Lonnie & The Carollons

Lonnie & The Carollons (Brooklyn, New-York)

Personnel :

Irving Brodsky (Lead)

Richard Jackson (First tenor)

Eric Nathanson (Second Tenor)

Jimmy Laffey (Baritone)

Artie Levi (Bass)

Discography :

Lonnie & The Carollons
1958 - Chapel Of Tears / My Heart (Mohawk 108)
1959 - Trudy / Hold Me Close (Mohawk 111)
1959 - You Say / Backyard Rock (Mohawk 112)
1959 - The Gang All Knows / Ike Hammer (Mohawk 113)

Scott Miller bb The Carollons
1958 - It's Love / I Confess  (Mohawk 109)

Ricky Reynolds (Eric Nathanson)
1959 - Let's Leave It That Way / Get The Message (Mohawk 201)

Lonnie (Irving Brodsky)
Singles:
1961 - Need You Lovin'/ Beeline (Mohawk 122)
Unreleased:
1961 - Tender Moments (Mohawk)

Biography :

The Carollons were another of the early racially mixed groups to come out of New York City in the mid-'50s, but unlike the majority of R&B street-corner groups , the Carollons had a versatility that covered pop ("Hold Me Close"), country rock ("It's Love"), doo wop ("My Heart"), and rock and roll ballads ("Chapel of Tears").

The Emeralds

The group formed in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn as the Emeralds with Irving Brodsky, Artie Levy, Jimmy Laffey, Tyler Volks, and Robert Dunson (lead). By the time they became Lonnie and the Carollons the lineup had already changed to Irving Brodsky (lead as "Lonnie," age 16), Richard Jackson (first tenor , age 21), Eric Nathonson (second tenor, age 18), Jimmy Laffey (baritone, age 21 ), and Artie Levi (bass, age 17). Richie was black; the others were white and mostly Jewish.

The new name came from the fact that Eric had stayed at the Carollon Hotel in Florida during summer vacation and Irving just liked the sound of the name Lonnie. Though they loved groups like THE CHANNELS, THE MOONGLOWS, THE DELLS, and THE FLAMINGOS and rehearsed other artists' hits like "That's My Desire," "Sincerely," and "Oh What a Night," the songs they would eventually record were all originals, many of which the group members wrote themselves.

In early 1958 the group wandered through Manhattan's maze of music companies singing for whoever would listen. After a number of turndowns they came upon Mohawk Records at 1674 Broadway, where the proprietor Irv Spice was, in their minds, their last shot before they gave it all up. Spice liked the Carollons, and on March 3, 1958, the group started recording at Dick Charles Studios. A strong rock-ballad called "Chapel of Tears" was soon issued and became a Northeast regional area success.

 The group did the promo tour circuit of New York, Connecticut, Boston, and Philadelphia, and appeared on Clay Cole's TV show."Chapel" was to be the B side of "My Heart" (an outstanding rocker that deserved its own A side) but a last-minute change of heart made "Chapel" the promoted song. Their second single, "Hold Me Close," made the Carollons sound like the link between the '50s' FOUR COINS and the '60s' VOGUES. A pop ballad with full harmonies and little similarity to the style of their first record, it generated only scattered activity. The Carollons cut four singles then broke up. Eric Nathanson recorded a solo single under the name of Ricky Reynolds before joining The Vocal-Airs. In 1961, Irving Brosky (Lonnie)  cut a last single for Mohawk Records
American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today
Jay Warner



Songs :

Lonnie & The Carollons

     
Chapel Of Tears                        My Heart                               Trudy

     
Hold Me Close                           You Say                         Backyard Rock

  
The Gang All Knows                   Ike Hammer


Lonnie

  
Beeline                                Need You Lovin'


Scott Miller bb The Carollons


 I Confess

Cds :

Book :

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