CD Details
- Digitally Mastered By: Little Walter DeVenne
- Liner Notes: Victor Pearlin
- Compiled By: Victor Pearlin
- Released: March 14, 2006
- Originally Released: 2004
- Label: Collectables Records
Description by OLDIES.com:
The Checkers were formed as an offshoot of the wildly successful vocal group, The Dominoes. Although most of the Dominoes' recordings for Federal Records featured a young Clyde McPhatter, the lead on their hit "Sixty Second Man" was such by Bill Brown - who along with fellow Domino Charlie White left to found The Checkers in 1952. In fact, the two groups sounded so similar that many thought that they were one in the same. Between 1952 and 1958, King released eleven singles by The Checkers (in all of the group's various incarnations) -- all of which are included in this collection.
Tracks:
- 1. Without A Song
- 2. Oh, Oh, Oh Baby
- 3. Flame In My Heart
- 4. My Prayer Tonight
- 5. Let Me Come Back
- 6. Love Wasn't There
- 7. Night's Curtain
- 8. I Wanna Know
- 9. Ghost Of My Baby
- 10. You Never Had It So Good
- 11. White Cliffs Of Dover
- 12. I Promise You
- 13. House With No Windows
- 14. Don't Stop Dan
- 15. You've Been Fooling Around
- 16. Over The Rainbow
- 17. Mama's Daughter
- 18. Can't Find My Sadie
- 19. Trying To Hold My Gal
- 20. I Wasn't Thinkin', I Was Drinkin'
- 21. Heaven Only Knows
- 22. Nine More Miles (The Faster, Faster Song)
Product Description:
The Checkers: Clyde McPhatter, Bill Brown , Bill Brown , Charles White.
Liner Note Author: Victor Pearlin.
The Checkers were a short-lived vocal group founded in 1952 and lasting until 1954. During these short two years, the group released 11 singles on King, and found some commercial success despite heavy turnover. White Cliffs of Dover collects these 22 Checkers' songs, represented by the A- and B- sides of their 11 releases. The title track is probably the quartet's best-known release, but other tracks -- "Without a Song" and "Don't Stop Dan" -- also sold fairly well. The latter song, interestingly, is a belated answer song to "Sixty Minute Man" (which had also been sung by Checkers' founder, Bill Brown) and is coupled with a fantastic version of "House With No Windows." There's also the odd coupling of "You've Been Fooling Around" with a vibrant take on "Over the Rainbow." Interestingly, the group's last single -- "Heaven Only Knows" and "Nine More Miles" -- wasn't released until 1958, four years after the group had busted up. Whether these recordings emanated from the original group and had been hidden away in the vault, or King hired a new group to record them remains a mystery. White Cliffs of Dover is a fine collection and will be warmly embraced by fans of '50s vocal music. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.
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