Biography
The Carltons, consisting of James Leon Diggs, Larry Bell, and Jerry Norris and hailing from Washington, D.C., represented Chess Records' attempt to replicate the Impressions' appeal. Although Diggs maintained an existing contract with the label alongside Richard Dunbar under the Knight Brothers name, A&R director Billy Davis found his songwriting talents compelling enough to offer the group a separate agreement. Their styles diverged sharply: the Knight Brothers delivered emotionally gripping, down-home soul laced with heavy gospel elements, whereas the Carltons produced breezy, soulful recordings that evoked second-tier Impressions acts.
Andy Mack's early 1964 Chess release, "Later Than You Think" b/w "Do You Wanna Go," included the Carltons as backing support and proved unsuccessful. Their own debut single, "Ooo Baby" b/w "Can't You Hear the Beat," followed in May 1964. Diggs moved fluidly between the two projects based on whichever showed activity at the moment, yet neither achieved lasting traction and thus avoided any scheduling clashes. Their September 1964 outing, "Hey Mr. Lonesome" b/w "Easy Livin'," generated the strongest response, though it functioned purely as a turntable hit with limited sales relative to its airplay.
All Carltons material appeared on Chess's Argo subsidiary, and their last single emerged in October 1964—the same month the Knight Brothers cut their initial Chicago recording. Earlier sides had been tracked in D.C. and New York. The lone Carltons release not authored by Diggs, "I'm a Man" b/w "Keep on Hoping," credited Shena De Mell and Sugar Pie DiSanto on both sides with Billy Davis assisting on the A-side; it mirrored the commercial fate of Andy Mack's earlier effort. The group subsequently departed the label. Coincidentally, the Knight Brothers' "Temptations 'Bout to Get Me," released that same month as the Carltons' final single, stood as the duo's most notable success. Diggs had previously appeared with the Starfires on a pair of late-'50s Decca singles.
Andy Mack's early 1964 Chess release, "Later Than You Think" b/w "Do You Wanna Go," included the Carltons as backing support and proved unsuccessful. Their own debut single, "Ooo Baby" b/w "Can't You Hear the Beat," followed in May 1964. Diggs moved fluidly between the two projects based on whichever showed activity at the moment, yet neither achieved lasting traction and thus avoided any scheduling clashes. Their September 1964 outing, "Hey Mr. Lonesome" b/w "Easy Livin'," generated the strongest response, though it functioned purely as a turntable hit with limited sales relative to its airplay.
All Carltons material appeared on Chess's Argo subsidiary, and their last single emerged in October 1964—the same month the Knight Brothers cut their initial Chicago recording. Earlier sides had been tracked in D.C. and New York. The lone Carltons release not authored by Diggs, "I'm a Man" b/w "Keep on Hoping," credited Shena De Mell and Sugar Pie DiSanto on both sides with Billy Davis assisting on the A-side; it mirrored the commercial fate of Andy Mack's earlier effort. The group subsequently departed the label. Coincidentally, the Knight Brothers' "Temptations 'Bout to Get Me," released that same month as the Carltons' final single, stood as the duo's most notable success. Diggs had previously appeared with the Starfires on a pair of late-'50s Decca singles.