Biography
Lead vocalist Vernon Green, born in Denver, Colorado, assembled the Medallions in Los Angeles, California, when record executive Dootsie Williams voiced admiration for his singing during a street encounter. Tenor Andrew Blue, baritone Randolph Bryant and bassist Ira Foley completed the lineup, selected to complement Green’s vocal strength, while the name reflected their leader’s preference for jewelry. Williams fulfilled the pledge by placing the act on Dootone Records, where their association opened with the single ‘The Letter’. Its flip side, ‘Buick 59’, gained strong Los Angeles airplay and prompted a series of automobile-themed releases that included ‘Coupe De Ville Baby’ and ‘59 Volvo’. Andrew Blue departed, replaced by Willy Graham, as the group expanded to a quintet in 1955 through the addition of Donald Woods. After issuing their third single, ‘Speedin’’, the quartet excluding Green split to form the Vel-Aires under a Flip Records contract. Green countered by recruiting Kenneth Williams and Frank Marshall for a new Medallions edition that issued ‘Only For You’. That configuration proved short-lived; Williams subsequently installed Green as lead singer of the Dootones while retaining the Medallions billing. Their initial joint outing backed Johnny Morisette on October 1955’s ‘My Pretty Baby’. One month later the group debuted independently with ‘Dear Darling’, followed by ‘I Want A Love’. Subsequent pressings carried the extended credit Vernon Green And The Medallions. Between 1956 and 1957 they released three singles on Dootone’s Dooto subsidiary, yet none charted despite ongoing personnel shifts. Green next formed the masked Phantoms for a brief Specialty Records stint before returning in 1957 to lead another Medallions lineup. Five additional singles appeared—three on Dooto, one on Minit and one on Pan World—while the act maintained an active touring schedule. Among these, the second release, ‘Magic Mountain’ backed with ‘59 Volvo’, stood out because a local disc jockey commissioned the latter track for his brother’s Volvo dealership. An automobile accident that sidelined Green halted activity for nine years. He resumed fronting the Medallions for the final Dooto single ‘Can You Talk’ in 1973 and again for a 1989 appearance at the first Doo-wop Society concert.
Albums
