Biography
From 1966 until 1987 the Topics maintained a steady presence by cutting material almost exclusively for modest New York imprints. Originally operating as the Uniteds, the quartet inked a 1965 contract with Chess Records that listed Ronald McCoy, Vaughn Curtis, Wesley "Bobby" Adams, and Gerald Jones. Richard and Bobby Poindexter produced the act’s initial Chess demo, although “Come Back Baby” and “Baby, Baby Yes I Love You” were never issued, so the musicians departed after only four months.
Reduced to a trio of McCoy, Curtis, and Adams, the singers joined Joe Evans’ Carnival/Chadwick roster under the name the Cymbals. Evans preferred that moniker for another ensemble, however, forcing the switch to the Topics. Their 1966 Carnival debut “I Don’t Have to Cry” failed to register on the charts, as did the 1967 follow-up “Hey Girl Where Are You Going,” which introduced new member Charles “Charlie” Stodghill. After two years of inactivity and Evans’ greater interest in McCoy’s songwriting than in the group’s vocal performances, they exited the label. McCoy supplied labelmates Lee Williams & the Cymbals with their two biggest successes, “I Love You More” and “Peepin’ Through the Window.”
Stodghill departed to join the Persuaders, where he appeared on “It’s a Thin Line Between Love and Hate.” Robert Lewis took his place, and the resulting quartet laid down several Lou Courtney productions slated for Musicor or Atlantic that ultimately remained unreleased. Danny Evans, formerly of the Larks on “The Jerk,” assumed management duties. In 1968 an English tour materialized, yet the promoter insisted the group bill itself as the Fabulous Impressions for better recognition. “We don’t have a name act, and we need one to draw people,” the promoter declared, issuing an ultimatum that left the Topics with the choice of masquerading as the Impressions or returning home unpaid.
McCoy later recounted that the ensemble toured England again under its own name, though he skipped the second journey because of illness and lingering distrust after the first outing proved disastrous. Ties with Danny Evans were severed once he was exposed for promoting counterfeit Aretha Franklins and James Browns in Florida and Texas, an episode covered at length in Jet magazine.
East Coast listeners still recall the Topics chiefly for “All Good Things Must End,” the emotive ballad issued on Heavy Duty Records in 1972 that dominated the New York–New Jersey region while receiving scant attention elsewhere. The reconstituted lineup comprised McCoy, Curtis, Robert Radcliffe, and Yvonne McCoy, Ronald McCoy’s wife. More than thirty singers passed through the ranks; McCoy observed, “The constant recruiting was essential; you had to be ready for unexpected gigs, members were flighty, and I needed substitutes to fill in.”
The Heavy Duty arrangement yielded little, so Brothers III Records put out “Please Take This Heart Of Mine” in 1972, which attracted only scattered local airplay. Mercury followed with “Booking Up Baby” in 1973, another commercial disappointment, and a 1976 Noodle Records single titled “God and You”—also cut by Loreli—likewise failed to register. An entire album’s worth of T.S.G. material stayed in the vaults. Brothers III did issue the 1974 LP All Good Things, later reissued on CD by Japan’s P-Vine label in 1999 with bonus tracks from the Electras, Marion Butler, Loreli, and Empress Kilpatrick; the expanded collection appeared under the title The Topics and Friends: All Good Things.
McCoy sustained the Topics through persistent effort. At one juncture he fell ill and received an erroneous cancer diagnosis that gave him six months to live, prompting plans—never executed—to relocate to Ohio.
In 1986–1987 McCoy briefly performed and recorded with his wife and daughter under the name Triple Threat before opting to work solo. Several former members passed away: Bobby Adams was fatally shot in a bar while defending Charles Stodghill during an altercation, and Stodghill himself later succumbed at Jacoby Hospital in the Bronx. Robert Lewis, who later joined Ringling Brothers, also died; Vaughn Curtis suffered a stroke in 2000 yet survived.
Reduced to a trio of McCoy, Curtis, and Adams, the singers joined Joe Evans’ Carnival/Chadwick roster under the name the Cymbals. Evans preferred that moniker for another ensemble, however, forcing the switch to the Topics. Their 1966 Carnival debut “I Don’t Have to Cry” failed to register on the charts, as did the 1967 follow-up “Hey Girl Where Are You Going,” which introduced new member Charles “Charlie” Stodghill. After two years of inactivity and Evans’ greater interest in McCoy’s songwriting than in the group’s vocal performances, they exited the label. McCoy supplied labelmates Lee Williams & the Cymbals with their two biggest successes, “I Love You More” and “Peepin’ Through the Window.”
Stodghill departed to join the Persuaders, where he appeared on “It’s a Thin Line Between Love and Hate.” Robert Lewis took his place, and the resulting quartet laid down several Lou Courtney productions slated for Musicor or Atlantic that ultimately remained unreleased. Danny Evans, formerly of the Larks on “The Jerk,” assumed management duties. In 1968 an English tour materialized, yet the promoter insisted the group bill itself as the Fabulous Impressions for better recognition. “We don’t have a name act, and we need one to draw people,” the promoter declared, issuing an ultimatum that left the Topics with the choice of masquerading as the Impressions or returning home unpaid.
McCoy later recounted that the ensemble toured England again under its own name, though he skipped the second journey because of illness and lingering distrust after the first outing proved disastrous. Ties with Danny Evans were severed once he was exposed for promoting counterfeit Aretha Franklins and James Browns in Florida and Texas, an episode covered at length in Jet magazine.
East Coast listeners still recall the Topics chiefly for “All Good Things Must End,” the emotive ballad issued on Heavy Duty Records in 1972 that dominated the New York–New Jersey region while receiving scant attention elsewhere. The reconstituted lineup comprised McCoy, Curtis, Robert Radcliffe, and Yvonne McCoy, Ronald McCoy’s wife. More than thirty singers passed through the ranks; McCoy observed, “The constant recruiting was essential; you had to be ready for unexpected gigs, members were flighty, and I needed substitutes to fill in.”
The Heavy Duty arrangement yielded little, so Brothers III Records put out “Please Take This Heart Of Mine” in 1972, which attracted only scattered local airplay. Mercury followed with “Booking Up Baby” in 1973, another commercial disappointment, and a 1976 Noodle Records single titled “God and You”—also cut by Loreli—likewise failed to register. An entire album’s worth of T.S.G. material stayed in the vaults. Brothers III did issue the 1974 LP All Good Things, later reissued on CD by Japan’s P-Vine label in 1999 with bonus tracks from the Electras, Marion Butler, Loreli, and Empress Kilpatrick; the expanded collection appeared under the title The Topics and Friends: All Good Things.
McCoy sustained the Topics through persistent effort. At one juncture he fell ill and received an erroneous cancer diagnosis that gave him six months to live, prompting plans—never executed—to relocate to Ohio.
In 1986–1987 McCoy briefly performed and recorded with his wife and daughter under the name Triple Threat before opting to work solo. Several former members passed away: Bobby Adams was fatally shot in a bar while defending Charles Stodghill during an altercation, and Stodghill himself later succumbed at Jacoby Hospital in the Bronx. Robert Lewis, who later joined Ringling Brothers, also died; Vaughn Curtis suffered a stroke in 2000 yet survived.
Albums
