Oldies But Goodies Doo Wop Cruise

In 1949 The Oakateers, change their name to The Swallows and had their first recording for the King label was released in the spring of 1951. It paired "Will You Still Be Mine" and "Dearest". By July the record was a big seller in the bay area of San Francisco and Oakland. The popularity of the new group led to their first tour in which they were on the bill with the Count Basie Orchestra and vocalist Earl Williams appeared at several one nighters in the Eastern half of the country. About this time King was out pairing "Since You've Been Away" and "Wishing For You". By the end of the year the third release on King hit the streets “Eternally" and the ribald jump tune "It Ain't The Meat (It's The Motion)". The jump side was a big seller in the South especially in Georgia and the Carolinas. In was in March of 1952 when the Swallows played an early fifties dream bill at the Earle Theater in Philadelphia with Johnny Ray. The following month the group is well received at the Howard Theater in Washington D.C. on a show with the Sonny Thompson Combo and vocalist Lula Reed. King than released "Tell Me Why" / "Roll Pretty Baby" which was released shortly after New Year's Day and somehow got lost in the shuffle. The next King record which came out in April was "You Left Me"/ "Beside You" with Junior Denby taking over lead singing chores from Rich. Soon after the release of their new record, The Swallows play for two weeks in Atlantic City, New Jersey and get ready for their first extensive tour of the South.

In May King releases the group's take on the fine pop standard "I Only Have Eyes For You" which predates the Flamingos version by six years as an added bit of circumstance, The Flamingos were originally known as The Swallows until they discovered the King group had first dibs on the name. The flip side on this record was "You Walked In". In August of 1952 The Swallows do a number of shows with Cleveland disk jockey Alan "Moondog" Freed, along with Edna McGriff and the Buddy Lucas band. The shows were a huge success in Lorraine, Akron, and Youngstown. In mid September the group prepares for a seven week tour of the South where they remain popular. The touring show also features Wini Brown, H-Bomb Ferguson, Lil' Miss Sharecropper (LaVern Baker) and the Todd Rhodes Orchestra. While on this tour King releases "Where Do I Go From Here" and "Please Baby Please". The Swallows close a very successful year on the West Coast doing shows with R & B showstopper Amos Milburn.

In early 1953 another King released "Our Love Is Dying" / "Laugh” while the Swallows were traveling between appearances in Pennsylvania. In February, the group is involved in an auto accident near Lancaster. They are fine physically but while waiting for needed auto repairs the group makes news locally by giving an impromptu concert at a nearby convalescent home. That spring King releases the mystically named "Bicycle Tillie" / “Nobody's Loving Me". "Pleading Blues" and the fine ballad "Trust Me" was next on King in late summer, and by the end of the year, the end is in sight for the group on King Records. The last release for the label was "I'll Be Waiting" / “It Feels So Good". By the end of 1953 the Swallows in their original form disbanded after five years together and two years of recording for King. A revamped group gets together with remaining members Earl Hurley and Eddie Rich, original late 40s member Irv Turner, along with Al France and Ernie Bailey. By the spring of 1954 this new group of Swallows recorded one record for Lexy "Flap" Hanford's After Hours label released "My Baby" and "Good Time Girls" which sold fairly well in the group's home town of Baltimore and in Washington, D.C. After that one release for After Hours the group disbanded for good.

Four years later in the rock & roll teen idol phase, here comes The Swallows again. This time it is a group that evolved from a casual get together with original members Eddie Rich and Earl Hurley and singers Calvin Collette and Buddy Bailey (not the Clovers' Bailey) and back they were with Syd Nathan's R & B Empire in Cincinnati, but this time on the Federal label. Four sides were issued in 1958 by this newly reconstituted version of the group. "Angel Baby" / "Oh Lonesome Me" both obvious covers and “We Want To Rock" / "Rock-A-Bye-Baby Rock" trying to appeal to the late 50s teens. "Laughing Boy" / "Beside You", and “Who Knows, Do You?" and a cover of Bobby Hendricks "Itchy Twitchy Feeling" a straight rock & roll number. This last tune actually just barely touched the national pop charts in late 1958. Williams & His Charms hit it big once again. It was a cover record again, but this time a pop hit was the subject. The group did a mellow ballad version of the Cathy Carr waltz tune "Ivory Tower" and it did quite well, capturing many pop listeners as well as those younger fans of rock 'n' roll. This turned out to be the biggest seller ever for the group just missing the pop music top ten. Among the many personnel changes affecting the group by now was the interesting fact that a majority of the copies of "Ivory Tower" read as by Otis Williams on the label.

Soon after, the Swallows were history leaving a legacy of more than a decade of music making and two years of super styling’s by an inventive and dynamic vocal group that once again, had peaked too soon and thus was missed by the majority of listeners that came to know and appreciate the Rhythm & Blues performers of the early and mid fifties. But collectors know and treasure the King sides as a part of the history of this glorious music. Eddie Rich tried it again in the early 60s, joining with George "Sonny" Hatchet (tenor), Richard Williams (baritone; the original bass of the Orioles, prior to their recording days), and Albert Smith (bass). This time the group was "Sonny and the Dukes," who recorded "My Love" / “Make Up Your Mind" for Reverb (and also backed up George Jackson former lead of the Plants, on “Rainbow”/ “Miss Frankenstein”. In the mid 1980s, Eddie Rich formed a Swallows group that recorded for great Philadelphia's Starbound label. The other members were Eddie's nephew, David Banks (first tenor), Thomas "Rico" Brown (first and second tenor), Theodore Eastep (a baritone who had been with Little Hooks and the Kings in the 60s and Albert Smith (bass). This group had six records released in 1986. After that, David Banks left the group and was replaced by second tenor Leroy Miller (who was in and out of the group). By the time that the Swallows did some additional 1991 recording for Starbound, second tenor Joe Gaines was part of the group in Leroy Miller's place. Junior Denby appeared with Eddie's group for one 1983 engagement in New Jersey. In 1993, Junior appeared as a member of the Cardinals when they were inducted into the Ernie Warren, lead; Jack Johnson, baritone; Melvin Coles, tenor; and Junior Denby, the base singer.

The following year, the Swallows themselves were inducted into the UGHA Hall of Fame. The group that appeared consisted of Junior Denby, singing along with Eddie Rich's current Swallows aggregation: Albert Smith, Butch Johnson, and Rico Brown. Money Johnson was still alive at the time, but wasn't present. 1994 marked the last time Junior performed with a Swallows group; he, tenor Melvin Coles, baritone/bass Lee Gordon, and high tenor Bill Mills appeared for a single show as the Swallows. Most of the players are gone now, including Earl Hurley, Money Johnson, Bunky Mack, and Calvin Rowlette. Eddie Rich is still singing lead with a Swallows consisting of Leroy Miller, William George, Bryan and John Robinson.