Biography
The Dozier Boys occupy a modest place in the annals of R&B vocal ensembles yet played a significant role within Chicago’s south-side harmony scene, sustaining a twenty-five-year run that carried them from disciplined swing-era vocal blends to authentic rock-and-roll-era doo wop. They rank among the earliest artists Leonard and Phil Chess signed before the brothers achieved fame with blues performers, and they cut sides for numerous other prominent American imprints. Television spots punctuated their schedule, and they remained active on disc from 1948 through 1964.
During their extended tenure the Doziers collaborated with several musicians who later built major jazz reputations under new identities. While briefly affiliated with Okeh, the group worked alongside pianist Fritz Jones, who would achieve renown as Ahmad Jamal. Another member, Herman “Sonny” Blount, emerged after 1952 as Sun Ra and continued issuing recordings under that moniker for nearly four decades. Tenor saxophonist Bill Evans—no relation to the celebrated pianist of the same name—gained fame as Yusef Lateef, while Wes Montgomery also spent time performing with the ensemble.
The original lineup consisted of lead singer Lucius Teague, baritone Eugene Teague who also handled guitar and arrangements, first tenor Cornell Wiley who doubled on baritone and string bass, and bass vocalist Benny Cotton; they began as the Four Tones, performing gospel material at neighborhood clubs and hosting a radio program in Hammond, Indiana. Exposure to the Four Vagabonds brought coaching from that group’s lead singer, John Jordan, who schooled them in pop repertoire. Lucius Teague departed to pursue dance and acting studies, ultimately enlisting in the army for a thirty-year stint, and was succeeded by lead tenor and drummer Bill Minor. Financial backing and moral support came from Wiley’s stepfather, druggist Cyrus Dozier, prompting the ensemble to adopt his surname. Repeated victories on Chicago amateur contests eventually barred them from further competition. Between late 1947 and December 1948 they served as the official vocalists for Eugene Wright’s eleven-piece Dukes of Swing, whose tenor saxophonist was Bill Evans and whose music director, pianist, and arranger was Herman “Sonny” Blount. The Doziers maintained steady engagements, notably long residencies at the Beige Room in the Pershing Hotel basement, from autumn 1948 into mid-1950.
Willie Dixon, a family acquaintance of the Wileys, introduced the singers to Leonard Chess, then a managing partner at Aristocrat Records; Phil Chess still operated the Macomba Lounge and had not yet entered label operations. By the early fifties Leonard Chess was already adding local talent such as Muddy Waters, who had become Chicago’s premier blues entertainer and was ascending toward legendary status. On their initial 1948 Aristocrat 78s the Doziers performed their own instrumental parts and added Blount as session pianist; many releases appeared under the billing “Andrew Tibbs and the Dozier Boys” with Sax Mallard’s Combo, the leads shared by Tibbs and Benny Cotton. Eugene Wright exited around Christmas 1948 to join the Count Basie Band.
The Doziers continued issuing Aristocrat sides while holding a year-long engagement at the Beige Room after the Dukes of Swing disbanded, and on 25 June 1950 they appeared in the “Session in Progress: Ragtime & Swing” concert that featured the returning Eugene Wright. They also became regulars on the WBKB program “Spotlight Talent,” a weekly hour hosted by Chicago disc jockey Al “Old Swingmaster” Benson; the show was Chicago’s first all-Black television program and lasted only one season.
Mid-1950 brought their debut on the newly launched Chess label, making them its first vocal group; Bill Minor and Benny Cotton alternated lead duties on those recordings. Local work persisted with appearances at Joe’s Rendezvous in late summer and a midnight “4 Star Frolics” presentation at the 4 Star Theater. After Cotton entered military service the group recruited Mifflin “Pee Wee” Branford, previously with the Cats and the Fiddle from 1942—when he replaced Tiny Grimes—until 1948, to handle lead tenor and guitar.
Chess reissued the Doziers’ “All I Need Is You” in October 1950, hoping recent vocal-group successes by the Orioles and the Clovers would revive airplay, yet the effort failed. With the Chess brothers occupied by their Checker subsidiary, the Doziers signed in 1951 with Chicago’s Okeh, the Columbia subsidiary seeking to strengthen its R&B roster. Okeh’s A&R executive Ed Kissak deemed their sound excessively “white,” however, and no sides reached the public.
The singers reworked their approach and joined the independent United label in August 1952, though the quartet of Teague, Branford, Minor, and Wiley produced no new releases until 1953. By then Benny Cotton had completed his army duty and the ensemble had grown to a quintet billed as the “Five Dozier Boys.” They toured with the “Hollywood in Harlem Revue” alongside Pigmeat Markham and Timmie Rogers. Following a family bereavement, Pee Wee returned to Chicago; his temporary replacement was Wes Montgomery, who stayed only weeks until Branford could resume his post.
