The Trinidads

Formed in Chicago by Charles Colbert, the Trinidads were active from the late 1950s into the early 1960s. Their recorded output was limited to a pair of 1959 singles on Formal Records: “Don’t Say Goodbye” backed with “On My Happy Way,” both penned by Colbert, and “One Lonely Night” backed with “When We’re Together.” Personnel shifted frequently, prompting speculation that the Trinidads later morphed into the Trends, a group that cut sides for Smash and ABC Records, yet no proof of that lineage has surfaced. Colbert himself never appeared with the Trends, although it remains conceivable that the remaining members recruited a replacement, adopted a new name, and moved on once he departed after the Formal sides failed to connect, joining the Daylighters instead. Once his stint with the Daylighters ended, Colbert entered the racially mixed Gary & the Knight Lites, the ensemble that would eventually become the American Breed, known for “Bend Me, Shape Me.”