Biography
Formed during the mid-1950s in San Angelo, Texas, the American group originally consisted of Sid Holmes on guitar, Lewis Elliott on bass, Ray Smith on drums, Rob Zeller on saxophone and Alton Baird handling vocals. Following an extended period without notable recognition, the musicians added Frank Wilson as lead singer; born 11 December 1941 in Lufkin, Texas, and deceased 4 October 1991, he had been stationed with the Air Force locally and, after his discharge in 1962, remained with the ensemble for regional performances. Their solitary American success arrived with the 1964 release “Last Kiss,” a late entry in the “death rock” style that recounted teenage romances ending in catastrophic accidents, suicides or terminal illnesses—an approach also taken in the Shangri-Las’ “Leader Of The Pack,” Mark Dinning’s “Teen Angel” and Ray Peterson’s “Tell Laura I Love Her.” The track climbed to number 2 that year and reappeared briefly on the charts in 1973. Wayne Cochran, who had fashioned a career throughout the 1960s as a Caucasian counterpart to James Brown, had written and first cut the song without commercial reward. Soon afterward the original lineup fragmented; Wilson assembled his own iteration of the Cavaliers and issued “Hey Little One,” yet the single lacked the spark of its predecessor and peaked only at number 85. The remaining members, having parted ways with Holmes, retained the Cavaliers name and recruited James Thomas on vocals together with Gene “Buddy” Croyle on guitar. Subsequent personnel shifts produced no greater results for either Wilson’s or the continuing Cavaliers’ configurations. Wilson pursued solo work from the mid-1960s onward, though alcoholism ultimately curtailed his career and claimed his life in 1991.
Albums