Rare 1959 DooWop 45 IF I Nolan Strong And The Diabos

$

59

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:

This 1959 record features Nolan Strong And The Diablos singing If I (Could Be With You Tonight) and I Wanna Know on Fortune record number 532 (GBV = $40).

Nolan Strong & The Diablos were a Detroit-based R&B and doo-wop vocal group best know for its hit songs "The Wind" and "Mind Over Matter."

Nolan Strong (1934-1977), the lead vocalist, had an etherially high tenor. Strong's smooth voice, influenced mainly by Clyde McPhatter was, in turn, a primary influence on a young Smokey Robinson.

The group, along with label-mates Andre Williams and Nathaniel Mayer, recorded for Fortune Records, a small label in Detroit starting in 1954, and ending somewhere around 1973.

The group formed at Central High School in Detroit in 1950 and originally consisted of Nolan Strong (lead tenor), Juan Guitierrez (tenor), Willie Hunter (baritone), Quentin Eubanks (bass), and Bob "Chico" Edwards (guitar). Nolan Strong named the group the Diablos after a book he had read in high school called "El Nino Diablo."

In 1954 The Diablos began recording with Fortune Records, releasing a handful of 45 rpm records. By late 1956, changes were made to the Diablos line-up. Scott decided to leave the group about this time to join Hank Ballard & the Midnighters — and again the Diablos were in need of a bass. Enter Jay Johnson, who was introduced to Strong through fellow Fortune artist Andre Williams.

Their first recording for Fortune was the Devora Brown-penned "Adios My Desert Love," a cha cha-flavored tune. Nolan Strong & The Diablos' biggest hit was "The Wind" (Fortune 511, 1954). "The Wind" was their only national hit, though most of the group's other hits were huge local successes in Detroit (including "Mind Over Matter," (Fortune 546, 1962) which went to #1 on local radio station playlists in 1962). Other local hits, such as "Daddy Rockin' Strong" (Fortune 516, 1955), "The Way You Dog Me Around" (Fortune 518, 1955), "If I (Could Be With You Tonight)" (Fortune 532, 1959), "Since You're Gone" (Fortune 536, 1960). The group's last few records were credited only to Nolan Strong, although The Diablos continued to perform on the recordings up through the final 45 rpm released by Nolan Strong in 1965.

Strong has also been an influence on rock and roll bands. In December 2009 Lou Reed, of the influential '60s band The Velvet Underground, told Rolling Stone Magazine editor David Fricke, "If I could really sing, I’d be Nolan Strong" - during an interview at the New York Public Library.

The Diablos were inducted into the United In Group Harmony Hall of Fame in 2003. In March 2008 the group was inducted into the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame of America

This record is in very good condition with virtually no wear to the label (see photos). Buyer will include $3 for shipping. Thanks!