about to book another Continentals session. The only positive thing that you can say about the whole experience is that they received around $57 apiece as royalties for 'Dear Lord.'
And then, the final blow. In early 1959, Vinny Cooper had a heart attack and died. “He was our rock,” says Danny, “our musical director.” This was the one tragedy the Continentals couldn't overcome.
- 1956 Fine, Fine Frame b/w Dear Lord - Whirlin' Disc 101
- 1956 Picture of Love b/w Soft and Sweet - Whirlin' Disc 105
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Arthur Conley, known for his 1967 hit 'Sweet Soul Music,' died on Nov. 17, 2003, in Ruurlo, The Netherlands, after a battle with cancer. He was 57. Conley was born in Georgia and started his music career as the lead singer of Arthur and the Corvets in 1959. With this band, Conley released three singles in 1963-64 on Bill Lowery's Atlanta-based National Recording Company label. In 1964, he moved to Rufus Mitchell's Ru-Jac label and recorded 'I'm a Lonely Stranger.' When Otis Redding heard the song, he asked Mitchell to have Conley come to Memphis to record a new version, which was then released on Jotis Records. It wasn't until 1967 that Conley actually met Redding, but it would change his life. Redding took Conley under his wings and taught him the workings of the music business. They also together rewrote Sam Cook's 'Yeah Man' as 'Sweet Soul Music,' which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard pop singles chart. Conley was said to have never overcome Redding's December 1967 death in a plane crash. Although he still recorded and toured, he eventually settled in the rural town of Ruurlo in the eastern Netherlands and changed his name to Lee Roberts. There, he was involved in promoting young bands with his own company Art-Con Productions.
1967 LP Sweet Soul Music - ATCO SD-33215
1967 LP Shake, Rattle & Roll - ATCO SD-33220
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