Artist

Charts

Genre: R&B ,Doo Wop ,Early R&B
Origin: U.S.A
Listen on Coda
Even though it never appeared on any charts, the Charts' 1957 single "Deserie" has long stood as a doo wop standard. The Harlem-based quintet came together in 1956 with Joseph Grier handling lead vocals alongside Leroy Binns, Ross Buford, and Glenmore Jackson. Their manager, Norfolk, Virginia-born musician Les Cooper, had earlier sung with the Empires and the Whirlers and, by the mid-1950s, had become a familiar presence in New York's doo wop community.

Cooper landed the group a deal with Danny Robinson's Everlast label, where they cut their only hit, "Deserie," in 1957. The Blue Angels later recorded the song for Del-Fi's Selma imprint on the West Coast. After issuing several more 45s on Everlast, the Charts broke up in 1958.

Cooper himself scored a hit in 1962 with his band the Soul Rockers; while the A-side vocal "Dig Yourself" drew some attention, the B-side instrumental "Wiggle Wobble" became the bigger success thanks to its prominent tenor saxophone, performed in a King Curtis style by former Charts frontman Grier.