Biography
The El Dorados ranked among Vee Jay's foremost R&B vocal ensembles. Their original roster enjoyed only a brief span of activity, highlighted by the major 1955 crossover smash "At My Front Door," which climbed to number 17 on the pop charts while claiming the top R&B position for 18 weeks. Just one further chart entry materialized, the 1956 single "I'll Be Forever Loving You," before the lineup's first dissolution in 1959. Later rosters and assorted renamings produced no additional hits, although the act maintained live performances into the 1980s.
Five singers formed the core when the group coalesced in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood on the south side in 1952, still students at Englewood High School (also attended by the Moroccos): Pirkle Lee Moses Jr. on lead, Louis Bradley handling tenor, Jewel Jones covering second tenor and baritone, James Maddox alternating baritone and bass, and Robert Glasper supplying bass. Initially billed as the Five Stars, they attracted the interest of Johnny Moore, the school's custodian, who became their manager after recognizing their potential.
Shortly after graduation in 1954, Moses and Glasper enlisted via the Air Force's 90-day active-duty program. Moses returned to the group, yet Glasper stayed in service. Arthur Bassett stepped in temporarily on tenor for Moses, while Richard Nickens replaced Glasper on bass, expanding the Five Stars to six voices and prompting a name shift. Plans to adopt the Cardinals were abandoned amid a wave of car-model monikers; unable to use Cadillacs, they drew inspiration from the El Dorado, the luxury two-door variant of that marque.
Local Chicago disc jockey Al Benson of WWCA noticed the ensemble after they captured first prize at a talent contest held at the Club De Lisa. Impressed by their harmonic blend, Benson secured them an audition at Vee Jay's contest for amateur acts at the Park City Skating Rink, where they bested the label's own Spaniels and earned a recording contract.
Their debut single, the bluesy ballad "My Loving Baby," appeared in September 1954 and sold well regionally. The follow-up found the group supporting Hazel McCollum on "Annie's Answer," Vee Jay's entry in the "Annie" cycle launched by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. Bassett soon departed for the Air Force, reducing the sextet back to a quintet. Vee Jay issued "At My Front Door" in the third week of September 1955; it entered the Billboard R&B charts on September 24 and the Top 100 on October 15. Al Duricati's driving drum pattern and an energetic sax solo propelled the track, while Moses Jr.'s "baby talk" section near the close added further momentum. The line about the "crazy little mama" achieved lasting recognition comparable to the Annie saga, and by year's end the single stood at number 17 pop and number one R&B. Pat Boone's cover later reached number seven on the pop side.
December's second week brought the release of their next single, "I'll Be Forever Lovin' You" (previously cut unreleased by the Rip Chords). Though the track incorporated jazz, pop, and R&B flavors and reached number eight R&B in February 1956, it failed to register on pop listings. Nickens exited soon afterward, leaving the El Dorados as a quartet. Several subsequent singles enjoyed scattered local success without matching earlier peaks. "Tears on My Pillow," distinct from the Little Anthony and the Imperials hit, marked the final recording by the original members; shortly after its release, Pirkle Moses Jr. parted ways with the group over management differences.
Moses Jr. promptly joined the Kool Gents, another Vee Jay act left without a frontman after Dee Clark launched a solo career. He combined with John McCall on tenor, Douglas Brown on second tenor, Teddy Long on second tenor and baritone, and Johnny Carter on bass to create the New El Dorados. Two 1958 Vee Jay singles failed to sell, leading to a financial dispute and eventual disbandment.
Meanwhile Jones, Bradley, and Maddox recruited Marvin Smith as their new lead. Smith had relocated with his family to Chicago's west side in the late 1940s, attended Crane High, and performed on street corners and in church choirs before assuming the vocal role. To sidestep Vee Jay legal issues, the act recorded 1958's "A Lonely Boy" for Academy Records of Chicago under the name Those Four El Dorados, with Jewel Jones credited as J-u-e-l-l. The quartet later moved to the West Coast and aligned with former NBA player Don Barksdale's Rhythm Record Company in Oakland, adopting the Tempos moniker before returning to Chicago and splitting in 1961.
Smith subsequently became lead singer for the Artistics on Okeh and Brunswick, delivering R&B charters such as "I'm Gonna Miss You" (number 55 pop, number nine R&B in 1966) and "Girl I Need You" (number 69 pop, number 26 R&B in 1967). Johnny Carter sought to sustain the El Dorados name by assembling another New El Dorados lineup in late 1959 with McCall, Danny Edwards, and Eugene Huff, formerly of the Valquins; that configuration lasted until 1965. Carter attempted a further revival in 1971 alongside Huff, Spence Goulsby Jr., and Lee Toussaint on lead for two Paula sides, yet the unit dissolved by the early 1980s.
Moses Jr. cut "It's Time" with an unnamed group billed as the Squires on Boss in 1963 and later issued a solo track titled The Docks. In 1965 he united with Melvin Morrow and George Prager, both late of the Moroccos, to form the Major Minors. The trio reclaimed the El Dorados name in 1969 for a Torrid Records single. Moses Jr. then withdrew for nearly a decade before resurfacing with another edition featuring tenor Norman Palm from the Pastels on United, second tenor Billy Henderson, baritone George Prayer, and bassist Anthony Charles. Around 1985 Henderson departed and Charles passed away; Eugene Huff and Larry Johnson of the Moroccos filled the vacancies, and the lineup recorded a ballad for Delano Records in 1987. This final configuration drew members from four Chicago-area groups: the Pastels, the Moroccos, the Kool Gents, and the El Dorados. Original lead vocalist Pirkle Lee Moses Jr. died on December 26, 2000.
