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Follow on Google News | “Glory Of Love” Aboard The 2012 Doo Wop CruiseThe Five Keys are regarded as one of the finest groups to ever record in this genre. They are best known for their Capitol recordings of "Glory of Love," "Close Your Eyes," "Ling Ting Tong," "Wisdom of a Fool," and "Out of Sight, Out of Mind."
By: Grant Williams The Five Keys started out with brothers Rudy and Bernie West with Ripley and Raphael Ingram also brothers as a gospel group that called themselves the Sentimental Four. They were all students at Dunbar Elementary School Newport News, Virginia. In 1948 the Sentimental Four had branched out into pop and r&b and entered and won amateur contests in several local theaters. In early 1949, they decided to change their sound, adding second tenor Edwin Hall as a fifth member. He was from the same neighborhood, and a common friend recommended him to the group. As the group's sound changed, Ripley Ingram became a key part with his ability to "float" between first and second tenor and above, which is known as a "octave tenor". Although they now had a fifth member, they strangely did nothing about their name for a while billed as the Sentimental Four for a few more months. With their changed sound, the Sentimental Four (plus one) won the Jefferson amateur show for five consecutive weeks, the prize for which was a trip to New York to appear on the Apollo Theater amateur show. Just before the Apollo contest Rafael Ingram received his draft notice and quickly joined the Air Force to avoid the Army and sent to Korea, where he lost a foot to frostbite. When he returned home, he became a member of the Avalons, another Newport News group. Rafael's replacement was baritone/second tenor James "Dickie" Smith, a relative of Harptones' lead Willie Winfield. Dickie, at the time living in the East End area of Newport News, was a neighborhood friend of the Sentimental Four. He had been singing with a local group called the Virginia Brown Dots, which attended the same amateur shows as the Keys. Dickie was now the "baby" of the group, being a year younger than Rudy. Before their trip to New York, Jefferson Theater manager Isaac "Ike" Burton, who had become the group's manager, decided that a name change was in order. They were in his office when a key ring with five skeleton keys on it fell on the floor, and the "Five Keys" they became. They even jokingly toyed with "Five Skeleton Keys"; another name they had kicked around was the "Virginia Gentlemen". There were around 30 other amateur acts that August Wednesday night at the Apollo in 1949; their regular shows headlined Billie Holiday. But the Five Keys came in first singing the old standard, "Them There Eyes", and got a standing ovation. Because of their Apollo victory, the group was booked to play a week at the Apollo and another week at the Howard. Soon after this, the Five Keys became six by adding guitarist Joe Jones. Joe was from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, but was living in Newport News. In the early spring of 1950, before the Brownskin Models tour, Edwin Hall, who had recently married, left the group. He was replaced by second tenor Maryland Pierce, lead singer of a local group called the Four Bees. This group also attended the local amateur shows, and the Keys and the Bees had gone to school together although Rudy, Dickie and Maryland were still in school the groups would "battle" each other in the neighborhood. Now the "classic" line-up was in place: Rudy West (first tenor), Maryland Pierce (second tenor), Ripley Ingram (octave tenor), Dickie Smith (baritone/second tenor), and Bernie West (bass), with guitarist Joe Jones. They also not only had different lead singers, but different kinds of lead singers: Maryland had a bluesy voice for ballads and up-tempo. Rudy had the sweet Bill Kenny-type ballad voice, and Dickie did rhythm and scat numbers. In the spring of 1950, after Edwin had left, the Five Keys landed a radio show for a couple of months. It was a weekly 15-minute show on WVEC a station in neighboring Hampton, Virginia, each Sunday morning. Than in early 1951, the group signed with Aladdin Records and in April, their first record was released: "With A Broken Heart" / "Too Late". Sales were mediocre, but in July 1951, Aladdin issued "The Glory of Love" backed with "Hucklebuck With Jimmy. ”The Glory Of Love" featured Rudy West on lead with Dickie Smith taking the bridge - this use of two lead voices became a feature of many Keys' recordings. By September, the Five Keys' version of "The Glory Of Love" was taking off in various territories throughout the U.S.A., holding off competition from versions by the Hollywood Four Flames, the Skylarks, and the Four Knights. The record would eventually reach #1 in the R&B charts. Aladdin Records were reporting that "The Glory Of Love" had become the label's biggest seller ever. In December 1953, Dickie Smith also received his draft notice, but enlisted in the Air Force. He was recruited a friend of his, baritone Ramon Loper who also had a group the Bob-O-Links that performed around the Newport News area to be his replacement in the group. In June 1954 the Five Keys appeared at Moondog's Birthday Ball in Akron, Ohio. The show, hosted by Alan Freed also starred Joe Turner, Faye Adams, Al Savage, and the Joe Morris band. The complete sell-out, also noteworthy for more than one-third of the audience was white, a fact not lost on representatives of eastern radio station. WINS in New York which was mulling over plans to bring Freed and his show to the Big Apple. Shortly there after the group saw its association with Aladdin Records ending. The group originally set to go with RCA Victor and its subsidiary label X, later changed to Groove. In August, Dave Cavanaugh A&R representative for Capitol Records announced signing The Five Keys to the Hollywood based major label. This was a breakthrough for the group and one of the few instances of an r&b act getting a shot with a national major. Their first session, held at Capitol's New York studios in 1954, produced four tunes: "I'm Alone" (led by Maryland Pierce), "Ling, Ting, Tong" (also Maryland), "Trapped, Lost, Gone" (Bernie West), and "I'm Just A Fool" (Ulysses Hicks). Than on October 1954, Rudy came home from the army. While in the service, he'd sung in good company; with him were Jesse Belvin and David McNeil, bass singer with the Dominoes. He at once rejoined the Five Keys, who now had six singers. Ulysses was being kept but with however plans of phasing him out. Meanwhile, he knew all the arrangements, including some that Rudy didn't know. However, there were only "Five" Keys onstage at any one time; Rudy was usually out there, but he left the stage when they did "Ling, Ting, Tong", and Ulysses came out to replace him. Rudy had rejoined the Five Keys when they started a week's booking at the Apollo Theater on 15 October, 1954. It was during this show that co-star Chuck Willis gave them a song he'd just written. It had a two-voice lead, and he thought it would fit the Keys' style; the song was "Close Your Eyes". When this beautiful song was recorded in November, Maryland Pierce took the lead and Rudy West sang the "echo". "Ling, Ting, Tong" took off in late 1954, eventually peaking at #5 in the R&B charts and even crossing over to reach #28 Pop. http://www.mlccruises.com Contact : Grant Williams Memory Lane Concert Cruises, LLC Los Angeles, CA 541 879 6298 mlccruises@gmail.com http://www.mlccruises.com End
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