The Colts (Vocal Group)

The Colts

From Computer's Left to Right
Ruben Grundy (Bottom)
Joe Grundy (Right)
Carl Moland (Top)
Leroy Smith (Left)
Background information
Also known as Four Colts & a Filly
Origin United States, Kern County
San Joaquin Valley
Bakersfield
Genres Doowop, R&B, Soul, Rock-n-Roll
Years active (1953–1993)
Labels Vita Records, Mombo Records, Antler Records, Dot Records
Associated acts The Platters
The Penguins
Comets
Frankie Lymon
Clyde McPhatter
Bobby Day
Nat King Cole
Sammy Davis Jr.
The Sounds
The Aladdins
Website myspace.com/the_colts/

The Colts: also known (as Four Colts & a Filly), is an American vocal group from Bakersfield, California. The group's founding members consisted of a four-man line-up: lead singer Ruben Grundy, his brother Joe Grundy, Carl Moland. In 1955 while attending L.A. City College, in Los Angeles, New Jersey native Leroy Smith had joined the group. The following year later, the Colts had added singer: Mel Williams wife, Mickey Lynn, to their lineup, and changed the groups name to Four Colts & a Filly. The Colts is best known for their version, the first recording of the popular doowop clssic "Adorable." The Colts is also the first African American vocal group ever coming out of the San Joaquin Valley from Kern county.

History

The Colts is the first of two black vocal groups that formed in Bakersfield, California during the early-1950s'. The other group was called The Paradons. The group first began performing as a group while attending L.A. City College in East Hollywood. The Colts is famous for, and remembered as the first group to record the classic doo-wop hit called -"Adorable.” In 1955 The Colts had caught the attention of promoter, songwriter, and manager Samuel "Buck" Ram," who had signed the group to his Doowop & R&B production label called “Personality Productions.”[1] That same year, Ram had got the group a deal with an indie record label in Pasadena, California called "Mambo Records". Samuel "Buck" Ram, also used the group to do recording sessions for a song he wrote called “Adorable” and the flip side single called - ”Lips as Red as Win”. The "Adorable" single was also covered by “The Drifters” and a group called - “Little Caesar & the Romans”.

The "Adordable" single was initially released on Mambo, but was switched over to Mead's new Vita Records label. In 1955, the Vita single had charted at #1 on the "Zeke Manners KFWB" radio. The group has appeared on two TV shows; The Al Jarvis's show, and Larry Finley's TV shows. The "Adorable" single had also reached the top of "Cashbox's Los Anglels R&B Chart" where it stayed for an incredible three months. The record would have gone national but it didn’t because The Drifters, another popular vocal group from New York, had covered the song for Atlantic Records. Eventually, Atlantic's better distribution and stronger version won out. The Drifters took "Adorable" to number #1 on the "National R&B Charts" while "The Colts" version originally went as high as #11 on the national charts. The Colts, has toured with many famous and well known doowop artist such as Bill Haley's Comets, Frankie Lymon, Clyde McPhatter and other top acts on "The Biggest Rock 'n' Roll Show" of 1955.

Other popular singles by "The Colts" included: "Never No More...," "Sweet Sixteen...," "Honey Bun...," "Oh, When You Touch Me...," "I Never Knew...," and "Guiding Angel..."[2] The Colts has also appeared in three doowop compilation produced during the 1980s and 1990s'. In the 1980s "The Colts" single "Adorable" was featured on the Golden Era of Doowop compilation. The "Adorable" single also appeared on the various artist - compilation called The Best of Vita Records in 1980s, and the "The Groups of Vita Records," during the 1990s'. The Colts is among the first African American doowop vocal groups on the west coast documented out of Kern County to make a Top 20s appearance on the Cashbox National Chart. The Colts is the first black vocal group from Bakersfield to sign with a Doowop, and R&B production label. They are also the first black vocal group from Kern County to sign a record label, and the first black R&B, and Doowop vocal group coming out of the Central Valley from Bakersfield that formed around the same time period as the Bakersfield Sound, during the early-to-mid 1950s.

Appearances

Discography

Record Albums

References

  1. ↑ "The Colts-A Musical Footnote" J.C. Marion (1999). DooWop Nation, p.1
  2. ↑ The Colts, MTV Bio www.mtv.com 05-16-2015 Retrieved May 18, 2015
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