Jimmy Briscoe

The original lineup of Jimmy Briscoe & the Little Beavers consisted of Jimmy Briscoe, Stanford Stansberry, Kevin Barnes, Maurice Pulley, and Robert Makins, with Bobby Finch stepping in for Makins during 1977. Hailing from Jersey City, New Jersey, the ensemble first reached record racks in the autumn of 1971 via Atlantic Records, delivering a cover of Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Their manager and mentor Paul Kyser handled production duties on that track and its B-side, "Sugar Brown."

No further Atlantic material ever surfaced; instead, the follow-up single "Together, Together (We'll Make a Way)" arrived on J City Records in 1972. Between 1973 and 1976 the Pi Kappa label issued six additional sides that earned strong local and regional support, among them "My Ebony Princess," "Where Were You," and "I Only Feel This Way When I'm Near You." Despite that reception, none generated sufficient sales to secure a slot on the nationally televised Soul Train.

Once Finch arrived, the group shortened its name to Jimmy Briscoe & the Beavers and recorded the energetic disco number "Invitation to the World" for Wanderick Records in 1977. Kyser arranged a licensing agreement with TK Records, yet the added distribution failed to propel the release. Their last effort, the atmospheric "Into the Milky Way" mixed by Bobby Guttadaro, appeared on Salsoul Records in the summer of 1979. When that single likewise failed to generate widespread interest, the members disbanded and moved on to other pursuits.