Biography
Vocal groups specializing in blue-eyed soul around Detroit during the early 1950s and 1960s routinely showcased exceptional first tenor leads, a trait the Seminoles shared. Fronted by Joey Finazzo, the smooth harmonizers also featured Andy, Al, and Paul—last names unknown—and made their entrance in 1961 with the Go Gee Records coupling of “Open Your Eyes” and “True Love.” The local hopeful label’s release earned the group modest recognition and occasional airplay from area disc jockeys, yet generated little further impact.
After Roquel “Billy” Davis departed Anna Records to establish Checkmate Records, he offered the Seminoles an opportunity. “It Takes a Lot,” issued in May 1962, began attracting notice until Davis shuttered Checkmate to accept an A&R role at Chess Records—the company that had distributed both Anna and Checkmate—leaving the group adrift. Hi-Lite Records soon acquired the track and turned it into a regional success. Their follow-up on the same imprint, “Trouble in Mind” backed with “Have You Got Love,” failed to register. The act recorded once as the Embers for Act IV Records, issuing “Forever” b/w “You Can Lump It”; when that label folded without results, the master moved to Midtown Records for reissue under the Seminoles name. The single still found no traction, prompting the group’s dissolution. Finazzo subsequently performed with the New World Symphony on tour and joined the Larados, a lineup that also included Reflections lead singer Tony Micale, John Dean, and two founding Larados members.
After Roquel “Billy” Davis departed Anna Records to establish Checkmate Records, he offered the Seminoles an opportunity. “It Takes a Lot,” issued in May 1962, began attracting notice until Davis shuttered Checkmate to accept an A&R role at Chess Records—the company that had distributed both Anna and Checkmate—leaving the group adrift. Hi-Lite Records soon acquired the track and turned it into a regional success. Their follow-up on the same imprint, “Trouble in Mind” backed with “Have You Got Love,” failed to register. The act recorded once as the Embers for Act IV Records, issuing “Forever” b/w “You Can Lump It”; when that label folded without results, the master moved to Midtown Records for reissue under the Seminoles name. The single still found no traction, prompting the group’s dissolution. Finazzo subsequently performed with the New World Symphony on tour and joined the Larados, a lineup that also included Reflections lead singer Tony Micale, John Dean, and two founding Larados members.