The Flamingos - Need Your Love 1956

The Flamingos Biography Universally hailed as one of the finest and most influential vocal groups in pop music history, the Flamingos defined doo wop at its most elegant and sophisticated, their matchless harmonies profoundly impacting the Motown Sound of the 1960s and the Philly soul of the following decade. The roots of the Flamingos lie in Baltimore, where cousins Jake and Zeke Carey grew up in the same neighborhood occupied by the Orioles’ Sonny Til. In 1950, the cousins relocated to Chicago, where they joined the choir of the Jewish Church of God and Saints of Christ Congregation on the city’s south side. Through the choir the Careys met Paul Wilson and Johnny Carter, and together they began performing as a quartet, performing in the same neighborhoods as another future soul legend, Sam Cooke. With the addition of lead Earl Lewis, the fledgling group’s lineup was complete, with Carter and Zeke Carey installed as tenors, Wilson as baritone, and Jake Carey as bass. At first they called themselves the Swallows, but about six months later learned of a rival group with the same name back in Baltimore. Carter suggested el Flamingos, which was quickly modified to the Five Flamingos and finally just the Flamingos. While performing at a picnic in the autumn of 1952, the Flamingos befriended one Fletcher Witherspoon, Jr., who landed them a recurring gig at his friend’s club Martin’s Corner. There they were discovered by King Booking Agency head Ralph Leon, who signed on as their manager. At Leon’s urging, the Flamingos replaced the increasingly unreliable Lewis with lead Sollie McElroy. While Lewis later signed on with the Five Echoes, the new-look Flamingos in late 1952 cut their first demo session for Chicago’s famed United Records. The label passed, claiming the group’s flawless harmonies were in fact too clean and precise. In early 1953, the Flamingos instead signed to the Chance imprint, issuing their debut single, “Someday, Someway,“ in March. The record generated solid airplay throughout much of the Midwest, and that summer Chance released the quintet’s sophomore effort, a ballad-styled update of Sammy Kaye’s 1947 hit “That’s My Desire.“ The Carter original “Golden Teardrops“ was selected for the Flamingos’ third single and first unqualified masterpiece. A breathtakingly gorgeous ballad spotlighting their silken harmonies behind McElroy’s poignant lead turn, the record was a commercial failure but became a cult classic, and according to many fans remains their creative apex. As their touring commitments expanded to count opening appearances for jazz legends including Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton as well as legendary venues like Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, the Flamingos not only developed a series of razor-sharp choreographed dance routines later emulated by the Temptations and other vocal groups, but as the years went by they also honed their skills as instrumentalists, in the process becoming one of the first self-contained R&B outfits. Still, Chance consistently proved unable to properly promote the quintet’s records, and in the wake of their sixth single, “Blues in a Letter,“ the Flamingos exited the label in late 1954, landing at Chicago DJ Al Benson’s Parrot label to release the ballad “Dream of a Lifetime“ early the following year. McElroy left the lineup soon after, resurfacing in the Moroccos. The remaining foursome tapped former Velvetones lead Nate Nelson as his replacement, and he and Carter shared lead vocal duties on the Flamingos’ Parrot swan song, “Ko Ko Mo.“ Following Ralph Leon’s death, the group negotiated a deal with the Chess label’s Checker subsidiary, releasing “When“ in the spring of 1955. The gossamer ballad “Please Come Back Home“ closed out the year, but failed to deliver the breakthrough chart hit they so desperately sought. The Flamingos’ fortunes changed dramatically with the January 1956 release of the ballad “I’ll Be Home.“ Written by radio personality Fats Washington and featuring a tender Nelson vocal, the single reached number five on the Billboard R&B chart, although crooner Pat Boone’s vanilla remake effectively crippled its chances at crossing over to pop radio. The Flamingos returned that spring with the superb “A Kiss from Your Lips,“ this time ascending as far as number 12 R&B.