Five singers formed the core when the group coalesced in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood on the south side in 1952, still students at Englewood High School (also attended by the Moroccos): Pirkle Lee Moses Jr. on lead, Louis Bradley handling tenor, Jewel Jones covering second tenor and baritone, James Maddox alternating baritone and bass, and Robert Glasper supplying bass. Initially billed as the Five Stars, they attracted the interest of Johnny Moore, the school's custodian, who became their manager after recognizing their potential.
Shortly after graduation in 1954, Moses and Glasper enlisted via the Air Force's 90-day active-duty program. Moses returned to the group, yet Glasper stayed in service. Arthur Bassett stepped in temporarily on tenor for Moses, while Richard Nickens replaced Glasper on bass, expanding the Five Stars to six voices and prompting a name shift. Plans to adopt the Cardinals were abandoned amid a wave of car-model monikers; unable to use Cadillacs, they drew inspiration from the El Dorado, the luxury two-door variant of that marque.
Local Chicago disc jockey Al Benson of WWCA noticed the ensemble after they captured first prize at a talent contest held at the Club De Lisa. Impressed by their harmonic blend, Benson secured them an audition at Vee Jay's contest for amateur acts at the Park City Skating Rink, where they bested the label's own Spaniels and earned a recording contract.
Their debut single, the bluesy ballad "My Loving Baby," appeared in September 1954 and sold well regionally. The follow-up found the group supporting Hazel McCollum on "Annie's Answer," Vee Jay's entry in the "Annie" cycle launched by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. Bassett soon departed for the Air Force, reducing the sextet back to a quintet. Vee Jay issued "At My Front Door" in the third week of September 1955; it entered the Billboard R&B charts on September 24 and the Top 100 on October 15. Al Duricati's driving drum pattern and an energetic sax solo propelled the track, while Moses Jr.'s "baby talk" section near the close added further momentum. The line about the "crazy little mama" achieved lasting recognition comparable to the Annie saga, and by year's end the single stood at number 17 pop and number one R&B. Pat Boone's cover later reached number seven on the pop side.
December's second week brought the release of their next single, "I'll Be Forever Lovin' You" (previously cut unreleased by the Rip Chords). Though the track incorporated jazz, pop, and R&B flavors and reached number eight R&B in February 1956, it failed to register on pop listings. Nickens exited soon afterward, leaving the El Dorados as a quartet. Several subsequent singles enjoyed scattered local success without matching earlier peaks. "Tears on My Pillow," distinct from the Little Anthony and the Imperials hit, marked the final recording by the original members; shortly after its release, Pirkle Moses Jr. parted ways with the group over management differences.
Moses Jr. promptly joined the Kool Gents, another Vee Jay act left without a frontman after Dee Clark launched a solo career. He combined with John McCall on tenor, Douglas Brown on second tenor, Teddy Long on second tenor and baritone, and Johnny Carter on bass to create the New El Dorados. Two 1958 Vee Jay singles failed to sell, leading to a financial dispute and eventual disbandment.
Meanwhile Jones, Bradley, and Maddox recruited Marvin Smith as their new lead. Smith had relocated with his family to Chicago's west side in the late 1940s, attended Crane High, and performed on street corners and in church choirs before assuming the vocal role. To sidestep Vee Jay legal issues, the act recorded 1958's "A Lonely Boy" for Academy Records of Chicago under the name Those Four El Dorados, with Jewel Jones credited as J-u-e-l-l. The quartet later moved to the West Coast and aligned with former NBA player Don Barksdale's Rhythm Record Company in Oakland, adopting the Tempos moniker before returning to Chicago and splitting in 1961.
Smith subsequently became lead singer for the Artistics on Okeh and Brunswick, delivering R&B charters such as "I'm Gonna Miss You" (number 55 pop, number nine R&B in 1966) and "Girl I Need You" (number 69 pop, number 26 R&B in 1967). Johnny Carter sought to sustain the El Dorados name by assembling another New El Dorados lineup in late 1959 with McCall, Danny Edwards, and Eugene Huff, formerly of the Valquins; that configuration lasted until 1965. Carter attempted a further revival in 1971 alongside Huff, Spence Goulsby Jr., and Lee Toussaint on lead for two Paula sides, yet the unit dissolved by the early 1980s.
Moses Jr. cut "It's Time" with an unnamed group billed as the Squires on Boss in 1963 and later issued a solo track titled The Docks. In 1965 he united with Melvin Morrow and George Prager, both late of the Moroccos, to form the Major Minors. The trio reclaimed the El Dorados name in 1969 for a Torrid Records single. Moses Jr. then withdrew for nearly a decade before resurfacing with another edition featuring tenor Norman Palm from the Pastels on United, second tenor Billy Henderson, baritone George Prayer, and bassist Anthony Charles. Around 1985 Henderson departed and Charles passed away; Eugene Huff and Larry Johnson of the Moroccos filled the vacancies, and the lineup recorded a ballad for Delano Records in 1987. This final configuration drew members from four Chicago-area groups: the Pastels, the Moroccos, the Kool Gents, and the El Dorados. Original lead vocalist Pirkle Lee Moses Jr. died on December 26, 2000.
Albums