In 1955 the Doziers earned first place on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts Show with their rendition of “I Ain’t Got Nobody.” Subsequent sessions for ABC-Paramount yielded nothing issued. Branford departed in 1956 and later joined 3 Sharps and a Flat; non-singing pianist Truxton Kingslow took his place but soon married a Minnesota woman and withdrew. Nineteen-year-old non-singing vibes player Joe Boyce succeeded him. Around the same period Bill Minor married and exited, replaced by seventeen-year-old high tenor and tenor saxophonist Frank “Red” Bell. Cotton thereafter concentrated on drums, his original instrument.
For roughly six months the group performed as the Bel-Aires, a name absent from any recordings. Fall 1957 brought a Fraternity Records session; Boyce left the following year to attend college and was replaced first by Pete Hatch and later by pianist Bobby Blevins. Arrangements during this era were shaped by Teague and Dave Barber of the Four Freshmen, requiring frequent revisions amid personnel shifts.
The revised lineup recorded for Apt, an ABC-Paramount subsidiary, yet shortly afterward Eugene Teague suffered a fatal kidney collapse onstage. Activity ceased for six months while Wiley assumed leadership and arranging duties, training replacements and managing bookings. Blevins came and went; in his absence the Doziers occasionally performed as a trio or substituted guitarist Ben White. Circa 1960 they affiliated with Janie Records and stayed until 1964, adopting alternate names such as “The Moving Times.” In the sixties Pee Wee Branford fell two stories, fractured his back, and later took his own life while despondent over paralysis.
The U.S. Army contacted the group in 1967 seeking additional Black entertainers for USO duty in Vietnam. Bell and Blevins declined, so Clifford Scott on tenor sax, trumpet, and piano and guitarist Jerry Hubbard, who also sang tenor, stepped in. The Vietnamese government enlisted the Moving Times to instruct local performers; the musicians resided for a time in Da Nang.
Returning stateside in 1970, they briefly reverted to the Dozier Boys name for a handful of engagements before disbanding after twenty-four years. Frank Bell, Lucius Teague, Wes Montgomery (1925–1968), Pete Hatch, and Truxton Kingslow have all passed away. Cornell Wiley has performed with the Bob Allen trio since 1973 and instructs string bass at Dennison University. Benny Cotton has played with the polka band the Impromptus. As of 2001 the surviving members included Bobby Blevins, Bill Minor, Jerry Hubbard, and Joe Boyce, who served as Senior Editor for the Wall Street Journal.
During their extended tenure the Doziers collaborated with several musicians who later built major jazz reputations under new identities. While briefly affiliated with Okeh, the group worked alongside pianist Fritz Jones, who would achieve renown as Ahmad Jamal. Another member, Herman “Sonny” Blount, emerged after 1952 as Sun Ra and continued issuing recordings under that moniker for nearly four decades. Tenor saxophonist Bill Evans—no relation to the celebrated pianist of the same name—gained fame as Yusef Lateef, while Wes Montgomery also spent time performing with the ensemble.
The original lineup consisted of lead singer Lucius Teague, baritone Eugene Teague who also handled guitar and arrangements, first tenor Cornell Wiley who doubled on baritone and string bass, and bass vocalist Benny Cotton; they began as the Four Tones, performing gospel material at neighborhood clubs and hosting a radio program in Hammond, Indiana. Exposure to the Four Vagabonds brought coaching from that group’s lead singer, John Jordan, who schooled them in pop repertoire. Lucius Teague departed to pursue dance and acting studies, ultimately enlisting in the army for a thirty-year stint, and was succeeded by lead tenor and drummer Bill Minor. Financial backing and moral support came from Wiley’s stepfather, druggist Cyrus Dozier, prompting the ensemble to adopt his surname. Repeated victories on Chicago amateur contests eventually barred them from further competition. Between late 1947 and December 1948 they served as the official vocalists for Eugene Wright’s eleven-piece Dukes of Swing, whose tenor saxophonist was Bill Evans and whose music director, pianist, and arranger was Herman “Sonny” Blount. The Doziers maintained steady engagements, notably long residencies at the Beige Room in the Pershing Hotel basement, from autumn 1948 into mid-1950.
Willie Dixon, a family acquaintance of the Wileys, introduced the singers to Leonard Chess, then a managing partner at Aristocrat Records; Phil Chess still operated the Macomba Lounge and had not yet entered label operations. By the early fifties Leonard Chess was already adding local talent such as Muddy Waters, who had become Chicago’s premier blues entertainer and was ascending toward legendary status. On their initial 1948 Aristocrat 78s the Doziers performed their own instrumental parts and added Blount as session pianist; many releases appeared under the billing “Andrew Tibbs and the Dozier Boys” with Sax Mallard’s Combo, the leads shared by Tibbs and Benny Cotton. Eugene Wright exited around Christmas 1948 to join the Count Basie Band.
