The Chanters | es

The Chanters belonged to the "kid-sound" school of Rock ‘n’ Roll, which was, at the time they formed, riding high because of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. The Chanters formed in late 1957 out of a group of friends in Queens, New York. This locale was far removed from the R&B centers in Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant, and allowed for more original sounds from groups like the Rivileers, the Cleftones, and the Videos. The two oldest members of the Chanters, Fred Paige (first and second tenor) and Bud Johnson, Jr. (second and first tenor) were in high school; the others —...

The Enchanters were the band led by soul vocalist Garnet Mimms in the mid-'60s. Mims disbanded his previous group the Gainors in 1961 and teamed with Charles Boyer, Sam Bell and Zola Pearnell. But Mimms' producer Jerry Ragovoy would sometimes use the Sweet Inspirations to back Mimms rather than The Enchanters, although he would retain The Enchanters name on the session. It was their voices heard on "Cry Baby," Mimms' R&B chart topper and number four pop single in 1963. They were heard on "A Quiet Place," "Baby Don't You Weep," and "For Your Precious Love." Mimms went solo in...