Roamers

R&B vocal group the Roamers came together in Jersey City, New Jersey, during 1953. Marv Goldberg’s September 1999 Discoveries profile lists the original members as lead singer James Ricketts, tenor Billy Williams, baritone Sam Walton, and bass Judge Taylor. First known as the Four Flames, they soon changed their name to the Roamers in clear homage to the Drifters. After a failed 1954 audition for Atlantic, they joined the Savoy roster and cut their first sides toward the end of that year, introducing the Taylor-penned “Deep Freeze.” During the same date they supplied backing vocals for Wilbert Harrison’s “Women and Whiskey,” which appeared in early 1955. Once “Deep Freeze” climbed into the Philadelphia-area Top 20 the quartet began touring, sharing bills with both Harrison and Latin bandleader Joe Loco. Their second Savoy release, “Chop Chop Ching a Ling,” arrived in the spring, and the same session found them supporting Varetta Dillard on “You’re the Answer to My Prayer.” That proved to be their final recording date, even though their Savoy contract remained in force until 1958. The Roamers kept performing with Harrison until the unit disbanded in 1959. Williams and Ricketts then recorded for Sue under the name Billy & Ricky, releasing the overlooked singles “Mama Papa Please” and “How You Sound.” In 1962 the pair rejoined Walton to form the Astronauts, yet the only product of the reunion was an unreleased demo before the trio parted ways two years later.