Biography
In the early 1950s, lead vocalist Bill Courtney joined forces with backing singers Walter Gold, Robert Golden and Frank Mahoney while all four were enrolled at the University of Boston in Massachusetts, USA. They developed close harmonies purely for personal enjoyment, relying on whatever instrumental support happened to be within reach. Local audiences responded warmly, yet the quartet deliberately postponed any move into professional entertainment until their studies were complete. London Records placed them under contract in March 1956. Their release of “Look Homeward Angel” received substantial radio exposure, though Johnnie Ray’s competing rendition quickly overshadowed it. The carefully arranged “Love Me Forever,” which incorporated an obligato from a female session vocalist, encountered further obstacles when Eydie Gorme issued an American cover and Marion Ryan recorded a British counterpart. Even so, the track reached the Top 30 on both sides of the Atlantic. Free from similar competition, the 1958 single “Hideaway” duplicated that chart performance in the USA. The Esquires proved capable of drawing audiences to medium-sized halls and served reliably as support acts on larger bills, yet they registered no additional chart entries before disbanding in the early 1960s.
Albums
