Biography
The Moroccos originated in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood on the city’s south side, an area that had already given rise to both the El Dorados and the Dukays. Their cover of Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow” achieved national reach while becoming a major regional success. Around 1952 the core lineup of Norman Bradford on lead, Prayer “George” Kemp on baritone, Fred Martin on bass, Melvin Morrow on tenor, and Lawrence Johnson on tenor came together. Kemp, born with the surname Prayer yet performing under his father’s given name George, served as the group’s primary spokesman and leader; he approached Leo Allen of United Records to discuss a contract. Shortly beforehand Johnson departed, and Bradford, who needed to leave the Chicago vicinity for undisclosed reasons, enlisted in the Army. Kemp quickly brought Ralph Vernon aboard as a replacement. (Johnson would later sing with the little-known 1970s ensemble the Majestic Arrows.)
Their initial United session in autumn 1954 proved disappointing. Now operating under the name the Four Chimes, the singers cut “Easy Baby” and “When Was My Baby Born,” the latter derived from the traditional spiritual “The Last Month of the Year.” United shelved the sides, and Allen concurred with the group that both a fifth voice and an extra lead singer were required. They enlisted Sollie McElroy, the Flamingos’ lead vocalist since 1952 and a resident of nearby Douglas. McElroy sought a change after growing dissatisfied within that ensemble; already in his twenties while the others remained teenagers, he nevertheless integrated smoothly. A January 1955 session followed, during which a studio musician’s maracas prompted the adoption of the name Moroccos. The date produced the dance number “Chicken,” issued as the group’s debut single; it garnered limited airplay yet never charted.
A May 1955 date yielded McElroy’s reading of “(Somewhere) Over the Rainbow.” Issued in October, the record scored a double-sided regional hit in Chicago, while the Arlen tune secured the Moroccos their initial national exposure. Although the single’s popularity might have supported live bookings, the group had already committed to an eight-week Australian tour with Larry Steele’s Smart Affairs revue after auditioning as the Harlem Blackbirds. Each member received a weekly $150 per diem throughout the engagement.
Returning to Chicago in mid-February 1956, underage high-schooler Vernon rejoined for a Midwest circuit that included shared bills with the Coasters, the Flamingos, the Danderliers, and the Dells; the Moroccos also provided backing for Lilian Brooks on a King Records date. A final United session scheduled for late July was disrupted when Kemp enlisted in the Marines and Calvin Baron stepped in. The resulting recordings included two releases, among them “What Is a Teenager’s Prayer,” later a success for Joe Simon. By then United’s impending closure prevented effective promotion. A subsequent Salem Records session likewise failed to gain traction, prompting the group’s dissolution.
Vernon and Martin followed Kemp into the Marines while Morrow entered the Army. Only McElroy and Baron sustained musical activity, albeit sporadically. McElroy joined the Chaunteurs in 1961; near the decade’s end Baron became a member of Sun Ra’s Cosmic Rays. In the late 1960s Kemp and Morrow united with former El Dorados frontman Pirkle Lee Moses in the Major-Minors, releasing a single on Detroit’s Scat label. When they recorded for Al Smith’s Torrid imprint in 1970, Smith required the familiar El Dorados name; the ensemble soon disbanded. Moses and Kemp participated in another El Dorados revival during the 1980s.
Around 1982 McElroy assembled a new Moroccos lineup that included original member Lawrence Johnson, Fred Martin, and ex-El Dorados singer Richard Nickens. No recordings materialized, and meager earnings from occasional performances led to the group’s end upon Martin’s death in 1986. Johnson later sang with a revived El Dorados aggregation before passing away in 1998. Morrow died in 1982, Kemp in 1992, and McElroy in 1995.
Their initial United session in autumn 1954 proved disappointing. Now operating under the name the Four Chimes, the singers cut “Easy Baby” and “When Was My Baby Born,” the latter derived from the traditional spiritual “The Last Month of the Year.” United shelved the sides, and Allen concurred with the group that both a fifth voice and an extra lead singer were required. They enlisted Sollie McElroy, the Flamingos’ lead vocalist since 1952 and a resident of nearby Douglas. McElroy sought a change after growing dissatisfied within that ensemble; already in his twenties while the others remained teenagers, he nevertheless integrated smoothly. A January 1955 session followed, during which a studio musician’s maracas prompted the adoption of the name Moroccos. The date produced the dance number “Chicken,” issued as the group’s debut single; it garnered limited airplay yet never charted.
A May 1955 date yielded McElroy’s reading of “(Somewhere) Over the Rainbow.” Issued in October, the record scored a double-sided regional hit in Chicago, while the Arlen tune secured the Moroccos their initial national exposure. Although the single’s popularity might have supported live bookings, the group had already committed to an eight-week Australian tour with Larry Steele’s Smart Affairs revue after auditioning as the Harlem Blackbirds. Each member received a weekly $150 per diem throughout the engagement.
Returning to Chicago in mid-February 1956, underage high-schooler Vernon rejoined for a Midwest circuit that included shared bills with the Coasters, the Flamingos, the Danderliers, and the Dells; the Moroccos also provided backing for Lilian Brooks on a King Records date. A final United session scheduled for late July was disrupted when Kemp enlisted in the Marines and Calvin Baron stepped in. The resulting recordings included two releases, among them “What Is a Teenager’s Prayer,” later a success for Joe Simon. By then United’s impending closure prevented effective promotion. A subsequent Salem Records session likewise failed to gain traction, prompting the group’s dissolution.
Vernon and Martin followed Kemp into the Marines while Morrow entered the Army. Only McElroy and Baron sustained musical activity, albeit sporadically. McElroy joined the Chaunteurs in 1961; near the decade’s end Baron became a member of Sun Ra’s Cosmic Rays. In the late 1960s Kemp and Morrow united with former El Dorados frontman Pirkle Lee Moses in the Major-Minors, releasing a single on Detroit’s Scat label. When they recorded for Al Smith’s Torrid imprint in 1970, Smith required the familiar El Dorados name; the ensemble soon disbanded. Moses and Kemp participated in another El Dorados revival during the 1980s.
Around 1982 McElroy assembled a new Moroccos lineup that included original member Lawrence Johnson, Fred Martin, and ex-El Dorados singer Richard Nickens. No recordings materialized, and meager earnings from occasional performances led to the group’s end upon Martin’s death in 1986. Johnson later sang with a revived El Dorados aggregation before passing away in 1998. Morrow died in 1982, Kemp in 1992, and McElroy in 1995.
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