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DISCLAIMER: All rights reserved to the production companies and music labels that distributed and produced the music and performance respectively. I've only added the footage as a tribute for historical, entertainment, and creative purposes with no financial gain. Copyright infringement not intended.
The Youngsters \"Christmas In Jail\" Empire 109 B 1956
This is the flip side to \"Dreamy Eyes.\" courtesy of Empire Records from 1956.
Please Enjoy!
The Youngsters didn't make much of a dent in the Los Angeles R&B scene, in spite of having some half-dozen releases (under four different group names).Second tenor Charles Everidge was originally from Kansas City, Kansas. In the fall of 1954, he relocated to Los Angeles, attending Gardena High School. However, after only a single semester there, he transferred to Manual Arts, one of the hotbeds of L.A.'s vocal group scene (along with Jefferson and Fremont).
In early 1955, Charles found himself at a party. There are many things to do at parties, but singing ranks up there near the top. That was the night he met Homer Green (first tenor), Donald Miller (first tenor), Harold Murray (baritone), and James Monroe Warren (bass). They started singing, decided they sounded pretty good, and Harold asked the time-honored question: \"Why don't we form a group.\" After that, they sang anywhere they could in school: hallways, bathrooms, the lunch room, and the parking lot. \"We rehearsed whenever we could get a few minutes,\" says Charles. There were also the talent shows at school assemblies; the guys appeared frequently on these. And, to keep them from getting lazy, there were plenty of other groups around to give them competition. At the time, Manual Arts was home to the Calvanes, Charles Wright's Twilighters, the Tantones, and some of Shirley Gunter's Queens.
Then, the most important decision: a name for the group. Several names were considered, but for the most part, they called themselves the Preludes.
There was a songwriter/arranger named Scott Johnson (a relative of the Johnson Brothers of the Souvenirs) who saw the Preludes at a talent show. He gave them some of his songs to practice and also arranged for them to audition for several labels during 1955. Nothing came of those introductions, but in late 1955 or early 1956, through the efforts of Jesse Belvin, they hooked up with the new Empire label, located at 1614 North Argyle, in Hollywood, was owned by Helen Krinitt, Emil Bailey, and George Motola. Empire wasn't interested in Johnson's songs, however, and all the songs they eventually recorded were given to them by Empire (of course, George Motola claimed to have written almost all of them).
After high school graduation, in early June 1956, there were two defections. Homer Green left to join the Marines; his place was taken by tenor Herman Pruitt, former lead of the recently-deceased Calvanes (another group from Manual Arts). Donald Miller also quit, to be replaced by tenor Robert Johnson. Robert was Charles Everidge's step-brother and had recently relocated to Los Angeles from the East Coast.
In the early fall, they had their last session for Empire, recording \"Dreamy Eyes\" and \"Christmas In Jail,\" two more songs fronted by Charles Everidge (who's singing in a very low voice on \"Jail\"). You can hear Herman Pruitt on the bridge to \"Dreamy Eyes.\" According to a blurb in the trades, \"Christmas In Jail\" prompted a letter to Empire from the National Safety Council. The Youngsters, the letter read, sent a clear message to kids (in a non-preachy way), about the evils of drinking and driving, that might help prevent holiday accidents.
Since \"Dreamy Eyes\" did so well for the Youngsters, James Warren remembered that the next few months found the Youngsters in great demand. There were appearances with Ray Charles, Johnny Otis, Richard Berry and the Dreamers, the Penguins, the Medallions, the Meadowlarks, Don & Dewey (who had both been in the Squires prior to them covering \"Dreamy Eyes\"), Jesse Belvin, and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. James said that they got a reputation as one of the West Coast's \"best singing, showmanship, and hardest working groups.\"
In spite of this, \"Dreamy Eyes\" was their last release. In fact, it was also the last release for Empire, which folded in early 1957. Now, the Youngsters were stuck without a recording company.
Turntable used: Audio Technica AT-LP120 USB Direct Drive inputted straight into the sound card using the built-in pre-amp from the turntable.
Cartridge used: ATP-2XN using 78 3 mil needle.
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