Biography
The Hollywood Saxons maintained a steady presence on the Los Angeles R&B scene across multiple decades, appearing on disc under shifting aliases amid an uneven sequence of releases. Marv Goldberg’s account in the September 1977 issue of Yesterday’s Memories traces their origin to a casual mid-1956 basketball session after which lead singer Stan Beverly, second tenor Bill Brooks, baritone Joe Lewis, and bass Charles Taggart began vocalizing in the locker room. Consulting an encyclopedia for a suitably stately name, Lewis settled on the Saxons. Roughly nine months later Brooks departed; second tenor Maudice Giles joined, and Nathaniel “Buster” Wilson took over bass, allowing Taggart to shift to first tenor and expanding the group to five voices.
Following more than a year of rehearsal the Saxons started performing publicly and, in 1958, cut “Please Be My Love Tonight” for the small Our imprint. Late that year they moved to Contender, already home to another Saxons aggregation fronted by Jesse Belvin; producer George Motola therefore issued the newcomers’ 1959 single “Endless Love” on his Tender subsidiary under the name the Capris. When the record drew little attention the same musicians signed with Capitol, which released “Close to You” credited to the Portraits. Adding further confusion, Beverly, Lewis, and Taggart recorded “Trouble” as the Tuxedos for Motola’s Forte label in September 1960.
After these successive renamings and label switches proved fruitless, Beverly established his own Entra imprint, on which the quintet issued “Everyday Is a Holiday” in 1961 under the Hollywood Saxons name. The track, subsequently leased to Swingin’ and Elf, became their most successful release; its follow-up, “It’s You,” appeared on Elf in late 1962. Returning to Entra, the group recorded “Diamonds” the next year. In 1964 Beverly launched Action Pack, which issued the Saxons’ “Loving You.” After cutting “Sweet Talking Girl” for True Soul as the Jolly Jesters, the lineup disbanded.
Reviving Action Pack in 1968, Beverly compiled previously unissued Hollywood Saxons material for two EPs; that same year Swingin’ also released another unreleased track, “Laughing Girl.” In 1972 Beverly and Lewis enlisted bass Carlton Beck and baritone Richard Botts to record “There Goes My Baby” as Speed Limit for the Watts label. Throughout the second half of the decade Beverly, Lewis, Giles, and original member Brooks reunited sporadically as the Hollywood Saxons; when Beverly later joined one of the touring Ink Spots configurations, the remaining trio recruited Melvin Ware as lead. Beverly and Lewis continued performing under the Hollywood Saxons banner as recently as 2000. Their discography is surveyed on the 1997 compilation Everyday Is a Holiday.
Following more than a year of rehearsal the Saxons started performing publicly and, in 1958, cut “Please Be My Love Tonight” for the small Our imprint. Late that year they moved to Contender, already home to another Saxons aggregation fronted by Jesse Belvin; producer George Motola therefore issued the newcomers’ 1959 single “Endless Love” on his Tender subsidiary under the name the Capris. When the record drew little attention the same musicians signed with Capitol, which released “Close to You” credited to the Portraits. Adding further confusion, Beverly, Lewis, and Taggart recorded “Trouble” as the Tuxedos for Motola’s Forte label in September 1960.
After these successive renamings and label switches proved fruitless, Beverly established his own Entra imprint, on which the quintet issued “Everyday Is a Holiday” in 1961 under the Hollywood Saxons name. The track, subsequently leased to Swingin’ and Elf, became their most successful release; its follow-up, “It’s You,” appeared on Elf in late 1962. Returning to Entra, the group recorded “Diamonds” the next year. In 1964 Beverly launched Action Pack, which issued the Saxons’ “Loving You.” After cutting “Sweet Talking Girl” for True Soul as the Jolly Jesters, the lineup disbanded.
Reviving Action Pack in 1968, Beverly compiled previously unissued Hollywood Saxons material for two EPs; that same year Swingin’ also released another unreleased track, “Laughing Girl.” In 1972 Beverly and Lewis enlisted bass Carlton Beck and baritone Richard Botts to record “There Goes My Baby” as Speed Limit for the Watts label. Throughout the second half of the decade Beverly, Lewis, Giles, and original member Brooks reunited sporadically as the Hollywood Saxons; when Beverly later joined one of the touring Ink Spots configurations, the remaining trio recruited Melvin Ware as lead. Beverly and Lewis continued performing under the Hollywood Saxons banner as recently as 2000. Their discography is surveyed on the 1997 compilation Everyday Is a Holiday.