175:, "Please Baby", for his PeeDee label. Soon after Doraine partnered his company with Victor Allen to form Allen Records, and record the Five Willows' follow-up "My Dear Dearest Darling" in late 1953. Even though it was a regional hit in Harlem and Los Angeles, the group's subsequent offerings on the label did not fare as well and by early 1954 Allen Records had dissolved. In June 1954, the Five Willows signed with
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Spending all of 1955 performing, the
Willows (according to music journalist Patrick Prince "they had dropped the 'Five' after Joe had overslept and missed a matinee show during an Apollo engagement") closed the year by signing with Morty Craft's newly established Melba Records. For the first
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in 2002. The final line-up consisted of Tony
Middleton, Desi Middleton (baritone), Richard Green (tenor), and Bill Pron (bass). Middleton died on February 7, 2024 at the age of 89.
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Before the
Willows, the group was known as the Dovers, which originally built a reputation in Harlem nightclubs and by practicing with other Harlem doo wop acts like
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Peter
Doraine spectated at one of the Dovers gigs, offered the group his services as manager, and change their name to the Five Willows to record the group's debut
217:, whose rendition reached number 12 nationally, the Willows' version may have obtained even more success, an issue which led to a lawsuit against Craft over
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Tony
Middleton joined the Dovers on the nightclub circuit where they became revered for their competitive charisma in battle of the bands-type performances.
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onto the recording. When the single was released in early 1956, it became a huge seller in New York, and charted at number 14 on the
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American
Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today
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224:In April 1956, the Willows appeared at the
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353:"The Willows - Biography"
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209:. Had it not been for a
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477:Herald Records artists
52:Background information
202:and number 62 on the
185:Church Bells May Ring
107:Church Bells May Ring
339:the willows doo wop.
315:Warner, Jay (2006).
161:. In 1952, aspiring
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27:American vocal group
351:Hamilton, Andrew.
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155:Fury Records
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115:The Diamonds
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74:Years active
445:October 17,
420:October 17,
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362:October 17,
295:October 17,
250:the Ladders
189:Neil Sedaka
135:lead vocals
91:The Willows
34:The Willows
461:Categories
382:doowop.org
264:References
105:hit with "
219:royalties
205:Billboard
198:Billboard
256:special
191:overdub
143:baritone
207:Hot 100
121:History
111:covered
103:R&B
95:doo-wop
64:Doo-wop
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248:, and
236:, and
193:chimes
173:single
57:Genres
163:boxer
139:tenor
447:2016
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