Biography
Many doo-wop and R&B ensembles originated by harmonizing throughout Brooklyn’s Crown Heights section in New York, USA, and this short-lived outfit was assembled by lead singer Billy Dawn Smith, his baritone-singing brother Tommy Smith, tenor Donnie Myles, and bass Sonny Benton. Future producer Al Browne supplied piano and filled in on baritone when required. Their opening release, ‘This Is The Real Thing Now’, surfaced on the modest Decatur Records imprint in 1952 yet attracted no buyers, prompting the quartet to switch to Duke Records. There they issued ‘Why Can’t I Have You’ during the summer of 1952, credited on that occasion as the Mighty Dukes rather than the Billy Dawn Quartette. The following year they recorded under the name Four Dukes, delivering a brisk reading of ‘Crying In The Chapel’ in September 1953 that enjoyed healthy local sales despite a rival version by the Orioles. Duke Records nevertheless declined to pick up their option, much to the singers’ surprise. A fourth single and a fourth billing arrived in September 1954 when Herald Records put out ‘Eternal Love’ under the name the Heralds. Concurrently Billy Dawn Smith secured an A&R post at this third label, which allowed him to supply backing vocals for several Ember and Herald artists in the studio. He soon decided his future lay in songwriting instead of performing, and the Heralds disbanded in 1956 without making further records, although they had maintained a steady presence on the Spotlight On Harlem television program in the meantime. Billy Dawn later placed compositions with the Crests, Five Satins, and Passions while also co-founding Hull Records. Myles subsequently joined the Victorians.