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NEW FEATURE
 Flamingos' song clips! |
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JUKEBOX CLIP
 1959 |
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Ethereal Balladeers
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THE FLAMINGOS
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In retrospect, the Flamingos have
been called "the best vocal group in history"
but, because of the poor promotion and distribution
of their recordngs, they never enjoyed the
success they deserved
| The Flamingos formed in 1950 soon after cousins Jake and Zeke Carey joined a black Jewish church in Chicago and met Paul Wilson and Johnny Carter. They first sang together in the choir, then ventured out into the streets as a foursome. They were subsequently joined by lead singer, Sollie McElroy. | |||
| At first they called themselves the Swallows, then the El Flamingos which was modified to the Five Flamingos. | |||
| From the beginning their sound was unique because of their use of minor keys, prevalent in Jewish hymns. This imparted a feeling of sadness to their songs. Further, many of their songs were hurtin' songs, like Blues — songs of leaving and being apart. | |||
| Their first two releases, in 1953, If I Can't Have You and That's My Desire were regional hits.on the Chance label. The artists credit read, The Flamingos. | |||
| Their third release, Golden Teardrops, another regional hit, has been called "the most perfect-sounding single of all time." | |||
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| Through the mid 1950s the Flamingos continued to release wonderful songs that went unheralded because of poor promotion and distribution. | |||
| Receiving no royalties, they managed to stay afloat by becoming consumate stage perforners. The were pioneers in choreographed music and were the first R&B vocal group to play their own instruments. | |||
| The group split up in 1956 because of draft commitments, but reformed in 1957 as a quartet and signed with Decca Records. Zeke Carey returned in 1958 and the group signed with End Records in late 1958. | |||
| The Flamingos hit their stride in 1958 with Lovers Never Say Goodbye, a beautiful Doo Wop love ballad that found success on both the R&B and Pop charts, followed by I Only Have Eyes For You, in 1959, their biggest chart success. | |||
| Their sound was now fully realized. The inspired use of echo, wandering falsettos and dissonance imparted an ethereal quality to their music. | |||
| A retrospective consideration of their work has prompted many music historians to call the Flamingos "the best vocal group in history." | |||
| The Flamingos were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000, the Doo Wop Hall of Fame and the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. |
 .Record Labels . |
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Chance (1953–1954)
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Parrot (1955)
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Checker (1955–1956)
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Decca (1957–1959)
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End (1958–1962)
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Roulette (1963)
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Checker (1964)
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Phillips (1965–1967)
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Julmar (1969)
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Poly (1970/1974)
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Ronze (1971/1975/1976)
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Worlds (1974)
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.Milestone Recordings . |
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Golden Teardrops (1953)
uncharted |
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I'll Be Home (1956)
#5 on R&B chart |
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A Kiss From Your Lips (1956)
#12 on R&B chart |
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Lovers Never Say Goodbye (1959)
#25 on R&B chart / #52 on Pop chart |
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I Only Have Eyes For You (1959)
#3 on R&B chart / #11 on Pop chart |
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Love Walked In (1959)
#71 on Pop chart |
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Mia Amore (1960)
#26 on R&B chart / #74 on Pop chart |
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Your Other Love (1960)
#54 on Pop chart |
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Time Was (1961)
#45 on Pop chart |
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