Biography
The Ray-O-Vacs, fronted by Lester Harris, first surfaced on the doo wop circuit in the opening weeks of March 1950. At that moment the Ames Brothers held the top spot with “Once Upon a Time” on Coral, and the label’s parent company Decca enlisted the Ray-O-Vacs to cut a competing version that moved a modest number of copies without threatening the original’s dominance. Decca next assigned the group the standard “Besame Mucho,” which moved briskly from summer through autumn. In November the company released what would prove its last Ray-O-Vacs side, spotlighting Harris on the double-sided single “I’ve Got Two Arms to Hold You” backed with “A Kiss in the Dark”—the group’s initial Decca outing pressed in the new 45-rpm format. Both sides found buyers in the R&B and pop markets, yet later releases failed to sustain momentum.
Harris departed soon afterward to pursue a solo contract with RCA Records and was succeeded by Herbert Milliner, who took the lead on the group’s final Decca recording, “Hands Across the Table,” issued in 1951. The following year the Ray-O-Vacs attempted to crack the pop field once more with “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano,” a song the Ink Spots had popularized earlier, but the effort likewise stalled. Decca dropped the act, which promptly signed with Jerry Blaine’s Jubilee imprint. November brought the first Jubilee coupling, “Start Loving Me” paired with “What Can I Say?,” pressed in both 78- and 45-rpm editions. In February 1953 the group played well-received engagements at Pep’s and the Club Bill & Lou in Philadelphia; the next month word arrived that founding member and former lead singer Lester Harris had died at age thirty-three.
A few months later the Pittsburgh Courier’s readers poll named the Ray-O-Vacs the top small-combo attraction, outpolling ensembles led by Paul Gayten and Louis Jordan. That same month the Gale Agency added the group to its roster, and by autumn the Ray-O-Vacs appeared on the Operation Music Show, a bill showcasing poll winners and benefiting the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. In April 1954 Jubilee shifted the act to its Josie subsidiary in hopes that proximity to label mates the Cadillacs and the Five Notes would boost visibility. The first Josie single, “Riding High” fronted by Milliner, drew little attention. The following summer Josie tried again with “Daddy,” sung by Babe Hutton, backed by “I Still Love You,” led by Herb Milliner; the label credited the release to Flap McQueen & the Ray-O-Vacs. In 1956 the independent Kaiser label issued “Crying All Alone” backed with “Party Time,” followed later that year by “Wino” backed with “Hong Kong.” The next year Atlantic’s Atco subsidiary reissued the latter pairing, marking the Ray-O-Vacs’ final release.
Harris departed soon afterward to pursue a solo contract with RCA Records and was succeeded by Herbert Milliner, who took the lead on the group’s final Decca recording, “Hands Across the Table,” issued in 1951. The following year the Ray-O-Vacs attempted to crack the pop field once more with “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano,” a song the Ink Spots had popularized earlier, but the effort likewise stalled. Decca dropped the act, which promptly signed with Jerry Blaine’s Jubilee imprint. November brought the first Jubilee coupling, “Start Loving Me” paired with “What Can I Say?,” pressed in both 78- and 45-rpm editions. In February 1953 the group played well-received engagements at Pep’s and the Club Bill & Lou in Philadelphia; the next month word arrived that founding member and former lead singer Lester Harris had died at age thirty-three.
A few months later the Pittsburgh Courier’s readers poll named the Ray-O-Vacs the top small-combo attraction, outpolling ensembles led by Paul Gayten and Louis Jordan. That same month the Gale Agency added the group to its roster, and by autumn the Ray-O-Vacs appeared on the Operation Music Show, a bill showcasing poll winners and benefiting the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. In April 1954 Jubilee shifted the act to its Josie subsidiary in hopes that proximity to label mates the Cadillacs and the Five Notes would boost visibility. The first Josie single, “Riding High” fronted by Milliner, drew little attention. The following summer Josie tried again with “Daddy,” sung by Babe Hutton, backed by “I Still Love You,” led by Herb Milliner; the label credited the release to Flap McQueen & the Ray-O-Vacs. In 1956 the independent Kaiser label issued “Crying All Alone” backed with “Party Time,” followed later that year by “Wino” backed with “Hong Kong.” The next year Atlantic’s Atco subsidiary reissued the latter pairing, marking the Ray-O-Vacs’ final release.
Singles
