#867 (7/2/16 - 7/15/16)

"Tabarin"/"W-I-N-E"
The Four Flames
on Fidelity F 3001 A/B
released in 1951

"Hey Now"/"My Love Grows Stronger"
The Voices
on Cash 1014-A/AA
released in 1955



[The above image is courtesy of Marv Goldberg.]
Above: The Four Flames from late 1951 (L-R) Clyde "Thin Man" Tillis (tenor), David Ford (tenor), Bobby Byrd (bass, baritone, tenor), and Curlee Dinkins (baritone/bass). Willie Ray Rockwell (tenor) was another member who was in and out of the group, at times replacing Tillis on recordings.

The Four Flames were also known as The Hollywood Flames, Hollywood's Four Flames, The Hollywood Four Flames, and The Flames.

Click HERE for an article about The Hollywood Flames (Four Flames) by Marv Goldberg.
(Will open in a separate window)



Above: The Four Flames circa 1952 (L-R) Leon Hughes, Bobby Byrd, Curlee Dinkins, and David Ford. Hughes was another tenor who on ocassion replaced Tillis/Rockwell on recordings.

FIDELITY RECORDS:

Art Rupe owned Fidelity and Specialty Records located in Hollywood/Los Angeles, CA. Rupe previously had part ownership of Juke Box Records.


From The Billboard dated 11/17/51.


From The Billboard dated 12/1/51.


Art Rupe (President of Specialty and Fidelity Records).


EXTRA AUDIO (Windows Media Player):

Above Left: Label image for Specialty SP-423 recorded on January 26, 1952 and released in January 1952.

Above Right: Clipping from February 1952 (courtesy of Galen Gart).

The Billboard Review (3/1/52):

THE FOUR FLAMES - SPECIALTY SP-423....
Wheel Of Fortune
(75) Lead singer warbles his way thru a slow-paced reading of the big ballad, while the rest of the foursome provide rhythmic backing. Good r&b cover disk.
Later (73) There's a solid beat to this one with the tight vocal harmony blending well with the sax and rhythm in support of the lead chanter.

(NOTE: A ratings range of 70-79 was considered "good.")

Listen to "Wheel Of Fortune" - The Four Flames - Specialty SP-423-A - 1952.

Listen to "Later" - The Four Flames - Specialty SP-423-B - 1952.

David Ford sings lead on "Wheel Of Fortune" as does Willie Ray Rockwell on the flip.




[The above record was provided by Joe Marchesani.]

Above: Label image of Fidelity F 3001 released in November 1951. See Marv Goldberg's article on The Four Flames for the meaning of "Tabarin." David Ford is the lead singer on "Tabarin" and Bobby Byrd has the honor on "W-I-N-E."

The Billboard Review (12/15/51):

THE FOUR FLAMES - FIDELITY F-3001....
W-I-N-E
(57) Rather old fashioned novelty is obviously dedicated to the grape. There's a gutty tenor sax solo, handclaps, and something of a rocking beat. Otherwise, there's little that's distinguished.
Tabarin (55) A new male quartet, specializing in the wobbly-note bending style, gives out with a rather feeble ballad.

(NOTE: The above ratings were considered less than satisfactory.)




[The above record was provided by Joe Marchesani.]

Above: Label image of Cash 1014 released in August 1955. Bobby Byrd is the lead singer on both sides. It was The Voices' second of four releases on the Cash label, all in 1955. Bobby Byrd had one more release on Cash in 1956 as Bobby "Baby Face" Byrd And The Birds.

Bobby Byrd was also known as Bobby Day, who had the big hit "Rockin' Robin" backed by The Satellites (actually The Flames) on the Class label in 1958.

Cash Records was located in Los Angeles and owned by John Dolphin (see composer credit on the above label, as well as the flip side). Not surprisingly, Money was the affiliated label. Dolphin also owned the Recorded In Hollywood, Hollywood, and Lucky labels, all located in Los Angeles.

The Billboard Review (9/17/55):

THE VOICES - CASH 1014....
Hey Now
(79) One lead carries the lost-love message thruout, with strong rhythm support by group and band. The number's a slow blues ballad which gets its strength from the performance. Should do okay.
My Love Grows Stronger (78) The warbler and cleffer of this one show a marked Lincoln Chase influence. An infectious, rhythmic side.

(NOTE: A ratings range of 70-79 was considered "good.")

NOTE: Most discographical information provided at this website is from Ferdie Gonzalez' Disco-File.


Listen to this week's selections featuring The Four Flames and The Voices on Fidelity and Cash from 1951 and 1955:
[Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]

     A. Stream RealAudio (DO NOT USE...LISTEN USING DOWNLOAD REALAUDIO)...
 
          1. Tabarin - The Four Flames
          2. W-I-N-E - The Four Flames
          3. Hey Now - The Voices
          4. My Love Grows Stronger - The Voices
 
          ALL FOUR played in sequence

     B. Download RealAudio...
 
          1. Tabarin - The Four Flames
          2. W-I-N-E - The Four Flames
          3. Hey Now - The Voices
          4. My Love Grows Stronger - The Voices

     C. Stream/Download Media Player...
 
          1.Tabarin - The Four Flames
          2. W-I-N-E - The Four Flames
          3. Hey Now - The Voices
          4. My Love Grows Stronger - The Voices
 
          ALL FOUR played in sequence
          (The "m3u" file may need to be opened after it is downloaded)

      [To download audio files, right-click on link and then select "Save (Link) Target As..."]


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