The Doziers continued issuing Aristocrat sides while holding a year-long engagement at the Beige Room after the Dukes of Swing disbanded, and on 25 June 1950 they appeared in the “Session in Progress: Ragtime & Swing” concert that featured the returning Eugene Wright. They also became regulars on the WBKB program “Spotlight Talent,” a weekly hour hosted by Chicago disc jockey Al “Old Swingmaster” Benson; the show was Chicago’s first all-Black television program and lasted only one season.
Mid-1950 brought their debut on the newly launched Chess label, making them its first vocal group; Bill Minor and Benny Cotton alternated lead duties on those recordings. Local work persisted with appearances at Joe’s Rendezvous in late summer and a midnight “4 Star Frolics” presentation at the 4 Star Theater. After Cotton entered military service the group recruited Mifflin “Pee Wee” Branford, previously with the Cats and the Fiddle from 1942—when he replaced Tiny Grimes—until 1948, to handle lead tenor and guitar.
Chess reissued the Doziers’ “All I Need Is You” in October 1950, hoping recent vocal-group successes by the Orioles and the Clovers would revive airplay, yet the effort failed. With the Chess brothers occupied by their Checker subsidiary, the Doziers signed in 1951 with Chicago’s Okeh, the Columbia subsidiary seeking to strengthen its R&B roster. Okeh’s A&R executive Ed Kissak deemed their sound excessively “white,” however, and no sides reached the public.
The singers reworked their approach and joined the independent United label in August 1952, though the quartet of Teague, Branford, Minor, and Wiley produced no new releases until 1953. By then Benny Cotton had completed his army duty and the ensemble had grown to a quintet billed as the “Five Dozier Boys.” They toured with the “Hollywood in Harlem Revue” alongside Pigmeat Markham and Timmie Rogers. Following a family bereavement, Pee Wee returned to Chicago; his temporary replacement was Wes Montgomery, who stayed only weeks until Branford could resume his post.
In 1955 the Doziers earned first place on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts Show with their rendition of “I Ain’t Got Nobody.” Subsequent sessions for ABC-Paramount yielded nothing issued. Branford departed in 1956 and later joined 3 Sharps and a Flat; non-singing pianist Truxton Kingslow took his place but soon married a Minnesota woman and withdrew. Nineteen-year-old non-singing vibes player Joe Boyce succeeded him. Around the same period Bill Minor married and exited, replaced by seventeen-year-old high tenor and tenor saxophonist Frank “Red” Bell. Cotton thereafter concentrated on drums, his original instrument.
For roughly six months the group performed as the Bel-Aires, a name absent from any recordings. Fall 1957 brought a Fraternity Records session; Boyce left the following year to attend college and was replaced first by Pete Hatch and later by pianist Bobby Blevins. Arrangements during this era were shaped by Teague and Dave Barber of the Four Freshmen, requiring frequent revisions amid personnel shifts.
The revised lineup recorded for Apt, an ABC-Paramount subsidiary, yet shortly afterward Eugene Teague suffered a fatal kidney collapse onstage. Activity ceased for six months while Wiley assumed leadership and arranging duties, training replacements and managing bookings. Blevins came and went; in his absence the Doziers occasionally performed as a trio or substituted guitarist Ben White. Circa 1960 they affiliated with Janie Records and stayed until 1964, adopting alternate names such as “The Moving Times.” In the sixties Pee Wee Branford fell two stories, fractured his back, and later took his own life while despondent over paralysis.
The U.S. Army contacted the group in 1967 seeking additional Black entertainers for USO duty in Vietnam. Bell and Blevins declined, so Clifford Scott on tenor sax, trumpet, and piano and guitarist Jerry Hubbard, who also sang tenor, stepped in. The Vietnamese government enlisted the Moving Times to instruct local performers; the musicians resided for a time in Da Nang.
Returning stateside in 1970, they briefly reverted to the Dozier Boys name for a handful of engagements before disbanding after twenty-four years. Frank Bell, Lucius Teague, Wes Montgomery (1925–1968), Pete Hatch, and Truxton Kingslow have all passed away. Cornell Wiley has performed with the Bob Allen trio since 1973 and instructs string bass at Dennison University. Benny Cotton has played with the polka band the Impromptus. As of 2001 the surviving members included Bobby Blevins, Bill Minor, Jerry Hubbard, and Joe Boyce, who served as Senior Editor for the Wall Street Journal.