The Eldorados
One of the first vocal groups to emphasis choreography, the Cadillacs were a mi-50's
marvel to behold.
Members:
Pirkle Lee Mose Jr. - lead
Jewell Jones - first tenor
Louis Bradley - second tenor
James Maddox - baritone
Richard Nickes - bass
Artist Biography by Bryan Thomas
One of the leading R&B vocal groups on Vee Jay, the El Dorados had a relatively
short career with their first lineup, during which they scored a massive crossover hit,
1955's "At My Front Door" (number 17 on the pop charts and number one R&B,
where it remained for 18 weeks). They managed only one other charting record -- 1956's
"I'll Be Forever Loving You" -- before their initial breakup in 1959. Subsequent
lineups and name changes (and alterations) brought no further success, but they continued
performing well into the '80s.
The original group featured five members -- Pirkle Lee Moses Jr. (lead), Louis Bradley
(tenor), Jewel Jones (second tenor and baritone), James Maddox (baritone and bass), and
Robert Glasper (bass) -- when they formed in the Englewood section of Chicago's south side
in 1952 while still attending Englewood High School (the same school that the Moroccos
attended). They were calling themselves the Five Stars. Johnny Moore, their high school
custodian, liked the group so
much and thought they showed so much promise, that he became their manager.
In 1954, just after graduation, Moses and Glasper took advantage of the Air Force's 90-day
active duty program, but while Moses returned, Glasper remained with the Air Force. By
then, Arthur Bassett (tenor) had temporarily replaced Moses, and Richard Nickens came in
for Glasper. The Five Stars were now six, and a name change was inevitable. They were
about to become the Cardinals (apparently, they had no knowledge of Atlantic's New
York-based group) when the craze
for naming your group after a popular car model hit, and since they couldn't call
themselves the Cadillacs, the settled for Cadillacs' luxurious two-door model, the El
Dorado, for inspiration. The El Dorados came to the attention of local Chicago WWCA disc
jockey Al Benson, who witnessed first-hand how their gorgeous blend of harmonies and
talent made for an exciting new group that he could support. They had already won first
prize at a local talent show at the Club De Lisa. Benson arranged for the group to
audition at a contest hosted by Vee Jay Records at the Park City Skating Rink. Amateur
groups were challenged to compete against Vee Jay's Spaniels. The El Dorados rose to the
challenge, winning the contest and a recording contract with the label.
The El Dorados' first single, a bluesy ballad called "My Loving Baby," was
issued in September 1954, and was a popular regional seller. Their next effort had the
group backing up Hazel McCollum on "Annie's Answer," which was Vee Jay's
contribution to the ongoing "Annie" saga begun by Hank Ballard and the
Midnighters. Perhaps tiring of all the Annie nonsense, Arthur Bassett ankled the El
Dorados (he also joined the Air Force), and the sextet slimmed down to a quintet. During
the
third week of September 1955, Vee Jay released the group's "At My Front Door,"
which stormed the Billboard R&B charts on September 24th and the Top 100 on October
15th. The song featured Al Duricati's pounding drum rhythm and a rousing sax solo. The
so-called "baby talk" pre-finale by Moses Jr. made the record soar even further,
and the lyrics about that "crazy little mama" became as legendary as the Annie
saga. By the end of the year it had climbed to number 17 on the pop charts and number one
R&B, where it remained for 18 weeks. (Pat Boone later did a cover version that charted
at number seven pop).
Their follow-up, "I'll Be Forever Lovin' You" (originally recorded by the Rip
Chords but never released), was issued during the second week of December. It was a rocker
that exuded jazz, pop, and R&B overtones, but although it made it to number eight
R&B in February 1956, it never charted on the pop lists. Soon after the release of the
follow-up, Nickens left and the El Dorados soldiered on as a quartet. A few additional
singles performed well in certain U.S. cities, but didn't
measure up to their prior hit status. Their next single, "Tears on My Pillow" (a
different song from Little Anthony and the Imperials' hit record), was the last by all of
the original El Dorados; soon after its release, the group and Pirkle Moses Jr. separated
over a disagreement on new management.
Moses Jr. soon joined another Vee Jay act, the Kool Gents, who had been left without a
singer when their frontman, Dee Clark, departed for a solo career. John McCall (tenor),
Douglas Brown (second tenor), Teddy Long (second tenor and baritone), and Johnny Carter
(bass) of the Kool Gents joined with Moses Jr., to become the New El Dorados. They
released two singles in 1958 for Vee Jay, but when neither sold, they eventually left Vee
Jay in a money dispute and subsequently disbanded altogether.
During this same time, the remaining El Dorados -- Jones, Bradley, and Maddox -- joined up
with new lead singer Marvin Smith. Smith had moved with his family to the west side of
Chicago in the late '40s, where he attended Crane High and sang on street corners and in
church choirs, before joining the group as their new lead vocalist. To avoid legal
problems with Vee Jay, the group's name was changed to Those Four El Dorados for 1958's
"A Lonely Boy," Academy Records of Chicago. Jewel Jones' name on the label was
spelled J-u-e-l-l (each member's name was listed). Those Four El Dorados' later traveled
to the West Coast, and
connected with a former NBA basketball star Don Barksdale, who had formed his Rhythm
Record Company in Oakland, CA. The group changed monikers again, this time calling
themselves the Tempos, but the group faltered again, and returned to Chicago, splitting up
in 1961.
Marvin Smith went on to join the Artistics on Okeh and Brunswick Records as the lead for
such R&B charters as "I'm Gonna Miss You" (number 55 Top 100, number nine
R&B, 1966) and "Girl I Need You" (number 69 Top 100, number 26 R&B,
1967). Johnny Carter, meanwhile, tried to keep the name alive by forming yet another new
New El Dorados in late 1959, with John McCall, Danny Edwards, and Eugene Huff (formerly of
the Valquins). This group lasted until 1965. Carter tried again in 1971, hooking up with
Huff, Spence Goulsby, Jr., and Lee Toussaint on lead for two sides on Paula, but that
group was gone by the early '80s. Moses Jr. recorded with an unknown group as the Squires
in 1963 on Boss ("It's Time") and then did a solo effort titled The Docks. In
1965, Moses Jr., Melvin Morrow, and George Prager (the latter two late of the Moroccos)
came together as the Major Minors. In 1969, this group once again became the El Dorados,
doing a
single for Torrid Records. Pirkle Moses Jr. then quit for almost a decade but returned
with yet another El Dorados-lineup with tenor Norman Palm (from the Pastels on United),
second tenor Billy Henderson, George Prayer (baritone), and Anthony Charles (bass). Around
1985 Henderson left and Anthony Charles passed away. Eugene Huff (of Carter's El Dorados)
and Larry Johnson (Moroccos) took their places and the group recorded a ballad for Delano
Records in 1987. In effect, that last El Dorados recording group contained members
formerly in four Chicago-area groups: the Palms, the Moroccos, the Kool Gents, and the El
Dorados. On December 26, 2000, the original El Dorados lead vocalist Pirkle Lee Moses, Jr.
passed away.