Ollie & The Nightingales

Formed in Memphis, this ensemble boasted several skilled lead singers but registered far less commercial impact than many fellow acts on the Stax label. Ollie Nightingale, born Ollie Hoskins, joined Quincy Clifton Billops, Jr., Nelson Lesure, Bill Davis, and Rochester Neal in the original lineup. Billops had previously sung with the Mad Lads. Their strongest release, “I Got a Sure Thing,” surfaced in 1968 and reached the R&B Top 20, remaining their solitary hit. Nightingale exited in 1970, at which point Sir Mack Rice took his place. Three years later Neal, Billops, and Davis regrouped as the Ovations.