Rare 1954 DooWop 45 DREAM OF A LIFETIME The Flamingos

$

158

ALL THIS WEEK I'LL BE LISTING EXTREMELY RARE AND COLLECTIBLE 45 RECORDS, ALL DOO-WOP RECORDINGS FROM THE 1950S. THESE RECORDS WERE ACQUIRED FROM A COLLECTOR WHO SPECIALIZED IN 1950S VOCAL GROUPS. RECORDED ON RARE AND UNUSUAL LABELS, THERE ARE SOME EXCELLENT COLLECTOR'S ITEMS WITHIN THIS GROUP. IF YOU BUY MORE THAN ONE RECORD (I HAVE APPROXIMATELY 300 IN THIS COLLECTION THAT I PLAN ON SELLING) I WILL COMBINE ITEMS TO SAVE YOU ON SHIPPING. I WILL INCLUDE THE GOLDMINE BOOK VALUE WITHIN EACH DESCRIPTION ONLY TO SERVE AS A REFERENCE POINT. CHECK OUT MY LISTINGS PAGE FOR MORE RARE DOO WOP RECORDINGS. HERE'S WHAT'S BEING FEATURED IN THIS AUCTION:

A rare 1954 recording of Dream Of A Lifetime and On My Merry Way sung by The Flamingos and produced on Parrot Records number 808 (GBV = $1600).

Jacob Carey (Jake) and Ezekial Carey (Zeke), bass and 2nd tenor, respectively, formed the group in Chicago, Illinois, after meeting cousins baritone Paul Wilson and first tenor John E. "Johnny" Carter at a black Messianic Jewish synagogue. Earl Lewis (not the Channels lead) soon joined, and after a series of name changes, (The Swallows, El Flamingos, The Five Flamingos), wound up being known as The Flamingos. Sollie McElroy soon replaced Lewis (who joined the Five Echoes). The Flamingos' first single (for Chance Records), "If I Can't Have You", was a moderate local success, as was the follow-up "That's My Desire", but it was Johnny Carter's composition of "Golden Teardrops," with its complex vocal harmonies and Carter's soaring falsetto, that cemented their reputation as a top regional act of the day (and for all time among group harmony aficionados and record collectors).

The Flamingos left Chance Records sometime after their December 1953 session and signed with DJ Al Benson's Parrot Records. Sollie McElroy was on their first Parrot session, but left the group in December 1954, to be replaced by tenor Nate Nelson (who was on their second Parrot session; he's lead on "I'm Yours," released in January 1955). In early 1955, the Flamingos signed with the resource-rich Chess Records, to record for their Checker Records subsidiary. At Chess/Checker, the Flamingos achieved their first national chart hit with "I'll Be Home", which went to #5 on Billboard's R&B charts (Pat Boone's cover version, complete with incorrect lyrics, was a hit on the pop charts).[citation needed] The group also had moderate success for the label with other chestnuts like "A Kiss From Your Lips," "The Vow," and "Would I Be Crying", which to this day hold up as some of the finest R&B records of all time. The Flamingos also appeared in the 1956 Alan Freed movie, Rock, Rock, Rock (film) Rock, Rock Rock. Both Zeke Carey and Johnny Carter were drafted that year (Carter was drafted in September).

Nate Nelson, Jake Carey, and Paul Wilson continued the group with new member Tommy Hunt (added in October 1956). Another new member, tenor/lead, guitarist, and arranger Terry "Buzzy" Johnson, joined in late December of that year. This group (Nate Nelson, Tommy Hunt, Terry Johnson, Paul Wilson, and Jake Carey) began recording for Decca Records in April 1957. Their most notable single was Johnson's arrangement of "The Ladder of Love", but legal entanglements between Checker and Nate Nelson ruined any chance of commercial success.[citation needed] Zeke Carey returned to the Flamingos in 1958, making the group a sextet. (When Johnny Carter was discharged from the service, he joined The Dells; he had been with them for almost 50 years up until his death in 2009.)

This record is in very good condition with very minor scuffing. The label is clean with very little wear. See photos. Buyer will include $3 for shipping. Thanks!