The Van Dykes

In Texas, a soul trio called the Van Dykes took shape with a sound, vocal blends, and overall presentation modeled directly on Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions. Rondalis Tandy, the lead singer, assembled the lineup in 1964 by joining forces with tenor vocalist Wenzon Mosley, bass singer James Mays, and falsetto artist Eddie Nixon. Nixon departed prior to the 1964 recording of the group’s signature track, “No Man Is an Island.” That release and the singles that followed centered on Tandy’s sweeping, pained falsetto leads together with the remaining trio’s keen, tight interaction and harmonizing. The ensemble disbanded in 1968 once Tandy relocated to California.